Page A10 - october 3, 2013 - LIGHT www.lajollalight.com Windemere Saga Continues City Council upholds appeal of Irving Gill cottage demolition By Pat Sherman The City Council voted 5-3 on Sept. 23 to uphold the La Jolla Community When we bought it (Windemere), Planning Association and La Jolla Historical “ Society’s (LJHS’s) appeal of a my wife wouldn’t even allow our Environmental Quality Act exemption, children into that house because it which led to the demolition of Irving Gill’s ‘Windemere cottage,” formerly located at was dangerous. Our kids could have 1328 Virginia Way in La Jolla. The vote is the latest development in a killed themselves walking around the contentious, two-year conversation pitting development against historic preservation. second level. … We went to the city The house, built in 1894 and believed to be the master architect’s first home in and … the city determined that it was California, and the first Craftsman home in the state, was demolished on Dec. 23, 2011 a nuisance … and actually ordered us after the City of San Diego deemed the to tear that house down. property a “public nuisance,” thus requiring its demolition (sans a normally required — Property owners and attorneys Frank” and Nina Bottini coastal development permit). Historic preservationists argue that property address the San Diego City Council on Sept. 23. Screenshot from CityTV owner Frank Bottini knew the cottage was potentially historic when he purchased it, and was aware of the costs associated with himself and his family, Bottini altered the from its original condition to be historic, Scott Sherman recusing himself from the vote). restoration or relocation of Windemere if structure by removing “architecturally and and the city’s Development Service “It is not appropriate to pretend deemed historic (from $750,000 to $1 historically important aspects of the Department to declare it a public nuisance. (Windemere) never existed; this is a wake-up million, according to LJHS attorney, Julie cottage.” These included redwood brackets The motion to uphold the LJHS’s appeal call for all of us about the potential abuse of Hamilton). in the eaves, and diamond-paned windows. was made by District 1 City Councilmember the system,” Lightner said when making the Hamilton said that to avoid incurring The changes, preservationists say, Sherri Lightner, who represents La Jolla, and motion, noting that an environmental such costs, and to expedite demolition of weakened the structure and led the city’s seconded by District 9 representative Marti analysis should have been done when Historical Resources Board (HRB) to Emerald (opposing the motion were Kevin Windemere existed on the site, and not

the cottage so he could build a modern, s single-family residence on the site for determine it had been altered too much Faulconer, Lori Zapf and , with when it was finally performed, after

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