Conservancy News

An informal conversation with architect John Fidler,  former Conservation Director of English Heritage, and resident wit, hosted by Ann Gray.

On Tuesday, November 27, the Santa Monica Conservancy, RICS, and Form Magazine invite you to sip a cocktail with friends and colleagues as John recounts his exploits from protecting historic mold to advising the royal family all the while avoiding a one-way trip to the Tower.

The event will be held at Davis Langdon, an AECOM Company, 301 Arizona, Suite 301, Santa Monica, CA 90401

• 6:00 pm Wine + Cheese on the terrace
• 7:00 pm The Event

Space is limited.  Advanced ticket purchase is suggested at  http://smconservancy.kintera.org/mylifeinruins

Ticket price: $20 per person.

Proceeds benefit Santa Monica Conservancy, with special thanks to event sponsors and partners Morley Builders, Davis Langdon, RICS Americas (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyers), Form Magazine, AIA Los Angeles, and the Western Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology.

Over 100 members and friends celebrated the Conservancy’s 10 years dedicated to historic preservation with a party at the future home of the Preservation Resource Center in Ocean Park. There was something for everyone – tours, a scavenger hunt, blue grass music by Brax Cutchin and the Lazy Roosters, cake, and a drawing featuring donations from many local businesses.

Our thank yous are numerous:

• Our neighbors: Fred di Maio at the Merle Norman Building, Tobi Smith and Mike Snow at the California Heritage Museum, and Karen Rietz and Greg Mullen of the Santa Monica Library.
• City TV, for filming the event, Fabian Lefkowitz, who featured it on Santa Monica Close-up, and StoryBank Productions, who conducted video interviews.
• Steve McAvoy for obtaining commendations from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors and the State Office of Historic Preservation.
• Nina Fresco, who developed the scavenger hunt, and Jim Bianco and Lisa Mead, who opened their home on 3rd Street.
• Our event committee:  Sherrill Kushner, Chair, Nina Fresco, Susan Eve, Dwight Flowers, Ruthann Lehrer, Carol Lemlein, Gigi Smith, Diane Locklear, Libby Motika, Ruth Shari, Denise Simon, Christie Smith and Jane Wiedlea Koehler.
• The additional Conservancy volunteers who pitched in to help: Margaret Buchheit, Tom Cleys, Mario Fonda-Bonardi, Chris Gray, David Kaplan, Eric Natwig, Dick Orton, Mike Salazar.

And last but not least, the generous local businesses who made donations:

• 66 to Cali at the Pier
• Albertsons
• Angel City Press
• Hennessey + Ingalls Bookstore
• Perry’s Beach Café and Rentals
• Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Santa Monica/Westside YWCA
• Soda Jerks at the Carousel
• Trader Joe’s

 10th Anniversary Officially Recognized!

The Conservancy received commendations recognizing its 10th Anniversary from the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors and from the State Office of Historic Preservation, as well as a mention in the closing remarks at the annual California Preservation Awards by Cindy Heitzman, Executive Director of the California Preservation Foundation.

From the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors “in proud recognition of your 10th anniversary as an all-volunteer organization devoted to enhanced understanding of the numerous benefits of historic preservation and to promoting incentives, policies and programs to encourage landmarking and adaptive reuse and cultivating a deeper appreciation of the rich architectural legacy of the Santa Monica community.”

For more about the Conservancy’s plans to rehabilitate the City’s landmark 1890’s shotgun house as the Preservation Resource Center, click here.

The Postal Service announced on August 17 that they are proceeding with plans to sell the historic Santa Monica Main Post Office and relocate its services to the carrier annex at 1653 7th Street, south of Colorado and the future Expo line. The Santa Monica Conservancy has joined the City of Santa Monica and others in writing letters to appeal this decision.

We are following this situation very closely, and are taking two additional initiatives to assure the protection of the building if our appeals to maintain retail service at the 5th Street location are denied and the Postal Service proceeds with plans to sell the building:

• Requesting Consulting Party status in the Section 106 Process defined by the National Historic Preservation Act

• Asking our Landmarks Commission to prepare a nomination of the Post Office

See below for details.

Photo credit Jessie Geoffray, Santa Monica Mirror.

Our appeal of the Postal Service decision to close the 5th Street Post Office included the following points:

• The Santa Monica Main Post Office is a beautiful historic structure which is recognized in the City’s Historic Resource Inventory as being eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. It has been serving the community since its dedication in 1938 as part of the Federal Works Progress Administration.

• We are very concerned that the proposed sale of the Post Office will place this historic building at risk. The National Trust for Historic Preservation is so concerned about the failure of the Postal Service to provide adequate protections that it has named the Historic Post Offices to its 2012 list of the Nation’s Most Endangered Historic Places. (See below for additional description of the concerns about Postal Service adherence to federal laws intended to protect historic properties as they are sold into private ownership.)

• Closing the 5th Street Post Office and relocating its services to 7th Street may very well turn a profitable location into one that operates at a loss. The current location in the Central Business District is within walking distance of many local residents and businesses, and accessible by public transit. The outpouring of opposition describes the proposed location as much less convenient and indicates that the facility would be avoided by many – suggesting that it may not generate enough revenue to cover operating costs.

Our request for Consulting Party status in the Section 106 process defined by the National Historic Preservation Act: Under Section 106, the Postal Service cannot sell a historic property without a protective covenant to ensure that the historic property suffers “no adverse effects” when sold. Unfortunately, experience to date indicates the protections put in place are likely to be very weak unless local preservation organizations like the Conservancy request a consulting role. We will be making this request immediately without waiting for the results of the appeal, and will keep you informed of our progress.

Finally, the Conservancy has requested that the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission prepare a nomination of the Post Office so as to be ready to act as soon as the Post Office passes into private ownership, since they have no jurisdiction as long as the building remains a federal property. We understand that this will be on the Commission’s agenda for their next meeting, scheduled September 10 at 7 PM in the Council Chambers at City Hall.

Join us for a party at the future site of the Preservation Resource Center, in the parking lot across from the Ocean Park Branch Library at 2nd Street and Norman Place.

The event will feature docents describing the adjacent landmarks – the Ocean Park Library, the Merle Norman Office and the California Heritage Museum – as well as a self-guided tour of the Third Street Historic Neighborhood District and  an architectural scavenger hunt for families. A blue grass band, Brax Cutchin and the Lazy Roosters, cake, and giveaways will round out the festivities.

The 10th Anniversary Celebration is free and open to all, but RSVPs are requested to help us plan. You can register online, by sending email to [email protected], or by leaving a message at (310) 496-3146.

Parking is available in City lots of Main Street – or take advantage of the Big Blue Bus. Lines 1 and 8 stop at Ocean Park and Main.

For more about the Conservancy’s plans to rehabilitate the City’s landmark 1890’s shotgun house as the Preservation Resource Center, click here.

Julia Morgan 2012 — a state-wide festival celebrating the life and work of California’s first licensed female architect – is coming this fall – and in particular, to the Annenberg Community Beach House!  Morgan, also the first female civil engineering graduate of UC Berkeley, created more than 700 structures in California, leaving a great architectural and cultural legacy that has gained increasing public appreciation in recent years.  The festival is sponsored by Landmarks California, a state program supported by the California Cultural and Historical Endowment, and a large network of organizations will contribute to the celebration; more information may be found at www.landmarkscalifornia.org/julia-morgan2012.

A free lecture on Julia Morgan by Christy McAvoy, principal of the Historic Resources Group, will be held at the Santa Monica Public Library Multi-Purpose Room on Saturday, September 8, at 4 PM. Reservations are required; go to  www.smconservancy.org, or leave a message at 310-496-3146.

Opening events at the Annenberg Community Beach House will be held Sunday October 14th, and will include guest house tours, a panel discussion and a gallery exhibit reception.  Special tours will be offered by Santa Monica Conservancy docents on three Sundays: October 21, November 4, November 11 and on Monday, November 12 between 11am and 4 pm each day.  The former estate of Marion Davies and William Randolph Hearst was one of Miss Morgan’s important projects in Southern California, and the guest house and pool stand as testimonials to her design talents.  Our special docent tours will focus on Morgan’s life and work, highlighting her relationship to the Hearst family.  Adult and/or family workshops may also be offered on tour days.  For more information, go to www.annenbergbeachhouse.com.