la ronda

La Ronda Razed

Filed under: Estates

Oh this one just breaks my old-house-loving heart. La Ronda, an Addison Mizner designed home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania has been razed following a long debate over whether or not the house should be saved. The current owners decided they wanted to tear down the 80-year-old mansion in order to build a new home on the property. They bought the home for $6 million in March but ran afoul of historic preservation groups who wanted to buy back the home in order to save it. Even the possibility of moving the mansion was discussed but no one seemed to have enough money to convince the owners to change their minds and since the home did not have federal designation as a historic site there were no legal reasons to protect it. There are many Mizner homes in Florida and other places but this was the only surviving Mizner-designed home north of the Mason-Dixon line. Fox 29 was on the scene and has video of a front loader smashing the wall of the estate. The mansion had already been gutted.

[Thanks, Spectacular Bid]

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Tags: addison mizner, AddisonMizner, bryn mawr, BrynMawr, la ronda, LaRonda

Should A Historic Mansion Meet The Wrecking Ball?

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

How much responsibility does a new owner have when taking over an architectural treasure? Bright and Spacious points to a Bloomberg story on the owners of La Ronda, an Addison Mizner designed home in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania. The Mediterranean Revival-style villa may be razed by its current owners who want to build a new home on the property. The owners of the 80-year-old mansion bought the home for $6 million in March. The township's board will decide today whether La Ronda will be immediately razed or if the destruction will be delayed by 90 days allowing time for other actions.

The home does not have federal designation as a historic site. Many Mizner-designed buildings in south Florida, where Mizner designed many homes and buildings, have this designation. The home is the only surviving Mizner-designed home north of the Mason-Dixon line. The township and historic preservation groups want to set up a foundation to buy back La Ronda but that could cost as much as $7 million. Check out the a gallery of Addison Mizner designs and vote in the Save It or Raze It poll on Bright and Spacious.

UPDATE: La Ronda has been given a 90-day reprieve.

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Tags: addison mizner, AddisonMizner, architecture, bryn mawr, BrynMawr, la ronda, LaRonda