Live Virtual Tour: Preservation Resource Center

Step inside the last intact shotgun house in Santa Monica from anywhere in the world with one of our friendly and knowledgeable docents!

Click here to register.

Docent and architect Mario Fonda-Bonardi leads a private tour of the shotgun house.

Learn about life, history and architecture in Santa Monica in the early 1900s on our virtual tour. Built in 1897, this little house is remarkable for its sheer tenacity. Many shotgun houses in Santa Monica did not stand up well to the passage of time. Others were destroyed due to development pressure over the last century. Yet, against all odds, our shotgun house persisted and was occupied until 1996. Facing demolition in 2002, the Santa Monica Conservancy partnered with community members and the City of Santa Monica to restore and relocate it.

Today, it serves as a model for adaptive reuse and showcases an important piece of Santa Monica’s history. Since opening in 2016, it has welcomed and educated thousands of visitors, earned LEED Gold certification for its green building strategies, and has received several awards.

Click here to register online for a private docent-guided tour of the shotgun house today. You’ll get a chance to take a walk through history, hear stories about early Santa Monica and ask questions. The tour is free, lasts 45 minutes and will be held via Zoom.