Conservancy News

#GivingTuesday is a growing global movement that aims to make charitable giving a holiday tradition.

You don’t have to contend with the crowds. You won’t have to scour the Internet for the best deal.

On this day dedicated to generosity, there are many ways you can support the Conservancy.

How will you spend #GivingTuesday?

 

• Become a member, renew your membership, or give a gift membership today. If you are a current or recent past member, your expiration date should be listed here: .

• Donate to support our Preservation Resource Center at the Shotgun House.

• Come to a Conservancy event – our Holiday Party on Sunday, December 7 is a great way to get to know us!

• Volunteer – be a docent, join our program or fundraising committee, or tell us how you’d like to contribute to our work online or by sending email to [email protected].

• Share a story about a historic place in Santa Monica or a photo of yourself at your favorite historic place by sending email to us at[email protected] or by sharing it on our Facebook page.

• Forward this to friends and family so that they can learn more about the Conservancy and sign up to receive the Conservancy newsletter.

Why is it important to make the Conservancy part of your Giving Tuesday?

Your generous contribution sustains our popular tours of the Annenberg Community Beach House and weekly historic downtown walking tours, as well our educational programs, events in historic homes and neighborhoods, and an annual lecture series – each of which brings residents and visitors in closer touch with Santa Monica’s historic places. Your support enables us to make historic preservation a key objective in City plans, which benefits homeowners who preserve historic structures and strengthens our advocacy and work to save threatened buildings.

Our City’s historic places help make Santa Monica a uniquely attractive beachside community, but we can’t take the survival of these special places for granted. Decisions are made every day that put them at risk.

Together, we’ll keep our historic places a vibrant part of the life of our city. Thank you so much for your support!

The latest Conservancy newsletter is now available online, as well as past editions. Our newsletter covers upcoming preservation events, preservation issues, features on the people and places of historic Santa Monica and much more.

In the current edition of our newsletter you will find:

• Fall Salon at the Bundy House
• Mills Act Strengthened
• Landmark Courtyard Apartments Threatened
• Shotgun House in Miniature + Progress Report
• More News, Reports, and Event Listings

The newsletter is published four times per year. Conservancy members get mailed a copy of each new issue. Not a member? Join today!

Click here to download the current issue.

“Building a Neighborhood” Curriculum receives 2nd grant from Edison International

The Conservancy was pleased to receive a $5000 grant supporting the development of our “Building a Neighborhood” Curriculum.  The curriculum, brainchild of Board Member and former Landmarks Commissioner Nina Fresco, uses the Third Street Historic District as a learning laboratory to teach youth how a community develops over time.  The program, which we hope to roll out to a small number of classrooms as early as 2015, is targeted to meet curriculum requirements for the third grade but is readily adaptable to youth of various ages.

Nina Fresco reviews the teacher’s guide for Building a Neighborhood with Mark Olson, Regional Public Affairs Officer of Southern California Edison.

This is the second Edison International grant sponsored for the Conservancy by Mark Olson, Regional Public Affairs Officer of Southern California Edison.  In 2013 the Conservancy received $5000 — funding that was evenly divided between the rehabilitation of the Shotgun House and development of “Building a Neighborhood.”

Nina Fresco, Carol Lemlein, and Mark Olson display a ceremonial “check” recognizing the $5000 grant.

The Shotgun House restoration and rehabilitation is making progress.  The rear addition has been framed and enclosed and steel columns have been inserted to seismically reinforce the front façade. Electrical work is now in progress, finish carpentry is underway, and new windows – replicas of the one surviving window – are ready to be installed.

The north pop-out, which was thought to have held a closet or a Murphy bed, was examined for clues as to its original use.  Unfortunately, no convincing traces were detected that could shed light on its use 100 or more years ago.

Next steps – sheathing the roof in plywood in preparation for shingles and pouring the porch foundation.  After that, reconstructing the porch and tenting for termites.

All are welcome to come to the corner of 2nd Street and Norman Place to take a look. Completion of construction of the Conservancy’s new Preservation Resource Center is expected later this Fall.

On Saturday, March 29 at approximately 8 am, Santa Monica’s 1890s shotgun house moved to its new permanent location on Second Street across from the Ocean Park Library, ending more than a decade in storage.  

Moving Day

The public is invited to witness the house as it is towed on a flatbed trailer from 16th and Colorado to its final destination at 2nd Street and Norman Place. Click the link Moving Flyer for a map of the route.

A Teaching Moment

The Conservancy has put together an activity guide for local schoolchildren that uses our “Moving Day” to help students think through the process of a house moving and changes in the local community.  The activity booklet was created to teach children about historic preservation and sustainability. The guide describes the importance of the Shotgun House, how it will be moved, and how to prolong a structure’s lifespan through reuse.  Click here to view the activity guide:  House on the Move Guide.

A House on the Move 

Fourteen years ago a largely unaltered 1890s shotgun house was nearly demolished and with it an important part of Santa Monica history. But due to the combined efforts of concerned residents, the former Ocean Park Community Organization (OPCO), the Church at Ocean Park, the Santa Monica Conservancy, and the City of Santa Monica, the house was saved and designated a landmark. Now, after more than a decade in storage, the house will move to its permanent site on Second Street across from the Ocean Park Library where it will soon become the Conservancy’s Preservation Resource Center. It will take its place among a cluster of other historic buildings, including the California Heritage Museum, Merle Norman Cosmetics office, the Carnegie branch library, and the Third Street Neighborhood Historic District.

The transformation of the Shotgun House into a Preservation Resource Center is supported by a $1.6 million fundraising campaign that includes hiring the Conservancy’s first executive director and expanding programming and community education. The Resource Center will be a clearinghouse for practical, user-friendly information about historic resources in Santa Monica and the methods and benefits of preserving older buildings while serving as a model for how older structures can serve contemporary needs.

About the Shotgun House

Click here to learn more about the history of the Shotgun House.

Those Who Have Helped Us Get This Far

Foundations + Grants

Ahmanson Foundation                                                     Mesa West Foundation
Dudley T. Dougherty Foundation                                  National Trust for Historic Preservation
Friends of Heritage Preservation                                  Ralph M. Parsons Foundation
Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors,
3rd District

In-Kind Contributions

Brummitt Energy Associates, Inc.                               John Merchak Painting
The City of Santa Monica                                               Mary Effron Landscape Design
Cox Paint                                                                            Merrihew’s Sunset Gardens
Crown Disposal Co, Inc.                                                  Minardos Group
Engineering Economics, Inc.                                         Nels Stemm, Fairview Partners
Fonda-Bonardi and Hohman Architects                    Scott Christiansen + Associates
GBWORKS/Zinner Consultants                                    Smith Pipe Supply Inc.
Harding Larmore Kutcher and Kozal                          Snyder Diamond
Historic Resources Group                                              Spectra Company

 Companies

Armbruster, Goldsmith + Delvac, LLP                       Levin + Associates
Charmont Partners LTD/The Sovereign                   Morley Builders
Restoration Partners                                                      Southern CA Edison
Harding Larmore Kutcher + Kozal, LLP

 Major Individual Funding Partners

Anonymous                                                                       Nina + Rob Fresco
AM Allen                                                                            Tom Fuller + William Kelly
Margaret + Danilo Bach                                                Ruthann + Bob Lehrer
Barry + Sharla Boehm                                                    Carol Lemlein + Eric Natwig
Joel Brand + Kristina Deutsch                                     Mary Marlow + Mark Kreher
Ken Breisch + Judy Keller                                             Steve + Christy McAvoy
Sara + Robert Cannon                                                    Susan + Kevin McCarthy
Tom Cleys                                                                          Carole + Sid Meltzner
Mike Deasy                                                                        George Minardos
Willam Delvac                                                                   Neary Family
Kaitlin Drisko + Bob Knight                                          Nancy O’Neill
Clare + Jim Ellinger                                                         Laurel Schmidt + Dunford King
Leah + Sam Fischer                                                        Barbara Whitney + Kate Whitney Schubb
David + Barbara Kaplan                                                Rolfe Wyer + Doris Sosin
Sherrill Kushner                                                              John Zinner

Additional support was contributed by many generous businesses and individuals who will be recognized at the grand opening of the Preservation Resource Center.

Have you made a donation?  Click here to make your contribution today! Your gift – of any amount – will help make the Preservation Resource Center a success, educating the community about the why, the how, and the benefits of historic preservation!