How the Giannini House was saved

***

Fortunately, the city had an ordinance which prevented the demolition of historic buildings unless the building was a health and safety risk. But no one had been allowed inside to inspect the Giannini home. It was overgrown with trees, newspapers had collected outside and neighbors had been complaining that the home was not properly maintained. After city attorney Roy Abrams and I met with the Yaos (daughter Hilda was to take over from her ailing mother) on several occasions we finally received permission to enter the home in 1999. Abrams, Postel and I and a city inspector made the visit.

What a surprise! The house was modest in scale, not a big mansion as one would expect from the president of one of the richest banks in the world. But A.P. deliberately wanted to live a modest unostentatious life. He wanted to stay close to the origins of the BofA to serve the working man. The house did have a separate building for a stable and servants’ quarters. When we entered, there was a dead bird in the living room but we found the house to be basically in good shape but in need of maintenance and repairs.

Postel also took note of some original furniture which he hoped to purchase for the museum but, after a request to the estate, the living room chairs were sold to Butterfield. Despite this and numerous attempts to remain on good terms, things seemed to go from bad to worse.

***

In 1998, Giannini was named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people of the century. We celebrated this event at City Hall because we were so proud that A.P. had chosen San Mateo as his residence. He did this to save the bank’s gold reserves, moving them from the earthquake- and fire-ravaged San Francisco, to a safe in his San Mateo home. It was also a reminder to the community that his house was in danger of being demolished.

In late 1998, Postel and I and two of Giannini’s granddaughters went to Sacramento before the California Historical Society to list the home on the National Historic Registry. This required support from the estate, which they refused. As a result, the state maintained the house was historic and asked the national registry to so consider it. In this way, it received the protections necessary although not the plaque outside the house.

***

In 2000, the impasse with the estate continued. They maintained the house was in good repair but were not doing much to keep it so. We explored with the Peninsula Social Club, a mecca of Italian heritage, to find some way to purchase and turn it into a museum. But no funds surfaced. In 2003, Hilda Yao wrote to Abrams and asked what was required to demolish the house. I knew they could not demolish but then what? They responded with a supporting document for demolition saying it would cost more than $6 million for repairs. Abrams retired that year and the city’s new attorney Shawn Mason took up the cause.

Mason asked repeatedly for an inspection to see if there were leaks in the roof but to no avail. Finally, he filed suit saying the house needed to be weatherproofed. Without any notice, the estate sold the house to a small nonprofit in San Jose which did not have funds for repairs. They in turn sold it for $1 million to a private party who it turns out has been a caring owner.

Because of the great work of Postel, Mason and many members of the community, the Giannini home was saved!

Sue Lempert is the former mayor of San Mateo. Her column runs every Monday. She can be reached at sue@smdailyjournal.com.