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300,000 in demolition costs. Wohl lives in Palm Beach, Florida, in a Mizner home that he moved to prevent its demolition. Wohl stated that he had a purchase agreement for land adjoining the La Ronda property, and that he had contracted with an engineering firm to assess the feasibility of moving the house. Engineers stated that though it would be complex, moving the house was possible.
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132:'s historical commission recommended that the board of commissioners reject the request for a demolition permit. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia made an appeal to the owner, whose name had, at that point, not been made public. Other groups fighting to prevent the demolition included the
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to reflect its age and usage. Its previous occupants loved and respected the building. It has not been seriously vandalized, abused or neglected… To have this building demolished and replaced rather than adapted and reused would be to suffer a tragic loss due to unfortunate ignorance and misguided hubris."
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Philip E. Franks, a
Philadelphia architect who inspected La Ronda in July 2009, wrote "This is a great building extremely worthy of protection and of embracing as a cultural treasure; the building is in remarkably good condition for its 80 years. It has survived with little excessive wear and tear
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The Lower Merion
Historical Society's efforts to raise funds and purchase the mansion were not successful. In August 2009, Benjamin Wohl, a Florida real estate developer, offered to buy La Ronda and move it to an adjoining lot to be his second home. This would save the current owner an estimated $
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In August 2009, it was revealed that Joseph and Sharon
Kestenbaum of Penn Valley, Pennsylvania were the new owners. Despite offering an alternative that appeared to be a win-win for all concerned parties, Wohl was not successful in negotiations with the Kestenbaums. After the Kestenbaums and the
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Joseph Kuhls, a lawyer retained by the anonymous owner, justified this decision by stating that the existing mansion was not air conditioned, that the current owner had the right to do what he wanted with the property, and that when
Foerderer built La Ronda in the 1920s, an 1880s farmhouse was
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In March 2009, La Ronda was sold for $ 6 million. The new owner, whose identity was hidden behind a corporate front, applied for a demolition permit and announced plans to tear down the La Ronda mansion and build a new 10,000-square-foot (930 m) house.
101:. Since that time, a series of subsequent owners sold the grounds of most of the original estate, and new single homes and townhouses were built. By 2009, the property attached to the La Ronda mansion had shrunk to 3.2 acres (1.3 ha).
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On June 3, 2009, the Lower Merion commissioners approved demolition but issued a 90-day delay. The Lower Merion
Historical Society attempted to raise $ 7 million to buy La Ronda and establish a foundation to preserve the building.
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residence had fifty-one rooms, including twenty-one bedrooms. Mizner's artisan production company created much of the hardware, fittings, furnishings, and decorative elements in the same styles for an integrated aesthetic.
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from 1929 to 2009. It was originally the home of
Percival E. Foerderer, who ran a leather-manufacturing business, and his wife Ethel Brown. The 17,500-square-foot (1,630 m)
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The owner of the estate was reported to be Joseph
Kestenbaum, president and chief executive of ELB Capital Management.
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336:"End is near for La Ronda A salvage crew is removing valuable pieces from the 80-year-old Bryn Mawr mansion"
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previous owner completed extensive interior salvaging, demolition of La Ronda commenced on
October 1, 2009.
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Completed in 1929, the La Ronda estate originally consisted of 233 acres (94 ha) of grounds and
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The Great Hall in La Ronda. Lower Merion
Historical Society, William Morrison Collection
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Following
Percival Foerderer's death in 1969, the Foerderer family sold the estate to
201:"Reader's Response: La Ronda: A truly awesome building that is functional to live in"
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based in Palm Beach, Florida. The residence was built by J.S. Cornell & Son.
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La Ronda. Lower Merion Historical Society, William Morrison Collection
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mansion was the last commission by the renowned early 20th century
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Lower Merion Historical Society: "Rich Men and Their Castles"
247:"Preservationists fight plan to raze historic La Ronda villa"
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The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia website
170:"Collection 3102: Foerderer Family Papers, 1881-ca. 1997"
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Demolished buildings and structures in Pennsylvania
481:Mediterranean Revival architecture in Pennsylvania
486:Spanish Revival architecture in the United States
491:Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Florida
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227:"Time Is Running Out for La Ronda in Bryn Mawr"
476:Gothic Revival architecture in Pennsylvania
456:Buildings and structures demolished in 2009
431:Houses in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
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134:National Trust for Historic Preservation
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471:1920s architecture in the United States
334:Nunnally, Derrick (17 September 2009).
266:Johnson, Danielle (16 September 2009).
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466:2009 disestablishments in Pennsylvania
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295:"La Ronda could be moved, but slowly"
199:Franks, Philip E. (25 August 2009).
136:and the Philadelphia chapter of the
461:1929 establishments in Pennsylvania
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441:Former houses in the United States
178:Historical Society of Pennsylvania
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225:Nunnally, Derrick (23 May 2009).
138:American Institute of Architects
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315:"La Ronda reduced to rubble"
38:was a mansion and estate in
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268:"La Ronda's Owner Revealed"
86:Revival architecture styled
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380: (archived 2009-03-28)
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451:Houses completed in 1929
426:Addison Mizner buildings
402:40.050048°N 75.304107°W
446:Philadelphia Main Line
359:J.S. Cornell & Son
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48:Philadelphia Main Line
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407:40.050048; -75.304107
130:Lower Merion Township
79:Mediterranean Revival
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125:Preservation efforts
99:Villanova University
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205:Mainline Media News
181:(Archive inventory)
273:NBC10 Philadelphia
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16:Mansion and estate
323:. 2 October 2009.
303:. 14 August 2009.
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118:destroyed.
69:Description
420:Categories
393:75°18′15″W
390:40°03′00″N
341:philly.com
320:philly.com
300:philly.com
252:philly.com
232:philly.com
185:2013-08-12
156:References
109:Demolition
279:7 January
210:30 August
52:architect
40:Bryn Mawr
64:Foerdere
36:La Ronda
376:at the
361:at the
75:gardens
77:. The
173:(PDF)
281:2012
212:2022
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
