LA Times Picks Up Japanese Garden Story: Not the Best PR for UCLA

Excerpts from the LA Times articlebelow and link to the full article:

For nearly half a century, theUCLA Hannah Carter Japanese Garden in Bel-Air has served as a serene stopoverfor visitors from locations as varied as Newhall, Nashville and the Netherlands.  But the decision by UCLA to sell the steephillside property and an adjoining house to raise money for endowments andprofessorships has the garden world in an un-Zen-like uproar.  The Garden Conservancy, an organization basedin New York and San Francisco, has lambasted the university's transfer to theFowler Museum of a five-tiered stone pagoda and other garden objects and hasurged the public to contact UCLA Chancellor Gene Block…


The garden wasdonated by Edward W. Carter, a retailing magnate and former chairman of the UCBoard of Regents, and his second wife, Hannah Locke Carter, under a 1964agreement that the university would maintain it in perpetuity. In 1982, theparties agreed that proceeds from the sale of the house would be used to fundcertain endowments and professorships…


…The UC Regentsasked the Superior Court of Alameda County, where the university system isbased, to allow the properties' sale and to lift the "in perpetuity"requirement. The regents argued that "changed circumstances" madecontinued ownership and maintenance "impracticable." The court agreed.  That is a sore point for Jim Caldwell ofWoodside, Calif., one of five children of Hannah Carter.


"There was nocommunication with any of Hannah Carter's children," he said.

…(B)id packages (will) beavailable in early February and that bidding would begin in May. …ColdwellBanker Previews International in Beverly Hills has the listing…

Full story at http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ucla-japanese-garden-20120122,0,6654788.story

Editorial note: Apartfrom the merits of the garden itself, the fact that the heirs of a past major figure on theBoard of Regents feel that a past donation is not being treated properly couldgive pause to other prospective donors to UCLA. In addition, unless it is clear that UCLA can find buyers who willpreserve the garden in a manner the heirs will accept, it is unclear who wouldbuy it.  Given the controversy, any buyerplanning to use the facility for some other purpose would likely facelitigation costs and delays.  So maybesomeone in authority needs to take a deep breath and announce a time out.  Like the hotel/conference center project, we seem to have a case here where underlings just roll along with a plan that seemed like a good idea to someone - until the idea surfaces and trouble erupts.


It might be noted that on a recent broadcast, Chancellor Block pointed to an emphasis on philanthropy for the UCLA funding model:
http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/chancellor-block-on-kpcc-airtalk.html


For those who haven’t followed this issue, here are links toprior blog posts:

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/removals-of-objects-began-today-from.html

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/info-on-plans-for-japanese-garden.html

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/ucla-japanese-garden-web-address-has.html

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/impending-sale-of-uclas-japanese-garden.html

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/afterlife-of-website-for-ucla-japanese.html

http://uclafacultyassociation.blogspot.com/2012/01/eye-witness-report-concerning-removals.html

Meanwhile, the LA Times editorial board thinks the sale should go ahead given the university budget situation but that some preservationists should buy the garden:
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/opinionla/la-ed-0122-garden-20120122,0,116027.story