News & Advocacy

by Dolores Sloan, Chair Pro Tempore

A three-story City Services building, which will attach to the eastern edge of Santa Monica’s landmarked historic City Hall, came closer to fruition as the Landmarks Commission approved the building’s design, colors and materials, as well as signage to identify and direct visitors to needed services. When completed, the 50,200-square-foot addition will bring into one central structure the city offices and employees now housed at various addresses throughout Santa Monica. Commissioners agreed that the contemporary design of the proposed building, with its façade of high performance vision glass, is “compatible” with the original building’s 1930s-era PWA Moderne Style, and is in conformance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties for rehabilitation. Landscaping will be introduced into the courtyard area between the rear of City Hall and the new building, which is designed to meet the Living Building Challenge, a high level of sustainability.

The Commission has approved a Certificate of Appropriateness for the rehabilitation of the Mar Vista Apartments at 1305 2nd Street, a designated landmark in the downtown Bayside District. The 103-year-old structure is undergoing adaptive reuse from residential to commercial uses. A restaurant and fitness center on the first floor will be visible under colorful awnings over street-level windows, while upper floors will offer a variety of creative office spaces. New lighting, signage, and landscaping will be among the site improvement features. The final form of the non-original penthouse structure and installation of equipment on the roof will take into consideration their visibility from the street.

The ordinance, which established the San Vicente Boulevard Courtyard Apartments Historic District in 2015, requires owners of all buildings within the district to request Certificates of Appropriateness from the Landmarks Commission for repairs or work on the structures that could affect the character and features of the seven-block, designated area. Most recently, the Commission approved an application from 200 San Vicente Boulevard, a district non-contributor, for a façade remodel, and from 234 San Vicente Boulevard, a contributor, for a variety of improvements, additions and replacements.

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