Inside the Kronish House, taken Monday afternoon
Late last night the Beverly Hills City Council asked the Planning Commission to start work on a historic preservation ordinance for the city, which Beverly Hills, with all its old buildings, has never had. A lot of good buildings have died or been mortally wounded in the fight for protection in Beverly Hills over the years--John Lautner's Shusett House, Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford's famous Pickfair estate, the domed Beverly Theater. But the Richard Neutra-designed Kronish House seems to be the last straw (check out our tour here--it's in bad shape, but many people think it can be saved).
At a meeting last night, the city council heard from tons of speakers arguing for and against the demolition of the Kronish, according to video of the meeting, and at the end of the night, a rep for the owners agreed to postpone destruction until at least October 10 (a lawyer for the owners told us this week that they'd actually be ready to deconstruct in about two weeks). Meanwhile, preservationists will rush to find someone to preserve the house--one real estate investor who spoke said he was working with Neutra's son Dion to find a buyer who will keep the Kronish intact (or fix it up) and Councilmember John Mirisch said Neutra owner Vidal Sassoon had offered to show potential buyers around his own rehab.
And finally, amid debate, the council requested that the Planning Commission work on a historic preservation ordinance, reports the LA Times. Mayor Barry Brucker called it a "pretty darn dramatic leap forward" for the city. Mazel tov, Bev Hills.
· Richard Neutra's Kronish House gets a reprieve [LAT]
· Exclusive: Tour Neutra's Rundown Kronish House Now--It Could Be Gone in 2 Weeks [Curbed LA]
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