IRVINE : Couple’s Plan Rejected; City to Destroy House

The city has rejected Haym Ganish’s latest building plans, and officials are preparing the demolition of his castle-like house.

City Atty. Joel D. Kuperberg said the city will soon give Haym and Fern Ganish notice that it intends to demolish the house.

“The city is proceeding with obtaining a contractor to demolish the house,” Kuperberg said. “We will give them a courtesy notice to remove their belongings and find another place to live. It’s a very unfortunate situation. The city has given them extension after extension.”

The Ganishes have been at odds with the city for 13 years over the start-and-stop renovation of their single-story Kron Street house, which they are turning into a three-story, stone-covered castle. An Orange County Superior Court judge last month refused to block the city from demolishing the house after the Ganishes failed to meet a court-imposed deadline for submitting building plans.

The City Council agreed to extend the deadline until Tuesday, but Mayor Michael Ward said the plans submitted late Tuesday afternoon by Haym Ganish do not comply with city building requirements. The city contends the house is unsafe and in violation of state building and safety codes.

Haym and Fern Ganish declined comment.

“It wasn’t anything new,” Ward said of the plans submitted by Ganish. “We’ve gone the extra mile on this.”

Councilman Greg Smith said it is a difficult decision that has been forced on the city by the Ganishes.

“I don’t know what the Ganishes have planned at this point, but they’ve been given every opportunity,” Smith said. “For some reason, they decided not to do anything.”