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MEMORANDUM
PLANNING & ZONING DIVISION
PLA~NI~G AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DATE:
October 8, 1998
TO:
The Honorable Landmarks CommissIOn
FROM:
Planmng Staff
SUBJECT:
Potential Landmark DesignatIOn for 2712 Second Street
INTRODUCTION
At its regular meetmg on September 14. 1998. the Landmarks COnllTIlSSlOn revlewed a
demohtlOn permlt applIcatIOn for 2712 Second Street Based on the mformatIon proVIded m the
HIstone Resources Inventory. as well as a Site VISIt to tills property, the COImmsslOn dIrected
Staff to prelImmanly research thIS structure's ments as a potentIal hIstone landmark If the
CommISSIOn finds that the structure ments deslgnatlOn. an applIcatIOn for desIgnation must be
filed on or before November 2, 1998
BACKGROlJND
A demolItIOn pernut for thIS property was filed WIth the CIty on September 2, 1998, and was
fonvarded to the Landmarks COnnTIlSSIOn and to the o\\-ner on September 7. 1998 On
September 14, 1998, the Landmarks CommISSIOn renewed the demolItIon permIt (See
Attachment A) Based on a SIte VISIt and the Histone Inventory InfOrmatIon for the property
whIch hsts the structure as a potentIally elIgIble for the NatIOnal RegIster. the CommISSIOn
directed Staff to research the property to determIne whether or not It remaInS landmark elIgible
ANAL YSIS
DescnptlOn of Structure
Tlns shotgun house IS one room WIde, one story tall, and several rooms deep The property
appears to retam a good level of mtegnty despite the fact that \\imdows have been boarded on thIS
vacant bmldmg The shotgun house m a vernacular form of American buildmg type that
resulted from a syntheSIS of sources from the Caribbean regIOn, Europe, and AfrIca Its form was
adaptable to a varIety of cIrcumstances under whIch temporary or inexpenSive housmg was
required. ThIs house may have been constructed InItIally as a beach cottage, or may have housed
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\vorkers associated wlth the nearby raIl or 011 mdustnes The shotgun style IS recogmzed as an
Important example of Amencan vernacular hOUSIng III standard texts Includmg VIrgima a Lee
McAlIsters' A FIeld GUlde to Amencan Houses (1984) (See Attachment B. Report from Janet
Teamen dated September 30. 1998 )
SIgmficance
PrelImInary research on thIS property strongly mdIcates that 11 qualIfies as a local landmark under
deSIgnatIOn cntenon (a)(4) of the Landmarks Ordmance whIch reqUIres that the structure
"embodIes dIstIngUIShIng archItectural charactenst!cs valuable to a study of a penod and style.
and IS a umque example of a hlstoncal type In the CIty of Santa ~fomca n The consultant's
OpInIon IS that It IS also eligIble for IndiVIdual lIstIng In the NatIOnal RegIster of Hlstonc Places
under Cntenon C. as It "'embodIes dlstmctlve charactenstIcs of a type and penod of
constructIOn .-
RECOMMENDATION
As the structure appears to qualIfY. at a mInImum. for one of the CrItenon reqUired for landmark
deSIgnatIOn under both the CIty'S OrdInance and the ~atIOnal RegIster. Staff recommends that
the CommISSIOn file a landmark deSIgnatIOn applIcatIOn for the property at 2712 Second Street.
and that a publIc heanng be set on the ments for the next regularly scheduled Landmarks
CommISSIon meetIng on November 9. 1998
Attachments
A DemolItlOn PermIt ApplIcatIOn WIth attachments
B Report from Janet Tearnen dated September 30. 1998
C Draft Landmark DeslgnatlOn ApplicatIon
F -"PL"'-. "-.['SHARE'-L \.fK"DE'iIGS".1712Second Rewm wpd
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