Urgent Action: Support the Landmark Designation of 1921 20th Street
Advocacy Alert! Write to the Landmarks Commission in Support of 1921 20th Street
Please write to the Landmarks Commission TODAY! Tell them you want them to designate 1921 20th Street as a landmark. We have less than two hours left. Letters must be received by 12 noon today, September 14, to be on the record! Send your letter to planningcomment@santamonica.gov with the subject line, “Designate 1921 20th Street as a Landmark.”
Tonight, the Santa Monica Conservancy Landmark application for 1921 20th Street will have its public hearing, where the Commission will decide whether to approve the application and designate the property.
1921 20th Street, The Unfried House
1921 20th Street is a 1913 Craftsman Airplane Bungalow. Today, these bungalows are a very rare type in the City of Santa Monica, with only two or three still standing. And this one was a pioneering structure in the Pico Neighborhood, built by one of the first families to settle there when the neighborhood was subdivided in 1904. It is a very significant structure.
1921 20th Street remains almost unaltered, making it an even more precious resource with an unbelievable ability to show us what life was like in the Pico Neighborhood during its first phase of development at the beginning of the 20th century.
The city hired an impartial outside consultant to study the property, who agrees with the Conservancy’s evaluation that this building is a stunning example of its type and a terrific representation of the early days in the area.
The staff report asserts that because the building is in poorly maintained condition, it should not qualify as a landmark. But that is not how evaluation works. If the building tells the story and its original features are there, it qualifies.
To bring it back to ship-shape condition, there are special guidelines from the National Park Service to ensure the significance of the structure remains intact even after extensive rehabilitation. The Mills Act also gives landmark owners a property tax break so they can redirect those financial resources into rehabilitating the landmark.
Read the reports here: https://www.smgov.net/departments/pcd/agendas/Landmarks-Commission/2026/20260914/a20260914.htm
Please write to the Landmarks Commission TODAY! Tell them you want them to designate 1921 20th Street as a landmark. Letters must be received by 12 noon today, September 14, to be on the record!
Send your letter to: planningcomment@santamonica.gov with the subject line, “Designate 1921 20th Street as a Landmark.
