Greetings Belvedere City Council,

Thank you for considering our building applications. My family is delighted to continueour community presence in Belvedere through our new home at 1 Belvedere Ave.

We have worked extensively with our new neighbors to gather input on our design as

they are anxious to have something beautiful and sensible built in place of the eye sore

structure on the site now.

With respect to the matter of the historic stature of the house, we all know it is nothistoric. The City made this determination back in 2OL2 and now your Planning Commissionand HPC have both confirmed that 2012 decision. So why is my family and the City ofBelvedere having to defend this second bite at the apple by Daniel Ruark and his

colleagues? The evidence strongly suggests Daniel is abusing the land use process for his

business benefit either for direct fees for architectural services or free advertising for his

firm. This is an inexcusable waste of taxpayer money and public officials' and staff time.

Daniel sent us a letter in January of this year explaining his knowledge of our home siteand soliciting our architectural business (see attached). We had previously selected Charles

Stinson, a world renowned modern design architect to design our home at 1

Belvedere. Needless to say, we did not respond to Daniel's solicitation.

We later found out that Daniel was opposing our progress as he spoke at the Design

Review Committee. Being the nice, collaborative people we are, we reached out to Daniel

directly thinking if he truly wants to honor Aaron Green we would give him some options such

as photographing the structure remains or putting up a plaque honoring Aaron Green. Daniel

replied by making it clear his objective is to generate fees by designing my home and no othersolution would suffice (emails attached). Daniel is not interested in preserving a historicalstructure or honoring Aaron Green. Daniel is out to advance his personal economic outcome atgreat cost to us and all involved.

We were very surprised by Daniel's response since we did some research on AaronGreen. Mr. Green's architecture philosophy was client focused. He didn't care about money orfame. He wanted to delight his clients. The home built in the 1960s at L Belvedere was a homefor that age and for that specific client. We feel Daniel's efforts are contrary to the corephilosophy of his namesake firm. Aaron Green & Associates says on their website underPhilosophy of Practice that an important guiding concept of the firm is that fine architecturemust first suit its client's functional and economic program of needs. Daniel is not consideringthe needs of the owners of l Belvedere, and is abandoningthe guiding principle of Aaron Green

by trying to force a program that simply doesn't match the client's needs.

Jan Novie, president of Aaron Green Associates, who worked with Green for more than40 years, said:

"What makes the house so great? lt's all about how it fits the owner's program," he said."lt was custom, beautifully, simply, elegantly built to fulfill every one of their desires." These arenot our desires, nor was it the desire of the previous 2 owners who altered the residencesignificantly removing all integrity of the original home.

The home was specific to the clients that it was constructed for, and its purpose passed

long ago. lt is time to move past this abandoned home and create a new purpose for thisproperty, one that the entire community can be proud of. I know that we arel

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of our neighbors. Daniel has tried to get access to our property even though the property is

posted as "No Trespassing". We have notified the Belvedere police department about hisattempts to access the property. Daniel is on a mission to drum up publicity for himself and hisfirm without respect to our family or our beloved City of Belvedere. This is a classic shakedown. Daniel has no legal basis for his assertions but is using the land use system to createsignificant delay for my family costing us valuable time and money. Please send Daniel a strongmessage and affirm the Planning Commission findings that the house is not historic.

With appreciation,

Justin and Susan Kelly

Roads5356-9354

I anwtiting to You as a formet Àssociate ofArchitect Aaton Green aftet leaming that you have'

prtf*na."a a house he desþed at 1 Belvede¡e ,tveoue in Belvedere, California'

Fitstlp corgratulations to you with resPect to Your Purchase of this very unique proPerry aad

house. This was a house comsrissioned tn 1967 by Dr. RoY Etdrcd, urho was Chief of Urolory at

Kaiset Hospitalin San Ftancisco. Along with his uri-fe, Orchid, they raised three childrenin this

hou.se, which theY enioyed gteatly for a full forty y€ârs' lØhen it first went oo the malketin 2003'

itwas vfutually from theB+\ü Photos one sees on the Aaron Green Associates

website-¿ meticulously Ír^inained oiot"g* mid-century modem, in today's vemacula¡- The

house did aot fate as wellin the hands of subsequent sç¡¡s¡s-þ oth develop ets.

Irvish to take this opportunity to ptesent you with some background regarrling this propertY and

it's path since 2003. Aaton Green Àssociates, including myself, have worked closelY rsith both

ownets of the ProPerty druing this tirre, Providing atchitectwal desþ services. Aaron Green

Âssociates is the firm est¿blished byArchitect ¡{aron Green and contioues lfi ptactrce s¡flæ

Âatrcrfs passtngin 2001.

'S7e were odginally retained bY the rnost recent owner to PrePare an ambiúous exPansionPlan '

that essentially tïrore tban doubled the size of the presen t house-mximizing the Flootr{tea

Itøtio (Ë..4.R.) allowed for tlre Froperfy. Flnrvever, the esPâns1(}n was desþed sensitivelY to

architectuml character of the exlsting house tcr the degree fhat it became a

and seamtess *ddition. Áll this while keeping the otiginal house

madiåcarion. The o\xryIçr ¿uthorized us to ptoceed with a

packÉgp that we submitted to the CitY of Belvedsre' This designw'as

received by the Ciry Planning ståff' The Planners encoumgÇd

submittal That was when ske¡ved offis all*rown^ed" the house vrefe acftqlly

less eothusiastic wirh this directionEldÌed Residence. As e resulq the

conceming the otiginal residence, u¡hich wasõf San Fsncisco. Garavaglie conduded that both the house and its

significant to the Bay Arca and recom¡nended protecting/teta ining theigifl remembe¡ corectly). Howevet, Belvederets ou¡û Histoticdid,not entitely agre€ with Gamvaglia's assessment and allowed that the building couldmodified. In the en{ however, the City Plannes required that the ovners could notthe ho-u¡¡e but ¡uust incorpomte it intact into their development pians-which basicaliytheweirdhybdd desþ that appeats in the previously mentionedwebsites,

I pemonally have ctarvled over and inspected neady e\rery inch of rhat residence. It isin poot condition, onþ has had most of the interiot non-stnrctural pattitionsoo the rnain floor, but certainly guttd on the lorret bed¡oo¡a floot. trt has been '\is wãv sülce¿,about 2005 actually-the fiæt buyer .lid this- Otheru¡ise, the house is quite structurally sor¡¡td and".'.

io o"ry good shape despite the lack of any tnainten¿ûqe by the two previous oìil¡ûets.

The owner of Aa¡on Gteen A.ssociates, Mr: Jan Novie, ffid I would ceftainly wish to have ao

^**^*.-l+-, +^ hÂô+ -i,i+1, -^" oaá 'lio¡rrcc rha trat+êr .rf this hnrrseis firfirte in greatet rÍgtailLrIrPLrrLul[L)r Lv uLvc wru Jvs 4us \Ævs

W* a"n"itAy dodtthink the house is a lost ceufìe. Quit the opposite--we have aod can show

what is actually possible in order to keep the odginal house and expand in a complimentary

manner--to a level that is commensurate with "estate quality" fot Belvedete. Unlike the desþmarketed on the RE, websites, we did have the full support of City of Belvedete Plarilning

without resen¡ation. \7e hope you may be at least intetested to listen to what:we

and perh.Fs vieut an altem¿tive that adhetes faithfully to Aeron Gteeirns vision.

it *y interest you to learn that a nnaior monograph of the life andwork ofÂaron Green will be published by Fall of this year. This residence i$ beiog

forty feetmed proiects, ftom a professional cateer that spanned ovet sixtyof ïntetest, this house was al.so r:-eing developed at a time

\üffighq qÍâs r)verse ing the constn¡stian of thsae*rby San Rafael. Thât building has been

fls tn{ESCO Tüodd Hedtage hnd¡narh

to,discrrss yoru Aaron Gteen-desþ"d resideoce.

Kellv. Justin

Subject: 1 Belvedere Avenue

F rom : dani el ruark <dqniel @.danielruarkarchltei-cl Sfln>Date: August 30,2017 atll:30:23 AM CDTTo: Susan Kelly <gg$n.corridonif#snrfu>Subject: Re: I Belvedere.A.venue

Good Morning Ms, Kelly,

Thank you for your recent email regarding your proposed project.

Indeed, the work and built legacy of Aaron Green is very important to me. I am forever indebtedto Aaron for the inspiration he provided me in the eight years of our direct association-and stillto this day. Perhaps if you had known Aaron, were more familiar with his work, or even hadpersonally experienced other residences of Aaron Green's design you would have a far better,deeper appreciation for I Belvedere Avenue. Owners of Aaron Green-designed homes enjoy aproud association. I would be happy to connect you with those within the Bay Area or beyondwho a¡e positively thrilled to own and live in Aaron Green-designed residences-and wouldn'tever consider demolishing their dream home.

I don't share your stark assessment that "the current structure is beyond salvage" and that " IBelvedere is an embarrassment to the community, the neighbors and, frankly, to Mr. Green." Itis of no fault of the Eldred family that the house is in the abused and neglected condition it findsitself today-only that of successive owners of the property since. I Belvedere Avenue was inpristine and vintage condition at the time it first sold in2004. The Eldred family never imaginedthat their dream home designed by Aaron Green would ever be so wholly unappreciated to theextent it f,rnds itself in today. The house was short of the 45 years of age threshold for the Eldredchildren to apply for landmark status, They were not in a position to retain theproperty. Instead, the Eldred family believed that they qiere conveying the property into handsof one who genuinely appreciated the home's qualities, which typically happens with AaronGreen-designed residences-but the reality proved tragically otherwise, Truthfully, theembarrassment is upon the owners since 2004 and the City for allowing the property to erode toits present state. Again, were you to have seen and experienced the home in2004 when it wasfirst on the market, your appreciation and opinion just might be entirely different.

I appreciate your offer to document the house, however utter demolition of 1 BelvedereAvenue is not a palatable opt¡on or manner in which to recognize and acknowledgeAaron Green-and certainly not acceptable as concerns architecturally and historicallysignificant buildings.

Sincerely,

of amendìng yggfp_Ig¡gclLAn amenifed proþct would preserve and reiioie tte trouìñffi'fficharacteristicsandexpandedperyourfamily'srequirementsina

manner that skillfully and sensitively blends alterations/additions with the existing architectural

that being said, there is really qq Þ.qint iq fu4-her d_ialgl¿u{å"iüldpcgult.ir]yqlye e-discgssion

. This is a viable, achievable, and admirable alternative that would work forvocabularyyour family

Daniel Ruark

From: Susa n Kelly <Susa n.corridoni@nmail.çgm>Date: Thursday, August 24,2017 at 3:12 PMTo: daniel ruark <daniel@daniel >Cc: Jeff J u ngsten <iffi[@|ung$lgn.cem>Subject: 1 Belvedere Avenue

Dea¡ Mr. Ruark,My name is susan Kelly. My family purchased I Belvedere late last year.I hied to catch you at the end of the Planning Commission Meeting the other day but failed. Myhusband and I want to acknowledge how sincerely important our property appears to be toyou. First and foremost, we uncierstand you and your colleagues \rrant to honor your mentor Mr.Green and that you believe the best way to accomplish this is to salvage the residence on theproperty.Please know how much my husband and I value architecture - this is one of the many reasons wehave hired the world-renowned Charles R. Stinson to design our home. We believe our choice ofMr. Stinson honors and respects the property the way Mr. Green and the former residencedid. Also, like the Eldridge family 50 years ago, the Kelly's are trying to build their dream homeand our children are so excited! They are just as excited as the Eldridge children were when Mr.Green designed the home for the Eldridge family.As private owners of the property, we believe the current structu¡e is beyond salvage. Sadly, anddue to no fault of ours, 1 Belvedere is an embarrassment to the cornrn'.rnity, the neighbcrs and,frani<iy, to ivÍr. Green. It is curious that eftbrts to secure ownership of the structure were notundertaken 20 years ago when the house was first on the market. In many ways, a home is aliving breathing thing. We firmly believe the structure has reached the end of its life, however,and so we ate proposing to construct something more honorable.We undcrstand you are considering an appeal of the Plaruring Commission's thoughtful andwell-reasoned decision. As one of the Commissioner's put it, not every work within an a¡tist'sportfolio is worthy of display. If you abandon your appeal efforts, we would welcome you tophoto archive the house for your continued use and recognition of Mr. Green's work, and towork together toward a mutually acceptable way to acknowledge his work.Either I or my builder, JeffJungsten (cc'd), would hope to speak with you in the next day or so,so that we can work together to devise a method to recognize and acknowledge your mentor andcolleague without compromising the private property interests of the Kelly family.Sincerely,Susan Kelly

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