More on Persian Palaces

“Persian Palace” is a term that the Persian community finds offensive (“In Defense of the Persian Palace,” by Greg Goldin, Dec. 17). The vast majority of Iranians find mansionization to be an embarrassingly overt way to display bad taste.

Los Angeles is filled with the elegant solutions of trained architects who find creative ways to satisfy the community-minded and open-plan needs of Iranian homeowners. Instead, your magazine chose to highlight the poor architectural taste of a general contractor.

Yassi Gabbay

Gabbay Architects

Beverly Hills

I can appreciate the craftsmanship and materials involved in the construction of these edifices, but I wonder how much more pleasing they would be if they were half the size with twice as much garden? Wouldn’t it enhance a neighborhood if wealthy people were vying for the most lavish and original garden instead of the biggest house with the most unused rooms?

Kurt Sipolski

Palm Desert