Steve Jobs to give away historic mansion

According to a column in the October 2004 issue of This Old House magazine, Apple CEO, Steve Jobs, intends to give away a 17,000 square-foot Spanish Colonial mansion to anyone who will move it.

The house in Woodside, CA, which is not far from Stanford University and Apple's headquarters in Cupertino, was once occupied by Jobs and also played host to former president Bill Clinton when daughter Chelsea attended Stanford. Jobs, however, can't stand the place. He recently sought local authority to demolish the mansion, which he described as "one of the biggest abominations of a house I've ever seen."

The 1926 Daniel C. Jackling estate was designed by George Washington Smith, the architect who created the look of Montecito and Santa Barbara in the 1920's. Built for Mr. Jackling, a copper magnate who died in 1956, the house sits on six wooded acres that Jobs purchased in 1983 at the age of 29.

Preservationists have deemed the house historic, and have pronounced its importance as an example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. In March, the house was the center of a public debate, as several people— including former owners and a relative of Mr. Jackling— spoke about the house's significance and the importance of historic preservation.

It appears that Jobs will now offer the house to anyone who is willing to handle its relocation and restoration.