Multi-Family Residence 130 San Vicente Boulevard Santa Monica, California City Landmark Assessment Report

Home , Montana Avenue, Santa Monica Bay, San Vicente Boulevard

Evaluation Report Building Permit History Potential District Research City Directory Research Photographs Tax Assessor Map Sanborn Map

Prepared for: City of Santa Monica Planning Division

Prepared by: PCR Services Corporation Santa Monica, California

November 2006 Multi-Family Residence 130 San Vicente Boulevard City of Santa Monica APN: 4293-003-001 City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Description of site or structure, note any major alterations and dates of alterations

The subject property is situated on the south side of San Vicente Boulevard just east of Ocean Avenue on Lots 1 and 2 of Block K of the Palisades Tract in the City of Santa Monica. The lot size of the irregularly shaped subject parcel is approximately 206 feet by 76 feet. A narrow alley known as First Court borders the subject property on its west parcel line. Another alley (unnamed) borders the property on its south side. The subject property, originally known as the Teriton Apartments, consists of a two- and three-story apartment building arranged in a modified U-shaped configuration around landscaped courtyards with its primary elevations facing San Vicente Boulevard. Additionally, a detached utility room/parking garage and smaller detached parking garages are accessed from rear alleys. The 28-unit vernacular Modern style garden apartment complex was built in 1949 and is located in a primarily multi-family residential neighborhood.

This property has been previously identified and assessed under the City’s on-going survey process on numerous occasions. It was documented as a contributor to a potential San Vicente Apartment Courts historic district comprised primarily of 1930s-1950s vernacular Modern style apartment buildings as part of the City’s 1983 historic resources survey. At that time, the subject property was given a 5D rating code, indicating that the property appeared to be eligible for local listing as a contributor to the historic district. Additionally, the 1983 survey’s significance statement states that the review committee [of the Santa Monica Architectural and Historical Survey] deemed the grouping of nearly intact properties along San Vicente worthy of recognition as a level-3 architectural group. [According to the 1983 survey committee logs, the significance levels were either 1, 2, 3, or None, with “1” being the most significant.]

The subject property was assessed in the City’s “1985-86 Historic Resources Survey Inventory,” and again after the Northridge earthquake as part of the “Historic Resource Inventory Update for the City of Santa Monica” in 1995. As part of the 1995 survey process the building was noted as sustaining some minor stucco veneer damage, but its 5D evaluation rating as a contributor to the potential San Vicente Apartment Courts historic district was reconfirmed. The property was once again identified in the City’s “Historic Resources Inventory Update: North of Montana Area 2001-2002.” It was at this time

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 1 that the property’s status code was changed from 5D, being a contributor to a potential district, to 5S, appearing individually eligible for local designation (Landmark or Structure of Merit). Apparently, because “only 55% [25 of 45] of the properties in this area are contributors”1 the surveyors determined that a historic district did not exist. Additionally, the report concluded, “much about this type and period of development in Santa Monica remains unknown. [Therefore] it is recommended that the properties identified as part of this area be re-classified as potential Landmarks or Structures of Merit and that an investigation of the 1945-1960 period of multi-family housing construction in Santa Monica be studied in greater detail.”2 Surprisingly, there are no other references in the report to support the merits of individual significance for these properties, thus this finding of significance is questionable. As noted above, the three previous surveys conducted of the area concluded that the subject property appeared to qualify as a contributor to a potential apartment courts district and not as an individually eligible local Landmark.

Capped by a flat roof with overhanging eaves, this wood-frame, two- and three-story vernacular Modern style garden apartment complex is sheathed in stucco with its primary elevations either facing a landscaped center courtyard or north towards San Vicente Boulevard. The apartment building features an irregular, modified U-shaped plan with rectangular east and south wings, and a west wing with its north end bent eastward into a smaller “U.” In addition to the flat roof, extended eaves, and stucco finish, the building’s Modern elements include a pronounced horizontality and rectilinearity in its massing, metal-framed fixed and casement windows (many of which punctuate the building’s corners), and an overall lack of applied ornamentation. Topping recessed entrance areas and staircases are wedge-shaped, stucco clad faux balconets surmounted by wooden louvers, the latter of which provide ventilation to staircases. The three-story portion of the building features open terraces situated between third floor units with each terrace sheltered by wood-framed egg crate grids. Secondary elevations are also unadorned, with rear entrances, metal-framed casement windows, and, in some cases, cantilevered balconies enclosed by wood or metal railings.

Low, red brick planters flanking most entrance areas enhance landscaped courtyards, which consist of a mixture of mature trees, clipped hedges, grassy areas, low shrubs, concrete pathways, and decks of scored concrete. The larger of two courtyards, which centers the property’s east, south, and west wings, consists of a mixture of mature trees, clipped hedges, grassy areas, low shrubs, and decks of scored concrete. A smaller courtyard centers the west wing’s secondary “U” with its opening towards First Court. The building’s design takes advantage of these landscaped courtyards by facing primary entrances, staircases, and expansive apartment windows towards the garden setting.

1 City of Santa Monica, “Historic Resources Inventory Update: North of Montana Area 2001-2002,” prepared by Historic Resources Group, 2002. 2 Ibid. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 2 Fronting the apartment complex a wide grassy lawn, shrubs, and hedges embellish the San Vicente Boulevard-facing elevation. It appears that the overall landscaping plan is original to the property’s design and retains a high degree of physical and historical integrity.

A row of six enclosed, double-car garages face west along the alley known as First Court. The stucco-clad structures, which are capped by shed roofs, are strictly utilitarian in their design. Additionally, a combination laundry room and garage structure (with eight enclosed double-car garages) that is utilitarian in design and topped by an open deck area is located along the parcel’s south parcel line with access from an unnamed rear alley. Non-original metal fences secure the property from access to courtyards and entrance areas.

Building Permits. In 1949, a City of Santa Monica building permit was issued to then- owner Edgar Hillman of Beverly Hills for the construction of a two- and three-story, 28- unit apartment building costing approximately $228,800. The architect for the subject property was Sanford Kent, also of Beverly Hills; the contractor had not yet been selected. Two other building permits for the subject property were issued at the same time – one for a 10-car detached garage costing approximately $4,000; the other for a combination 16-car detached garage and laundry room with an estimated cost of $8,480, both of which were also designed by Kent. Tax assessor records indicate that the subject property’s construction was completed in 1950. Another permit on file dates from 1995 that appears to be for interior plumbing work for then-owners Joseph and Lorretta Corrigan. An additional permit recorded in 1997 indicates windows and a door were replaced along with the construction of interior partition walls for the laundry room. No other building permits were located for the subject property.

Statement of Architectural Significance

The subject property located at 130 San Vicente Boulevard is a good, representative, but unexceptional example of the vernacular Modern architectural style as applied to a garden apartment complex from 1949. Vernacular Modern style apartment buildings erected just prior to and following the Second World War are relatively common in the residential areas north of Wilshire Boulevard, particularly along Montana Avenue and San Vicente Boulevard in the City of Santa Monica.

Starting in the late 1930s and continuing into the post World War II period in America, Modern architecture became the predominant architectural style applied to buildings of every type. During this time period, distinct and identifiable stylistic variants of Modernism evolved. The aesthetic closest to the 1920s origins of Modernism in Europe was dubbed the International Style and was identified by its rectilinear form, flat roofs, open floor plans, use of steel and glass, and lack of applied ornamentation. Vernacular Modern design, while based on International Style precepts, is generally less formal in its

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 3 expression of Modernist tenets with results that vary widely in terms of materials, form, and spatial arrangements. As applied to multi-family residential buildings in Southern California, particularly during the 1940s, Modern stylistic influences include those of the International Style as well as the Streamline Moderne, with its curved corners, glass block, and horizontal window bands. Today, many examples of vernacular Modern apartment buildings erected between the 1940s and early 1960s continue to exist throughout the Los Angeles region.

The subject property displays numerous elements of the Modern style in the architectural design and composition of the apartment building and garage structures, including flat roofs, stucco exterior finish, metal-framed casement windows, corner windows, lack of applied ornamentation.

A current windshield survey of multi-family residences located along both sides of San Vicente Boulevard between First Court and 7th Street has identified several representative examples of International Style-influenced vernacular Modern apartment buildings erected between 1940 and 1960. These examples include 130-142 (the subject property), 150- 156, 229, and 451 San Vicente Boulevard. Of these, the subject property and adjacent apartment complex at 150-156 were both designed by architect Sanford Kent in 1949, and 229 San Vicente Boulevard was the work of master architect Carl Maston when it was built in 1947. Other representative examples of the architectural style and property type that are similar to the subject property are located on Montana Avenue (west of 7th and east of 17th Streets). In comparison with the other examples, the subject property appears to be one of many similar buildings representative of a style that remains relatively prevalent in Santa Monica.3

In addition to the purer expressions of Modernism reflected in multi-family dwellings in the area, many of the vernacular Modern apartment buildings situated along San Vicente Boulevard exhibit elements of the still then-popular Colonial Revival style. (See Table 1 on page 14).

Garden Apartments. The subject property, an apartment building arranged around landscaped courtyards, is typical of the many garden apartment complexes that appeared in Santa Monica and throughout Southern California from the Depression-era 1930s through the 1950s. The origin of the garden apartment reaches back to the period of the Los Angeles region’s rapid growth in the early decades of the twentieth century when the bungalow court as a building type appeared and evolved. From its origins as tourist accommodations to its prevalence as high-density housing, the bungalow court became a common Southern California building type prior to World War II. Bungalow courts evolved from the need to lodge wintering Midwest and Eastern tourists who wanted

3 Indeed, the vernacular Modern garden apartment complex at 451 San Vicente Boulevard appears to exhibit a higher level of architectural merit and aesthetic interest for the skill and deftness of its design than the subject property. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 4 small, inexpensive, temporary living accommodations different from hotels. Many of the earliest bungalow courts were located in popular tourist areas such as Pasadena and the Santa Monica area.4 The idea for the bungalow court may have derived from Eastern resort communities where tourist cabins in the woods organized around a central courtyard provided a prototype for the accommodation of more than one dwelling per parcel of land. The court filled a place between the single-family residence and apartment buildings as the simple configuration of a number of units around a common garden area that encouraged a sense of community. Residents encountered each other frequently within the protected environment of their courtyards.

Bungalow courts integrated the automobile without allowing it to dominate the building environment. Typically, parking garages were located at the rear of the property with alleys or side service driveways providing access. This incorporation of the car into the complex was a major departure in the history of residential building and reflects the importance of the automobile in the region’s culture.5

The California climate profoundly influenced the architecture of the region and the bungalow courts were no exception. Single-family houses had capitalized on the use of exterior space before the courts and provided a tradition on which the courts were built. Porches, patios, and balconies all became various ways to amplify interior spaces. Planting in both semi-public and private spaces became a developed art and helped create the overall ambiance of the court. The effect of landscaping was often to heighten the oasis-like quality of the court, further differentiating it from surrounding development. This effect can be seen in the lush landscaping and trees incorporated into the subject property’s courtyard areas.

As a building type, the bungalow court quickly became accessible to small developers. Inexpensive land and typically small units made the bungalow court affordable to build and to rent. The impact of the growing number of real estate developers and speculators grew as more profits led to more bungalow courts, particularly in the 1920s. The Depression brought about a virtual halt in the construction of bungalow courts in much of the Los Angeles region and elsewhere. A few were built in the mid to late 1930s, but for the most part these lacked the characteristics and style that distinguished the earlier courts. Additionally, starting in the 1930s, apartments, which covered a parcel more completely and provided rear, and eventually underground, parking gradually supplanted bungalow courts as the favored multi-family building type. The subject property is indicative of this trend providing landscaped garden areas for the enjoyment of its tenants along with detached rear parking garages. Such a design was consistent with the arrangement of similar multi-family complexes in Santa Monica, particularly along San Vicente Boulevard and Montana Avenue, that appeared from the 1930s through the early 1950s.

4 Byers, Charles Alma. “New Idea in Apartments.” Technical World, Vol. 16, (February 1912). 5 Chase, Laura. “Eden in the Orange Groves: Bungalows & Courtyard Houses of Los Angeles.” Landscape, Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 29-36. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 5 Somewhat unusual is the subject property’s atypical footprint configuration with its modified U-shaped plan. It appears that instead of utilizing the standard “U” configuration of garden apartment buildings of the time period, which would have resulted in a much larger center courtyard, the architect took advantage of the spacious lot size by bending the north end of the west wing into a smaller “U.” As a result, the architect’s design led to a higher density of dwelling units (and a smaller landscaped center courtyard) than was typical for the given lot size. However, in comparison with the apartment building’s vernacular Modern architectural style and high level of integrity, its unusual footprint is not of particular importance to raise it to a level of significance above other similar properties in the area. Current research suggests that the modified U- shaped footprint was neither influential in garden apartment design nor a characteristic associated with the work of Sanford Kent, the subject property architect. Even in considering the building’s footprint, the subject property does not noticeably rise above others located in the immediate vicinity along San Vicente Boulevard to uniquely illustrate the architectural characteristics of the style and type.

As relates to the integrity of the subject property, building permits, a review of Sanborn maps, and physical inspection confirm that its design, workmanship, and materials are intact. Additionally, the location, feeling, setting, and association of the property as a vernacular Modern style garden apartment complex set amongst similar multi-family residential properties of the time period along San Vicente Boulevard remains high. It should be noted that the subject property is not unique in its overall integrity as almost all of the other apartment buildings in the immediate area constructed before 1960 exhibit a similarly high integrity level (see Table 1 on page 14).

In sum, the subject property is a good, but typical, example of the vernacular Modern style as applied to a garden apartment complex on San Vicente Boulevard that exhibits a level of architectural quality and physical integrity consistent with other similar properties along the thoroughfare from the same time period.

Statement of Historical Importance

Santa Monica. In 1875, the original townsite of Santa Monica was surveyed, including all the land extending from Colorado Street on the south to Montana on the north, and from 26th Street on the east to the Pacific Ocean on the west. Between 1893 and the 1920s, the community operated as a tourist attraction, visited by mostly wealthy patrons. Those areas just outside of the incorporated city limits were semi-rural in setting and were populated with scattered residences. After the advent of the automobile in the 1920s, Santa Monica experienced a significant building boom, with homes being constructed in the tracts north of Montana and east of Seventh Street for year-round residents.

Palisades Tract. The Palisades Tract in which the subject property is located offers a remarkably intact ensemble of domestic architecture, primarily dating from the years 1906 to 1930. Established as a tract in 1905, it was laid out with broad, tree-lined streets that

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 6 open onto Ocean Avenue and the Santa Monica Palisades. Seventh Street acts as the visual boundary on the east, although the tract was extended further inland in 1912 and 1913. Few houses face onto 4th Street, which bisects the district and is enhanced by a landscaped median. A circular park forms an island in the middle of the 600 block of Palisades Avenue, apparently intended by the developer to be one of a series of such spaces, although the only one realized.

Shortly after the tract was opened, the area in which it was located, stretching from Montana to Adelaide, was annexed to the City of Santa Monica. From that date, March 28, 1906, building records were kept by City officials and the first application to build was issued to the Alta Santa Monica Company for what is now 401 Marguerita Avenue. However, this was not the first building in the area, according to witness Luther Ingersoll in his Century History of Santa Monica Bay Cities, who assigned the honor of building the “first costly and architectural” residence in the Palisades to H.N. Hammond.

Several prominent members of the community, as well as residents of Los Angeles and Pasadena in search of a seaside summer home, commissioned residences in the Palisades. During the first fifteen years of development many homes were built in the Craftsman mode. The more intense period of construction in the twenties yielded numerous fine revival style homes, most of which were intended for year-round occupation. The work of several renowned architects is showcased throughout the neighborhood, as well as the efforts of several Santa Monica building contractors who had a profound impact on the growth of the City.

San Vicente Boulevard. In terms of concentrations of multi-family properties in the City, based upon tax assessor records and Sanborn map research, it appears that a substantial number of multi-family dwellings situated north of Wilshire Boulevard along San Vicente Boulevard and Montana Avenue had been constructed by 1950. Many more were erected between 1950 and 1960. The market forces and population pressures responsible for the growth of apartment complexes in the area correspond with the time period when Santa Monica’s population grew due to the pre-World War II defense build- up and the boom years after 1945 when the demand for housing exceeded supply. The Douglas Aircraft manufacturing plant in the southeast part of Santa Monica employed large numbers of local residents during the 1940s and into the postwar years. Similarly, the RAND Corporation provided employment to a large number of researchers after World War II. As a result, multi-family dwellings in the area, such as the subject property, were built to house the many professional and blue-collar workers desiring to reside in Santa Monica at that time. Additionally, as city directories for the subject property indicate, retirees and widows were attracted to Santa Monica following World War II and apartment buildings offered suitable accommodations at a reasonable cost. As relates to the subject property, current research efforts did not reveal any specific events marking an important moment in the City’s history associated with the property.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 7

Person(s) of Historical Importance

From the time the subject property was constructed in 1949 to today, Santa Monica city directory records show that the property has remained an apartment complex. Identified in directories as the Teriton Apartments, the subject property was built for original owner Edgar Hillman of Beverly Hills. Hillman does not appear to have occupied the building following its construction but he continued to be listed as the property owner in the 1983 historic resources survey assessment. Current research revealed no relevant information indicating that Mr. Hillman, or subsequent owners Joseph and Lorretta Corrigan, were persons of historical importance.

City directories reveal that the subject property’s residents were mainly professionals including physicians, a tobacco company employee (Liggett & Meyers), a purchasing agent (Douglas Aircraft), numerous insurance agents/brokers, the general manager of the Flex Straw Company, several teachers, engineers, a designer (Packard Bell), a criminologist (Hacker Clinic), an aerodynamicist (Douglas), an accountant, and an office secretary. (See Table 2, City Directory Research). For a property to be considered to be associated with a person of historical importance, the individual must be shown to be significant in our past whose activities are demonstrably important within a local, State, or national historic context.6 Additionally, because apartment buildings are occupied by numerous tenants over the years, for a multi-family property to be considered the residence of a person of historical importance or prominence in the community, the property must be the location associated with the person’s productive life, reflecting the time period when he or she achieved significance.7 Further, the property should be compared to other properties associated with the individual to identify those that best represent the person’s historic contributions.

Based on these criteria, our current research identified only three people who might be considered historically significant, criminologist Marcel V. Frym, who appears in the 1954 and 1958-59 city directories at the subject address, aerodynamicist Ervin D.

6 Based upon this criterion, tenants who were identified as widows, parents, siblings, spouses, or friends of historic personages do not qualify as being historically significant themselves. This would apply to Mrs. Alice Baravalle (widow of Victor Baravalle who was associated with MGM), Ervin D. Thorson (friend of Nobel Prize winner John Nash), John U. Lemmon Jr. (father of actor Jack Lemmon), Pauline Ney (sister of Nobel Prize winner Linus Pauling), and Betty Friedman (sister of the inventor of the Flex-Straw). Additionally, the business or other enterprise associated with an individual must be demonstrably significant to qualify under this criterion. In this case, neither the Flex-Straw Corporation (of which resident Betty Friedman was the general manager), the Doughnut Corporation of America (of which resident John U. Lemmon Jr. was president), nor the slipper company Paddies, Inc. (associated with resident Pauline Ney) meet this criterion. Further, Ms. Ney’s role as one of the founders of the Society of International Numismatics does not appear to rise to the level of importance to qualify as a person of historical importance. 7 Although information provided to the City indicates that Mrs. Sheri Spillane, wife of famed writer Mickey Spillane, occupied the apartment building in 1966, there is no evidence suggesting that Mickey Spillane himself resided in the unit or, if he did reside there, that the subject property is reflective of his most productive years as an author. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 8 Thorson, who is listed as a resident in the 1954 and 1958-58 directories, and music composer Rudolph N. Schrager, who is listed in the 1960-61 directory as a resident of the subject property.

Dr. Marcel V. Frym (1898-1971) was director of Criminological Research at the Hacker Clinic, a Beverly Hills psychiatric institute, from the late 1940s through the 1960s. During this time period, Dr. Frym served as an expert witness on the subject in numerous criminal proceedings in Southern California. He represented the Society for the Advancement of Criminology (SAC) in international conferences in 1951, 1954, and 1958, becoming the organization’s president in 1959. During the 1960s, Dr. Frym was a professor of criminology/psychiatry at the University of Southern California. He was also a member of the California State Commission on Criminal Insanity appointed by Governer Pat Brown. Additionally, Frym’s co-authorship, along with Frederick J. Hacker, of “The Sexual Psychopath Act in Practice: A Critical Discussion,” published in California Law Review, 43:766, in 1955 was referenced in a study of “Washington’s Sexually Violent Predator Law.”8 Nonetheless, during the current survey process, a review of biographical sources and other materials related to the fields of psychiatry and criminology did not uncover sufficient evidence indicating that Dr. Frym was a significantly notable member of his profession.9 However, it is possible that additional research may reveal evidence indicating a higher level of notability during Frym’s years of residence at the subject property.

Information related to subject property resident Ervin D. Thorson appears to be limited to a reference in the book, “A Beautiful Mind” by Sylvia Nasser on the life of mathematician and Nobel Prize Winner John Nash. In Nasser’s book, Thorson is described as “a special friend” of Nash’s who was an aerospace engineer employed by the Douglas Aircraft Company in Santa Monica, a position Thorson held until his retirement in 1968. Thorson is reported to have led a research team that was very likely involved in highly classified Pentagon-related inquiries into interplanetary travel. Unfortunately, due to the classified nature of his work, no additional information was uncovered regarding Thorson to indicate notability meriting recognition of the subject property as the residence of a historic personage.

As relates to Rudolph N. Schrager (1900-1983), current research suggests that his most productive years of work as a film and television composer predated his 1960-61 year of residence at the subject address. Thus, it must be concluded that the subject property

8 The reference to the Frym/Hacker paper appears in a footnote to a document titled “Washington’s Sexually Violent Predator Law: Legislative History and Comparisons with Other States,” by Roxanne Lieb published by the Washington State Institute for Public Policy of The Evergreen State College, December 1996. p.8. 9 Los Angeles Public Library on-line resources consulted include: California Index, Biography and Genealogy Master Index, Biography Resource Center, Current Biography Illustrated, McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, and Criminal Justice Periodical Index. Additionally, the American Journal of Psychiatry index was searched for references to Frym, of which only three appeared as footnotes and none of which was substantive. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 9 was not the location most closely associated with Schrager’s contributions to the entertainment industry.

Subject property architect. Sanford Kent AIA (1918 – 1997) was educated at the University of California at Berkeley, receiving a degree in architecture from the University of Southern California in 1941. Following the establishment of his own architectural practice in Beverly Hills in 1946, Kent’s documented commissions show that he was well versed in applying Modern design tenets to a variety of building types, including single- family residences, apartment buildings, restaurants, and industrial buildings throughout the Los Angeles region.10 Kent’s work in Santa Monica, however, appears to have been somewhat limited. Current research has identified only two properties that were attributed to Kent in Santa Monica: 130-142 San Vicente Boulevard (the subject property) and the adjacent apartment building located at 150-156 San Vicente Boulevard, both of which were erected in 1949.

Although a number of projects for which Sanford Kent served as principal architect were documented in Los Angeles Times articles from the late 1940s through the 1960s, neither Kent nor any examples of his work were included in standard reference books on Southern California architecture written by noted historians Paul Gleye, David Gehard, or Robert Winter. Additionally, Kent was not listed in the book “Modernism Rediscovered,” written by Pierluigi Serrano and Julius Shulman, which is an important compendium of Modern architecture that documents designs by lesser-known architects during the time period that Kent was practicing in the region. As a result, while it appears that Sanford Kent was a talented architect who designed a wide variety of buildings throughout the Los Angeles region, it cannot be concluded that he would be considered an especially notable member of his profession or that the subject property represents the work of a master architect.

As relates to the importance of the subject property’s contractor, building permits for the property indicate that a builder had not yet been selected when the apartment building’s permits were issued in 1949. However, an article dated October 1, 1949 in the Los Angeles Times states that builder Tom Rowley would probably act as the subject property’s general contractor. Additionally, building permits reveal that Rowley was the contractor of record for the adjacent apartment building (150-156 San Vicente Boulevard) designed by Kent in 1949, implying that Rowley was the contractor for both properties. Regardless, current research did not reveal information suggesting that contractor Tom Rowley was a significant or notable builder in Santa Monica or the Los Angeles region.

10 See bibliography for Los Angeles Times references documenting Sanford Kent’s work. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 10

Statement of other significance

No other evidence was discovered in current research of the property to indicate other significance.

Is the structure representative of a style in the City that is no longer prevalent?

The subject property is a good, representative example of the vernacular Modern architectural style as applied to a garden apartment complex within the City of Santa Monica. In reviewing the City’s Historic Resources Inventory and having conducted a windshield survey of the neighborhoods within the vicinity of San Vicente Boulevard and also along Montana Avenue it appears that there are equally good examples of the architectural style and property type that are similar to the subject property. In comparison with the other examples, the subject property appears to be one of many similar properties representative of a style that remains relatively prevalent in Santa Monica.

Does the structure contribute to a potential historic district?

Given the substantial number of vernacular Modern multi-family dwellings exhibiting a high level of integrity located along San Vicente Boulevard between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street, it appears that a potential historic district may exist within these boundaries.

The subject property was previously identified in the City’s on-going Historic Resources Inventory process in 1983, 1985-86, and 1995 as being a contributor to a potential “San Vicente Apartment Courts Historic District.” However, the conclusion of the North of Montana Area Update 2001-2002 was that a historic district did not exist due to the limited number of contributors versus non-contributors and that more research on the building type and time period was needed. As a result, the 2001-2002 survey update recommended that all of the previously identified contributing properties be instead deemed eligible as Landmarks or Structures of Merit. However, there were no other references in the 2001-2002 survey report to support the merits of individual significance for these properties.

In contrast, the conclusion of the current survey process is that, indeed, a viable historic landmark district does appear to exist that possesses a significant concentration of buildings united historically or aesthetically by architectural style or physical development. Specifically, a potential “San Vicente Multi-Family Residential Historic District” appears to exist along both sides of San Vicente Boulevard between First Court and 7th Street comprised of vernacular Modern style multi-family residences, many with Colonial Revival style references, erected between 1937 and 1960, with a high degree of integrity. (See Table 1 on page 14). Additionally, seven newly identified properties

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 11 constructed between 1948 and 1960 have been included as potential contributors to the district. Like the previously identified district contributors, these seven newly identified properties (234, 316, 437-441, 540, 608, 621, and 630 San Vicente Boulevard) exhibit high levels of integrity and appear to meet district eligibility criteria for their architectural style and contribution to the development of the area. Further, the area’s overall setting and feeling has not been substantially compromised by the intrusion of architecturally and historically incompatible condominiums constructed since the early 1960s. As a result, there appears to be an identifiable City landmark district consisting of approximately 23 contributing properties (out of 45) in which the subject property would be considered a potential contributor.

CONCLUSION

In summary, based on current research and the above assessment, the property located at 130 San Vicente Boulevard does not appear to meet any of the City of Santa Monica’s Landmark criteria. The property was evaluated according to statutory criteria as follows:

Landmark Criteria:

9.36.100(a)(1) It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history of the City.

The subject property is a typical, representative example of the vernacular Modern architectural style as applied to a garden apartment complex of the style and type that was popular in Santa Monica from the years following World War II through the early 1960s. Additionally, the property exhibits a high level of integrity of design, workmanship, materials, location, setting, feeling, and association. However, other than its modified U-shaped footprint, the subject property does not differ substantially from, or rise above, other properties of the same type, style, level of integrity, and time period that face San Vicente Boulevard from First Court to 7th Street. As a result, the subject property is not especially unique in exemplifying the social, economic, or architectural history of the City of Santa Monica. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to satisfy this criterion.

9.36.100(a)(2) It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.

The resource does not appear to meet this criterion. As an example of vernacular Modern architecture the building does not fully articulate the key design elements of the idiom to express an ideal of the style. Specifically, the building’s spatial arrangements, massing, fenestration, materials, and overall form, while functionally successful, do not reflect the deft aesthetic hand of a master designer. Therefore, the subject property lacks sufficient aesthetic or architectural value necessary for designation.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 12

9.36.100(a)(3) It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state or national history.

Of the owners and many tenants associated with 130 San Vicente Boulevard, current research suggests that perhaps only Santa Monica resident Dr. Marcel V. Frym would qualify as a historic personage based upon his work in the field of criminal psychology during his years of residence at the subject property. However, insufficient evidence was uncovered during the current survey process to conclude that Dr. Frym attained a high enough level of importance within his profession to meet the threshold of a historic personage under this criterion. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to meet this criterion.

9.36.100(a)(4) It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a period, style, method of construction, or the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship, or is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type valuable to such a study.

The subject property is a good, representative example of a mid-century vernacular Modern garden apartment complex erected along San Vicente Boulevard in Santa Monica. It incorporates the massing, flat roof, stucco exterior finish, metal-framed casement fenestration, corner windows, and general lack of applied ornamentation associated with vernacular Modern architecture of the time period. Additionally, the building is designed to take advantage of landscaped courtyard areas that are typical of garden apartment complexes in the years following World War II. However, as an example of a vernacular Modern garden apartment complex, the property does not noticeably rise above others located in the immediate vicinity such as the apartment buildings located at 150-156 and 451 San Vicente Boulevard. As a result, the subject property is not especially unique in its embodiment of the architectural characteristics of the style and type. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to satisfy this criterion.

9.36.100(a)(5) It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer or architect.

In addition to 130 San Vicente Boulevard, architect Sanford Kent is known to have designed at least one other building in Santa Monica - the adjacent apartment building (150-156 San Vicente Boulevard) that, like the subject property, was erected in 1949. Current research suggests that Sanford Kent was proficient in the application of Modern design tenets to a wide variety of building types in the Los Angeles region, including garden apartment buildings such as the subject property. However, while the subject property appears to be a representative example of Kent’s work, current evidence does not lead to the conclusion that Sanford Kent would be considered an architect of

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 13 significant merit within his profession. Additionally, no information was uncovered during the current survey process to suggest that contractor Tom Rowley, who is presumed to have constructed the subject property, was considered a notable builder in Santa Monica or the Los Angeles region. Therefore, due to the lack of association with a notable builder, designer or architect the subject property does not appear eligible for local landmark designation under this criterion.

9.36.100(a)(6) It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City.

The subject property is located on the south side of San Vicente Boulevard at the corner of First Court. The building’s massing, height, proportions and set back is similar to many other multi-family residences in the area, which does not make it a particularly distinctive or established visual feature of the neighborhood. As a result, the apartment complex located at 130 San Vicente Boulevard blends into the neighborhood and is not especially prominent. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to meet this criterion.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 14 Table 1

SAN VICENTE BOULEVARD MULTI-FAMILY RESIDENTIAL DISTRICT

First Court to 7th Street

Address Property Name Architectural Style Year Integrity Built 123-129 Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1949 High 130-142 The Teriton Vernacular Modern 1949 High 135-143 Vernacular Modern 1948 High 150-156 Overcliff Manor Vernacular Modern 1949 High 201 Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1953 High 211 Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1953 High 212 Streamline Moderne/Regency 1937 High 229 Vernacular Modern 1947 Moderate 234 Villa Vicente Vernacular Modern 1953 High 302-312 Nida Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1941/1955 High 316 The Biarritz Vernacular Modern 1955 High 401-409 Lucille Vernacular Modern 1953 High 415 Monica Manor Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1953 High 421-423 Vernacular Modern 1951 High 437-441 Vernacular Modern 1948 High 445-449 Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1940 High 451 The Seacliff Vernacular Modern 1951 High 515-521 Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1948 High 540 Vernacular Modern 1954 High 608 Vernacular Modern 1955 High 614-618 Vernacular Modern/Colonial Revival 1948 High 621 Vernacular Modern 1960 High 630 The Pacific Vernacular Modern 1955 High

Contributing Properties: 23 (51% of total properties) Non-Contributing Properties: 22 (49% of total properties) Total Properties: 45

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 15 Table 2

CITY DIRECTORY RESEARCH

130-142 San Vicente Boulevard

Year Entry 1952-53 132a: Burchell, Walter T. (Olivette). No occupation listed. 132b: Ward, William P. (Barbara), Liggett & Meyers Tobacco Co. (Los Angeles) 132c: Lerner, Irving (Paula, Lerner’s Yardage – 1425 Wilshire Blvd.). 132d: McGregor, Rodney (Zola), purchasing agent Douglas Aircraft. 134a: Baravalle, Alice Mrs. (widow Victor). No occupation listed. 134b: Thornbury, William G. (Blanche), Thornbury Agency (Insurance, Real Estate) – 164 Marine at Trolleyway, Ocean Park. 134c: Rosenthal, Edythe P. Mrs. (widow David H.). No occupation listed. 134d: Wells, George. No occupation listed. 136a: Hollingsworth, J.D. Mrs. No occupation listed. Louneau, Jeanne A. Mrs. No occupation listed. 136b: Pierson, Ann W. Mrs. No occupation listed. Pierson, Barbara, teacher. 136c: Baumgarten, Henry (Lilly), manager Teriton Development. 136d: Frym, Marcel Mrs. No occupation listed. 138a: Viner, Sidney (Betty L.). No occupation listed. 138b: Bergmans, Carl V. (Patricia M.), figurines – 1808b Stanford. 138c: Kadish, Arnold H. (Elizabeth), physician. 138d: MacGregor, William F. (Margery), insurance broker. 140: Lanes, Frank (Elizabeth V.), Work Rite Manufacturing Co. electrical control switches – 2451 Broadway Santa Monica.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 16

1954 130a: Grobstein, Aaron J. (Berdie). No occupation listed. 130b: Johnson, Diane E. No occupation listed. 130c: Furstman, Jacob M. (Leda S.). 130d: Adass, Maurice (Rose). No occupation listed. 132a: Stephen, Daisy W. No occupation listed. 132b: Dahm, Bernard C. (Jeanne, office mgr. Ernie White Ins. Agency). 132c: Lerner, Irving (Paula, Lerner’s Yardage – 1425 Wilshire Blvd.). 134a: Baravalle, Alice Mrs. (widow Victor). No occupation listed. 134b: Goldberg, Julius H. (Losette). No occupation listed. 134c: Rosenthal, Edythe P. Mrs. (widow David H.). 134d: Friedman, Betty, general manager Flex Straw. 136a: Hodder, Max, salesman. 136b: Hoard, Robert F. No occupation listed. 136c: Baumgarten, Henry (Lilly), manager Teriton Development. 136d: Frym, Marcel V. (Lillian), physician Hacker Clinic - Beverly Hills. 138a: Viner, Sol Sidney (Betty L.). No occupation listed. 138b: Bergmans, Carl V. (Patricia M.), figurines – 1808b Stanford. 138c: Oxtoby, Toby (Lillian), RAND Corporation. 138d: MacGregor, William F. (Margery), agent Wm. Ernst Ins. – Beverly Hills. 140a: Pierson, Barbara, teacher at Garfield School. 140b: Rothman, Ethel M. Mrs. (widow Louis). No occupation listed. 140c: Taylor, Ida M. Mrs. (widow Arthur H.). No occupation listed. 140d: Wells, George I. No occupation listed. 142a: Thorson, Ervin D., aircraft engineer. 142b: Stiebel, Leon. No occupation listed. 142c: Denison, Isobel M. Mrs. (widow P.N.). No occupation listed. 142d: Bryan, Billie M. Mrs. No occupation listed.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 17

1958-1959 130a: Grobstein, Aaron J., (Birdie), retired. 130b: Seelig, William S. (Irmgard A.), designer Packard Bell – West L.A. 130c: Furstman, James M. (Leda), retired. 130d: Vacant 132a: Stephen, Daisy W. Mrs. No occupation listed. 132b: Vacant 132c: Ney, Pauline D., president Paddies Inc. 132d: Vacant 134a: Vacant 134b: Gordon, M. George (Augusta), dentist – 1211 4th Street Suite D. 134c: Rosenthal, Edythe P. Mrs. No occupation listed. 134d: Friedman, Betty, with Flax Shaw [sic]. 136a: Vacant 136b: Lichtenstein, Mildred H. Mrs. No occupation listed. 136c: Baumgarten, Henry (Emily). No occupation listed. Baumgarten, Lilli Mrs., manager Kaufman’s 136d: Frym, Marcel V., (Lillian), criminologist, Hocker [sic] Clinic. 138a: Graveline, F. L. Mrs. No occupation listed. 138b: Whitaker, Helen H. Mrs. music supervisor Manhattan Beach City Schools. 138c: Fleury, Wilfred J. No occupation listed. 138d: Sirengen, F.G. No occupation listed. 140a: Meyers, Robert A. (Carol M.), engineer Lear Inc. 140b: Marx, Sally Mrs. No occupation listed. 140c: MacGregor, Lois. No occupation listed. 140d: Holahan, Thomas. No occupation listed. 142a: Thorson, Ervin D., aerodynamicist, Douglas. 142b: White, James H. (Margaret R.), accountant North American. 142c: House, E. Jeane, office manager L.W. Lawson. 142d: Bryan, Billie M. No occupation listed.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 18

1960-1961 130: Ripps, Essie Mrs., clerk Page Boy Hat Shop. 130d: Slater, Murray. No occupation listed. 130: Furstman, J. M. (Ledea), physician. 132: Stephen, Daisy W. No occupation listed. 132c: Schrager, Rudolph N. No occupation listed. 132: Johnson, Stewart P. No occupation listed. 132d: Lemmon, J.V. Jr. No occupation listed. 136b: Lichtenstein, Mildred. No occupation listed. 138a: Graveline, Minnie M. No occupation listed. 138b: Riddle, John, physician Veterans Administration. 138c: Fleury, Jane C., office secretary Robert M. Aran. Fleury, Wilfred J., (Jane), engineer Hughes. 140: Meyers, Robert. No occupation listed. 140b: Rothman, Ethel M. No occupation listed. 140: Holmen, Thomas. No occupation listed. 140c: Denison, Percy Mrs. No occupation listed. 142c: Hogan, Robert E., personnel manager Packard Bell. 142: Bryan, Billie May Mrs. No occupation listed. 142a: Thorson, Ervin D. No occupation listed. 142: Millman, Sylvia. No occupation listed.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 19 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allmovie.com. http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=2:164666. Regarding Rudolph N. Schrager

Architectural Record. “Suburban Apartment Buildings.” September 1939, pp. 88-107.

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Basten, Fred E. Santa Monica Bay: Paradise By the Sea. Santa Monica: Hennessey + Ingalls, 2001.

Byers, Charles Alma. “New Idea in Apartments.” Technical World, Volume 16, February 1912.

Carley, Rachel. The Visual Dictionary of American Domestic Architecture. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1994.

Chase, Laura. “Eden in the Orange Groves: Bungalows & Courtyard Houses of Los Angeles,” Landscape magazine, Vol. 25, No. 3.

City of Santa Monica Building and Safety Department. Building Permits.

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City of Santa Monica. Historic Resources Inventory Update: North of Montana Area 2001-2002, prepared by Historic Resources Group, March 2002.

City of Santa Monica. Historic Resources Inventory Update, prepared by Parkinson Field Associates, September 1995.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. Architecture in Los Angeles. Salt Lake City, Utah: Peregrine Smith Books, 1985.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. Architecture in Los Angeles. Salt Lake City, Utah: Gibbs Smith Books, 2003.

Gleye, Paul. The Architecture of Los Angeles. Los Angeles: Rosebud Books, 1981.

Gowans, Alan. The Comfortable House: North American Suburban Architecture 1890-1930. Cambridge: The MIT Press, 1986.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 20 Ingersoll, Luther A. Ingersoll’s Century History: Santa Monica Bay Cities. Los Angeles: Luther A. Ingersoll, 1908.

Koyl, George S., ed. American Architects Directory: 1956. New York: R.R. Bowker Company, 1955.

Lancaster, Clay. The American bungalow, common places, Readings in American Vernacular Architecture. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1986. (Reprint from the Art Bulletin, September 1958)

Lieb, Roxanne. Washington’s Sexually Violent Predator Law: Legislative History and Comparisons with Other States. Olympia, Washington: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, The Evergreen State College. Document No. 96-12-1101. December 1996.

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Los Angeles Times. “25 Encino Homes Sold in One Week.” September 12, 1948 p. E1.

Los Angeles Times. “Sex Perverts Pour in Here, Inquiry Told.” December 10, 1948, p. A3.

Los Angeles Times. “No ‘Tricks’ For These Clients.” July 3, 1949, p. H7.

Los Angeles Times, California Living section. “San Vicente Site of New Apartments.” October 1, 1949.

Los Angeles Times. “New Apartment Building Readied.” October 11, 1953, p. E10.

Los Angeles Times. “Restaurant Slated for Shop Center.” May 26, 1957, p. F19.

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Los Angeles Times. “A Successful House on a Problem Lot.” May 4, 1958, p. J20.

Los Angeles Times. “Radcliffe Tour a Blending of House: Design.” April 26, 1959, p. J32.

Los Angeles Times. “New Commission Begins Study of Insanity Laws.” May 6, 1960, p. B6.

Los Angeles Times. “USC Expert Questions Figure on Delinquency.” December 31, 1961, p. 8.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 21

Los Angeles Times. “Taste of San Francisco on Restaurant Row Thursday.” June 6, 1965, p. M27.

Los Angeles Times. “A House Where Two Cultures Merge.” May 13, 1966, p. 16.

Los Angeles Times. “Design Contracts.” July 1, 1973, p. J15.

McAlester, Virginia & Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990.

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The Numismatic Bibliomania Society, regarding Pauline Pauling Emmett (aka Pauline D. Ney). E-Sylum: Vol. 6, No. 43, Octoberr 26, 2003, Article 3.

Polk’s Santa Monica City Directory (various years).

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Robinson, W.W. Santa Monica: A Calendar of Events in the Making of a City. California Title Insurance and Trust Company, 1959.

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Serrano, Pierluigi and Julius Shulman. Modernism Rediscovered. Cologne, GmbH: Taschen, 2000.

Smithsonian Institute. http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d8769.htm. Regarding Betty Friedman.

The Smithsonian Institution: Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention & Innovation. http://invention.smithsonian.org/resources/mind_repository_details.aspx?rep_id=294. Regarding John V. Lemmon, Jr. 130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 22 Storrs, Les. Santa Monica, Portrait of a City, 1875-1975. Santa Monica: Santa Monica Bank, 1975.

Ward, Elva. Building A City: Life in Santa Monica From 1872. A Social Studies Resource Reader for Third Grade. Santa Monica: Santa Monica Unified School District, 1962.

Warren, Charles S. ed. History of the Santa Monica Bay Region. Santa Monica: Cawston, 1934.

Warren, Charles S. ed. Santa Monica Blue Book. Santa Monica: Cawston, 1941.

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Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780: A Guide to the Styles. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1999.

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 23

PHOTOGRAPHS

North and west elevations, looking southeast

North elevation, looking southeast

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 24

North and west elevations, looking southeast

West elevation (from within east courtyard), looking southeast

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 25

East elevation (from within east courtyard), looking west

South and north elevations (from within west courtyard), looking east

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 26

East courtyard, looking south

Secondary (rear) east elevation, looking northwest

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 27

Secondary (rear) south elevation, looking northeast

Enclosed garages, west elevation, looking northeast from First Court

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 28

Enclosed garages and laundry room, south elevation, looking northeast from rear alley

Window detail

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 29

Roof terrace detail

Context view, looking east from San Vicente Boulevard, subject property on right

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 30

150-156 San Vicente Boulevard (Overcliff Manor), north and west elevations, looking southeast

451 San Vicente Boulevard (The Seacliff), south and east elevations, looking northwest

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 31

MISCELLENOUS ATTACHMENTS

Current Tax Assessor Map

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1918-1950

130 San Vicente Boulevard City Landmark Assessment Report page 32 Assessor Map 10/16/2006 04:24 PM

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