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Attorney for ‘Flintstone House’ Owner Plans to Sue City Over Backyard Brouhaha

By now, you’ve probably met the “Flintstone House.” The curvaceous structure in Hillsborough, CA, home is fairly visible from a busy freeway and has become a local landmark.

The distinctive dome home made headlines after it rolled onto the market in 2015 for $4.2 million. The price of the home was reduced, with speculation about whether the place would ever sell growing with each price cut. Finally, in 2017 Florence Fang purchased the one-of-a-kind home for $2.8 million.

Fang, 84 and the matriarch of a former newspaper-publishing family, doesn’t use the home as her primary residence. Instead, the Hillsborough resident opens up the playful space for parties and family gatherings.

Now, the home’s been thrust into the spotlight again due to a controversy over changes to the large backyard, visible from Interstate Highway 280.

Along with other improvements to the grounds, Fang leaned into the “Flintstones” theme after taking ownership. She added giant sculptures of dinosaurs, a woolly mammoth, a giraffe, space aliens, and cartoon characters to the garden.

Her decor choices prompted a lawsuit from the town, alleging that she lacked the proper permits and that the garden decorations “create a highly visible eyesore and are out of keeping with community standards.”

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Hillsborough planning officials are suing the owner of the famous #FlintstoneHouse calling it a "highly visible eyesore" and "out of keeping with community standards." The town wants a judge to delare the landscape display a “public nuisance” and order the owner remove it. #YabbaDabbaDo #LinkInBio

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Are you really from the bay area if you've never been to the Flintstone house

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The owner of the so-called Flintstone House is not backing down against Hillsborough officials who have sued her in an effort to remove the dinosaur decorations and other statues from her yard. The town says that owner Florence Fang redesigned her playful property without proper permits. Fang told reporters that she got the green light to make over the grounds. Read more about the ongoing dispute on KCBSRadio.com Photos by @bobbutler7.

A post shared by KCBS Radio (@kcbsradio) on Apr 12, 2019 at 2:50pm PDT

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We all know Hillsborough’s iconic Flintstone House from the outside. But is it just as weird and whimsical on the inside? Oh yes. Step inside for a tour. ~ : @gabrielleluriephoto ~ More pics: @sfchronicle_photos ~ Read more: bit.ly/flintstonehouse ~ #FlintstoneHouse #FlintstonesHouse #Flintstones #Hillsborough #lawsuit #weirdhouses

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Unbowed by local drama, Fang isn’t backing down.

“Basically, the town of Hillsborough wants Mrs. Fang to remove her statues and her objects of art from her garden in her backyard that cannot be seen by any neighbors and [have] never [been] complained about by anyone,” says Angela Alioto, Fang’s attorney.

“We’re going to sue back for treating her differently because of her home and because they’re trying to deny her freedom of speech,” adds Alioto.

It’s hard to believe that the home wasn’t initially designed as a living example of the iconic Hanna-Barbera cartoon. Designed in the 1970s by architect William Nicholson, the home’s shapes were created by spraying shotcrete onto steel rebar and mesh frames over inflated aeronautical balloons. The result was an organic, otherworldly appearance.

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Watch: Take a Rare Look Inside the Famous ‘Flintstone House’ in California

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Originally painted off-white, the home had eye-popping hues added about a decade ago. That transformed the look of the exterior, prompting the connection to the TV cartoon family. The loud appearance also sparked controversy at the time. Love it or hate it, the dome home certainly attracts attention. In January 2017, it easily topped the realtor.com® list of most popular homes.

Fang, who came to America from China in 1960, added the garden decor “because it gives her joy,” Alioto says. “It’s her private backyard. It’s part of the Flintstone theme. She loves the Flintstones. To her, they represent America.”

“I believe her ancestry has everything to do with the way they have treated her from the very beginning,” says Alioto. “I just believe they’re treating her differently in every way possible, and we’re going to prove that.” 

The city of Hillsborough calls the charges of discrimination baseless.

“The current legal action is the result of the property’s un-permitted activities. Every Hillsborough resident would be treated the same way,” Assistant City Attorney Mark Hudak said in a statement.

“It’s just a wonderful place. It’s a great place. But the other side of it is, the property rights of telling you what you can and cannot do in the back of your property that nobody can see from the street,” Alioto says. “It’s very scary. It’s more than big brother.

The post Attorney for ‘Flintstone House’ Owner Plans to Sue City Over Backyard Brouhaha appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

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