Magnum Mania!

Here's Obama inspecting his new beachfront mansion where the original Robin's Nest once was he plans on re-naming it Obama's Nest

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -wall.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vo3hAxYv3Fk

Oh well it seems that Robin wagered the estate in a poker game and Obama cheated to win it.

Now he's trying to Build Back Better but as you can see from the photos he's very angry at the

slow progress the construction company is making, if only Higgins was in charge of the crew.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... -wall.html

"The estate?! He wagered the estate?!"

Just another reason for me to not like him. Just my opinion folks. Don't want to argue.

Wow. I really thought those who were saying Obama was really behind the whole thing were really reaching! Not that this is some hard hitting journalism, but it does seem like he's in on it.

It's a presidential location, so I guess it makes sense.

The fact is that Obama and Nesbitt had the money and the influence and they... That they just didn't care what the property meant to the imagination of the fans of the show...

We have to deal with it, but I share the indignation of all of you.

Personally, I have been mourning this loss for a long time...

My thoughts are posted here:

https://magnum-mania.com/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4591

I’m not surprised but am still heartbroken that it is gone. Its razing is not the result of any single person however, as I explain in the linked post above.

So it looks like he used a planning loophole to retain a sea wall that’s causing coastal erosion, which has annoyed environmentalists and neighbours? Is that correct ?
Hmm.

Doesn’t BHO also have a place on Martha’s Vineyard?

BHO’s gobbling up of coastal properties flies in the face of his purported fear of rising water tables.

One would think BHO would purchase much cheaper properties well inland, so that after those coastal cities are submerged, he would own the “new” beachfront properties.

I think BHO’s pulling a Lex Luthor-style scheme here.

Little Garwood wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 1:07 pm Doesn’t BHO also have a place on Martha’s Vineyard?

BHO’s gobbling up of coastal properties flies in the face of his purported fear of rising water tables.

One would think BHO would purchase much cheaper properties well inland, so that after those coastal cities are submerged, he would own the “new” beachfront properties.

I think BHO’s pulling a Lex Luthor-style scheme here.

Agreed - it reeks of hypocrisy to me.

charybdis1966 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:08 am So it looks like he used a planning loophole to retain a sea wall that’s causing coastal erosion, which has annoyed environmentalists and neighbours? Is that correct ?
Hmm.

It was the previous owner, Eve Anderson, who applied for and paid $61,000 in fees to allow for the sea walls to remain for several more decades and also be reinforced. Had she not done so, the property’s value would have plummeted with no financing available for a future owner of a vulnerable property. She did this to protect her property’s value no matter who bought it, but it comes at the expense of further beach erosion. Those quick to place blame should understand this. I don’t blame her financial decision but that’s why the sea walls remain and have been reinforced.

The beach erosion caused by the sea wall construction actually goes back many decades as shown in one of the topographic maps in the Pahonu thread. The rising mean high tide level has been documented since at least the construction of Pahonu in the 30’s. Blame could then be placed on Mrs Wall who commissioned Pahonu, or the two properties she razed to build it, which had built smaller sea walls already.

As I have stated before, as heartbroken as we all were to learn that Pahonu was to be razed, the biggest reason for it was the level of disrepair it was allowed to fall into. That and the fact that Mrs Anderson didn’t apply for listing as a historic property which provides protections for such structures. She could have done that at any time, but it likely also would have lowered the value by decreasing the potential number of buyers. Sadly, the value of the estate was almost entirely in the land value at the time of its sale. It was almost inevitable it would be subdivided and razed with the condition it was in.

Pahonu wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 3:19 pm

charybdis1966 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:08 am So it looks like he used a planning loophole to retain a sea wall that’s causing coastal erosion, which has annoyed environmentalists and neighbours? Is that correct ?
Hmm.

It was the previous owner, Eve Anderson, who applied for and paid $61,000 in fees to allow for the sea walls to remain for several more decades and also be reinforced. Had she not done so, the property’s value would have plummeted with no financing available for a future owner of a vulnerable property. She did this to protect her property’s value no matter who bought it, but it comes at the expense of further beach erosion. Those quick to place blame should understand this. I don’t blame her financial decision but that’s why...... could have done that at any time, but it likely also would have lowered the value by decreasing the potential number of buyers. Sadly, the value of the estate was almost entirely in the land value at the time of its sale. It was almost inevitable it would be subdivided and razed with the condition it was in.

OK, as with most things in real life it's not as straightforward as newspaper hacks try to portray.
Thanks for explaining it Pahonu - it shows the value of separating the person involved (Obama) from the reasons behind it. It's so easy to disregard facts/history if it allows you to incorrectly blame someone you don't personally like.

I've always tried to be fair minded enough to evaluate things logically.

Pahonu wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 3:19 pm

charybdis1966 wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 10:08 am So it looks like he used a planning loophole to retain a sea wall that’s causing coastal erosion, which has annoyed environmentalists and neighbours? Is that correct ?
Hmm.

It was the previous owner, Eve Anderson, who applied for and paid $61,000 in fees to allow for the sea walls to remain for several more decades and also be reinforced. Had she not done so, the property’s value would have plummeted with no financing available for a future owner of a vulnerable property. She did this to protect her property’s value no matter who bought it, but it comes at the expense of further beach erosion. Those quick to place blame should understand this. I don’t blame her financial decision but that’s why the sea walls remain and have been reinforced.

The beach erosion caused by the sea wall construction actually goes back many decades as shown in one of the topographic maps in the Pahonu thread. The rising mean high tide level has been documented since at least the construction of Pahonu in the 30’s. Blame could then be placed on Mrs Wall who commissioned Pahonu, or the two properties she razed to build it, which had built smaller sea walls already.

As I have stated before, as heartbroken as we all were to learn that Pahonu was to be razed, the biggest reason for it was the level of disrepair it was allowed to fall into. That and the fact that Mrs Anderson didn’t apply for listing as a historic property which provides protections for such structures. She could have done that at any time, but it likely also would have lowered the value by decreasing the potential number of buyers. Sadly, the value of the estate was almost entirely in the land value at the time of its sale. It was almost inevitable it would be subdivided and razed with the condition it was in.

Thanks for adding that clarity. The Daily Mail is not a place to go for facts, but they're good at churning out entertaining copy.

I've missed several life dreams, and made one. I missed flying on the Concorde, and I missed seeing Pahonu before it was razed. The one I made was to take my wife to Europe before we had children -- we were able to go in her second trimester with our first child. What a trooper she was! Anyway, I just hope I can go see the turtle pond and boat house/guest house someday and that they don't completely block access to or remove those.

It is interesting to see how the this has played out over the last few years. We went from vague news articles, public records, and conjecture about Obama obtaining Robin's Nest via Nesbitt early on in this journey; to now seeing Obama walk the hallowed grounds. For him, it's just a new home in paradise. I wonder if he knows, or even cares, about the history and significance this place held.

I feel I have been there in person. I had always planned on it, but then kids came along and, as Jimmy Buffett sang, "Twenty more years slipped away". Now, Robin's Nest is gone, but we have so much knowledge thanks to the people in this forum. My deepest thanks to Pahonu and the other members who have given us so much information, images, history, infinity and jelly doughnuts...

Majordomo wrote: ↑Mon Feb 07, 2022 5:25 pm It is interesting to see how the this has played out over the last few years. We went from vague news articles, public records, and conjecture about Obama obtaining Robin's Nest via Nesbitt early on in this journey; to now seeing Obama walk the hallowed grounds. For him, it's just a new home in paradise. I wonder if he knows, or even cares, about the history and significance this place held.

I feel I have been there in person. I had always planned on it, but then kids came along and, as Jimmy Buffett sang, "Twenty more years slipped away". Now, Robin's Nest is gone, but we have so much knowledge thanks to the people in this forum. My deepest thanks to Pahonu and the other members who have given us so much information, images, history, infinity and jelly doughnuts...

Thank you for your thanks. I love architecture and the style of this home in particular, plus it’s great history in the series. I’ve spent more hours than I care to admit researching, studying, and learning everything I could about this home (and many others that no one here cares about). I am fascinated by the process of its creation from assembled properties, the history of the family who commissioned it and the process of the architect who designed it. I have enjoyed every minute I have spent drawing and creating the model of the estate.

I am just disappointed in the number of members who jump to conspiracy theories and reactionary cries of hypocrisy about why the estate was razed. Pahonu has succumbed to the same fate that most large country estates have from the pre-war era and earlier. These homes were built in an era of multiple servants and massive income inequality. They became too expensive to maintain and were razed long ago or allowed to fall into disrepair such as happened to Pahonu. It’s not a new story at all, though many fans on this forum may be experiencing it for the first time.

Money from filming gave Pahonu a temporary reprieve, but no one had lived in the home for decades. Unless legislation protects them or they become house-museums with public assistance or private charitable organizations, their fate is the same: destruction and subdivision. It’s been going on for more than a century across the US. The few that remain are just a tiny fraction of what once was and typically involved intense dedication among descendants to save their heritage.

Eve Anderson could have placed stipulations on Pahonu’s sale or had it listed as a historic structure to protect it. She did not, and rather chose to maximize the sale amount and I don’t blame her for that. She owe’s us nothing. She wasn’t thinking about our love for the estate any more than any potential buyer was, nor should they be. I’ve said it before, more than once, the individual who had the most influence in saving Pahonu was Eve Anderson. It didn’t happen as is usually the case. Making claims of political misdeeds or back room deals may sooth our pain at the loss, but they are not the reality of the story.

Sorry in advance if I upset anyone. As a great fan of architecture, I have sadly seen this happen far too many times.