Volunteer

Volunteer with the Santa Monica Conservancy!

The Santa Monica Conservancy is seeking new volunteers and docents. Volunteering is a unique opportunity to make an impact on historic preservation and meet others in the community who share your interest in local history and preservation. Our docents and volunteers actively engage a diverse audience – locals, tourists, history buffs, preservationists, and students – about the architecture, history, and importance of preserving our architectural heritage. Opportunities are open to anyone with the time and interest. No prior experience is necessary.

Apply online today or email us at volunteer@smconservancy.org for an application form. Our team will review applications and reach out with additional information. Thank you for your interest!

Read on for more information about specific docent and volunteer opportunities.

Downtown Walking Tour Docent

Photo: Stephanie Plomarity for Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

Santa Monica’s downtown is a kaleidoscope of architecture, history, and economic growth from its beginnings in 1875 to the modern metropolis it is today. This signature tour takes a deep dive into Santa Monica places and stories as well as the evolution of the city, providing a rich educational experience for guests. Tours begin at the city’s first landmark, the 1875 Rapp Saloon, which at one time served as City Hall, and include sections of the Promenade, Ocean Avenue and the Pier, and conclude at a lavish Art Deco hotel that housed a speakeasy during Prohibition.

Tours are offered every the first and third Saturday of every month, starting at 10 a.m. Docents are asked to volunteer once every other month and can either lead the tour independently or together with another docent. Trainings will be held on Saturdays at 10 a.m. Apply now!

Preservation Resource Center Docent

The top half of the twelve-story art deco Bay Cities Guarantee office building, faced in soft-white terra cotta tile, and topped by a four-story clock tower. Santa Monica’s downtown skyline on a sunny day with the ocean in the background, dominated to the right by the twelve-story art deco Bay Cities Guarantee office building. The two-story American Colonial-style Henry Weyse/Charles Morris House with curving bays at the front porch, grey shingles and white trim. The two-story American Colonial-style Henry Weyse/Charles Morris House with curving bays at the front porch, grey shingles and white trim sits behind a low metal fence and green lawn. A digital collage with two horizontal panels showing a strip of blue sky with white clouds above the landmark two-story American Colonial-style Henry Weyse/Charles Morris House. Black and white photo of architect Julia Morgan in a black dress and hat, standing in front of Notre Dame Cathedral. The south elevation of the Marion Davies Guest House, clad in white siding with black shutters and a grand two-story columned portico, on a sunny day. An 1875 lithograph map of Santa Monica shows the city’s first borders, street grid and lots. A submap at the bottom left shows the “proposed city” in the geographic context of greater Los Angeles county, and as the terminus of a railroad line. Black and white photo from the 1920s of Henshy’s department store. The four-story Beaus Arts Classical building is seen at an angle, among a few other smaller buildings in the city’s existing commercial district. A sepia toned photograph from 1903 of Santa Monica City Hall, built in the mission revival style with a dramatic corner tower at left and a section of park with a few trees in the foreground. The historic shotgun house travels down a city street on the back of a flatbed truck on the way to its new home. A Downtown walking tour docent faces talks to a small tour group while standing in front of an exterior brick wall covered with faded advertisements. A docent gestures from the sidewalk towards a small two-story grey and white craftsman bungalow while a small tour group considers the building. A large group of docents dressed up in festive 1920s garb pose together in the Georgian Revival living room of the Marion Davies Guest House. A group of nine shotgun house docents pose together on the building’s small porch.

Docents at the Shotgun House in 2019.

The last surviving shotgun house in Ocean Park, this little building narrowly escaped demolition through the efforts of a coalition of community activists assisted by the City of Santa Monica. Shotgun houses are small wood frame homes with rooms stacked one behind the other without a hallway, once popular in Ocean Park’s early days for beachfront living. Under the guardianship of the Conservancy, the shotgun house was moved twice before undergoing a comprehensive rehabilitation to become the Conservancy’s headquarters and Preservation Resource Center. Serving as a model of adaptive reuse, the Center provides free resources and tours to our community.

Tours are currently offered one weekend and Wednesday a month from 12-2 p.m. and will be gradually expanded. Docents are asked to volunteer once a month. Apply now!

Annenberg Community Beach House Docent

A large group of docents dressed up in festive 1920s garb pose together in the Georgian Revival living room of the Marion Davies Guest House.

Docents at the Happy Birthday Marion! celebration in 2019. Photo: Annenberg Community Beach House

This world-class destination attracts thousands of international tourists and local residents to its multi-faceted recreational and cultural activities year-round. The site originally was a lavish estate built by media tycoon William Randolph Hearst in the 1920s for actress Marion Davies, who hosted parties for the Hollywood crowd. The Guest House and pool, designed by acclaimed architect Julia Morgan, form the historic core of a place that has evolved over time to the free public beach club that opened in 2009. The ACBH combines historic restoration/adaptive reuse with new facilities by Fred Fisher & Partners that retain memories of the Hearst/Davies era.

Tours are offered weekly, Friday – Sunday from 12-2 p.m. during the spring, fall, and winter. During the summer, tours are offered weekly, Friday – Monday from 12-2 p.m. Docents are asked to volunteer twice a month. Apply now!

Program Committee Volunteer

A docent gestures from the sidewalk towards a small two-story grey and white craftsman bungalow while a small tour group considers the building.

A docent with guests at our South Beach Tour in 2019.

Volunteers develop and present physical and virtual educational programs, such as tours of historic places, visits to landmark buildings, explorations of the City’s heritage, meetings and lectures. Past programs have included tours of Adelaide Drive, the Third Street Historic District, Palisades Park, landmark homes, the city’s street murals and more. The Committee’s award-winning Santa Monica Mosaic webinar series explores numerous aspects of our diverse cultural history, including African American, Japanese American, Jewish American, Mexican American, and Tongva communities.

The Program Committee conducts monthly planning meetings and presents or supports events throughout the year, including the Conservancy’s Annual Meeting in the spring, a fall tour, a holiday party, the ongoing Mosaic series and other webinars. In addition, the Committee contributes text, photo and video content to the Conservancy’s website. Committee volunteers are aligned with projects and tasks that reflect their interests, skills, experience and personal schedules. Apply now!