Conservancy News

In January 22, Santa Monica City Council unanimously approved the designation of our city’s fourth historic district. The 11th Street Bungalow Historic District encompasses one block of 11th Street south of Wilshire Boulevard and around the corner on Arizona Avenue.

1223 11th Street. Photo: Santa Monica Mirror

This cluster of single-family historic homes is one of the few remaining groups of original single-family homes in Mid City and includes Craftsman houses, a late Victorian hipped roof cottage and a Spanish Colonial Revival home. The bungalows in the district, mostly Craftsman in style, were built between 1904 and 1925, during the city’s development eastward from the beach. They gave middle class residents affordable homes with a convenient floor plan and pleasing aesthetic.

In Santa Monica, special effects pioneer Ken Strickfadden, early civic leader Waldo Cowan, and locally renowned master builder Joseph Rowe called these bungalows home.

The designation culminates a 30-year effort by a grassroots coalition of Mid City Neighbors and local residents, tenants and owners, headed by co-chairs Susan Suntree and Diane Miller. The application was filed by Andrew Hoyer of Mid City Neighbors. Conservancy Board members Sherrill Kushner and Mario Fonda-Bonardi assisted the coalition. The Landmarks Commission unanimously decided to recommend the designation of the new historic district in December.

City staff will craft preservation guidelines with input from stakeholders. Property owners in the district are free to make any interior renovations they wish as well as develop the back of their properties.

The newly designated historic district joins the San Vicente Courtyard Apartments Historic District (formed in 2015), the Third Street Neighborhood District (1990) and the Bay Street Craftsman Cluster (2000).

Another historic district has been nominated by the Conservancy. Located at 4th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, it comprises 15 contiguous, intact structures without no intrusion from modern apartments. It represents layers of Ocean Park architectural history in a variety of styles, including a late Victorian cottage, Craftsman homes, a courtyard configuration, Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival. In addition, a group of nearly identical small Craftsman cottages along the steep hillside of Ocean Park Boulevard marks the opening of this important roadway in the neighborhood. Strong resident and owner support was evident at the community meeting in January.

2518 4th Street. Photo: Ostashay Associates Consulting

Major rehabilitation of a formerly neglected courtyard complex at 227 Beach Street received a Certificate of Appropriateness for new landscaping, lighting as well as a four foot fence to secure the courtyard. The courtyard is a contributing building in the Third Street Historic District. The Landmarks Commission recommended design improvements and a reduction in the scale of the fence to preserve the open courtyard feeling.

In January, a 1916 Craftsman Bungalow at 1129 Ashland Avenue received landmark designation. Elegantly designed and with a high level of original architectural integrity, it was a pioneering home in an area of Sunset Park which was primarily agricultural at that time. The house was featured on a Conservancy architectural tour a few years ago. The builder, Charles Warren Brown, designed his own Craftsman house on Third Street, which was already landmarked in 1997.

1129 Ashland Avenue

In December 2018, the Landmarks Commission initiated a new procedure for preliminary review of Demolition Permit Applications for buildings and structures 40 years and older, based on an Emergency Interim Zoning Ordinance adopted by City Council in November. The Commission considers whether there is credible evidence in the record to proceed with a future public hearing, avoiding the perception of bias in making a recommendation for further investigation of the merits of a threatened building. Such factors as whether the property is listed on the Historic Resources Inventory or whether a member of the public has provided evidence of historic significance are considered. Following this new process, the Commission has recommended additional assessments for the 1954 Fire Station at 1447 7th Street and the Tudor Revival residence at 401 19th Street.

The Conservancy has nominated a residence and a group of cottages for landmark and historic district designation respectively.

Woodacres Estate

The Parkinson house. Photo: Stephen Gee

The historic residence is that of famed architect John Parkinson, one of the most prolific, masterful, and influential architects of Los Angeles. He designed the 1896 Homer Laughlin Building (Grand Central Market), the city’s first high-rise at 4th and Spring Streets (Braly Block) in 1904, as well as many commercial office buildings downtown in Beaux-Arts and Art Deco styles. Highlights of his career include the Alexandria Hotel, the Los Angeles Coliseum, the USC campus, L.A. City Hall (in collaboration with others), Bullocks Wilshire and Union Station (his last work).

Parkinson, a native of England, traveled to the U.S. with only a toolbox and five dollars and settled in Napa where he worked as a stair builder, taking on architectural commissions in his spare time. In 1889, he moved to Seattle but when his real estate investments soured and construction slowed during a severe national depression, Parkinson moved to Los Angeles and opened his architecture office in 1894.

Parkinson purchased 22 acres north of San Vicente Boulevard from the Santa Monica Land and Water Company. In 1920, he built Woodacres, his two-story Italian Renaissance-style home where he lived until his death in 1935.

4th Street Corner Historic District

On five parcels at the corner of 4th Street and Ocean Park Boulevard, development was triggered when Ocean Park Boulevard opened as a thoroughfare to Los Angeles in December 1917. The proposed district includes intact examples of the final build-out of the Ocean Park neighborhood representing late Victorian Cottage, Craftsman, and Mission Revival styles.

Thanks to the Advocacy Committee for its work on these nominations. David Kaplan brought the Parkinson house to our attention and Ruthann Lehrer and Roberta O’Donnell prepared the application. Nina Fresco prepared the historic district application.

by Ruthann Lehrer and Carol Lemlein, Advocacy Co-Chairs

The long-anticipated update to the Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) was released to the Landmarks Commission and to the public in September. The HRI is a survey of all buildings 40 years and older that rates their architectural significance and indicates their potential eligibility for listing as a landmark, Structure of Merit, or contributor to a potential historic district.

Recipient of a Mills Act contract, Purser Apartments located at 1659 Ocean Front Walk. Photo:
Ostashay & Associates Consulting

The survey is updated approximately every ten years by professionals. The new survey was conducted by Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, with consultation and input from the community. The Historic Context Statement provides a detailed overview of the main themes of Santa Monica’s development, such as residential development, commercial development, institutions and social and cultural history.

Some of the main findings included: 855 individual resources rated as significant, of which 337 were not on the prior survey; 20 historic districts identified, of which 8 were not previously listed; and 103 properties appeared individually eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and/or the California Register, of which 39 were not identified in previous surveys. The updated survey is available on the City’s website: www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Historic-Resources-Inventory.

The Landmarks Commission approved the designation of Carousel Park near the pier as a cultural landscape in September. The Conservancy joined with the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to making our shared landscape heritage more visible, and preservation consultants Chattel, Inc. in co-sponsoring a designation application for the park.

In October the Commission reviewed concept plans for a new three-unit condominium project to be built behind the landmarked Deodar Cedar tree at 918 5th Street. Because the tree occupies one-third of the site, the applicant is requesting several zoning modifications in order to create a viable project. The zoning code permits such flexibility as incentives for projects that are constrained by the preservation of a historic resource; this request must be approved by the Planning Commission.

Every year the Conservancy celebrates the preservation of Santa Monica’s architectural and cultural heritage by honoring exemplary projects and contributions.

Since 2004, award-winning projects have included residences, commercial and institutional buildings, from small to large, ranging from restoration, renovation, rehabilitation, and adaptive reuse to contemporary additions to historic buildings and homes. Awards are also presented to individuals for their stewardship of historic properties as well as for community service contributions as volunteers and advocates of preservation.

The awards presentation will be held at the Conservancy’s 2019 Annual Meeting. Don’t miss this spectacular event as we celebrate, recognize, and are inspired by the people and the projects that bring preservation to life in Santa Monica. A complete history of the Preservation Awards can be found here.

Nominate a person, structure or group for a 2019 Award! Send an email to awards@smconservancy.org and include:

1. A brief description of the individual, organization or project, and why you believe it warrants an award. A specific award category can be included in your proposal, but is not mandatory.
2. Your contact information (name, address, phone number).
3. A photo of the site if possible.

Owner Mike Deasy was awarded in 2018 for his passion for architecture and sensitive attention to preserving the Entenza House.Photo: Michael Folonis Architects