Conservancy News

by Ruthann Lehrer and Carol Lemlein, Advocacy Co-Chairs

The Conservancy gratefully thanks the two retiring Landmarks Commissioners — Margaret Bach and Laura O’Neill. Bach, the Commission’s historian, initiated the brief presentation of interesting aspects of Santa Monica history at each meeting. In addition to her recent three terms, Bach served as a member and chair of the first Commission in 1976. O’Neill, the architectural historian, brought her extensive professional expertise in historic preservation practice to the Commission’s work. City Council recently re-appointed Dolores Sloan to the Commission as well as replacements for the two vacancies: Ken Breisch, Conservancy Board member emeritus and Roger Genser, Conservancy member who previously served as Landmarks Commission historian and as a member of the Arts Commission.

Activists surround the tree at 1122 California Ave. Photo: Save Our Sycamore

A rehearing was held at the June meeting for Wilmont Neighborhood Association’s landmark nomination of a 100-year-old monumental sycamore tree at 1122 California Avenue. Many residents presented impassioned testimony regarding its significance to their neighborhood. The Commission approved designation in a close 4-3 vote. However, the owners of the surrounding property have appealed the designation to City Council.

A certificate of appropriateness for modifications to the Henry Weyse/Charles Morris House at 401 Ocean Avenue was unanimously approved in July. This 1910 house, designated in 1990, is the work of famed local architect Robert Farquhar. The house facades will be restored, removing non-original alterations, and a second floor balcony will take advantage of ocean views. It will be converted into two units, and a new four-story three-unit residential condominium will be constructed at the rear facing Georgina Avenue. The proposed new structure will use complementary materials and design motifs, but its contemporary style will differentiate it from the historic house.

Several owner-requested designations have been recently approved: The Public Works Administration Moderne building at 1314 7th Street was designated, based upon its architecture and history as headquarters of the General Telephone Corporation between 1937 and 1956. Today it is re-purposed for commercial office use and restaurants, a project that received a Preservation Award from the Conservancy in 2016. The newly designated Hipped-Roof Cottage at 1124 7th Street was moved from 840 Oregon Avenue(now Santa Monica Blvd) in 1922 when that area began to develop with automobile-serving businesses. It was built in 1907. The single-story Craftsman bungalow at 1527 17th Street, built in 1924, was designated as an intact example of thee arly residential development of the Pico Neighborhood.

Finally, at its August meeting, the Commission recommended forwarding four applications for Mills Act Contracts to City Council for approval: 1659 Ocean Front Walk, 133 Wadsworth Avenue, 1305 2nd Street and 1314 7th Street.

The Mills Act is one of the most valuable preservation incentives available. It can provide a significant reduction in property taxes for owners of both owner-occupied and income-producing properties who commit to undertake specific restoration/rehabilitation tasks and properly maintain their historic structures.

by Amy Green, Commissioner

As the Commission’s resident historian, Commissioner Margaret Bach opened the March meeting with a brief talk about Arcadia Bandini de Baker, providing an overview of her accomplishments and importance in shaping early Santa Monica.

Two Statements of Official Action were passed, one for the replacement and addition of exterior lighting fixtures on the perimeter of the Camera Obscura building in Palisades Park and another to expand the Landmark parcel where the Rapp Saloon is located.

No action was taken for the majority of demolition permits. Only one Certificate of Appropriateness was on the agenda. The scope for the site of the former Sears department store property included exterior sited improvements such as a new outdoor refuse enclosure within the surface parking lot of the property.

133 Wadsworth Avenue. Photo. The MLS

Two Santa Monica properties, 435 Georgina Avenue, nominated by the North of Montana Association and 133 Wadsworth Avenue, nominated by the owner, were designated at the April meeting. The Georgina home is a two-story Craftsman and 133 Wadsworth is a two-story Dutch Colonial. John Byers’ first house at 547 7th Street, which had been submitted for demolition by its owners in March, was nominated for designation.

The Commission asked for additional study of two additional structures submitted for demolition: the home at 154 Fraser Avenue and the structure at 101 Santa Monica Boulevard, part of the proposed mixed-use hotel, cultural, retail, and residential project designed by Frank Gehry.

Two other historic properties, the Boehme house at 1437 6th Street and the Bowling Alley at 234 Pico Blvd, were allowed to be demolished. The Bowling Alley sign, however, was designated in 2013 and will be preserved.

The Draft Local Coastal Program Land Use Plan (LUP) continues to move forward. The City has worked on the LUP with residents and a variety of agencies and organizations in compliance with the California Coastal Act. The draft LUP strategically promotes broader City goals to reduce the community’s carbon footprint, protect our coastal environment, and become more sustainable. The Commission is formulating its comments regarding the historic preservation issues in the plan.

North of Montana Association (NOMA), in partnership with the Santa Monica Conservancy, filed an application for landmark designation of 435 Georgina, a 1913 Craftsman home that was vacant and for sale. This house had long been noted in the city’s Historic Resources Inventory as a potential candidate for landmark status. The Landmarks Commission approved the nomination at its April meeting.

435 Georgina Avenue. Photo: The MLS

The residence was built in 1913 for A.W. Morgan, a bookkeeper, as one of the pioneering homes of the Palisades Tract and one of the earliest homes on that street. Designed in the Craftsman style, it reflects English arts and crafts rather than the typical California Craftsman. A few additions have been made to the original home, which blend well with the original design and materials, and don’t detract from the architectural integrity. The large parcel size allows for new construction at the rear. A Mills Act contract could provide a significant reduction of property taxes for a new owner who would commit to preserving and maintaining it.

Nonprofit organizations, such as NOMA, may file landmark applications without paying the application fee. While the landmark nomination is under consideration by the Landmarks Commission, no alterations or demolition work may be undertaken.eConservancy encourages other neighborhood organizations and individuals to keep an eye open for potential landmarks that may be in danger of being substantially altered or demolished.

The “Pier Bridge” is the structure that connects Colorado Avenue to the Pier. It needs structural strengthening, improved access for the disabled and modifications to accommodate the ever-increasing number of pedestrians visiting the Pier.  A Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the replacement of the bridge was released earlier this year and has created serious concerns among members of the preservation community.  Three proposals were described in the DEIR– two of which (nearly) double the width of the existing bridge, and one which creates a second bridge for cars only to the south at Moss Avenue.

The Conservancy’s comments on the DEIR stated that these proposals have unacceptably negative impacts on the nearby historic structures, including the Pier itself, the carousel building (known formally as the Looff Hippodrome, a National Historic Landmark), and the locally-designated landmark properties along the east side of Ocean Front Walk. The DEIR also failed to consider reasonable alternatives, such as the rehabilitation of the existing bridge and/or the elimination of parking on the Pier deck.

In addition, based on the research we have done to support our position, we have come to understand the significance of Carousel Park, located at the southeast corner of the Pier. It was designed by the local architectural firm Moore Ruble Yudell and landscape architects Campbell & Campbell, winners of a design competition hosted by the Santa Monica Citizen’s Pier Task Force, which was to create a Pier Master Plan in 1983 after winter storms destroyed over one-third of the length of the Pier. Carousel Park provides a welcoming gateway to the Pier, a children’s playground, ample bleacher seating with two lookout pavilions, as well access for bicycles and the disabled from Ocean Front Walk to the Pier deck. It is an essential element in attracting visitors to the Pier. The park received numerous awards following its opening.

The Conservancy has joined with the Cultural Landscape Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to making our shared landscape heritage more visible, and preservation consultants Chattel, Inc., to submit a Landmark designation application for the park.

It remains to be seen how these concerns will be addressed in the final Environmental Impact Report, which is expected to be presented to City Council for approval sometime this fall. If the final proposal does not minimize impacts on the many historically significant structures adjacent to the bridge, we will be asking for your support in demanding changes to the plan before Council grants its approval.  Stay tuned….!

North of Montana Association (NOMA), in partnership with the Santa Monica Conservancy, filed an application for landmark designation of 435 Georgina, a 1913 Craftsman home that was vacant and for sale. This house had long been noted in the city’s Historic Resources Inventory as a potential candidate for landmark status. Thee Landmarks Commission approved the nomination at its April meeting.

435 Georgina Ave. Photo: The MLS

The e residence was built in 1913 for A.W. Morgan, a bookkeeper, as one of the pioneering homes of the Palisades Tract and one of the earliest homes on that street. Designed in the Craftsman style, it reflects English arts and crafts rather than the typical California Craftsman. A few additions have been made to the original home, which blend well with the original design and materials, and don’t detract from the architectural integrity. The large parcel size allows for new construction at the rear. A Mills Act contract could provide a significant reduction of property taxes NOMA Files Landmark Application for Historic House for a new owner who would commit to preserving and maintaining it.

Nonprofit organizations, such as NOMA, may file landmark applications without paying the application fee. While the landmark nomination is under consideration by the Landmarks Commission, no alterations or demolition work may be undertaken. The Conservancy encourages other neighborhood organizations and individuals to keep an eye open for potential landmarks that may be in danger of being substantially altered or demolished.