The house Steve Jobs broke

Steve Jobs called this house "pretty much a dump" but today we ask... was it a dump or did he make it one?
How did the house of a former copper magnate become a pile of rubble? Today we learn about the Jackling House, a Spanish Colonial Revival in Woodside, CA. It was torn down by Steve Jobs in 2011 with the intention of building a smaller home. The dispute made small town hall meetings the talk of the world. We go through the history of the Spanish Colonial Revivals, George Washington Smith, Daniel Jackling, and Steve Jobs.
Tell me what you want to see next in the comments
Sources:
Friends of Jackling House:
www.friendsofthejacklinghouse....
Local press:
www.almanacnews.com/news/2011...
www.almanacnews.com/morgue/20...
EPA on Bingham Canyon Mine:
cumulis.epa.gov/supercpad/cur...
70s photos:
www.richardsilverstein.com/20...
Nitro, West Virginia NYTimes article:
timesmachine.nytimes.com/time...
Copper info:
www.nps.gov/articles/keweenaw....
Mansion torn down:
www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articl...
NY Post Article:
nypost.com/2021/04/08/inside-...
Jonathan Haeber's Blog:
www.terrastories.com/bearings/...
Pipe Organ Salvage blog post:
web.archive.org/web/201504060...
Items in local museum:
venturebeat.com/business/stev...

[@sustainablegremlin]

Imagine being such a rich jerk that you intentionally neglect a house for a decade because you don't like it, instead of just selling it to somebody who would love it.

[@justniobe]

Always found Jobs repellant and never knew much about him.. find him more repellant now.

[@Parisloverable]

Reminds me of Stephen King buying a campground near his lake house just to close it down...

[@k.stacey7389]

In Woodside the value is 90% in the land, spending millions to tear down a perfectly good house is more common than keeping the house.

[@bysarahalexander4426]

Stares at local universities who do the same thing so they have an excuse to tear them down once they start falling apart to build shiny new buildings....

[@d3nza482]

@@Parisloverable King buying the campground on Kezar Lake is nothing like Jobs projecting his jerktitude wherever he went. We're talking about a guy who would park in spaces for the handicapped on purpose and drive around without a license plate for as long as it was legally allowed (180 day in California) - then leasing a new, identical, car. Jobs called that "his little game with the police". The other Steve (King) on the other hand bought the Kezar Lake campground after seeing other sporting-camps on the lake becoming "residential clubs" - exclusive vacation-home communities of identically styled summer homes with membership fees and a dress code of “smart casual attire”. Being neither dummies nor fans of Stepford Wives communities, and seeing which way the wind was blowing, the Kings bought the grounds making sure it won't be "developed" at least as long as they live and breathe. Further, that basically eliminated jet-skis on the lake - something all the locals, from gated communities and otherwise, detested for their noise.

[@yael5067]

historical value aside - as someone who may never be able to afford to own a house, the rich owning a massive, beautiful building like this and letting it rot is such wasteful, unhinged stuff

[@dalegaliniak607]

It happens all the time, and it usually isn't rich people, but developers. I live in a historic neighborhood with some really great examples of early Chicago architecture, but the cost of renovating them is usually much higher than just tearing down and rebuilding, with a lower return. So, when the city won't give them permission to demolish, they just leave the windows open and walk away for a few years, until the building gets a structurally unsafe rating. It's called demolition through neglect, and Jobs was just taking from the developers' playbook

[@AyaKatz]

Taking something beautiful and deliberately destroying it seems so spiteful.

[@nottheone582]

he should be careful, being so spiteful could make you sick

[@NitroVII]

It's very Jobs, he was a real asshole

[@JM-jv9ue]

I never knew that he did this but it doesn't surprise me. As someone whose worked in built heritage, rich people with no scruples have all sorts of ways to get around heritage laws. I mean the amount of pubs in the uk that have mysteriously gone down in flames shortly after being sold to developers is just depressing. Although in some cases the owners are made to rebuild the structure to its exact design, brick by brick, which feels like a phyrric victory, really. Thank you for this video!

[@kristinak6092]

I remember reading about a building having to be rebuilt brick by brick (my memory is a little fuzzy on the specifics). Jobs should have been made to do the same w this house...he really didn't have much taste. He was a marketing person.

[@lateformyownbirth]

Justice for the Crooked House

[@fearsomefawkes6724]

I'm surprised he fought things the slow way. I'm sure you've also come across a lot of examples where someone got permission for a small addition or other renovation, only for them to them demo the whole building anyways.

[@k.stacey7389]

My best friend’s parents bought a house for $4m in Woodside to tear it down and build something bigger. Sold it 15 years later for $10m and it was… torn down so the new owner could build something bigger. It’s what they do in Woodside.

[@lorascelsi8102]

Wasteful. More pollution in the landfill. Where's the creativity to restore a home back to its glory.

[@laurat9748]

this one was so tightly scripted and went so many places I loved it

[@kendragaylord]

i am so grateful to have an audience who notices

[@carinah1236]

@@kendragaylordit’s so good! I rewatched it again to make sure I caught all the hints and references it made me so happy

[@brycely2233]

Your content is a breath of fresh air. Keep up the great work, and I’m glad I discovered you.

[@mooneyse38]

@@brycely2233 +1

[@AlexandriatheRed]

This is heartbreaking. He treated this special property so cruelly.

[@sarahrosen4985]

He was not known for treating anyone or anything nicely.

[@xX_Knives_Xx]

oh youll never guess how he treated his eldest daughter

[@pokemonprimed]

This tactic is known as "demolition by neglect", and is depressingly common in large, historic cities.

[@dca321]

THANK YOU for covering this topic. This demolition drives me crazy, especially as I live in Utah and have the Bingham Mine as a constant reminder of how the state's natural wealth migrated to California . . . only to meet the wrecking ball. Not only the organ was saved, but a few people saved the thousands of Tunisian tiles that decorated the walls of the house. Shortly after the house was demolished, I got to buy one of the house's tile murals (which sort-of helped me feel better, but not really).

[@clairegiammaria]

The winners write the history books and the rich decide what is worth keeping. Another excellent video, Kendra!

[@ohjesswhatamess]

It breaks my heart that this is common practice. I see developers buying gorgeous builds with the intention of letting them fall to disrepair to get around council in Australia all the time. The worst part is they often then replace it with something that has an air of hatred for humanity. Why they get away with this when they crack down on the average joe is beyond me.

[@davidtaylor6124]

Well, they have a lot of money and we don't!

[@ulizez89]

I think we all know why.

[@fearsomefawkes6724]

A lot of enforcement of by-laws and such is done by complaint. So, what gets cracked down on is largely dependent on whether or not anyone bothered to complain. Also, often the only punishment is a fine. Developers just treat the fine like cost of business because they know they're going to make more than enough money to cover the fines and still profit. At least, that's what it's like in Canada and the US. I imagine it's similar in AUS

[@writerspen010]

What a loss. That style of architecture isn't my favorite either, but if you're going to buy a home like that with that kind of history, you need to care for it. He never should have bought it if that's what he really thought of it. Let it be and let someone else actually appreciate living there instead.

[@Jolicosmonaute]

This channel is pure joy!!!

[@kendragaylord]

thank you 😊

[@therightkindofpen]

"the wreckage of rich people's lives..." What a stellar line!

[@snipsnap9995]

"But the mining pits will be super fun forever", lovely video essay. I hope your channel gets more eyeballs soon!

[@tehamill1]

This channel is underrated, keep up the great videos!

[@allisonbell6657]

I'm so glad these videos have started getting served to me. The writing is tight, the performance is SO charming and spot on. Really, really great work.

[@bigstinkyb]

This makes me think of when I went on a family holiday to Malaysia in 2014 and saw more than one giant mural of Steve's face that said "Steve Jobs: 1955- infinity". I laughed it off as bizarre but it seems like people have this godly reverence for him. Seems to me like he was used to this and he felt that because he had left an impression on the lives of a generation, he was entitled to do what he liked and write off history because he had carved out a part of history for himself in a significant way.

[@InsoIence]

Egomaniac.

[@Talentedtadpole]

He wasn't as great as the hype and stood on the backs of others like the rest of his ilk. Incredible how badly ppl want to believe in these men made of lies, myths and ruthlessness behaviour.

[@claudiadarling9441]

One of modern history's great bullshit artists. Apple succeeded in spite of him.

[@nineteenfortyeight6762]

Narcissists get good press

[@TahtahmesDiary]

Growing up in the Bay Area, this is common, so I'm not suprised even tho I hadnt heard this story. Rich people are detached from the communities they live in and the people who make their wealth. This detachment can have positives (such as preserving ancient, vintage dollhouses), but more often than not it is destructive, cruel, abusive, and uncaring of who or what gets maimed or killed in the process. History isnt sacred to them (nothing besides wealth is), because their ego has decided they themselves are the only history that matters.

[@LooksEvil]

a couple members of my family died of cancer years ago because of those chemicals in nitro, wv. first time ive ever heard that talked about by anyone other than my own family.

[@ceres198]

Hello! So happy I stumbled across your channel. I am from Santa Barbara and wanted to add re: Spanish Colonial Revival -- it's perfectly designed to the climate. It's sort of ironic that this style is so enjoyed by the rich who made their bones off resource extraction n exploitation.

[@jasonmack2569]

Hi Kendra, I am more into historical fashion than architecture; but just the same it is so much fun to see another historical nerd geek out on their passion. Keep up the great work. 💜💜💜

[@cruztastrophe]

1:04 that whispered cut away gag was so perfect and I died laughing. Please never change

[@Northfan42]

Use of the apple boot sound here is priceless.

[@DzrtClaws]

Omggg I lived by that mine - it’s known by locals as “Kennecott mine”. From Tooele UT, you can drive up middle canyon to the top and see it from the mountain. It used to have a visitor center but it was destroyed in a landslide. It is HUGE. The abandoned Anaconda mine is up that way too, and they’re fixing to tear it out soon per some rio tinto guys I talked to

[@maxk1273]

oh i see the algorithm has decided to give me a little treat tonight

[@katelillemoen8244]

I’m so glad the algorithm recommended this video, this was a joy to watch and I look forward to checking out your other videos!

[@lizd.2343]

I think we need to be friends! The amount of love I have for architecture and the social history of old homes. I live in an area that had a gigantic economic boom between 1880-1930 that is lost now. Hundreds of huge beautiful old homes and mansions everywhere!

[@noelle502]

"when you like history and old things... you find yourself in the wreckage of rich people's lives" what an insane line! I really appreciate your work on this

[@leeanucha]

Wow thank you so much for making a video about this interesting house. It is always fastinate me: steve jobs with this old house, and i'm kicking myself for not visited it when nobody cared and now it's gone. You can read a bit more about the detail of the house from Steve job's daughter's book, Lisa. The book is called "Small fry" she described the house in details when Steve Jobs used to take her there for sleep over when she was young. You will also get the answer, why Jobs bought it even tho he hated the house. You wouldn't be able to guess.

[@rynrose83]

My grandmother bought out her sister’s half of the farm house they lived in as kids, then let it rot. Architecturally it wasn’t anything special, it’s not in a great location, but still. I went there for the first and last time in 2023. There were still books and bed frames, still a nice 1950s stove in the kitchen. All the plaster had fallen so the floor was squishy. On a tangential note, this same kind of dynamic is apparently playing out all over Portugal. I was lucky to visit there and so many buildings even in the tourist heavy areas of Lisbon are empty and falling down. In part, Families will inherit and then not be able to collectively decide to sell or whatever so it just sits there. From what I read the government is going to take those places back if they’re not claimed within a certain time frame, housing crisis and whatnot. Super interesting, if depressing.

[@deadman746]

Spanish Colonial was also very classist. One of the reasons Art Deco became popular was that it was cheaper and more accessible. Art Deco also reflected Aztec architecture.

[@dariosilvestri473]

I'm totally here for a weird movie with the vibes of "the Old Man and the Sea" in which the house, big and full of sounds almost as if it was haunted, and Steve Jobs, hating everything that is not modern and minimalist because it can trigger his shame of the places he came from, are mortal enemies. A weird psychological culminating scene where Steve made mad by the sounds he believes coming form the organ tries to start it on fire. Fights with the committee and an epilogue with gorgeous piano music following a montage of people trying to save things from the house before it eventually gets torn down.

[@rosiewalks]

I don't really know anything about Steve Jobs, but I'm so flummoxed as to why he didn't just...sell the house? If he hated it so much. Really enjoyed the video!

[@kendragaylord]

Some articles mentioned that he really liked the property, just not the house. But he seemed very confident he would win, so it became a challenge

[@Erica-en2qz]

I kept wondering why he even bought the property, but Kendra's response makes sense. It's a shame that he allowed it to fall into disrepair.

[@sarahrosen4985]

@@Erica-en2qz honestly, he had enough money to just pay ro have it relocated to anywhere - just aaaaanywhere.

[@andreiiliepopescu6393]

Thank you for the video essay@@kendragaylord

[@bywayofkpc]

I generally have 5-9 strong responses (resting on a soft bed of amusement) to your videos, but I think my favorite bit is the notion of killing a man in an up-to-date and scientific way, as opposed to all of the passé and fallacious ways those without copper were coming up with. Seriously, though, that architectural style isn't my favorite either but to call it ugly seems a bit silly to me. I don't know enough about Steve Jobs to say anything else.

[@kendragaylord]

i read that line and HAD to include it! imagine writing that line and thinking it was a good idea to put in print

[@bywayofkpc]

@@kendragaylord I'd like to think that it being..."humane" somehow played into that, but my hopes are not high...

[@capobvious]

this is so depressing.. on all levels...

[@the48thronin97]

Fun fact: the Bingham canyon mine is so large, it has its own weather and cloud systems inside. They also use hybrid haul trucks when moving material, so improvements I guess? Edit: this story reminds me of something I dealt with as a kid. We’d bought a 100 year old run down house in a rich neighborhood, with a lot of neat old houses. We spent 6 years renovating it, with the neighbors constantly causing problems for us (calling the police, complaining about our plans, etc) and finally finished and sold it. Down the street, some wealthy individual bought a massive and very nice house on a large lot, I want to say they spent $3 million on it from my mom’s research, then tore the whole thing down and built a pretty boring mcmansiony looking box on the property. They, of course, managed to do this in a year, as they weren’t being bogged down by neighbors who hated the fact that normal people would do their own renovations and lawn care instead of hiring an army of hispanics to do it for them.

[@jasonkelley4057]

I graduated from Bingham High School just down the road from the Bingham Copper mine. The mine is now owned by Rio Tinto, and it is really a site to behold. Thanks for telling me something I didn't know. Love your hair! 🥰

[@gemstonesparkle7915]

The fact that he died months after, seems like a response from above.

[@lila3372]

this was one of the best video essays I've seen in a while. thank you! 13 wonderful minutes of my life well spent!

[@thathobbitlife]

That house was stunning and your humor, wit, intelligence and I'm happy to subscribe!

[@thomgoblin8725]

Thank you for informing me about the Pipe Organ Database.

[@christinegivens9048]

Amazing! Loved spending the last two hours learning. Thank you! You’re a fun, funny and gracious host! Just brilliant.

[@maccanorton]

really enjoyed this video! Thank you for making it!

[@MichaelPlessis]

Thank you so much for this video!

[@Relaxingtravelvideoandaudio]

Wow so much research and info in this video!! Very interesting

[@camillerasor4861]

kendra you are my favorite youtuber. these videos are so fascinating. thank you for making these!

[@kendragaylord]

this means so much, thank you!

[@elizabethbrauer1118]

Let's face it: Steve was a strange guy. Thanks for all the gory details - super fun.

[@dainasworldnumbers88]

Yet another gem! And I just discovered you 45 minutes ago!

[@anacbarreto8325]

my new favorite channel, obsessed

[@garrylallan]

excellent content... and a delightful presentation style...

[@issuesboy]

Just found your channel. It’s wonderful!

[@FLStelth]

That was super fun! I love your sense of humor.

[@feelgoodlost9971]

This channel is a gem

[@Kelps_K]

This feels so sus :/ Why didn't he just sell the house instead of deliberately trying to tear it down if he changed his mind about the house? I don't know, his behavior felt really suspicious and kind of rubbed me the wrong way. I feel like this is a bit true crimey

[@lestatangel]

Everything about the guy rubbed me the wrong way. lol

[@luciflemme]

Because he was a dick

[@sarahrosen4985]

@@lestatangel everything about him SHOULD rub EVERYONE the wrong way.

[@asmo1313]

"I am incredibly rich and entitles and if I decide I am going tobuild a new house here I will get my way. period. How dare these peasants interfere"

[@namebrandmason]

He wanted the property, there just happened to be a house there.

[@laurenm3148]

I have to keep pausing your videos to google more background on everything you bring up because it's all so interesting. Would love to hear more thoughts from you on Spanish Colonial Revival. I wonder why small windows are a hallmark of that kind of style.

[@starnejme6902]

Just brilliant.

[@implicitnoir]

Great video!

[@usahome]

From a guy digging up raw copper to a guy piling up waste copper for a living. Great story I never heard of before. 👍

[@KattEyl]

The hubris of someone who buys a historical home and then lets it rot is mind boggling.

[@jamisondudley5709]

beautifully written

[@applegreentech]

Your videos are making for the perfect lazy Saturday afternoon

[@mackenziemayor5687]

This made me so upset I cried!!!!!!! Great video.

[@PwnytailJoe]

On the copper thing... this bit appeared in an obit for a family friend a while back. I've always wondered about it because of the timeline[70-72 seems a bit early] and the distance Jobs & Wozniak would have traveled for the "clad", roughly 150 miles round trip to the Central Valley, and back "Jesse held a patent in the electronics industry for ceasing machine movement when one drill bit broke using laser technology, and would donate copper-clad to Jobs and Wozniak in 70-72 when they came "rummaging" after saving them the good pieces." ~cvobituaries When you mentioned 'copper', my memory chuckled a bit.

[@ceejay390]

Love all of your videos! Would be so curious to hear your thoughts on the house in the Netflix adaptation of The Haunting of Hill House!

[@IOUaUsername]

Here in Australia, the mine pit capital of the world, my city (Brisbane) is planning the restoration of a quarry on the side of the closest thing we have to a mountain (800ft high). They're going to turn it into some kind of public parklands and recreation area. Hopefully with mountain bike tracks. In Germany they have rain and turn their mine pits into lakes, which converts the adjacent land from worthless into valuable lakeside land, which pays for the restoration of the site.

[@CamilaPradaTV]

So sad. Would it have been that hard for him to sell it to someone who wanted to restore it?

[@tabous2]

I thougth I already had subscribed, well now I have!

[@nunociprianosax]

Girl, I have never had an interest in arquitecture, but the algoridm showed me one of your videos and i'm loving it xD You are very entertaining and funny! Keep up the good work!

[@paprgl]

I appreciate the Mac sound effects (and almost type.)

[@bthomson]

I have carted 5 Architectural Digest magazines from New York to Arizona and kept them for 15 years! Just through them out last week!

[@victoriafisher1923]

This kind of thing happens all the time. A condo company owns a building it wants to tear down on Friday. The preservation committee books a meeting to create policy to save it on Monday. Over the weekend, the condo company hacks off all the bits of the building that make it look nice and maybe does a bit of jackhammering to make it extra-unsaveable.

[@GreatGreebo]

Belated Happy Birthday to you from one Virgo to another! I’ve just found your channel. I asked a question of you on the first video I watched here on your channel. I asked what the Name (maybe the address too) of the *BOOKSTORE* you bought the 1984 Architectural Digest book from??? Please and thank you! Cheers.

[@carlosbrambila5950]

Hi Kendra, Congratulations on all your great videos and thank you for all the hard work you do. I think it would really help if you had a better mic. the audio sounds really muffled. I'm sure myself and a lot of other viewers would be happy to chip in if you need help buying one. Best regards, Carlos

[@kendragaylord]

I just got a new mic that I’ll be using on all videos going forward!

[@NooneStaar]

If it was deemed historical or whatever I'm surprised they didn't just tell him he either maintains it or it's being taken away.

[@OneOddOwl]

I’m commenting for the algorithm, because I enjoyed this video and think others will too Also, if I’m making requests of the algorithm, then I would like to be shown more channels like this please

[@MadameCorgi]

I like houses, but not Steve jobs

[@RaccoonInACocoon]

I recently watched an interesting video about an underground house/citrus orchard in Fresno, California. I think you might enjoy it too.

[@ssl3546]

I love your videos. You might want to hang up acoustic tiles behind the camera to reduce echo, it would make the sound better.

[@MissRedLu]

Then why did you buy it, Steve?????

[@lindagear9014]

External doors, imagine that. It's a concept for sure.

[@davidtaylor6124]

There is an open pit gold & copper mine about 20 minutes from where I live. For a radius of about 15 km people are worried about lead dust getting into their water. The mining has gone underground now and is causing earth tremors. The tailings dam is toxic and leaking into the environment. The miners make a fair amount of money, the mining company makes a *lot* of money, but it damaged the environment and stuffed house prices here (as in they rose very sharply so it's unaffordable) because it's one of the few mines that are near a good place to live. Regarding the price of copper, it's insanely expensive here in Australia. I'm a steam train guy and used a lot of it in the boiler and plumbing of my loco. It's the most expensive part of the loco by a long way.

[@chapman1569]

Your comment about how the rich build vanity homes for themselves but eventually many of them are not taken care afterward for many reasons. Either the houses are too expensive to maintain, too ugly or for legal reasons that they are abandoned. You could do a video about theses issues. Thanks. Your channel is very interesting and fun.

[@rebeccadaniells3452]

Superfun!!

[@missyblack1058]

“Call me Adam Sandler Gaylord.” Oh my God. You are incredible. You are a future superstar. Please keep making content of whatever type and subject. You are incredibly smart and funny and I could watch/listen all day.

[@SloanePaoPow]

This is a random comment, but the mention of mines has me remembering there's a really cool shot of a mining pit in the dystopian sci fi 80s movie Cherry 2000. I think it's a real place in Mead CA or NV. The movie's not great, but the cinematography is really beautiful and adds to the atmosphere.

[@kendragaylord]

I'll have to check out the movie! I love a dystopian sci fi, especially when it's not that great!

[@SloanePaoPow]

Tbh, same. This one's like mad max and blade runner mixed together with poor execution. I still enjoyed it though, even though I know it's objectively bad. 😄

[@Orlando_Rails]

Hello Kendra Gaylord, can we use your video in the town of Woodside slideshow for history day? Thank you.

[@judahbea1401]

fucking amazing writing, well done. subscribed and liked in a minute, youtube homepage did work today

[@lestatangel]

Just how warm were you in there?

[@linneamarchie4596]

This is a great video! You’re doing awesome keep it up. Your next move should be to get a dynamic microphone to get rid of the echos and static. I hope you started making a ton of money already - you rule!

[@kendragaylord]

currently in the process of figuring this out. do you think a wireless mic clipped to me would do the trick? i have a mic that i have tried using before and holding it is such a complication and gets general movement noises

[@linneamarchie4596]

@@kendragaylord a blue yeti is a great mic for speaking in close range! Plus it can plug straight into your computer. It think it’s a good investment for now and you can upgrade to a professional setup once you are raking in the dough in a few months 😊

[@demolitionman5003]

What a waste of a beautiful house. If you don't like it don't buy it.

[@ElectricEvan]

I feel like the gaskets between all those glass panels will fail far faster than the tiles on the house's roof.

[@Pippi-Longstocking]

The doors and the windows were gone? Suspicious.

[@Articolate]

Hay! No shade on the hockey puck mouse ♌

[@IngridOBrien6]

This is just another reason for me to hate all things Steve Jobs.

[@sarahrosen4985]

There are so so many reasons. Not sure we will ever get to all of them.

[@avalon5957]

It's such a "rich celebrity" thing to do, going around and tearing down significant, yet not protected, houses. Chris Pratt just did the same thing to a Craig Ellwood house this year.

[@BlackDragon-xn2ww]

That's a shame that he didn't take better care as a Stewart of such a great home I currently live in a old house 250+ years old so old the frame has wooden pegs in the 12x12 beams I fixed it up and made a home that is nice at least to me it is the city wants to tear it down to build new homes and apartments forget it been around longer that most the town . The roof was falling in so I fix it and many things it was a 3 month project while watching my kids at the same time but it got done and now it a show piece

[@pistolen87]

Mining is necessary for our way of life.

[@Meredith36]

Ah, Steve Jobs. He really was a jerk. And this was brilliantly done. I totally forgot to add the whole point of this comment. I love your pace

[@mymasmith7848]

10:20 made me gasp

[@abetterjulie]

What bizarre behavior. Why wouldn't he just sell it? Who does this? Also...great video. I love your wit.