If you’ve ever driven northbound on Interstate 280 through Hillsborough, you’ve surely seen The Flintstone House from the highway. A cluster of orange and purple tubular domes, the home is reminiscent of the 1960s Hanna-Barbera cartoon.
The house has always had it’s fans and detractors, but recent renovations have sparked controversy, and prompted the city of Hillsborough to sue the homeowner and declare the home a “public nuisance.”
The renovations include the addition of several large sculptures in the back yard: three 15-foot dinosaurs, a giraffe and a mammoth. There’s also the more benign infrastructure improvements, like a retaining wall, steps and a parking strip.
In this episode of Bay Curious, we revisit our 2017 story that includes a tour of the home (web version: What’s That Thing Off 280? The Flintstone House) and we get an update on the controversy.
Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Jessica Placzek, Katie McMurran, Paul Lancour and Ryan Levi. Additional support from Julie Caine, Suzie Racho, Ethan Lindsey and David Weir.
The Memory Palace is a proud member of Radiotopia.
Music
Blink from Hiroshi Yoshimura
Which comes in and out of Bjolukor Tonlisterakoli Reykjanesbaejar's version of Sigur Ros' Hoppipolla.
Love Token by Elena Kats-Chernin, performed by Tamara Anna Cislowska
And Joanna Brouk playing Maggi's Flute - Lifting Off
Notes
There's
a ton out there about the sixty starlings, the most comprehensive comes
from Stephen Marche's book, How Shakespeare Changed Everything.
I also found Kim Todd's [Tinkering with Eden,](http://%22Tinkering%20With%20Eden:%20A%20Natural%20History%20of%20Exotic%20Species%20in%20America) particularly useful.
