Rally for La Ronda scheduled Monday

Two preservationist groups plan to rally at 4 p.m. Monday in front of La Ronda, the Spanish Gothic mansion in Bryn Mawr that could fall next week to the wrecker's ball.

J. Randall Cotton, spokesman for the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, said the purpose of the rally "is to publicly ask the owner that he do the responsible thing for the good of the community."

The alliance is being joined by Friends of La Ronda, a group that formed recently around the issue of saving the castle-like building at 1030 Mount Pleasant Rd. that is slated for demolition Tuesday.

Its owner, who has chosen anonymity, wants to knock down the 18,000-square-foot structure and replace it with a 10,000-square-foot family home and pool.

The mansion was designed by architect Addison Mizner, known for his villas in Palm Beach, Fla., of the 1920s. La Ronda's unique style makes it a rarity in the Northeast, preservationists have argued.

Negotiations between Benjamin Wohl, 41, a Florida real estate developer who wants to buy the mansion and move it to a nearby lot, and the mansion's owner appeared stalled yesterday.

Wohl boarded a plane back to Palm Beach, where he lives, in the early evening without a sale agreement, but he remained optimistic.

"After finding out the client is out of town, this gives me a glimmer of hope that that is [the only obstacle] we're dealing with," Wohl said.

Joe Kuhls, attorney for the owner, said he had not spoken to his client "about anything involving Mr. Wohl."

Township Commissioner V. Scott Zelov said he hoped a deal could be reached.

"The remarkable solution presented by Wohl is a win-win for all," he said in an e-mail. "The decision is with Kuhls and the La Ronda owner. They need to reach an agreement with Wohl, but for some reason, they haven't yet been able to. I certainly hope they can."

Bruce E. Reed, president of the Lower Merion Township Board of Commissioners, said he had been monitoring the negotiations, and characterized them as "a somewhat frustrating process."

"I have tried everything I can do to get these guys to talk," Reed said. "There is dismay that the two parties seem less interested in meeting with Mr. Wohl than he is in meeting with them."

Yesterday, Wohl learned that a New Jersey salvage firm hired by the owner had stripped most of the architectural elements, including mantels, doors, and wrought-iron fixtures, from La Ronda's interior.

Reed said he had been told the items were "in a room in New Jersey." Wohl said the removal of the objects wasn't a deal breaker.

"It's disturbing, but it can be fixed," Wohl said. "We believe the stuff is somewhere, and we'll find it and put it back in."