Possible legal action to force weatherproofing of the historic home of Bank of America founder A.P. Giannini took the new owner by surprise - particularly since he believed the city and he had a positive relationship.
"I am very surprised and very disappointed because we were in the middle of a dialogue," said Rigo Chacon, founder of Abrazos and Books, a nonprofit that received the donation six months ago.
Chacon, a former television reporter, said the house is on the market and he has several interested buyers. The city also made an offer to buy the house, then sell it and give the proceeds to the nonprofit. However, Chacon said he believes that would produce less money for his nonprofit.
The legal action would force the nonprofit to construct a new roof and other improvements to weatherproof it against winter storms, said City Attorney Shawn Mason.
The new owner has not maintained the property and it is in danger of falling further into disrepair, Mason said Monday.
On Tuesday, Chacon spoke with his legal representative who will contact the city today. Chacon also took issue with Mason's statement that the house is not being maintained. The house is being maintained in the same way the estate maintained it, he said. Additional repairs are not being made because that would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, Chacon said.
The house in question, at 20 El Cerrito Ave., may be modest in size but it has a wealth of history. Giannini lived in it during the 1906 earthquake and used its fireplace to hold gold bricks he used to make the loans that helped rebuild San Francisco. Giannini also helped finance the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and at Bank of America, founded the concept of branch banking. He is considered the most important historical figure in San Mateo history.
However, that legacy was in danger of collapsing in neglect after his daughter Claire Giannini Hoffman died and willed that the house be destroyed.
The city has fought to preserve the house for years and recently, the estate donated it to Abrazos and Books. The nonprofit was pleased with the donation but does not have the resources for a full restoration. The three-bedroom house is assessed at $1.1 million, but repair estimates are placed at around $6 million.
Jon Mays can be reached by e-mail at jon@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: (650) 344-5200 ext. 107. What do you think of this story? Send a letter to the editor: letters@smdailyjournal.com.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
Only subscribers can view and post comments on articles.
Already a subscriber? Login Here
Join New York Times bestselling author Caroline Paul for a lively discussion of her book Tou… Read moreBook Club with Author Caroline Paul
CA Is Burning said:
Dirk van Ulden said:
Providing Feedback said:
Success! An email has been sent to with a link to confirm list signup.
Error! There was an error processing your request.
Sorry, an error occurred.
Already Subscribed!
Cancel anytime
Thank you .
Your account has been registered, and you are now logged in.
Check your email for details.
Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password.
An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account.
No promotional rates found.
Secure & Encrypted
Thank you.
Your gift purchase was successful! Your purchase was successful, and you are now logged in.
| Rate: | |
| Begins: | |
| Transaction ID: |
A receipt was sent to your email.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.