Conservancy News

by Ruthann Lehrer and Carol Lemlein, Advocacy Co-Chairs

In February, demolition of 516 Colorado Avenue (the former Angel’s Attic) was considered by the Landmarks Commission. Despite the fact that the Commission had previously rejected the owner’s nomination for landmark designation, several individuals testified that it might qualify as a Structure of Merit. Following the new process for consideration of demolitions, the Commission voted that there was credible evidence to justify further investigation and a future public hearing.

The Conservancy’s nomination of John Parkinson’s residence at 808 Woodacres Road was the focus of a lengthy public hearing at the March meeting. Two independent historic preservation firms (engaged by a neighbor who supports the nomination plus the City’s consultant) all agreed that the residence met five of the six criteria for landmark designation.

808 Woodacres Road. Photo: Michael Locke

This house is the only extant example of iconic architect John Parkinson’s residences that he designed for himself. Parkinson is most noted for designing the LA Memorial Coliseum, Bullocks Wilshire, LA City Hall (a collaboration), Union Station and numerous other commercial and institutional buildings in downtown Los Angeles and at USC. (Attend our July 14 lecture to learn more about his work.) The property owner opposes the designation, believing that it will cause a significant reduction in the property’s appraised value. A continuance was granted and the nomination will be heard again in June.

Finally, the Craftsman bungalow located at 610 California Street, which had been the subject of a demolition application, was approved for designation as a Structure of Merit by City Council. The unanimous decision was made in response to an appeal submitted by Conservancy Board member Nina Fresco, after the Landmarks Commission failed to take action on the Conservancy’s nomination due to a procedural challenge.

See it now before it’s gone! Santa Monica’s iconic Home Savings building at the corner of 26th Street and Wilshire Boulevard will soon lose its remarkable artworks, including the impressive mosaic mural depicting a beach scene. The loss is the result of the City’s settlement of a lawsuit brought against it by the property owner, reversing the landmark designation in 2013 as well as the Santa Monica Conservancy’s appeal to City Council, which once again confirmed the designation in 2017. This result  allows the owner to remove the artwork and ultimately demolish the building.  The owner’s stated intent is to relocate the artwork and obtain a charitable tax deduction for donating it to a yet undisclosed nonprofit organization.

Designed in 1969 and completed in 1970, the Santa Monica branch is distinguished by its spacious entry plaza, which allows enjoyment of the dazzling mosaic mural. After Home Savings closed in 1998, the building was converted to retail use. The signature exterior mural with its brilliant colors is just one of a group of artworks integrated with the architecture of the building. The Home Savings building exemplifies the innovative collaboration of artist Millard Sheets with financier Howard Ahmanson.

Millard Sheets was a renowned artist, educator and promoter of art in Southern California, who was based in Claremont. The recently published Banking on Beauty by Adam Arenson describes Sheets and the Home Savings projects.

Photo: Peter Leonard

Photo: Larry Underhill

Beginning in the 1950s, Ahmanson commissioned Sheets to create a visual identity for Home Savings that would convey an image of security and financial stability, incorporating decorative artworks with themes linked to the local community. The monumental geometric masses clad in travertine with gold trim, enhanced with mosaics, sculpture and stained glass, became Home Savings’ recognizable identity, attracting customers seeking to build or purchase new homes during the Southland’s post-war building boom.

Sheets, in collaboration with artists at Sheets Design Studio, was given complete artistic freedom in designing these buildings. Millard Sheets’ name is writ large on the mosaic mural, which was executed by artist Nancy Colbath. The entry plaza sculpture of a family playing at the beach was created by Richard Ellis and the dolphin sculpture over the rear door by John Svenson. Inside, a large stained glass design by Susan Hertel is visible under a scrim.

Despite our efforts to dissuade the City from this settlement and persuade the owner to leave the artwork in its original setting, this important landmark will disappear. Visit it now because we understand that the removal of the mosaic mural is imminent.

by Alison Rose Jefferson, PhD

On May 8, the California State Historical Resources Commission (SHRC) voted unanimously that the historic African American beach site in Santa Monica is eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). Next, the State Historic Preservation Officer will determine whether to forward the nomination to the National Park Service for a final review prior to listing in the NHRP. Michael Blum of Sea of Clouds and I worked together to develop the listing nomination and to get it approved by the Commission.

Beachgoers at the segregated section of Santa Monica Beach.  Photo: Los Angeles Public Library

Bay Street Beach is recognized as an important seaside recreation and leisure place that was relatively free from white citizens’ harassment for African American Angelenos during the Jim Crow era (1908-1965). The site became contested ground in the development of attractive beaches and resorts. The area was also called “the Inkwell” by whites, referring to the skin color of the beachgoers.

This National Register nomination project aligns with the goals of the California Coastal Commission’s landmark environmental justice policy to protect California’s coast and ocean for the benefit of all Californians regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, or place of residence, and supports the mission of the California Coastal Act.

The Santa Monica Conservancy supported the NRHP listing of the Bay Street Beach Historic District, advocating for greater visibility of the African American experience, and equity and social justice to be represented in preservation and history. At this time, the number of properties associated with communities of color and women is less than 5 percent of the total 1.4 million historic places listed on the National Register.

Additionally, I was able to attain new signage during the March Coastal Commission meeting to identify the Bay Street Beach area and its historical significance as a condition of permit approval for the improvements to be constructed along the shoreline bike and pedestrian path from the Pier to Bay Street.

At the Santa Monica Conservancy’s Annual Meeting on May 18, 2019, new Board members Catherine Conkle and Ann Graham Ehringer, PhD, were elected to three-year terms. Mario Fonda-Bonardi, Nina Fresco and Ruthann Lehrer were re-elected to the Board. Continuing members of the Board are Tom Cleys, Liz Coughlin, David Kaplan, Carol Lemlein, Libby Motika, Libby Pachares and John Zinner.

The volunteer Board of Directors meets monthly to set policies, track programs and projects and govern the organization.  Directors and Officers play an active role in fundraising and many chair the Conservancy’s committees, which are responsible for the majority of the work of the organization.

The 2019 Nominating Committee was co-chaired by Ruthann Lehrer and Carol Lemlein, and included Chantal Prunier and Leslie Lambert.

Catherine Conkle is Chair of the Preservation Resource Center Operations Committee and a Shotgun House docent. She is completing the UCLA Extension Architecture + Interior Design certificate program and plans to begin the Master of Interior Architecture program at Cal Poly Pomona this fall. Before beginning her design education, she was an event producer in the entertainment industry, most recently at DreamWorks Animation.

Ann Graham Ehringer, Ph.D., has been a Conservancy member since 2013. She has been a director on the boards of a wide range of public, private and non-profit organizations. Ann has extensive experience as a strategic consultant/coach to company owners and was as an associate professor of entrepreneurship at the USC Marshall School of Business. Ann purchased and revitalized Saddle Peak Lodge in 1992 and sold it to new owners in late 2016.

Mario Fonda-Bonardi has served on the Board since 2010. He is a principal of Fonda-Bonardi & Hohman Architects, specializing in residential design, and serves on the Santa Monica Planning Commission. In 2008, Mario received the Conservancy’s David G. Cameron Preservation Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication to the preservation of Santa Monica’s landmark Shotgun House.

Nina Fresco has served on the Board since 2004. She built the scale model of the Shotgun House in the Preservation Resource Center and developed its display boards and the detailed map of the City’s historic sites. She also authored the Building a Neighborhood curriculum for schoolchildren. Nina serves on the Santa Monica Planning Commission, chaired the Civic Auditorium Working Group and previously served three terms on the Landmarks Commission.

Ruthann Lehrer has served on the Board since 2004 and co-chairs the Advocacy Committee. She leads the docent program at the Annenberg Community Beach House and was for many years Chair of the Program Committee. Ruthann was the designated architectural historian on the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission from 1999-2014. She was the first Executive Director of the L.A. Conservancy, afterward serving on its Board of Directors, and is a former President of the California Preservation Foundation.

Expiring in 2020: David Kaplan, Carol Lemlein, Libby Pachares, and John Zinner.

Emeritus Board Members:  Ken Breisch, Ph.D., and Doris Sosin

The Santa Monica Conservancy recognized eight exemplary contributors to the preservation of Santa Monica’s architectural and cultural heritage. The Awards Committee was chaired by Board member and architect David Kaplan and included Margarita Jerabek, Ruthann Lehrer, Carol Lemlein and Rachel Pietron. Kaplan congratulated the families, businesses and individuals who worked to preserve our city’s historic places.

David G. Cameron Award: Carol Lemlein

Celebrating 11 years of extraordinary service as President of the Conservancy, Carol Lemlein began her involvement in the Program Committee and co-developed our signature Downtown Walking Tour. She is the face and voice of historic preservation in Santa Monica, attending nearly every Landmarks Commission meeting and countless hearings for the Architectural Review Board, City Council and Planning Commission. She has collaborated with the California Office of Historic Preservation and National Trust for Historic Preservation, and brought the California Preservation Foundation conference to Santa Monica in 2011. Among her outstanding achievements is the adaptive reuse of the Shotgun House as the Conservancy’s Preservation Resource Center, for which she helped fundraise, relocate and rehabilitate. Today, the Center welcomes and educates nearly two thousand visitors each year.

President’s Award: Sherrill Kushner

Sherrill Kushner is a founding member of the Conservancy’s Board of Directors and has made outstanding contributions, most recently as Chair of our very successful 2019 Gala. Kushner’s efforts, skills and leadership resulted in a memorable event that established a new model for the Conservancy’s fundraising to support our advocacy and educational programs. Additionally, Kushner was a leader in the rescue and restoration of the Shotgun House, an early member of the Program Committee, active in forming two historic districts and has also enriched the Conservancy’s communications and marketing over her years of service.

Historic Preservation Award: Mel’s Drive-In

The 1959 Armet and Davis-designed Penguin Coffee Shop was restored to its original use by Mel’s Drive-In owner Steven Weiss, assisted by Googie architecture advisors Adriene Biondo and Chris Nichols. The distinctive sign was meticulously repurposed with the Mel’s logo, avoiding loss of the “meritorious” status which allowed it to stand despite its lack of conformance with current sign codes. The interior’s ambience was re-established with period-specific furnishings and lighting. And the Mel’s team highlighted the Drive-In’s location at the end of Route 66.

Historic Preservation Award: Grace Akazawa & Mike Necci, 1129 Ashland Avenue

Designed by Charles Warren Brown, this classic 1916 Craftsman bungalow was a pioneering residence in Sunset Park when it was primarily agricultural. The house exemplifies classic Craftsman bungalow characteristics with its prominent cross-gable roof, wide open eaves and exposed rafter tails, post-and-beam articulation of the full-width porch, and wood cladding with heavy masonry piers. The living space has been expanded at the rear in harmony with the original architecture. The owners nominated the bungalow for landmark status last year and will apply for a Mills Act contract to ensure the house remains in pristine and authentic condition.

Historic Preservation Award: 954 5th Street

This landmark home is one of the last intact examples of the hipped roof, turn-of-the-century cottages within the boundaries of the original town of Santa Monica. The 1906 cottage was moved forward on its lot to match the setbacks of other structures on the street and enable construction of a three-story structure at the rear in 2011, but the project was abandoned. In 2015, new owners obtained a Certificate of Appropriateness for new units in a smaller rear structure with underground parking. They rehabilitated the severely deteriorated cottage, restoring the porch and original siding, and saving most decorative eaves. The rescued landmark retains its original qualities and historic character for the community.

Historic Preservation Award: R.D. Farquhar Residence, 147 Georgina Avenue

This French Beaux-arts Period Revival home was designed in 1911 by master architect R. D. Farquhar for himself and his wife, the daughter of Santa Monica co-founder, Senator John P. Jones. After it was moved from its original site at 628 San Vicente in 1952, additions and alterations were made. The current owners removed unsympathetic rear additions and modernized the house while preserving the home’s spirit. Original architectural features and materials on the façade were restored and a new rear wing created. An existing garage was repurposed as a guest house and studio, and a new garage was constructed. All rehabilitation work previously specified in the Mills Act contract for this property was revisited or upgraded.

Preservation Advocacy Award: Susan Suntree and Diane Miller with Friends of 11th Street and Mid City Neighbors

Early this year, Susan Suntree, with her co-chair Diane Miller, won a decades-long battle to designate a handful of early Santa Monica bungalows. Located between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue, the neighborhood was zoned for multi-family development, and little remained of the original bungalows. With the support of Friends of 11th Street and Mid City Neighbors, these efforts won the support of the Landmarks Commission and this small group of early 20th century vernacular homes will continue to provide a window into the character of Santa Monica’s first Townsite tract.

Preservation Advocacy Award: Margaret Bach

A member and Chair of the inaugural Landmarks Commission beginning in 1976, Margaret Bach served again on the Commission beginning in 2006 and was appointed Commission Historian in 2014. She initiated an education program at each monthly meeting, using her research to offer portraits of various aspects of Santa Monica’s history. Her reports provided a rich context for Commission meetings and are now being shared more widely through local media, enriching our community’s awareness of local history.