SR 02-12-2019 7A
City Council
Report
City Council Meeting: February 12, 2019
Agenda Item: 7.A
1 of 1
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Lane Dilg, City Attorney, City Attorney’s Office
Subject: Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance Adding Section 9.56.320 to the
Santa Monica Municipal Code Designating the 11th Street Historic District
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that City Council adopt the attached Ordinance.
Executive Summary
At its meeting of January 22, 2019, the City Council introduced for first reading an
ordinance adding Section 9.56.320 to the Santa Monica Municipal Code designating the
11th Street Historic District.
The ordinance is now presented to City Council for adoption.
Prepared By: Elsa Kapsinow, Executive Assistant to the City Attorney
Approved
Forwarded to Council
Attachments:
A. Ord - PCD - 11th Street Historic District - 02.12.2019 - 2nd Rdg
B. Written Comments
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City Council Meeting: February 12, 2019 Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER _________ (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
SANTA MONICA ADDING SECTION 9.56.320 TO THE SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL
CODE DESIGNATING THE 11TH STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT
WHEREAS, historic preservation is a defining community value for the City of
Santa Monica (the “City”); and
WHEREAS, the value reflects the community’s consensus that the City’s unique
identity and character springs from its long and rich history; and
WHEREAS, the community’s present and future welfare depend, in part, upon
understanding the City’s history and evolution as a unique community; and
WHEREAS, retention and preservation of historic resources also promotes the
public health, safety and welfare by revitalizing neighborhoods and business districts,
enhancing the City’s economy, improving local aesthetics, and enriching the City’s culture
and aesthetic standing; and
WHEREAS, the City’s Landmark Ordinance was first adopted in 1976 to: protect
improvements and areas that represent elements of the City’s cultural, social, economic,
political and architectural history; safeguard the City’s heritage as it is embodied and
reflected in such improvements and areas; foster civic and community pride; protect and
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enhance aesthetics and attractions; and promote the education, pleasure and welfare of
City residents and visitors alike; and
WHEREAS, the City’s ongoing commitment to historic preservation was reaffirmed
in 2002 when the City Council adopted the Historic Preservation Element of the General
Plan, and again in 2010 when the City adopted the Land Use and Circulation Element of
the General Plan (“LUCE”); and
WHEREAS, on June 7, 2018, Santa Monica Mid-City Neighbors, in coordination
with the Friends of the 11th Street Coalition, filed an historic district application for the
properties located along the east side of 11th Street between Wilshire Boulevard and
Arizona Avenue (1221-1253 11th Street), and along the north side of Arizona Avenue
between 11th Street and 11th Court Alley (1107-1115 Arizona Avenue); and
WHEREAS, on July 30 and September 24, 2018, in accordance with Santa Monica
Municipal Code section 9.56.130(B), City Staff conducted duly-noticed public meetings to
discuss the potential Historic District designation, including, but not limited to, the
designation process, the effect of designation on future property development, and the
benefits of designation; and
WHEREAS, on November 12 and December 10, 2018, in accordance with Santa
Monica Municipal Code section 9.56.130(F), the City’s Landmarks Commission
conducted duly-noticed public hearings on the Historic District application and voted
unanimously of those present to forward a recommendation to the City Council to
designate the area as the City’s fourth Historic District; and
WHEREAS, in order to preserve the historic character and integrity of the District,
and to promote consistency in the review process, until such time as an ordinance is
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adopted that specifies the nature of any alteration, restoration, construction, removal,
relocation, or demolition of or to a building or structure with in the District that can occur
without prior approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness, the City desires to require that:
any such work require a Certificate of Appropriateness or Certificate of Economic
Hardship from the Landmarks Commission; any such work be exempt from Architectural
Review Board review, provided that a Certificate of Appropriateness is obtained; and all
fees for Certificates of Appropriateness be waived; and
WHEREAS, on January 22, 2019, in accordance with Santa Monica Municipal
Code section 9.56.130(I), the City Council received the recommendation of the
Landmarks Commission and conducted a public hearing on the Historic District
application.
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA
DOES HEREBY ORDAIN AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 9.56.320 is hereby added to the Santa Monica Municipal
Code to read as follows:
9.56.320 The 11th Street Historic District
A. The City Council has reviewed and considered the Historic District
application for the area (the “11th Street Historic Bungalow District” or “District”)
and has reviewed and considered the recommendation on the Historic District
application transmitted from the Landmarks Commission.
B. The City Council finds and declares that:
1. The 11th Street Bungalow Historic District exemplifies,
symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political
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or architectural history of the City. Although the Historic District is located in
the original town of Santa Monica and the lots were recorded during the
19th century, this section of town was the eastern “frontier” and was not
developed until the early 20th century. By 1891, the north and eastward
push of the residential district was well underway. In 1898, the first high
school, Lincoln, was built at Oregon (Santa Monica Boulevard) and 11th
Street and this block has remained an educational facility ever since. In
1902, only one house had been built on the block; by 1909 sixteen wood
frame cottages had been erected. Much of this early development and
residential growth was directly linked to the expanding network of streetcar
lines in the City and nearby Los Angeles, which enable suburban growth
outside of the City’s central core. Three of these early homes, all hipped
roof, turn-of-the century cottages survive: 1233, 1239, and 1259 (1107
Arizona), although 1233 was modified to its current American Colonial
Revival appearance around 1923 and 1239 has lost integrity. In 1911/1912
respectively, the 1221-23 and 1229 residences were added. Both were
developed in the Craftsman style. By 1918, the block was fully developed,
with additional Craftsman bungalows filling in the empty lots, reflecting the
popularity of this form of development during the first quarter of the twentieth
century. The final contributing structure, 1115 Arizona Avenue, was built in
1925. Consequently, of the ten properties in the District, five have
substantially intact improvements that date from the area’s period of
significance (1905-1925) and fall into three property types/architectural
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styles: hipped roof cottages from the turn of the century era, Craftsman
bungalows from the teens, and the small, Spanish Colonial Revival style
bungalow, located at 1115 Arizona Avenue. A combination of factors
contributed to the area’s desirability, including the beach accessible living,
temperate climate, the local entertainment industry, tourism, adjacency to
good schools, thriving downtown, and accessibility to affordable and
efficient transportation. Like much of the surrounding neighborhood, this
block of 11th Street was built for the middle and working class with
moderate incomes. Because of their relative economy, bungalows were the
preferred housing type to respond to the growing need for affordable
housing during the 1910s and 1920s. Many of the residents were active and
contributed to the City and Southern California via education, construction,
commerce, and movie technologies and they exemplified the proliferation
of single-family dwellings in the Santa Monica Townsite. Following the real
estate boom of the 1920s, many of the property owners built second units
behind or adjacent to their main homes for extra income or extended family.
Given this, the District reflects an important aspect of the City’s overall
association with the middle and working class from the first quarter of the
twentieth century. These five properties are significant for conveying
patterns of residential development that shaped the Mid-City neighborhood
of Santa Monica in the early decades of the twentieth century. Each of
these properties contribute to the scale, continuity, and character of this
district. As a whole, their integrity of location, design, workmanship,
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material, setting, feeling, and association work together to visually and
physically convey time, place, historical development and authenticity from
its period of significance. The collective low-scale and working-class feeling
of the District has been retained as a cohesive whole, even with the
development of the non-contributing apartment buildings built in the 1950’s.
This cluster of pre-1925 homes in the original Santa Monica tract is rare. As
such, the District is an early and prime example of middle-class housing in
the City and retains an important linkage to a significant architectural period
that is rapidly disappearing in the City. Although there have been significant
changes to the District since its period of significance identified as 1905-
1925, these changes do not unduly compromise the ability of the overall
district to exemplify and manifest this City’s history by conveying an
important development pattern. More specifically, the District does not
contain so many alterations or new intrusions that it fails to convey the
sense of a historic environment. For instance, the adjoining apartment
buildings built in the 1950s extend the vernacular, working class nature of
the neighborhood and maintain its low scale. As such, they do not diminish
the integrity. The District, taken as a whole, is a microcosm of Santa Monica
development. Additionally, while the residential property at 1239 11th Street
is no longer a contributing structure due to significant modifications after the
Northridge Earthquake, it still maintains adequate aspect of integrity based
on location, setting, feeling, and association so as not to detrimentally
compromise the overall integrity of the district. Many of the other extant
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pockets of residential neighborhoods in the Santa Monica Tract also
developed during this period of significance do not have subsequent infill
that maintain this relationship. For all of these factors, this district
exemplifies the neighborhood’s earliest development and the middle -class
in Santa Monica during the first quarter of the twentieth century, and as
such, it exemplifies and manifests elements of the cultural, social,
economic, and architectural history of the City.
2. The 11th Street Bungalow Historic District is identified with
historic personages or with important events in local, state or national
history. Kenneth Strickfaden lived at 1223 12th Street from 1914 to 1920.
He is largely known for his creation of the electronic special effects in the
film Frankenstein (1931) as well as others, including The Wizard of Oz
(1939). His development of techniques applied in these and other films can
be seen in experiments conducted in his workshop behind his home, where
he worked with electrical effects, wireless communications and Tesla coils.
These experiments were part of a continuum of his opus as an artist,
achieving international fame in adult life applying applications of electronics
to filmic artistry. A picture of an early Strickfaden laboratory in his backyard
workshop dating from 1915 can be found in the book on Kenneth
Strickfaden written by Harry Goldman in 2005 entitled: Kenneth
Strickfaden: Dr. Frankenstein’s Electrician. He was recognized for his
expertise while a student in Santa Monica High School. A review in the
Santa Monica Bay Outlook of June 9, 1916 praises his contribution to a
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drama production: Kenneth Strickfaden of the high school student body has
charge of the electrical features of the performance which are quite
effective. In a story on June 13, 1918, the news paper calls attention to
Strickfaden’s military service in the war, and highlights his electrical skills:
The boy is a master electrician and well known here as “Edison No. 2,”
receiving his name on account of his many clever electrical inventions,
which made for him the wizard’s name. The story further describes him as
a sensation at the Panama Pacific Exposition, a major international fair in
1915. He continued to participate in Santa Monica activities well into his
career. A story in the March 22, 1935 Outlook records him scheduled to
present a demonstration of electrical equipment “used in sound pictures” at
a Boy Scout honors event. A long career in his field of specialty continued,
highlighted by his heralded electronic special effects in films such as
Frankenstein and The Wizard of Oz. He was honored in 1981 by the
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences at a special event dedicated
to the then 85-year old’s contributions to film electronic artistry. During
Strickfaden’s attendance at Santa Monica High School from 1914 -16, he
was an active photographer, and he continued working in this genre after
graduation. The Santa Monica Public Library owns 57 of these and other
photographs associated with him in their Strickfaden Collection, as well as
offering images of pages from the Santa Monica Evening Outlook with
references to his activities into the 1930’s. He is also in the archives of the
Santa Monica History Museum and the Homestead Museum in the City of
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Industry. Waldo K. Cowan (Willie) built five houses on the east side of 11th
Street between what is now Wilshire and Arizona: 1233, 1239, 1247, 1253
and 1259 11th Street (the latter now 1107 Ari zona Avenue) and one on
Arizona, 1109. He also lived in 1259 11th Street with his family from 1906 -
14. Records show Cowan is known for complete careers in several fields:
real estate building and improvements; automobile introduction, use, and
industrial development; pear agriculture and improvement; and civic and
community leadership and service. His name appears in numerous
newspaper articles from the Santa Monica Evening Outlook and Los
Angeles Times for his participation in each of these from the 1890’s to the
1920’s. He is identified for his early support of the automobile as a new
phenomenon and a developing industry, plus its applications for fun and
entertainment. He owned one of the first autos in Santa Monica and was an
avid auto racer, favoring Ramblers, the second most popular brand after
Ford. He is associated with early models of autos serving as firefighting
equipment, making the first delivery of such a vehicle to the Long Beach
Fire Department. And his name appears as an officer or leader in auto sales
and service. Active in Santa Monica public affairs, he was a member of the
1899 Cycle Path Committee. He helped develop the first bicycle path in the
city. A photo of the early days of this path is in the Santa Monica Public
Library Strickfaden Collection. He headed the Santa Monica Board of Trade
and was an organizer and participant in several auto races when the city
was known as an attraction for these events. Cowan and his wife also
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owned a pear ranch in Lancaster, CA and was mentioned in ne wspapers
for its development of model fruit.
3. The 11th Street Bungalow Historic District is a significant or
representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer
or architect. Within the Historic District are two Craftsman-style bungalows
that were constructed by local contractor Joseph J. Rowe; 1223 11th Street
(1910) and 1229 11th Street (1908). Both of these bungalows reflect typical
elements of the Craftsman idiom. Rowe is a notable builder who was a very
active contractor having constructed many cottages and bungalows in the
City during the 1900s and 1910s. Two other properties in the City
constructed by Rowe have been previously identified through survey: 426
Palisades Avenue (1914), an American Foursquare, and 929 Lincoln
Boulevard (1916), a Craftsman bungalow designated as a City Landmark
(2008) that features the unusual use of clinker brick in its front porch walls
and piers. The District, consisting of the properties located at 1223 11th
Street and 1229 11th Street, is representative of the work of Joseph J.
Rowe, a notable builder in Santa Monica.
4. The 11th Street Bungalow District 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. The Historic District is one of the last remaining
examples of a contiguous grouping of low-scale, working-class housing that
spans the entire first half of the twentieth century. It represents the
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easternmost boundary of the earliest phase of development of the Santa
Monica tract in the twentieth century. The east side of the 1200 block of the
11th Street and the adjacent three parcels on the north side of Arizona
comprise single-unit residences, multi-unit apartments and a residential
condominium. Buildings in the area are predominantly one and two stories
with the tallest, a later 1992 three story multi-family condominium. The
corner structure’s change in address from 1259 11th Street to 1107 Arizona
serves as a historic transition turning the corner within the period of
significance. The District contains early single-unit residences set at the
front of the parcels, several with additional residences in the rear with post
WWII-era apartments infilling the adjacent lots. Architectural styles present
along this portion include California Craftsman Bungalow, Hipped Roof
Cottage, Spanish Colonial Revival, Minimal Traditional and Contemporary
Vernacular. Although the period of significance is 1905 – 1925, the adjoining
apartments extend the vernacular, working-class nature of the
neighborhood into the 1950’s and maintain its rare low scale. They do not
diminish the integrity of the District associated with its period of significance
from 1905-1925. The District, taken as a whole, is a microcosm of Santa
Monica development. As such, the Historic District “reflects significant
geographic patterns, including those associated with settlement and
growth.”
C. The 11th Street Bungalow Historic District consists of the properties
along the east side of 11th Street, between Wilshire Boulevard and Arizona Avenue
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(1221-1253 11th Street), and the properties along the north side of Arizona Avenue
between 11th Street and 11th Court Alley (1107-1115 Arizona Avenue).
D. Structures that contribute to the character and integrity of the 11th
Street Bungalow Historic District shall be defined as primary, street-facing
bungalows constructed between 1905 and 1925 during the District’s Period of
Significance and located at 1223 11th Street, 1229 11th Street, 1233 11th Street,
1107 Arizona Avenue and 1115 Arizona Avenue, including hipped roof cottages
from the turn of the twentieth century era, Craftsman bungalows from the teens,
and a Spanish Colonial Revival-style bungalow; noncontributing buildings,
structures or sites shall be defined as buildings or structures constructed after 1925
that are not listed as contributors or of the bungalow type, and vacant lots.
E. Pursuant to Sections 9.56.130 and 9.56.140 of this Code, until such
time as an ordinance is adopted that specifies the nature of any alteration,
restoration, construction, removal, relocation, or demolition of or to a bui lding or
structure within the District that can occur without prior approval of a Certificate of
Appropriateness, any such work must obtain approval of a Certificate of
Appropriateness or Certificate of Economic Hardship by the Landmarks
Commission.
F. Until such time as an ordinance is adopted that specifies the nature
of any alteration, restoration, construction, removal, relocation, or demolition to a
building or structure within the District that can occur without prior approval of a
Certificate of Appropriateness, all work to buildings, structures or sites located
within the District is exempt from review by the Architectural Review Board,
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provided that a Certificate of Appropriateness is obtained from the Landmarks
Commission or the Landmarks Commission Secretary pursuant to authority
granted by the Landmarks Commission in accordance with 9.56.130(L), and all
Certificate of Appropriateness fees for any alteration, restoration, or construction,
in whole or in part, to a building, structure or site located within the Historic District
are waived.
SECTION 2. In accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3), this
Ordinance is exempt from CEQA as it can be seen with certainty that the Ordinance does
not have the potential to significantly impact the environment. This determination is made
based on the record as a whole, which includes, but is not limited to, evidence that the
designation of these properties as an Historic District pursuant to the City’s Landmarks
Ordinance will promote the retention and preservation of historic resources.
SECTION 3. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal Code or appendices
thereto inconsistent with the provisions of this Ordinance, to the extent of such
inconsistencies and no further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary to
effect the provisions of this Ordinance.
SECTION 4. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase of this
Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any
court of competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the remaining
portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby declares that it would have passed
this Ordinance and each and every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not
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declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether any portion of the ordinance
would be subsequently declared invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 5. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall attest to the passage
of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the official
newspaper within 15 days after its adoption. This Ordinance shall become effective 30
days from its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
_________________________
LANE DILG
City Attorney
1
Thania Montoya
From:The SEO Doctors <theseodoctors@gmail.com>
Sent:Monday, February 11, 2019 8:35 PM
To:Clerk Mailbox
Subject:Council 2/12/19 - Item 7A
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
Adoption of 11th St. Historic District.
Yes.
Korie Schmidt
(310)600-2278
TheSEODoctors@gmail.com
Item 7-A
02/12/2019
1 of 1 Item 7-A
02/12/2019
REFERENCE:
Ordinance No. 2602
(CCS)