A Google executive's plan to tear down an 1892 home in Northwest Portland caught neighbors off guard, and hundreds have signed on to an online petition asking him to reconsider.



Kevin Rose, who founded news aggregator Digg.com and is now a partner at Google's investment arm, Google Ventures, bought the Willamette Heights house with his wife, Darya, in March for $1.3 million.



On Monday, Portland development officials issued a permit to tear down the house. Because he plans to replace it with a new house, it's not subject to a 120-day delay.



"It's one of the great icons of Northwest Portland," said Chet Orloff, director emeritus of the Oregon Historical Society and former resident of the Willamette Heights neighborhood. "If someone wanted to designate this as a historical site within the city, I think it would easily get that, not only because of its architecture, but because of its age, because of the quality of the house."



Orloff said the house was built by the Montague family, which was prominent in early 20th century legal circles.



The property was included on a historic property inventory, but was removed to clear the way for the demolition permit.



Rose, 37, declined through a Google Ventures spokeswoman to comment to The Oregonian. In a response to the petition posted on the website Change.org, Rose said he and his wife had planned a major renovation when they bought the house. (The spokeswoman said the post was authentic.)



"Unfortunately we drastically underestimated the level of work required to bring it up to date," Rose wrote, noting plumbing, electrical, heating, window, foundation and asbestos issues. "We were shocked at the price tag for repairs and remodel, which totaled much more than we paid for the house and far, far more than it would ever be worth."



Steve Wilson, a neighbor and one of the real estate brokers who co-listed the house for sale, said Rose's representative raised the possibility of an extensive interior remodel. But Rose also had the house inspected, as is customary during a home sale, and that many of the issues he raised would have been apparent at the time of the sale.



"I would say it's in above-average condition for a house in Willamette Heights, and in very good condition for an 1892 house," said Wilson, a principal broker at Realty Trust Group and manager of the company's Pearl District office. "We did expect him to do a substantial remodel, but you pay $1.3 million and tear a house down? In Portland? That doesn't happen in Portland."



Rose said the house would be deconstructed, with its components donated to charity to be re-used. His contractor said it would be replaced with a new, modern-style house.



He also said he's offered to sell the house back to the previous owners at the same price plus the expenses incurred since. Previous owner James Draudt didn't return a phone call from The Oregonian but said in a comment on the petition that he would be responding shortly. "Your willingness to consider other options is appreciated, and we will see where that may lead," he wrote.



It's not clear why he bought the house, or if Rose and his wife plan to move to Portland. Rose was born in Redding, Calif., then lived in Oregon for a time before growing up in Las Vegas.



Rose is well known even beyond tech circles. In 2006 he was featured on a BusinessWeek cover next to the headline, "How this kid made $60 million in 18 months."



His home in San Francisco was the target of a protest earlier this year, one in a series of anti-tech demonstrations in the city.



-- Elliot Njus



Staff Writer Mike Rogoway contributed to this report.