Council Mtg: November 13, 2001 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor
and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Appeal of a Decision of the Landmarks Commission Designating the
Structure Located at 224 18th Street as a City Structure of Merit (Case No.
LC-01-LM-005). Applicant: City of Santa
Monica Landmarks Commission
Appellant: Mark Schrobilgen
INTRODUCTION
This report recommends that the City
Council uphold the decision of the Landmarks Commission designating the
structure located at 224 18th Street as a Structure of Merit. On October 8,
2001, the Landmarks Commission designated the building a Structure of Merit and
did not authorize any demolition of the structure. The property owner has appealed this decision (Attachment A).
DISCUSSION
Landmarks Commission Action
The Landmarks Commission review of
this structure was initiated when the property owner filed a demolition permit application
on July 2, 2001. Per the requirements
of the City=s Demolition Ordinance, the
Landmarks Commission reviews all demolition permits for structures that are
forty years of age or older. A
sixty-day hold is placed on these demolition permit applications to allow
adequate time to assess the building for potential landmark status. Once a structure of merit designation
application is filed, the Landmarks Ordinance sets forth specific time frames
for the processing of such applications.
The Commission initially reviewed a
demolition permit for the structure at its August 13, 2001 meeting. The City’s Historic Resources Inventory
states that the building appears to be eligible for designation as a
contributor to a potential historic district (Attachment B). At the hearing, a member of the public and
nearby resident of the property testified that there is neighborhood interest
in preserving and possibly creating a historic district on 18th
Street. She asked the Commission to
delay or deny the demolition until they could educate their neighbors about
historic preservation. The property
owner did not testify at the hearing. By a unanimous (6-0) vote, the
Commission, on its own motion, filed a Structure of Merit application for the
property.
On October 8, 2001, the Commission
received a preliminary report from staff indicating that the structure meets
the City of Santa Monica’s criteria for Structure of Merit designation. The Commission heard public testimony from
the property owner and members of the public regarding the application. The property owner testified that he had
considered remodeling the existing residence to retain some of the building,
but contended that the structure is too dilapidated for repair and requires
demolition. He submitted a color
rendering of the proposed new residence for the Commission’s information.
The Commission voted 4-2 to approve
the designation. The Landmarks
Commission staff report is contained in Attachment C and the Landmarks
Commission minutes are contained in Attachment D.
Architectural Description
As stated in the Structure of Merit Evaluation Report (Attachment C), this modest, single-story stucco-clad Spanish Colonial Revival residence was constructed in 1932. Built atop a continuous-poured concrete foundation, the dwelling at 224 18th Street is roughly “U”-shaped in plan. The wood-frame, single family dwelling is capped with a low-pitched red, clay tile, cross-gabled roof. The front (primary) elevation faces east, and is defined (north to south) by a large fixed wooden sash with a prominent sill, a tripartite wood ribbon window (located below the front-facing gable) with turned mullions and a prominent sill and lintel, narrow fixed wood sashes, followed by an integral porch. The porch is approached by a curving concrete walkway, and is dominated by two squared wood columns, framing double four-light wood French doors. An additional glazed door is centered on the north wall of the porch. Decorative elements of note on this façade include projecting vigas along the roofline, three short canales centered within the front gable, a light fixture to the north of the porch, and wrought iron grilles covering the fenestration and light fixture.
The north elevation is a secondary facade, and is defined (east to west) by two small wood sashes, followed by a paired wood window. All have prominent sills. A single, clay canale projects from the side gable. No other features are visible from the public right-of-way.
An original single-story garage is located at the rear of the lot in the northeast corner of the site. In design, the garage continues the Spanish Colonial Revival style of the main structure. “L”-shaped in plan, the garage faces the concrete driveway to its east. A large overhead door dominates the primary elevation, while the secondary elevation consists of two wings. A small, one-over-one double-hung wood window is centered in the northern wing, while a glazed, three-panel wood door is centered in the south wing. This structure is capped by a flat, red clay tile roof.
The lot
size is approximately 60 feet by 149 feet.
The house has been subjected to minimal alteration over the years, and
remains largely intact. The house is an
example of the modest Period Revival dwellings constructed throughout this
neighborhood from 1922 to 1941.
Findings for Designation
The Landmarks Ordinance provides a process to designate Structures of Merit as an immediate protection for potential landmark structures that are imminently threatened with demolition. The designation provides a window of time for the Landmarks Commission to work with the property owner to seek alternatives to demolition. The Commission’s jurisdiction over delay of demolition ends after a maximum of one year unless either a solution has been reached or the property has been permanently designated as a Landmark or contributor to a designated Historic District.
The Landmarks Commission made its decision to designate the property at 224 18th Street as a Structure of Merit based on the following findings:
a) The structure has been identified in
the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
The structure meets this finding because it was identified in the May 1994 Historic Resources Inventory Final Report with an evaluation rating of “5D” indicating that it is a potential contributor to a district, which could be designated under local ordinance.
b) The structure is a minimum of 50
years of age and meets the following criteria:
(3)The structure contributes to a
potential Historic District.
The structure is more than 50 years of age as it was built in 1932. It is a contributor to the 18th Street Grouping, which is identified as a potential historic district and is located within the area known as “Gillette’s Regent Square.” This district appears to be eligible for listing as a local historic district as well as for listing in the California Register. It meets the criteria to be designated a Historic District because it reflects significant geographical patterns, including those associated with different eras of settlement and growth, particular transportation modes or distinctive examples of park or community planning (SMMC 9.36.100(b)(3). Gillette’s Regent Square is a significant neighborhood development associated with Santa Monica’s early 20th century building boom, which was generated by rising automobile ownership. The district contains a variety of examples of the housing constructed in the 1920’s through 1940’s for the growing year-round residential population. The Period Revival architecture, low-rise building scale, lot divisions and mature trees in the neighborhood contribute to the character of this area. The structure at 224 18th Street is a contributor to this potential district because it contains some of the character-defining features typical of the Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture including an asymmetrical facade, red clay tile roof, stuccoed walls, wood windows with prominent lintels and sills, wrought iron window grilles, canales and projecting vigas.
APPEAL ANALYSIS
The appellant states that this
structure of merit designation appeal is based on the following reasons. (Please note that each of the appellant=s reasons is indicated in bold text. Staff=s analysis follows each statement in regular text.)
1. “Since
the 1986 evaluation and 1995 update, significant changes and updates have been
realized to the houses in the 18th Street Grouping.”
The appellant is correct that there have been changes to the neighborhood in the last several years. Several of the original homes making up the 18th Street Grouping and other parts of the Gillette Regent Square Tract have been remodeled and enlarged. As a result, the area is at a point where further loss of contributing structures may impair its integrity and significance as a district. The City is currently updating its survey in this area, and the consultant’s complete report is pending. However, the attached memo from the consultant includes some preliminary information regarding the structures on and around 18th Street (Attachment H).
2. “I
disagree that my dilapidated, run-down, unsafe house is worthy or meets the
criteria for a structure of merit.”
As detailed above, this structure does meet the requirements that the Code sets forth for approval as a structure of merit as part of a larger district. The Evaluation report (Attachment C) documents that “the house at 224 18th Street is an example of the modest Period Revival dwellings constructed throughout this neighborhood from 1922 to 1941. Seventy-five of these residential buildings, described as Contributing Structures to the five-block community, remain today.”
The evaluation report states that the 18th Street Grouping is a potential historic district eligible for local designation. The 18th Street Grouping consists of five blocks stretching from Montana Avenue north to San Vicente Boulevard. The evaluation report indicates that 18th Street is one of the most intact streets within the Gillette’s Regent Square Tract. At the time of the 1986 inventory research, the 18th Street Grouping contained examples of the major local architects and builders designed in the most popular Period Revival styles of the 1920s and 1930s. The 1995 Historic Resources Inventory Update indicated that 18th Street continued to retain sufficient integrity to be identified as a potential historic district.
It is not required for the structure to stand out as a landmark in its own right. Nevertheless, the structure does have typical character-defining features of the Period Revival style as listed in the Landmark Commission’s findings. The consultant’s analysis also indicates that the structure is in fair condition, and the exterior does not appear to be dilapidated. However, the appellant has not provided staff with any detailed structural reports on the condition of the building supporting his contention, and thus staff has not further analyzed nor responded to this point of appeal.
3. “Though
my home does not contain any historical, cultural or architectural
significance, I am now forced to salvage my decaying façade and comply with a
certificate of appropriateness, when in fact I have already submitted plans for
a new home that would preserve the integrity of the neighborhood because of the
stringent NOMA guidelines that are set in place for that same reason… I will
now have to build a home that will be economically and emotionally
devastating.”
The Landmarks Ordinance requires a Certificate of Appropriateness for demolition of a Structure of Merit. This enables the Commission to work with the applicant to find a way of preserving the structure. The Code gives examples such as gift, purchase, exchange, condemnation or other means to reach a result mitigating the demolition. The Commission is given up to a year to work with the property owner on a satisfactory mitigation. Following that time period, the Commission’s jurisdiction over the structure expires and demolition may take place. However, if a historic district or other restrictions have been adopted prior to that time, the property would be subject to those new conditions.
A Certificate of Appropriateness is
not required in order to remodel a Structure of Merit if the remodeling
involves the removal of less than 50% of the structure’s exterior walls. A preservation alternative could be
maintaining the low scale of the original house and adding a one or two-story
addition behind or above the rear section of the house. In this instance, the applicant would be
subject to the same review procedures as any other construction remodeling
project in the R1 district north of Montana Avenue.
The applicant did file plans with
the City for a new residence on September 18, 2001, which staff will review
subject to the Council’s decision on this appeal. The plans were submitted after the Landmarks Commission nominated
the building as a structure of merit and prior to its decision to designate the
property. However, the proposed
replacement building is not the subject of this appeal. Only the merits of the designation are
before the Council.
CITY COUNCIL ACTION
Municipal Code Sections 9.36.180 (c)
and 9.36.180 (e) prescribe that an appeal hearing must occur within 45 days of
the appeal filing and a decision rendered within 30 days of the hearing. The property owner, Mark Schrobilgen, filed
an appeal on October 11, 2001, requiring that the Council consider the request
at the November 13, 2001, meeting.
Under the provisions of the
Landmarks Ordinance, the City Council may grant the appeal or uphold the
decision of the Landmarks Commission in whole or in part and designate the
structure located at 224 18th Street as a Structure of Merit based upon the
Landmarks Ordinance criteria contained in Section 9.36.080.
Notice of this public hearing was
published in the California Section of the Los Angeles Times and mailed to all
owners and residential and commercial tenants of property located within a 300
foot radius of the project at least 10 days prior to the hearing. A copy of the notice is contained in
Attachment F.
The recommendation presented in this
report does not have any budget or fiscal impact.
RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that City Council uphold the decision of the Landmarks Commission to designate the structure located at 224 18th Street as a City Structure of Merit with the following findings:
FINDINGS
a) The structure has been identified in the
City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
The structure meets these criteria because it was identified in the May 1994 Historic Resources Inventory Final Report with an evaluation rating of “5D” indicating that it is a potential contributor to a district, which could be designated under local ordinance. The merit of the structure as a potential contributor to a district is further substantiated by a recent re-evaluation of the 18th Street Grouping, as a potential historic district, that was conducted as part of an update to the City’s Historic Resources Inventory for that portion of the City north of Montana Avenue to the northern City limits.
b)
The structure is a minimum of 50 years
of age and meets the following criteria:
(3) The
structure contributes to a potential Historic District.
The structure is more than 50 years of age as it built in 1932. It is a contributor to the 18th Street Grouping, which is identified as a potential historic district and is located within the area known as “Gillette’s Regent Square.” This district appears to be eligible for listing as a local historic district as well as for listing in the California Register. It meets the criteria to be designated a Historic District because it reflects significant geographical patterns, including those associated with different eras of settlement and growth, particular transportation modes or distinctive examples of park or community planning (SMMC 9.36.100(b)(3). Gillette’s Regent Square is a significant neighborhood development associated with Santa Monica’s early 20th century building boom, which was generated by rising automobile ownership. The district contains a variety of examples of the housing constructed in the 1920’s through 1940’s for the growing year-round residential population. The Period Revival architecture, including the Spanish Colonial Revival style, low-rise building scale, lot divisions and mature trees in the neighborhood contribute to the character of this district. The structure at 224 18th Street is a contributor to this potential district because it contains some of the character-defining features typical of the Spanish Colonial Revival style of architecture including an asymmetrical facade, red clay tile roof, stuccoed walls, wood windows with prominent lintels and sills, wrought iron window grilles, canales and projecting vigas.
Prepared by: Suzanne Frick, Director
Jay M. Trevino, AICP, Planning
Manager
Amanda Schachter, Principal Planner
Kimberly Christensen, AICP, Senior
Planner
Elizabeth Bar-El, AICP, Associate
Planner
City Planning Division
Planning and Community Development
Department
Attachments:
A. Appeal Statement*
B. Historic Resources Inventory Form*
D. Landmarks
Commission Minutes dated October 8, 2001
E. Rendering of proposed new residence*
I.
Structure of Merit Application*
*ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THESE ATTACHEMENTS IS NOT AVAILABLE. DOCUMENTS ARE AVAILABLE FOR REVIEW AT THE CITY CLERK’S OFFICE AND THE LIBRARIES.)