Many of the Jackling House's windows and doors have been removed, exposing the stucco mansion to the elements. (Woodside History Committee)

A year after Steve Jobs won permission to tear down his 80-year-old Spanish Colonial mansion in Woodside, Calif., a judge retracted the demolition permit.

The town council's December 2004 decision to grant Jobs a permit "was an abuse of discretion," wrote California Superior Court Judge Marie Weiner in her Dec. 28 ruling. "What the Town of Woodside has approved is the utter antithesis of its existing General Plan. … The theme of the General Plan is one of conservation, preservation, and certainly maintenance of existing structures."

Architect George Washington Smith designed the 14-bedroom, 13 ½-bathroom structure in 1926 for copper magnate Daniel C. Jackling, who entertained celebrities like Charles Lindbergh there.

Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer, Inc., and chairman and CEO of Pixar Animation Studios, will likely appeal the decision, however. He bought the 17,250-square-foot mansion in 1984, lived there for about a decade, and abandoned it more than 10 years ago. Since then, most of its doors and windows have been removed. Planning to build a smaller house on his nine-acre property, Jobs applied for a demolition permit.

A citizens' group called Uphold Our Heritage filed suit in January 2005, blocking demolition.

"The house is definitely saved, but it may be more of a respite than a permanent victory," says Doug Carstens of Santa Monica-based Chatten-Brown & Carstens, who represented the group. "We can't just stop the fight now."

The house is not listed on the state historic register, but it is eligible for listing, according to an environmental-impact review, which state law requires before the demolition of historic structures. (The Trust's Western Office contributed written comments for the review's draft and testified before the town council.)

"This [decision] means that there will be more chances for a true preservation solution," Carstens says. "From here on out, there may be more opportunity for public involvement and input from the preservation community."

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