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 PRE
AND POST 1995 LYNN VIETOR NATURE PRESERVE AND RESIDENCE |
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The 14 acre Vietor property was pretty much as John Yeon designed, built, landscaped and furnished it, and as when the Vietors moved in in 1941, and still when Vera died in 1972, some 30 years later, when HAF took over. Ellen Dusick the first Executive Director of HAF held the fort for the first 20 years through 1992, and kept the house and grounds as they were, and as mandated by Vera in her will. But Ellen knew Vera, witnessed Vera's 1992 will, and understood exactly what Vera wanted, and preserved the property (and residence) as the public's Lynn Vietor Nature Preserve (as it is today, check the HAF site, www.HAFoundation.org.) But post 1992, things changed. HAF wanted to `grow the foundation', their `rethought mission'. To do that they had to build an empire. They needed parking for a dozen to 15 employees, and then more parking for the affluent `potential donors' HAF were 'working'. Ignoring that they were trustees of the public's Lynn Vietor Nature Preserve, with the fiduciary responsibility to protect it 'native and unspoiled'. HAF instead clandestinely decided to expand on site, applying to the Humboldt Planning Commission in 1994 (without court notification or authorization), leading to the destroying of much of John Yeon's landscaping north of the house, and cutting many trees, the front door madrone, a dogwood, a buck berry, huckleberry bushes, several redwoods, and excavating five foot deep into the `golf fairway' lawn Yeon had landscaped north of the house. The Perrotts allege that this breached Vera's will, especially when it is divulged that HAF was able to invade Vera's Trust principal to fund this irreparable damage to the public's Lynn Vietor Nature Preserve, but even worse, the architecturally significant John Yeon residence, to cram up to 15 HAF employees into a delicate and small residence designed for two. What if HAF had not mismanaged this affair, and expanded off site. You don't bring non-Lynn Vietor Nature Preserve traffic inside a `nature preserve'. And for those that want to visit it as a `nature preserve', they would park outside the limits, and walk in, yes? HAF without Vera's watchdogs knowledge, did their destruction in 1995. But by 1998 HAF was back at Planning for another permit, to build a 4000 square foot building and 65 slot asphalt parking lot inside the same Lynn Vietor Nature Preserve (to destroy 10% or more of it), with more of Vera's invaded trust principal. How is that for long term planning, on top of failure to carry out HAF's fiduciary responsibility as trustees to keep it `native and unspoiled', that not even a `picnic table or barbecue pit' was to be added. For this HAF's top three employees draw down near enough $100,000 a year each with salary and cushy benefits. But it is just 'other people's money' that they would be giving away to the North Coasters Vera and other donors intended. Below are some of John Yeon's 1941 pictures as shown in the New York Museum Of Modern Art juxtaposed with today. Not a pretty picture.
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1941 |
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Portland architect John Yeon's 1941 photo of the north of residence, facing south, as displayed at the New York Museum Of Modern Art (NYMOMA) in the early 40's alongside works by Frank Lloyd Wright. The `fairway' lawn in the foreground was destroyed (cut five feet deep) in HAF's 1995 parking lot fiasco. The front door madrone that John Yeon positioned the house around was chain sawed in the same sad saga.
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Looking Sourthwest, the '1995' parking lot addition to accomodate
the dozen or more employees and the thousands of visitors to HAF
which paved over the area John Yeon sculptured to create esthetic
lines to complement the structure of the house itself. The parking
area cut into what was 'virgin' forest in 1941. The two parking
bumpers roughly indicate the Boundaries of John Yeon's 'Golf Fairway
Lawn' that ran north from the house, then west to the 1941 driveway.
The east bumper coincides with the east border of 'lawn', the parking
lot east of the bumper is cut into 'keep it native and unspoiled'
forest where several redwoods were cut. |
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Looking south, behind the two 'parking bumpers', is
a five foot dropoff park (hidden by green bushes)with John Yeon's
golf fairway lawn at the upper level, the parking area destroying
the lawn and cutting some five feet into (under) the 1941 lawn. Only
about 20% of John Yeon's 'fairway lawn' from the house North servived
the 1995 parking lot addition. |
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Now |
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Looking east at the parking lot addition (1995). The
white directional arrow is the 1941 east extremity to the Vietor driveway.
Everything east of the arrow is 'added in 1995' -- destroying first
John Yeon's landscaping north of the residence, then penetrates into
what was virgin forest in 1941, destroying several redwoods. |
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Looking east. The parking lot destroyed John Yeon's 1941 landscaping West of the second parking bumper away from the camera. It destroyed what was virgin forest in 1941 (up to 1995) east of the same parking bumper. Again, why didn't HAF move offsite to expand vs. destroying the
public's Nature Preserve? |
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Looking southwest, the gentleman stands at the surviving
north end of John Yeon's 'fairway lawn' (80% to north and west destroyed).
The green bushes disguise the five foot embankment from John Yeon's
1941 lawn down to the 1995 pavement level. The parking lot destroyed
the majority of the 1941 John Yeon landscaping north of the residences. |
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1941 |
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A 1941 John Yeon NYMOMA photo of the east open sleeping porch off
the Vietors master bedroom. Post 1995 it was walled in to make a
`bull pen' office of the the east end of the house, with the wall
between the master bedroom and den to the west being removed.
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1941 |
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John Yeon's 1941 NYMOMA photo of the east sleeping porch and south side of the house.
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The 'Rube Goldberg' slapped on room conversion of the open sleeping porch crammed with bodies in HAF's 1995 'empire building.'
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Now |
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What was once an outdoor sleeping porch is now a boxed in 'bullpen' office. Walls were torn out and walls were added. HAF took no concern for the delicate internationally famous architecture.
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1941 |
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John Yeon's New York Museum of Modern Art 1941 photo of the north
side of the house, looking west, featuring the prominent front door
madrone tree that Yeon positioned the house around. The Perrotts
allege the tree was chain sawed by HAF in 1995. |
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Looking north, start of John Yeon's 'fairway lawn' at
north face of residence (behind camera). The 'fairway lawn' ran north
then west, but 80% of it destroyed by 1995 parking lot addition. |
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The madrone tree seen in the 1941 picture is missing in this picture taken from a post 1995 HAF yearbook.
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1941 |
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1941 John Yeon New York Museum of Modern Art photo of the north side of the house, looking south. The two car garage was converted to a meeting room post 1994.
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The garage as converted, significantly changing the nature of the John Yeon design, in violation of the will that HAF is supposed to adhear to.
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1941 |
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1941 John Yeon New York Museum of Modern Art photo of the north side front entrance, with `front door' madrone, allegedly chain sawed by HAF in 1995.
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1941 |
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The Vietor residence in 1941, south side, looking north as shown in New York Museum of Modern Art. The north side front door madrone tree peeks over the roof just behind the chimney (gone after 1995).
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1941 |
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The Vietor residence den in 1941 as shown in the New York Museum of Modern Art. The den wall to the left has been removed to create a 'bull pen' office of the east end of the residence to accommodate the increase in post 1993 HAF staff. |
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1941 |
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The Vietor den in 1941 as shown in the New York Museum of Modern Art, looking north over John Yeon's 'fairway lawn.' In 1995 in the parking lot fiasco, HAF destroyed most of the 'fairway' lawn (80%), when it excavated six feet deep at the crest of the knoll to install the asphalt parking lot. In the background is where several redwood trees were cut for parking (1995). |
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1941 |
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The Vietor master bedroom in 1941 as shown in the New York Museum of Modern Art. HAF removed the den / bedroom wall immediately behind and above the beds and then scabbed walls on the open sleeping porch to the east (behind camera) to create a 'bull pen' office of the east end of the residence. (See sleeping porch 1941 and Now above) |
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