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Images: The house Steve Jobs doesn't want to call home

An inside look at the dilapidated mansion Apple's CEO hopes to tear down and replace, if the town of Woodside, Calif.--and preservationists--let him.

CNET News staff

April 29, 2009 2:33 p.m. PT

CNET News staff

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1 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

460 Mountain Home Road

Apple CEO Steve Jobs is once again pursuing plans to demolish this dilapidated 17,000-square-foot 14-bedroom home in Woodside, Calif., to make room for a smaller, modern home on the same land.

And historic preservationists are once again opposing his plans, arguing the 1925 Spanish Colonial revival-style home built for copper mining magnate Daniel Jackling should be renovated or moved to another location.

On the heels of a marathon meeting Tuesday night on the matter before the Woodside Town Council, we offer these shots taken at the existing home in 2006 by "urban explorer" Jonathan Haeber. Haeber said he walked onto the grounds through an open gate. After taking a few exterior shots, he found broken windows and doors left wide open, he said.

Click to the last few slides for maps and more background on the demolition controversy with the town.

2 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Organ

Left open to the elements, leaves had blown inside and surrounded an old organ.

3 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Kitchen

A refrigerator was left behind in one of the abandoned kitchens.

4 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Staircase design

An archway leads to a small staircase.

5 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Crawl spaces

Deep inside the mansion's are its crawl spaces.

6 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Leaves and windows

The outdoors found its way indoors.

7 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Godfather Part II

This VHS copy of "The Godfather, Part II" appears to have been left at Jobs' mansion long before you could purchase it for $9.99 on iTunes.

8 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Chandelier

Many of the original fixtures were still intact at the house, like this chandelier.

9 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Aeolian pipe organ

The Aeolian Pipe organ had suffered from sitting beneath a decaying roof that leaks when it rains.

10 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Water filter

The International Filter Company, emblazoned here on an apparent water tank, was founded in 1894 and later changed its name to Ondeo Degremont, according to a BussinessWeek company profile.

11 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Staircase

Here is the main staircase leading up from the entryway.

12 of 15 Photo courtesy of Jonathan Haeber. Used with permission.

Fireplace

Shown are the fireplace and design detail in one of the main sitting rooms.

13 of 15 Missouri University of Science and Technology. Used with permission.

Daniel C. Jackling

The mansion was built in 1925 for Daniel C. Jackling, shown here, who was a key figure in the American copper mining industry. He lived there until his death in 1956, and many of the home's unique copper fixtures reflect his work in the mining industry, according to a town of Woodside staff report.

The home was designed by George Washington Smith, a leading architect in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the report says.

14 of 15 Jennifer Guevin/CNET (created with Microsoft Virtual Earth)

460 Mountain Home Road

Here's the aerial view of the home. The address is 460 Mountain Home Road.

On the table before the council Tuesday was a permit to demolish the Jackling House, which Jobs bought in 1984 and hasn't lived in for a decade. The council approved the request in 2004, but was sued over the decision by a group called Uphold Our Heritage, which argued the environmental impact report the council used to justify its approval didn't show substantial evidence that restoration alternatives were cost-prohibitive. A trial court ruled in favor of the preservationists and an appeals court confirmed that decision in 2007, according to a town of Woodside staff report (PDF).

This time around, Jobs' permit includes detailed cost estimates that show it would cost $8.2 million to build Jobs' new 6,000-square-foot house, compared with $13.3 million to renovate the existing house.

15 of 15 Jennifer Guevin/CNET (created with Google Maps)

Map of Woodside

Here's a map of the sleepy town of Woodside, situated in the foothills between the city of Palo Alto and Skyline Boulevard, which runs through the Santa Cruz Mountains.

No decision was made at the town council meeting Tuesday night, which ended just before midnight. The matter, including the public hearing, was continued to May 12, when the council is expected to make a decision on the demolition permit, at least informally, said Woodside Town Manager Susan George.