Conservancy News

by Ruthann Lehrer, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

The interior public lobby of City Hall as well as its architecture are protected historic resources designated in 1979, and the Stanton MacDonald-Wright murals are specifically identified as important features. The Municipal Code defines the process to be followed if alterations are proposed. The Santa Monica Landmarks Ordinance clearly indicates that the Landmarks Commission must review this alteration under the Certificate of Appropriateness provisions.

Such protections are fundamental to the entire program for the survival of designated historic resources, and those located at the heart of our civic government are the most obvious examples. The Santa Monica Conservancy, with the advice of our attorney, has communicated this message to the City Manager, City Attorney and City staff in a letter, and we are awaiting a response. (See our previous advocacy efforts here.)

If this process is followed, the Landmarks Commission would conduct a public hearing on this application, as it has for other applications affecting City Hall, such as the new Annex, remodeled entryway and Ken Genser Square. In addition to public testimony, the expertise of the Landmarks Commission could provide guidance about understanding and interpreting the murals’ imagery and themes.

Because the image of the the sacred Kuruvungna Springs is so critical to understanding the History mural, we reached out to the Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation, the Native American group that restored the sacred waters at University High School and preserves them as essential to its history.

The History mural in City Hall depicts the first contact between Europeans and Native Tongva at the springs, and the naming of Santa Monica. Gabrielino Tongva Springs Foundation members seem keenly interested in preserving their history as depicted at Santa Monica City Hall. The Foundation also recently re-opened the Kuruvungna Springs to the public on the first Saturday of the month; access is from Barrington Avenue south of Texas Avenue.

Members of the founding families of Santa Monica have also reached out to us, concerned about the eradication of their histories. Descendants of the Marquez and Reyes families from Rancho Boca de Santa Monica as well as the Bandini family find their stories referenced in the mural that will be removed from public view. Indeed, the name Ysidro Reyes is actually inscribed in the mural.

Companion to the History mural is one showing Recreation, depicting popular spectator sports — polo, tennis, auto races, aviation and sailing — that attracted visitors to the City. While these images seem elitist today, these recreational activities helped boost the City as a tourist destination.

Discussions about the murals’ future have affirmed that there is strong interest in a robust public discussion and debate about their historic context, their explicit and implicit meanings, and how we can educate our community about social justice. An interpretive explanation or exhibit is crucial for the murals as the touchstone for understanding the past and discussing issues of social equity and inclusion. But covering the murals does not advance that goal. At this intersection of history, public art and social justice, the Santa Monica Conservancy believes we have an opportunity to create public engagement and educate our community about our past and the value of preservation, and promote social equity.

As directed by Board Policy 7133, the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District will hold a series of online community meetings on June 21 and June 22 to develop the Historic Resource Inventories for its elementary and middle schools. This is an opportunity for the community to provide input to the District’s historic resources consultants to help determine whether a building or property would qualify as a historic resource. The consultants will review the process and methodology.

At these meetings, our consultants will ask for the community’s input and comments on the buildings, artwork and other features of the campus that might be a historical resource. This is an opportunity to guide the investigation. The District’s historic resources consultants will review the process and methodology that goes into determining whether a building or property would qualify as a historic resource.

Later this year, the recommendations from the historic resources consultants will be made public for review and another round of community meetings will be scheduled to receive feedback on the historical resource inventory reports. Following revisions, the Board of Education will receive and adopt the reports.

The meetings are part of the district’s campus assessment process as it continues to align its instructional programs and environments to the way students learn and the jobs of the 21st-century and to make those environments adaptable for future changes in coming decades.

The online presentations will be as follows:
June 21 Architectural Resources Group Zoom Link = http://bit.ly/HistResource062121
6 p.m. Grant Elementary School
7 p.m. Franklin Elementary School
8 p.m. Lincoln Middle School

June 22 Historic Resources Group Zoom Link = http://bit.ly/HistResource062221
5 p.m. Rogers Elementary School
6 p.m. McKinley Elementary School
7 p.m. Roosevelt Elementary School
8 p.m. John Adams Middle School

Visit www.smmusd.org/FIP for additional information regarding campus planning.

The Santa Monica Conservancy recognized six exemplary contributors to the preservation of Santa Monica’s architectural and cultural heritage on May 16, 2021. The Awards Committee congratulates the families, businesses and individuals for their preservation, stewardship and advocacy work in our city. View a recording of our Awards presentation on May 16, 2021 here.

Rehabilitation Award: 423 – 429 Ocean Avenue, Andrew Enayati, Nina Properties

This designated historic landmark, originally constructed in 1936 with an added wing in 1950 is an excellent example of the American Colonial Revival-style as applied to a garden apartment complex. The property consists of three, two-story multi-family buildings arranged in a U-shape courtyard, all designed by noted architect William E Foster.

Numerous proposals for the project were put forward over the past 15 years that included demolition or partial demolition with additions to the historic property. Long-deferred maintenance left the buildings with substantial deterioration of exterior finishes with the potential to compromise integrity. The current owners instead began a process of refurbishment and rehabilitation of the existing buildings including full upgrades of utilities, refinished exterior, new wood shingle roof and restored landscape. A significant effort for rehabilitation and restoration was undertaken to bring the historic landmark back to its fullest potential.

 

Cultural Resource Award: Belmar History + Art

Project Artist: April Banks

Project Historian: Alison Rose Jefferson, Ph.D.

Belmar History + Art Community Advisory Committee: Kathleen Benjamin, Janeen Jackson, Robbie Jones

Lesson Plan Coordinator: Daniel Diaz, Ed D, UCLA History Geography Project

City of Santa Monica: Susan Cline, Assistant City Manager; Shannon Daut, Cultural Affairs Manager; Lane Dilg, Interim City Manager; Amelia Feichtner, Senior Architect; Delana Gbenekama, Equity and Communications Coordinator; Naomi Okuyama, Cultural Affairs Supervisor, Public Art

 

Belmar History + Art commemorates the early African American neighborhoods of Santa Monica and the contributions of their residents to the city.

The first African Americans settled in Santa Monica in the late 19th Century. Many settled in the Belmar Triangle, an area now occupied by the Civic Center, as well as the neighborhoods around Philips Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church at 4th and Bay Streets and north of Santa Monica High School. As the city grew, this thriving African American community was displaced by both explicit and subtle discriminatory policies. The Belmar neighborhood was finally demolished for redevelopment in the 1950s to make way for the Civic Auditorium.

The outdoor exhibition encircles the new sports field at Pico Boulevard and 4th Street. It features a sculptural artwork, A Resurrection in Four Stanzas, designed by social practice artist April Banks, and interpretive story panels based on the work of historian Alison Rose Jefferson, Ph.D. These are described in a site guide published in English and Spanish, and curricular materials were also developed.

The project was inspired in part by the California Coastal Commission’s initiative to integrate the principles of environmental justice, equality and social equity in the coastal zone and was funded through the City’s Percent for Art Program. For more information, see https://www.santamonica.gov/arts/belmar.

 

Rehabilitation & Adaptive Reuse Award: Hotel Hart/Mar Vista Hotel and Apartments
1305 Second Street

Owner: Wilshire Skyline and Kings Arch

Architect: KFA Architecture

Historic Architect: Chattel, Inc.

Contractor: DSN Group, Inc.

Preservation Contractor: Spectra Company

 

The architecturally distinctive Renaissance Revival-style Hotel Hart/Mar Vista Hotel and Apartments, constructed in 1914, is a designated Santa Monica landmark. After over a hundred years, the 3-story, buff-colored/gold-speckled brick, U-shaped building still strongly conveys its significance in early 20th century development of Santa Monica as a resort community.

Carefully rehabilitated for adaptive reuse as commercial office space, the exterior unreinforced masonry, wood windows, metal cornice, penthouse, fire escape, metal balconies, entrance portico, balconies and central courtyard were cleaned, repaired and beautifully restored to their original appearance. The masonry, foundations and penthouse were seismically upgraded, and improvements for accessibility were completed, along with installation of landscape and lighting improvements and new MEP systems to bring the property back into serviceable use.

 

Restoration Award: Mendota Block
2663 Main Street

Owner: Redcar Properties, Jim Jacobsen

Preservation Consultant: GPA Historic Consulting

Building Renovation Services: Bielski Building Restoration

 

Who would have thought that the red brick Mendota Block on Main and Hill, with awnings over Starbucks, had a secret identity? The Landmarks Commission named it a landmark in 2014, based upon its 1913 construction date as an early commercial brick building on Main Street, and its association with the artist James Turrell, who owned the building from 1966-1974 and developed his unique work with light there.

When Redcar Properties purchased the building in 2018, their historic consultant found that fake “historic” alterations had undermined its authenticity. Stripping off many layers of red-brown paint, removing a false cornice, removing stucco on the ground floor, removing non-original windows and awnings, revealed many surprises. The original brick colors are highly unusual, with tan bricks creating architectural divisions on grey brick, and an ornate frieze near the roofline. Wood storefronts and double-hung windows were restored. The resulting restoration reveals the building’s original identity, hidden for so many years.

 

Rehabilitation Award: 2518-2522 4^th Street

Owners: Berta Negari, Daniel Negari, XYZ Rent, LLC

Structural Engineer: Alpha Structural

Contractor: XYZ Rent, LLC

Designer: Moji Ghadessi, XYZ Rent, LLC

 

This Spanish Colonial triplex, constructed in 1936, came to the Conservancy’s attention in 2018 because a demolition permit application was filed. At the Conservancy’s urging, it was designated as a Structure of Merit, and subsequently was incorporated into the Fourth Street Corner Historic District. At that time, the basement unit was uninhabitable, exterior stucco cladding had been partially removed to inspect structural problems, and the building suffered from long term deferred maintenance.

XYZ Rents, a company that rehabilitates rental properties, has done a comprehensive rehabilitation to give the building new life. Structural stabilization required extensive work, replacing the foundation and dry-rotted wood. Plumbing and electrical systems were replaced, and repairs made inside and out. Three feet were added to the basement unit to make it habitable. Overgrown shrubs in front were removed to reveal picture windows on the façade. All work was done by faithfully matching the historic materials and design, including paint colors. Rehabilitation of the rear structure with garages and dwelling units was also undertaken. The rehabilitation work took two years to complete.

 

Stewardship Award: 1001 Maple Street, Kathy Solomon and Bob Burchman

When this 1912 Craftsman home in Sunset Park was purchased in 1997, the new owners were given undated historic photos showing many changes in the dilapidated home.

Inspired by the photos, and undeterred by professional advice not to attempt it, they removed the stucco encasing the original shingles and rebuilt the porch stairs and pillars in their original locations. They restored the original front door, salvaged most of the existing shingles and, where possible, retained the original windows. More recent work included rebuilding of the steps leading down to the sidewalk, where the original retaining walls remain in place. The interior was relatively intact and many of the historic light fixtures were found, repaired, and reinstalled.

The creative rehabilitation of 1001 Maple is very much in the spirit of the Craftsman aesthetic.

by Ruthann Lehrer, Advocacy Committee Co-Chair

City Council voted 6-1 on May 11^th to cover the historic mural in City Hall as part of its efforts to eradicate racial injustice in Santa Monica. The mural depicts Native Americans at a natural spring and the arrival of a Spanish monk and soldier in the 18^th century. It was created by renowned artist Stanton MacDonald-Wright who was Director of the Southern California Works Progress Administration, a program initiated by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that provided federal grants for artists to create public art in public buildings for Depression-era economic recovery. Housed inside City Hall, a WPA project, the mural is part of a Santa Monica landmark.

As a history mural, there are indeed layered meanings, and implications about its subject. The mural shows two Native Americans kneeling by a natural spring, one drinking and the other with his hands in the water. The natural spring was the City’s first source of water, and still exists today in a nature preserve restored and tended by Tongva/Gabrieleno tribal members at University High School. Standing opposite the Native Americans are a Franciscan monk and a Spanish conquistador. Based upon Father Crespi’s diary of the Portola expedition of 1769, the scene represents the naming of Santa Monica.

The future subjugation of Native Americans may be implied by the positioning of the figures, and the mural evokes various phases of Santa Monica history, such as invasions of Spanish/Mexican conquerors and the Rancho period, when Native American lands were turned into large agricultural ranchos. California history has been rife with racial inequalities and social injustice, and the mural is a record of this difficult history.

The Arts Commission was poised to organize public forums to discuss the mural’s interpretation and how best to present it in its historical context while addressing racial injustice when the pandemic struck. The Commission is ready to do this again; however, with the shades pulled down and the mural obscured, it will be hard to have meaningful public engagement.

Rather than eliminate or cover the mural, what is needed are interpretative explanations alongside the City Hall artwork that place it in its historic context while engaging with issues of racial and social justice. The mural is an opportunity to educate our community about the original Native residents of the region, the founding of Santa Monica, the unfolding of California history in which Native Americans were decimated and how this history continues to impact our city and state. And so it’s not only important to preserve the mural, but to use it as an educational tool in a civic space. Additionally, the City should be proactive in using our public arts program to create new works that gives voice to our under-represented communities, like the Belmar History + Art project at 4^th and Pico.

If we are to tell the whole stories of our communities, then we must preserve and educate rather than erase or hide our history.

The pending demolition of Samohi’s History Building has gained national attention! Spotlighted in the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s spring issue of Preservation magazine, this advocacy issue has reached national readership just in time for the observance of Historic Preservation Month in May throughout the U.S.

Please join the Santa Monica Conservancy as we make one final energetic effort to save this important historic resource! Write directly to School Board members and ask them to reconsider their approval of demolition and evaluate adaptive reuse and rehabilitation.

About the History Building
Built in 1913 by renowned architects Allison & Allison, the History Building was the first and original building of the new high school campus atop Prospect Hill. It was then the Academic and Administration Building, serving as the heart of the new campus, which grew around it over time.

Severely damaged by the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, the rebuilding program by eminent architects Marsh, Smith & Powell cast the reconstruction in Streamline Moderne style. It became the crowning centerpiece of a number of WPA designs at the high school, linked architecturally and thematically with other important Streamline Moderne civic buildings in Santa Monica, such as City Hall.

As the City’s only high school, the History Building was part of many residents’ life experiences, creating strong feelings of loyalty to the place. However, the School Board approved a replacement project and was not willing to investigate the potential renovation or adaptive reuse of the History Building although it recently approved new historic preservation policies for the other school sites.

This demolition threat came to the Santa Monica Conservancy’s attention in October 2020 through an online petition that garnered around 6,000 signatures. We have actively advocated for historic preservation of this key building and other historic resources on school sites. Today, we need to make one more effort to turn the tide on the History Building, and we need your help!

How You Can Help
Please send an email to School Board members expressing your support for saving this irreplaceable historic building and ask for a study of adaptive reuse and renovation of the History Building. Your message, whatever length, will add to the public voices in favor of saving the History Building!