Save La Ronda

New Update: Thank you for all of your emails. The 'reported' new owner is Joseph D. Kestenbaum President and Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Marsh Hawk Capital Management, LLC. I can not confirm this to be true, only hearsay.

UPDATE - You can also email admin@savelarondanow.com Also an interesting article.

For months I have been following the fate of La Ronda, a Spanish Gothic mansion and the final work of architect Addison Mizner. Located in Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania, La Ronda is a grand example of Mizner's work, not often found in the northeast. It seems that La Ronda is the latest victim of the tear-down-build-big-using-labor-saving- techniques trend, and I for one am just sick over this travesty.

The 18,000-square-foot mansion was sold by Arthur Kania this past March to a 'nameless' owner for $6 million. The current owner of La Ronda plans to demolish the historic mansion to make way for a contemporary home.

Yesterday a permit was handed over and demolition is set to begin in 30 days. Benjamin Wohl, a 41-year-old Florida developer offered the owner a 6 figure sum to buy the mansion and move it to another property, but the offer was refused.



Last week, the building's previous owner, Arthur Kania, emerged to claim inside salvage rights to the building. Kania, who retains salvage rights to the contents of La Ronda, will now begin removing valuable materials from the house. Please encourage Mr. Kania to negotiate a deal that would transfer his salvage rights to Benjamin Wohl. This may be the last hope for saving La Ronda.


To learn more visit the Save La Ronda website. I have no problem with someone building a new 'contemporary' home, but I do have a problem with destroying historic property. Perhaps, we as a community, can help in some small way. Direct comments to savelaronda@yahoo.com. All comments will be forwarded to Mr. Kania.

Bayou Bend

More often than not, it seems as though most of us become oblivious to our surroundings and that which is familiar. Certainly, I know that I am guilty of this habit. Distance is usually a good catalyst, and when I return home to Houston I see things with a fresh eye. I am once again inspired by the gardens at Bayou Bend. A peaceful fourteen-acre oasis in the midst of a modern metropolis.

Bayou Bend was designed as a private residence for the legendary Texas collector and philanthropist, with the most unfortunate name, Miss Ima Hogg.

Designed by prominent architect John F. Staub, the house is a combination of eighteenth-century Georgian architecture with elements that are distinctly Southern and Spanish Creole. Bayou Bend is one of the many elegant, but unpretentious, Houston homes built between the 1920s and the early 1960s.

A garden enthusiast, Miss Hogg studied architecture, landscape architecture and garden design. Reminiscent of large public gardens and parks, she adapted her personal gardens to a domestic scale and the Houston Gulf Coast climate.

The heavily wooded grounds along Buffalo Bayou include eight formal gardens.
The gardens are noted for rare Duchess De Caze Pink Camellias that are no longer available in nurseries, along with many varieties of Azalea, Gardenias and Antique Roses.


In 1957 Miss Hogg donated her home and her collection to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Bayou Bend opened to the public in 1966, while Miss Hogg continued to collect for her beloved Bayou Bend until her death in 1975 at the age of 93.

The collection at Bayou Bend consists of 4,700 objects that reflect historic and stylistic periods from 1620 to 1870. Miss Hogg's impressive collection is installed in 28 period rooms showcasing American decorative arts from 1620 through 1870.