It's Our City is a project that uses TV, Radio and Web
to promote civic engagement in the Philadelphia region.Why would someone tear down a perfectly good mansion?
Friday, August 14th, 2009 at 5:47 pm - by Alan Tu. Filed under: Community.
The new owners of this mansion plan to knock it down
Is there something wrong with this house? Is it haunted?
It has been reported that this big house is going to be torn down so its owners can build their dream home on that spot which is 1030 Mt Pleasant Rd. in Bryn Mawr. (map)
The owners have not responded to an offer by a Florida man who is willing to pay the cost to move the house to a nearby lot. The home was built in 1921 and is considered a great example of the Spanish Revival style.
Bonnie Cook, a reporter for The Philadelphia Inquirer did manage to interview the owner’s attorney and ask him why it’s likely to be torn down.
Joseph Kuhls, the buyer’s attorney, said practicality was driving the buyer’s decision. For one thing, the mansion lacks air-conditioning.
“We’ve had architects go through the house to explore the continued feasibility of a single-family dwelling, but it doesn’t work. In 2009, it just doesn’t work anymore as a family’s home,” said Kuhls.
A grassroots efforts to save the home has formed. The Mainline Times reports that at a recent meeting, sponsored by the Lower Merion Conservancy, the Lower Merion Historical Society and a citizens’ group Save La Ronda Now, it was agreed that the best chance to save the mansion is to try to buy the home.
Lower Merion Board of Commissioners President Bruce Reed, speaking at the event, said the best hope for La Ronda is to find a conservation-minded buyer. The Save La Ronda group has been searching – through publicity both here and farther away in Florida and nationally – to find such a buyer. It even thinks it may have found one.
“One of our frustrations,” Reed said, however, is that “access to the property has been extremely constrained.” The owners first said they might entertain offers in a range a little higher than their $6-million acquisition costs but now they seem “less amenable to doing that,” he said.
I think most people wouldn’t care about the old house, if it weren’t in such nice condition. I’d take it as is. So where do you come down on this. Should the mansion be saved just because we like it?
August 14th, 2009 at 6:00 pm
Air conditioning? Really? If they have the money to knock down and re-build, I’m sure they can come up with a way to make it “feasible.”
Out with the old, I guess. Personally, I’d take the mansion over a cookie-cutter dry-walled setting any day.
August 14th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
Having renovated the crap out of a small house built around 1904, I can almost understand the sentiment. Mind you, my house wasn’t nearly as impressive looking as this one. But to get it anywhere near up to code, never mind to get it semi-comfortable, we literally had to tear down everything in the house, down to the studs and joists.
It definitely made deciding on my next house easy: Give me central climate control, modern wiring and modern insulation/windows/doors.
Nonetheless - if you want to build your dream home, don’t sacrifice a building as nice as that one.
August 16th, 2009 at 10:25 am
also see Inga Saffron’s new article: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_design/20090814_Changing_Skyline__The_waste_of_razing_fine_old_buildings.html
They do this because they can, and they do this because everyone knows underneath it all how pro-development Lower Merion Township is (including the commissioner purportedly leading the charge- he has a tarnished reputation over meddling in the school board and commissioner elections this past spring). They also know that Lower Merion’s ordinances and 30 year old comprehensive plan can’t stop it.
Lower Merion Township has had SEVERAL opportunities since the 1970’s to save LaRonda and hasn’t….until now. And the reality is that there might be a guy willing to take LaRonda on and call it his own - but will he be able to or will the new owners just be petty? Most of us don’t believe these people really want to live here. Lots of people have heard a name too as far as rumored ownership goes.
Glenmede is also in play again as it is for sale. Everyone hopes that will survive too.
But in Lower Merion, historic preservation is weak. Government can’t just play lip service to it. And lip service is all this current board does.
August 17th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
yes, we should save it because we like it! this place is just too gorgeous/fantastic/historic to tear down. besides, isn’t it far more environmentally conscious to not tear down.
lower merion, please don’t issue a raze permit
August 17th, 2009 at 4:01 pm
This fabulous building should be preserved for the lovely architechture. Wouldn’t tearing it down and re-building it take just as long as bringing the current structure up to code? Preserving it would be the ‘green’ thing to do in this throwaway society.
August 17th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
I also saw this post about La Ronda
http://whyy.org/blogs/itsourcity/2009/08/17/why-cant-historic-preservation-be-more-proactive/
These people could save it, but they don’t want to. They are just another example of ignorance knows no bounds.
The structure is not in that bad of shape. I drove by it a few months ago.
The Main Line likes to talk about the history of the area, only it’s JUST talk at this point.