City of , Department of City Planning Office of Historic Resources

APRIL 2014 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2

SurveyLA Releases Historic Resource Findings for Brentwood and Pacific Palisades

The findings for SurveyLA, the Los Angeles Historic the original vision of Brentwood Park, one of Brent- Resources Survey, continue to be posted on the Survey- wood’s earliest subdivisions. LA web site at www.preservation.lacity.org/survey/ reports Among the 405 S. Cliffwood Ave., latest results to be post- a 1911 home that is an ed is the survey cover- excellent and rare ex- ing the Brentwood- ample of Craftsman Pacific Palisades Com- architecture in Brent- munity Plan Area on wood and one of the the Westside of Los earliest residences re-

Angeles, neighbor- maining in the area. hoods that are rich in resources associated Arnold Schoenberg with notable architects Residence,116 N. as well as significant Rockingham Ave., the local history. This arti- long-time home of cle is the eighth in a Austrian composer and series of features on painter Arnold Schoen- some of the interesting berg during the produc- “finds” from Survey- tive period of his pro- LA. 405 S. Cliffwood Ave. (1911) in Brentwood fessional career. Schoenberg was an Brentwood important member of the European Jewish émigré com- munity that developed on the Westside of Los Angeles 564 N. Cliffwood Ave., a 1927 house that is an excellent during and after World War II. example of Tudor Revival architecture and represents (Continued on page 2) OHR Launches New Web Information on HPOZs

The Office of Historic Resources (OHR) ing frequent visitors, such as homeown- Inside This Issue: is pleased to announce the re-launch of ers, architects, and contractors, through the Historic Preservation Overlay Zone the HPOZ process. The home page fea- (HPOZ) section of the OHR website. tures a drop-down menu directing visi- Schindler’s Only Church The new site, which was launched during tors to a new information section that Reopens 4 April, can be viewed here: http:// provides additional links, good examples www.preservation.lacity.org/hpoz. of successfully completed HPOZ pro- jects, and an overview of HPOZ pro- HPOZ intern Blair Smith and City Plan- cesses. City Earns A+ for Historic ner Michelle Levy have restructured the Preservation 5 website to improve access to important The Information for Property Owners program information while also catering section of the site is intended to accom- to the HPOZ program’s largest audience modate both HPOZ novices and ex- – property owners within HPOZs. perts. A section titled How to Submit a Along with providing important infor- Project for HPOZ Review provides a L.A.’s Newest Historic- mation about the application process, the step-by-step guide to researching proper- Cultural Monuments 6 site has been reorganized into a clear, ty information and composing and sub- user-friendly format, geared toward guid- (Continued on page 5) Page 2 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 SurveyLA Brentwood/Pacific Palisades Findings

(Continued from page 1) lived here with his family from 1938 to 1939. Shirley Temple Residence, 231 N. Rock- In 1940, the house was opened to the public ingham Ave., a 1935 house that is an excel- as a demonstration model for his Riviera lent example of French Norman Revival resi- Ranch residential development. In 1983-85, dential architecture, designed by noted May designed an addition for subsequent Westside architects John Byers and Edla owner, actor Robert Wagner. This house has Muir, and the home of child star Shirley been called the most significant ranch house in America, as it Temple during the height of her career, from age 7 to 17. most fully embodies Cliff May's design ideas.

Grace Samuel House, 579 N. Bundy Dr., Old Ranch Road Residential Historic an excellent example of an Early Modern District, a neighborhood, planned and house in Brentwood, designed by master constructed by Cliff May, for ranch-style, architect Lloyd Wright. equestrian-oriented living, with expansive lots that followed the natural curve of the Welton Becket Residence, 515 N. Bun- existing road, lush landscaping, mature dy Dr., a 1938 American Colonial Revival oaks and sycamores, bridle paths, and home designed and owned by noted ar- room for individual stables and corrals. Local residents have chitect Welton Becket. recently prepared a nomination of Old Ranch Road (Sullivan Canyon) as a California Register historic district. At the far north end of the road, 2200 Old Ranch Road, is the Mandalay Kerr House, 428 N. Carmelina, a 1934 Gate House; site of Cliff May House No. 5 (a.k.a. "Mandalay"), home that is an excellent example of Mon- the last personal home of Cliff May. While May died here in terey Revival architecture, designed by not- 1989 at the age of 80, and the 7,000 sq. ft. residence was demol- ed Westside architects John Byers and Edla ished in 1994, the original gate house is extant. Muir. 11957 Kiowa Ave., a 1956 Mid-century “W” House, 13400 Chalon Road, a 1961 Modern multi-family residential building that Modern house that is a unique example of a includes a mural, called “Fantasy hillside home in Brentwood and the work of Landscape,” by noted artist and designer master architect Harry Gesner. Evelyn Ackerman.

Nelson Eddy Residence/Fred MacMur- Zukin Estate Tower, 12001 Sunset Boule- ray Residence, 467 Halvern Dr., an excel- vard, a unique example of a residential tow- lent example of late American Colonial Re- er that may be the only remnant of the vival residential architecture and the work of 1920s estate built by apparel magnate Jo- architects Marston & Maybury. This resi- seph Zukin, later owned by singer Grace dence was constructed in 1940 for singer/ Moore, and then by actor Tyrone Power. In actor Nelson Eddy, who commissioned the firm to build a home 1947, Marymount Junior School was estab- that resembled the St. George Tucker House, one of the finest lished on this site; it is now Brentwood examples of Colonial architecture in Williamsburg, Virginia. School, West Campus.

Cliff May House No. 2, 1867 N. Mande- Pacific Palisades ville Canyon Rd., a 1937 house that was the first home May built for his family in Los 1024 N. Chautauqua Blvd., a 1924 Ameri- Angeles, representing May's early develop- can Foursquare home that represents the ment of the ranch house as a residential original vision of Founders Tract No. 1, the building type that would proliferate through- first tract laid out by the Pacific Palisades out the region in the following decades. Association, founders of Pacific Palisades. In 1920, representatives of the Southern Cali- Cliff May House No. 3/Riviera Ranch Model Home, 1500 fornia Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, led by Old Oak Road, the third home of master architect Cliff May; he (Continued on page 3) Page 3 VOLUME 8, ISSUE 2 SurveyLA Brentwood/Pacific Palisades Findings

(Continued from page 2) between 1979 and 1982 for the architect and his family. Reverend Charles Scott, came to the area in search of a place to build a West Coast Chautauqua movement, with an adjacent 421 N. Entrada Dr., Canyon School residential community for members, on 1,068 acres, including Schoolhouse, an extremely rare example of Temescal Canyon and the mesa to the east. a 19th-century schoolhouse in Los Ange- les, which may be one of only three re- Reverend Dr. Charles Scott House, 631 maining schoolhouse buildings in the Los N. Via de la Paz, a 1923 Spanish Colonial Angeles Unified School District. This Revival home that represents the original schoolhouse was originally constructed in vision of Founders Tract No. 2, one of the 1894 and has been moved twice on the first tracts laid out by the Pacific Palisades current property. In 1966, it was renovated to be the library for Association. Canyon School and was subsequently rebuilt with structural up- grades. Pacific Palisades Community United Methodist Episcopal Church, 801 N. Via Kaplan Residence, 516 N. Latimer, a 1973 de la Paz, a 1929 Spanish Colonial Revival house by architect Michael Leventhal, incor- building that is known as "the church that porating old pieces of wharfs and houses to founded Pacific Palisades,” established by create an interesting and complex new de- Rev. Dr. Charles Scott. sign.

Lee Burns Residence, 230 N. Amalfi Dr, a Bundy Ranch, 401, 457 Mesa Rd. Bundy distinctive 1974 Post-Modern house de- Ranch, family residence of Los Angeles signed by master architect Charles Moore. developer Frank Bundy, who purchased 13 Burns taught at UCLA’s School of Architec- adjoining hillside lots and constructed im- ture and Urban Planning in the 1970s. provements, including paths, wells, a reser- voir, and an open-air amphitheater. Over Benny Goodman Residence, 945 N. Corsica time, two Spanish style houses were con- Dr., a 1928 Spanish Colonial Revival residence structed during the 1920s at opposite ends of the parcel, one for associated with musician Benny Goodman, Bundy and his wife, the other for their daughter and her hus- known as the “King of Swing.” band.

708 House/Moss Residence, 708 El Medio Edward Weston Residence, 446.N. Mesa Ave., an excellent example of Post-Modern Rd., a 1923 Spanish Colonial Revival resi- residential architecture and an important early dence that was the home and portrait studio work by master architect Eric Owen Moss – a of noted photographer Edward Weston from 600 square-foot expansion and complete re- 1934-1937; some of Weston’s most famous model of a 1948 Case Study House, completed (Continued on page 4)

What Is SurveyLA? SURVEYLA: THE LOS ANGELES HISTORIC RESOURCES SURVEY PROJECT is the first-ever comprehensive invento- ry of our city’s historic resources. The survey findings will have a multiplicity of benefits and uses: it will help direct future growth, shape the revision of Los Angeles’ 35 Community Plans, streamline environmental review processes, provide opportunities for public educa- tion, assist in disaster planning, and spur heritage tourism and the marketing of historic neighborhoods and properties. The J. Paul Getty Trust and the City of Los Angeles have entered into a grant agreement for SurveyLA under which the Getty has committed to providing up to $2.5 million to the project, subject to matching requirements by the City. Field surveys and evaluations will occur through 2015. The Getty Conservation Institute (GCI) is also providing technical and advi- sory support for SurveyLA. For more information visit the SurveyLA website, www.SurveyLA.org. Page 4 Volume 8, Issue 2 SurveyLA Brentwood/Pacific Palisades Findings

(Continued from page 3) ocean view apartment on an upper floor, while an exclusive Hol- lywood Club called Joya occupied the rest of this floor. works were completed at the home. Doc Law’s Drugstore/the Friendship/ Henry Miller Residence, 444 N. Ocampo, The Hideout, 110 W. Channel Rd, a very a 1946 American Colonia Revival/Monterey rare example of Mimetic architecture in Revival house that was the home of writer Los Angeles. The building, originally con- Henry Miller from 1963 until his death in structed in 1923 for a drugstore, acquired 1980. its mimetic façade from a shipwreck in the 1930’s. It is also associated with the LGBT community in Santa Salka and Berthold Viertel House, 165 N. Monica Canyon, as the location of the gay bar "S.S. Friendship" Mabery Rd., the long-term home of promi- by the 1960s. The bar was fictionalized as the "Starboard Side" nent members of the German Jewish intelli- in Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel A Single Man. gentsia who hosted a weekly salon for the émigré community at this residence every Uplifters Historic District, which en- Sunday from the late-1930s to the late- 1940s. compasses 46 parcels in the Rustic Canyon Guests included émigrés such as Thomas Mann and Berthold area, including streets with cobblestone Brecht, members of the entertainment industry such as Charlie retaining walls, the absence of sidewalks Chaplin and Greta Garbo, and other prominent intellectuals, and streetlights, lush natural landscaping including Christopher Isherwood. with many mature trees, and a period wooden sign for “Uplifters Ranch” sus- Thelma Todd’s Sidewalk Café, 17575 Pa- pended over Latimer Road. The Uplifters were a selective social cific Coast Highway, a rare example of a club that had grown out of the Los Angeles Athletic Club 1920s neighborhood commercial building in (LAAC), originating with LAAC member Harry Marston Halde- Pacific Palisades. Built in 1928 in a Spanish man. The Uplifters’ clubhouse now serves as the Rustic Canyon Colonial Revival design by noted Westside Recreation Center; it was designated a Los Angeles Historic- architect Mark Daniels, the building served as Cultural Monument in 1999. The former Uplifters cottages, a shopping center for the nearby Castellammare housing devel- many of which reverted to private ownership by the late 1930s, opment. In the early 1930s, actress Thelma Todd opened a res- are now private residences. taurant on the ground floor of the building; she lived in an Schindler’s Only Church Reopens

The Office of Historic Re- restrictive housing cove- sources was pleased to par- nants. The church had sat ticipate in an April 12 open vacant and graffiti-covered house to celebrate the reo- for many years, before be- pening of the former Beth- ing leased recently by Faith lehem Baptist Church, His- Build, a congregation previ- toric-Cultural Monument ously based in Watts, that #968, designated in has begun to restore the 2009. Bethlehem Baptist building. Faith Build will be was the only church de- holding services at the signed by master architect church every Sunday at R.M. Schindler, and opened 11:00am, and all guests are in 1944 at 4901 S. Compton welcome. The OHR thanks Ave. to serve a small Afri- and congratulates Faith can-American congrega- Build, led by Pastor Melvin tion. The building is re- Photos by Robert Mace Ashley, for its commitment markable as an example of Modernist architecture that managed to and stewardship of this important architectural resource. cross Los Angeles' racial and economic boundaries during the era of Page 5 Volume 8, Issue 2 City of Los Angeles Earns A+ for Historic Preservation

The Los Angeles Conservancy in March released its 2014 Preser- The only blemish on Los Angeles’ total report card score (245 vation Report Card, last updated in 2008, evaluating the historic out of a possible 250 points) was the City’s lack of a Historic preservation programs of the 89 local jurisdictions in Los Ange- Preservation Element in its General Plan, though preparation of les. The City of Los Angeles was one of only eight Los Angeles an Historic Preservation Element does remains a longer-term County cities to receive a letter grade of “A+”. goal of the OHR.

The Conservancy’s scoring recognized the comprehensive na- To review the entire report card report and summary of each ture of the City of Los Angeles’ preservation program, including: local jurisdiction, visit https://www.laconservancy.org/report- its historic preservation ordinances, dedicated historic preserva- card. tion commission, dedicated staff for historic preservation in the Office of Historic Resources (OHR), active landmark designa- Many thanks to the Los Angeles Conservancy for this recogni- tion program, ability to designate historic districts, the compre- tion, as well as to the dedicated staff of the OHR and the City’s hensive and ongoing citywide survey of historic resources elected officials, past and present, for their consistent support in through SurveyLA, the Mills Act incentive program, other signif- building a comprehensive historic preservation program for Los icant historic preservation incentives including the Adaptive Re- Angeles. use Ordinance, and the City’s Certified Local Government status for historic preservation.

OHR Launches New Web Information on HPOZs

(Continued from page 1) The property owners section of the site also features a guide to mitting an HPOZ application. It explains how to use the Zoning HPOZ review procedures, which will help applicants determine Information and Map Access which review process their pro- System (ZIMAS), how to navi- ject will be subject to and how gate HPOZ Preservation Plans, to apply the Preservation Plans and how to create an applica- Design Guidelines. To help tion. The Initial Screening illustrate and highlight the qual- Checklist, which is featured on ity of HPOZ projects, we have the HPOZ homepage, collects created a Successful Projects and organizes project specific section, which features exam- information for the initial ples of new construction, addi- HPOZ consultations. Since its tions and remodels that were launch last November, it has conforming and compatible in been a helpful tool in gathering scale, massing, and form with material and expediting the historic buildings in their dis- application process. Applicants tricts. can use the checklist to detail site-specific conditions and The OHR hopes that with the- describe any changes they are hoping to apply for; once com- se changes, the web site will help visitors gather the information pleted, the completed checklist is automatically forwarded to the and resources they need to answer any questions, as well as edu- assigned HPOZ staff. cate community members on the preservation practices upheld by the HPOZ Unit. We welcome your feedback on the new site!

Office of Historic Resources Office of Historic Resources Staff: HPOZ Unit: City Hall, Room 601 Department of City Planning Ken Bernstein, Manager Michelle Levy, City Planner 200 N. Spring Street, Room 620 Janet Hansen, Deputy Manager Nora Dresser, Planning Assistant Los Angeles, CA 90012 Lambert Giessinger, Preservation Architect Kimberly Henry, Planning Assistant (213) 978-1200 Edgar Garcia, Preservation Planner Shannon Ryan, Planning Assistant Nels Youngborg, Student Professional Worker Steven Wechsler, Planning Assistant

Page 6 Volume 8, Issue 2 L.A.’s Newest Historic-Cultural Monuments

The Cultural Heritage Commission and City Council have desig- of Mrs. Willis Hunt, a widow who was downsizing and wanted a nated five new Historic-Cultural Monuments (HCMs) between comfortable floor plan. The home combines the irregular form January 1 and April 5, 2014. Los Angeles’ newest Monuments and sprawling composition of the Traditional Ranch style with include the following: the more formal decorative elements of the Regency Revival style. The structure represents a pivotal moment in Williams’ HCM #1061, Abraham Gore career, when he was beginning to experiment with and publish Residence (2208 N. Catalina books about design of the “Small House,” adapting the detail St.) Built in 1927 in Los Feliz, and quality of his earlier, large custom homes to a smaller, more this two-story single-family informal Ranch House appropriate to the client's needs and residence in Los Feliz, de- changing times. signed by architect Harry B. Aarens, exhibits character- HCM #1064, Abichan- defining features of the Medi- dani Residence terranean Revival style. The (7129 La Presa Dr) main entrance is topped by a Built in 1970 in the Holly- large conical roof tower flanked by two protruding wings, with a wood Hills, this two-story smaller, octagonal tower located directly behind the main tower. single-family residence Significant interior spaces include a rotunda with stained glass exhibits character- windows. The property's original owner, Abraham Louis Gore, defining features of the was a movie executive and owned several movie theaters. Mid-Century Modern style. The home has a HCM #1062, Roberta rectangular floor plan with horizontal massing, visible structural Apartments ( 24 26 - elements, and a flat roof with open, overhanging eaves. The 2430 4th Avenue) house was designed by Carl L. Maston, a notable architect within Built in 1921, this two-and- the Los Angeles area, whose works include the Hillside House a-half-story multi-family (HCM #668), the Cal Poly Pomona College of Environmental residential building within Design building, and the Chiat House in South Pasadena. The the West Adams Terrace landscaping was designed by renowned landscape architect Em- Historic Preservation Over- met L. Wemple, whose notable works included the Getty in lay Zone (HPOZ) is a well- Malibu and . preserved example of the French Eclectic style. Symmetrical in desiqn, the building has an open center courtyard, a steep hipped HCM #1065, McTer- roof with seven hipped dormers in the attic, and centered arched nan Residence (2226 gate entrance flanked by small ornamental windows. The build- N. Wayne Ave) ing was designed by architect Edward Butler Rust, who was the Built in 1960, this two- architect of several other buildings in West Adams, as well as story residence is an Wilshire Boulevard’s Los Altos Apartments (HCM #311). excellent example of Mid-Century Modern HCM #1063, Hunt Resi- architecture. The home dence (7 Oakmont Drive) features extensive use of This Brentwood residence, a glass sliding doors and one-story custom-design floor-to-ceiling win- home from 1940, was de- dows, exposed posts and beams, squared geometric features signed by master architect made of wood, brick, and stone, and a Japanese-influenced gar- Paul R. Williams. Williams den. David Hyun was the home’s architect; Hyun was responsi- had a prolific career in Los ble for several Modernist residences in Los Angeles but is per- Angeles and was the first haps best known for his firm's design and development of Little African American Fellow of Tokyo’s Japanese Village Plaza. The subject home was designed the American Institute of Architects. Williams’ design for the for civil rights attorney John T. McTernan, who defended ac- residence exhibits the informality of new suburban lifestyles in cused communists and labor leaders during the era of McCarthy- Southern California, while also specifically addressing the needs ism and won several prominent civil rights cases.