Conservancy News

The Santa Monica Conservancy has been reporting on a new City Council initiative, adopted on May 11, 2021, to cover the historic murals inside the City Hall lobby with a fabric scrim, and “recontextualize” the cultural history of the Tongva people with reference to our current perspectives on social justice issues.

Photo: Surf Santa Monica

The Conservancy strongly objects to covering the murals, which are important features of our landmarked City Hall, but we support creating new narratives about the artwork. The new narratives should explain the main subject matter of the History mural, which was the first encounter of the 1769 Portola expedition with the Tongva people at the Kuruvungna Sacred Springs, now restored at University High School. The History mural’s images and text refer to evolving layers of our history, including the Rancho period. While the discussion has focused on the Tongva people’s story, there is a broader history at risk here.

We look forward to a process of robust public engagement, with public participation, about expanding the historical narrative and contemporary perspectives on social justice, in the form of new exhibits in City Hall and in the City’s public art program. Exactly what those should be remains to be determined.

The immediate need is to convey our objections to covering the murals. In response to the Conservancy’s previous messages on this issue, other voices have come forward to express their opposition to City Council’s censorship of the historic murals. We would like to share letters written by Terri de la Pena and Sharon Reyes, whose family histories are woven into the fabric of Santa Monica:

Honorable Mayor Himmelrich and Councilmembers:

One of the historic names that appears on the City Hall mural is that of our great great grandfather Francisco Marquez. As native Santa Monicans, we have always been proud of the fact that our ancestor is honored there.

When Mexico gained independence from Spain in the 1820s, the new government secularized the sprawling California mission properties. This allowed Mexican citizens in good standing to be awarded these lands. Rancho Boca de Santa Monica was first granted to Francisco Alvarado and Antonio Machado (also on the mural) in 1827. When they relinquished their rights in 1838, Francisco Marquez and his partner Ysidro Reyes obtained the land grant in June 1839. Since then, several generations of the extended Marquez and Reyes families have lived in Santa Monica and/or neighboring communities.

If the historic City Hall mural is covered up or destroyed, what becomes of our history? The Marquez and Reyes descendants have been in this area for over 180 years. If Santa Monica truly wants to be seen as a diverse community, what about those of us who are land grant descendants, who have lived here all our lives? Our history is part of the Santa Monica story too. Don’t we also have a right to be recognized?

Please do not pick and choose whose history ought to be depicted. Our families have long been here and we deserve to be acknowledged for that. Please do not cover up or delete our ancestors’ names from the mural.

Sincerely,

Terri de la Pena
Marguerite de la Pena
Rose Marie de la Pena
Daniel and Mary Cady
Dianne Marquez

Honorable Mayor Himmelrich and Councilmembers,

My father, Ysidro Reyes, was named after the co-owner of Rancho Boca de Santa Monica.

He was always telling our family this one quote: “So many people say, ‘Who wants to hear about the past?’, but we must know where we’ve been before we can see where we’re going”

When I was about six years old, he took me and my sister to City Hall to see the mural. He pointed out the colorful historical background, including the story of the springs on the University High School campus and how our city was named.

Returning to City Hall as an adult, I was even more struck by the fact that I am related to the men mentioned on the mural. Antonio Machado, Francisco Marquez and Ysidro Reyes. I grew up hearing stories about my great aunt Arcadia Bandini, as well as J.J. Carrillo and Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz, people who were instrumental in Santa Monica’s history.

Even after my family suffered the loss of their land and the total disregard of our heritage,  for over 180 years we have remained woven into the fabric of California history. I was raised to be proud of this history, so why would anyone want to cover it up after it’s installment 84 years ago?

We need to preserve the artist‘s work as well as the history he portrayed. Future generations need to know about the city and how this region came to be.

My cousins and family below are proud of their history and want this mural and story displayed for another 100 plus years. We are stern in our objection to the distasteful covering of the mural.

From several of our Boca de Santa Monica family descendants:

Sincerely,

Sharon Reyes
Leo Marquez
Joe & Paul Villasenor
Ricardo Bandini
Ruben Lucero
Rose Enriquez
Ed Tynan
Ronnie Mendez
Lisa Marquez
Sharon Kilbride
Vincent Olivera
Kevin Reyes Siebuhr
Sean Reyes Siebuhr
Natalie Reyes Scott
Kathleen Reyes Kelly
Michael Serra
Debbie Saenz

Continuing a long tradition of African Methodist Episcopal (A.M.E.) churches in the United States, the First A.M.E. Church, Santa Monica, celebrates its 100^th anniversary this September.

The original African Methodist Episcopal Church was established in 1787 in response to racial discrimination against African American free persons who worshipped at an American Methodist Church in Philadelphia. Richard Allen, a former Delaware enslaved person and the first pastor, joined others to successfully sued for the right of his congregation to exist as an independent institution. He called together other Black Methodists in nearby middle Atlantic communities who also were facing racism to join him and others to seek religious autonomy and form a new denomination. It is the oldest Black denomination in North America.

As the church grew, it established a dozen colleges, a hospital, the first Black corporation, and its own newspaper. More than two million members representing all races and ethnicities are found in America, the Caribbean, England, Canada and Africa.

In the early 1850s the denomination reached the Pacific Coast with churches in Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco. The Santa Monica church was established in 1921 in the home of Richard and Carrie Dumas. As the membership increased, the congregation moved to the Masonic Hall, located then and now, at 18th Street and Broadway. Conservancy Board member Carolyne Edwards is the granddaughter of Reverend Alfred K. Quinn who was church pastor from 1936 to 1944.

The First A.M.E. Church recently partnered with the City of Santa Monica and others to create two new senior housing complexes, specially designed with social and interactive spaces.

The Conservancy applauds the First A.M.E. Church in Santa Monica for its long-standing service to its members and the larger Santa Monica community.

by Ruthann Lehrer, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

The interior public lobby of City Hall as well as its architecture are protected historic resources designated in 1979, and the Stanton MacDonald-Wright murals are specifically identified as important features. The Municipal Code defines the process to be followed if alterations are proposed. The Santa Monica Landmarks Ordinance clearly indicates that the Landmarks Commission must review this alteration under the Certificate of Appropriateness provisions.

Such protections are fundamental to the entire program for the survival of designated historic resources, and those located at the heart of our civic government are the most obvious examples. The Santa Monica Conservancy, with the advice of our attorney, has communicated this message to the City Manager, City Attorney and City staff in a letter, and we are awaiting a response. (See our previous advocacy efforts here.)

Photo: J.J. Prats c/o Historical Marker Database

If this process is followed, the Landmarks Commission would conduct a public hearing on this application, as it has for other applications affecting City Hall, such as the new Annex, remodeled entryway and Ken Genser Square. In addition to public testimony, the expertise of the Landmarks Commission could provide guidance about understanding and interpreting the murals’ imagery and themes.

Because the image of the the sacred Kuruvungna Springs is so critical to understanding the History mural, we reached out to the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation, the Native American group that restored the sacred waters at University High School and preserves them as essential to its history.

The History mural in City Hall depicts the first contact between Europeans and Native Tongva at the springs, and the naming of Santa Monica. Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation members seem keenly interested in preserving their history as depicted at Santa Monica City Hall. The Foundation also recently re-opened the Kuruvungna Springs to the public on the first Saturday of the month; access is from Barrington Avenue south of Texas Avenue.

Members of the founding families of Santa Monica have also reached out to us, concerned about the eradication of their histories. Descendants of the Marquez and Reyes families from Rancho Boca de Santa Monica as well as the Bandini family find their stories referenced in the mural that will be removed from public view. Indeed, the name Ysidro Reyes is actually inscribed in the mural.

Companion to the History mural is one showing Recreation, depicting popular spectator sports — polo, tennis, auto races, aviation and sailing — that attracted visitors to the City. While these images seem elitist today, these recreational activities helped boost the City as a tourist destination.

Discussions about the murals’ future have affirmed that there is strong interest in a robust public discussion and debate about their historic context, their explicit and implicit meanings, and how we can educate our community about social justice. An interpretive explanation or exhibit is crucial for the murals as the touchstone for understanding the past and discussing issues of social equity and inclusion. But covering the murals does not advance that goal. At this intersection of history, public art and social justice, the Santa Monica Conservancy believes we have an opportunity to create public engagement and educate our community about our past and the value of preservation, and promote social equity.

As directed by Board Policy 7133, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will hold a series of online community meetings on June 21 and June 22 to develop the Historic Resource Inventories for its elementary and middle schools. This is an opportunity for the community to provide input to the District’s historic resources consultants to help determine whether a building or property would qualify as a historic resource. The consultants will review the process and methodology.

Samohi c. 1940. After the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, the original buildings were re-faced and seismically reinforced by architects Marsh, Smith & Powell in the Streamline Modern style popular at the time. The project was part of a significant WPA allocation to the city schools that resulted in many artworks as well as building repair and new construction. Photo: Santa Monica High School Campus Plan Historic Resources Technical Report, Historic Resources Group, July 2018

At these meetings, our consultants will ask for the community’s input and comments on the buildings, artwork and other features of the campus that might be a historical resource. This is an opportunity to guide the investigation. The District’s historic resources consultants will review the process and methodology that goes into determining whether a building or property would qualify as a historic resource.

Later this year, the recommendations from the historic resources consultants will be made public for review and another round of community meetings will be scheduled to receive feedback on the historical resource inventory reports. Following revisions, the Board of Education will receive and adopt the reports.

The meetings are part of the district’s campus assessment process as it continues to align its instructional programs and environments to the way students learn and the jobs of the 21st-century and to make those environments adaptable for future changes in coming decades.

The online presentations will be as follows:
June 21 Architectural Resources Group Zoom Link = http://bit.ly/HistResource062121
6 p.m. Grant Elementary School
7 p.m. Franklin Elementary School
8 p.m. Lincoln Middle School

June 22 Historic Resources Group Zoom Link = http://bit.ly/HistResource062221
5 p.m. Rogers Elementary School
6 p.m. McKinley Elementary School
7 p.m. Roosevelt Elementary School
8 p.m. John Adams Middle School

Visit www.smmusd.org/FIP for additional information regarding campus planning.