AnonymousBy an edhat reader
What is to be decided about the Clark estate that is located above East Beach (the estate is named Bellosguardo)? A recent Santa Barbara Independent article lays out the limbo the estate is in and the alleged mismanagement of the current stewards of the foundation (the appointed board).
The parallels of the Clark estate to the Franceschi House on the Riviera are very revealing about how much value our City Government and citizens place on the importance of historical and cultural resources.
What do edhat readers think?
How about leaving Oprah out of this, anonymous poster. The Clark Estate is a unique place that deserves proper care and dispensation.
Lindeman and Schneider need to be fired, ASAP. Court-appointed receivership is necessary, before they blow through the rest of the money. Moral of the Franceschi and Clark estate gifts to the city – don’t do it. Donors should sell their properties and donate the proceeds to far more worthy causes than this City’s now proven fiduciary mismanagement.
I’m sorry but I’m not getting the parallel between Bellosguardo and Franceschi House, except for the italianate nomenclature.
How about a campground and shelter for the homeless? Great location so long as they don’t spill over into the cemetery.
Great, another property owned in a foundation no longer paying property taxes to the county, oh the arrogance. How about just donating the art to local museums and selling off the property or donating it to a charity that actually serves people with needs.
ROCKWELLBAD: The two properties are very different in appeal and usefulness. Additionally the Clarke estate comes with an endowment, did the Franceschi property? I believe not. Using past screw ups to foretell the future is not a rational endeavour but an emotional one and I strongly suggest you don’t look to the future on emotions alone.
Bellosuardo is owned by a chartible foundation, not by the city. The only city connection is that the now disgraced former mayor got to appoint her henchman as executive director and some donors as board members.
Alden Freeman donated the Franchesci property to the city in 1931 before Bellosuardo was built. The house was condemmed by city inspectors in 1963! They have been waiting for fifty five years for it to fall down and it is still standing. They cry about erosion, but they have not done a thing in decades to address the issue. Something inexepensive like planting ground cover was never seriously tried. The city recently came up with a bogus estimate of $10 milliion to repair it and $3 million to knock it down and build an interpretive center. For that money they should be able to knock it down and completely rebuild it.