September 29, 2018 Belinda Wilkins 505 Georgina Avenue Santa
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September 29, 2018 Belinda Wilkins 505 Georgina Avenue Santa Monica, California 90402 Historic Resource Assessment Report for 505 Georgina Avenue, Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California Dear Ms. Wilkins: ASM Affiliates, Inc. (ASM) prepared this letter report as an evaluation of the property at 505 Georgina Avenue in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County, California, for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and for City of Santa Monica Landmark recognition. The evaluation has been in response to the nomination of the single-family residence to the Landmarks Commission by the North of Montana. This report was prepared following definitions for historical resources as well as City of Santa Monica Historic Preservation Ordinance and local regulations. ASM evaluated the single-family residence at 505 Georgina Avenue, located in the Palisades Tract in the North of Montana neighborhood of Santa Monica, California (Figure 1). A two-story residence and garage built in 1911, and a pool and pool house built in 1979, occupy the parcel (Assessor’s Parcel Number [APN] 4293-004-023). ASM began the project by reviewing the City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory and determined that 505 Georgina Avenue has been identified as a historic resource in citywide surveys. ASM then conducted an on-site survey of the building, photographing the exterior and the interior of the building as well as its site and accessory structures, and took detailed field notes. ASM also conducted a reconnaissance survey of the immediate neighborhood surrounding the property, and identified comparable properties for the evaluation. To determine whether any owners or occupants of the property were historically significant, ASM obtained a chain of ownership and conducted archival research. ASM did not develop additional historic context for this evaluation for association with significant events but relied on that developed for the City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory Update and Historic Context Statement (ARG and HRG 2018). ASM analyzed the historic significance of the buildings within the appropriate themes established in the citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update and Historic Context Statement. The evaluation was conducted in conformance with NRHP Bulletin #15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, the California Office of Historic Preservation’s Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, and Technical Assistance Series #7: How to Nominate a Resource to the California Register of Historical Resources. As a result of these efforts, ASM recommends that 505 Georgina Avenue is not eligible as an individual resource or for Landmark designation under NRHP/CRHR/Santa Monica Landmark Criteria A/1/1,2, and 6; B/2/3; C/3/4 and 5; or D/4. INTRODUCTION This assessment was prepared by ASM to determine the historical and architectural significance of the single-family residence located at 505 Georgina Avenue (Figures 2-36). This property is not listed in the September 29, 2018 Belinda Wilkins Page 2 of 18 CRHR, it is not a California Point of Historical Interest (CPHI), and it is not a California State Historical Landmark (CSHL). Furthermore, it is not listed in the NRHP. The property was previously recorded in the 2010 Santa Monica Historic Resource Inventory and given a status code of 5S3, meaning appears to be individually eligible for local designation through a survey evaluation. The results of this analysis will assist in the determination of the resource’s eligibility for City of Santa Monica Landmark designation. The report is divided into the following sections: Introduction, Methodology, Historic Context, Survey Findings, Eligibility Criteria, Statement of Significance, and Conclusion. Figures and maps are included as Attachment A, Historic Resources Inventory Form as Attachment B, Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps as Attachment C, Los Angeles County Assessor Inspection Records as Attachment D, and Santa Monica building permits and inspection records as Attachment E. METHODOLOGY Field Survey Methods ASM conducted a historic resource field survey on September 13, 2018, to document the property. The intensive-level field survey was conducted by ASM Architectural Historian Laura Voisin George. During the survey, multiple photographs were taken of the building (interior and exterior) to document the resource and its setting. The building’s plan, architectural features, condition, and historical integrity were noted. To determine whether the building might be associated with a historic district, particular attention was paid to the surrounding neighborhood, and a brief windshield survey was conducted to determine the level of architectural cohesion existing in the area. Archival Research To develop the appropriate historic context from which to evaluate the property, ASM conducted limited archival research, relying on extensive research done for the City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory Update and Historic Context Statement (ARG and HRG 2018). Sanborn Fire Insurance maps of the parcel were located (Attachment C). To determine whether any owners or occupants of the property were historically significant, ASM conducted a chain of ownership and archival research including a review of Santa Monica city directories. The property was then evaluated under the appropriate contexts and themes established in the City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory Update and Historic Context Statement. The Eligibility Criteria and Statement of Significance of the report detail the criteria under which the resource was evaluated, with letters indicating the NRHP or City of Santa Monica Landmark criteria and numbers indicating the parallel CRHR criteria. Additional, ASM contacted a member of the Santa Monica Conservancy on September 27, 2018, to discuss the property. HISTORIC CONTEXT The following historic context includes relevant excerpts from the City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory Update and Historic Context Statement, a report completed by Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group (2018) for the Planning & Community Development Department of the City of Santa Monica City Planning Division. Spanish and Mexican Periods Spanish explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo first encountered California in 1542, claiming it for the King of Spain. More than two centuries later, in 1771, Christian missionaries and soldiers made port and founded September 29, 2018 Belinda Wilkins Page 3 of 18 San Gabriel Arcangel Mission, the fourth of 21 Spanish missions (1769-1823). The mission was relocated to the area that is now San Gabriel in 1776. The City of Los Angeles was founded to the southeast on September 4, 1781. After Mexican independence from Spain in 1821, the process of dismantling of the mission system began to unfold. The missions, including San Gabriel, were secularized by the 1833 Secularization Act passed by the Mexican Congress, which ordered half of all mission lands to be transferred to the Indians, and the other half to remain in trust and managed by an appointed administrator. These orders were never implemented due to several factors that conspired to prevent the Indians from regaining their patrimony. The majority of mission lands were taken from the Catholic Church and granted to individuals who had served as Spanish or Mexican soldiers, settlers, financiers, or who were members of the gentry class. The present city of Santa Monica is sited on portions of the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica, which was acquired in 1838 by Marquez and Reyes families, and the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica granted to Francisco Sepulveda in 1829 (Basten 2001:2-5). During this period, Americans began to settle throughout California. American Period The discovery of gold in northern California in 1848 led to an enormous influx of American citizens in the 1850s and 1860s, and these settlers rapidly displaced the old rancho families. California became a state in 1850. From 1850 to 1870, American settlers and developers acquired much property from the old Californio ranchos throughout southern California due to taxes, droughts, and floods. The Southern Pacific Railroad extended its line from San Francisco to Los Angeles in 1876. Increased travel opportunities allowed newcomers to pour into the Los Angeles area, and the population nearly doubled between 1870 and 1880. In 1886, the completion of the second transcontinental line, the Santa Fe, led to a fare war that drove fares to an unprecedented low. Settlers continued to head west and the demand for real estate skyrocketed. Los Angeles’s population rose from 11,000 in 1880 to 50,000 by 1890. By the 1890s, Los Angeles had developed into an urban center. Founding of the City of Santa Monica In 1872, Colonel Robert S. Baker bought 38,000 acres of the Rancho San Vicente y Santa Monica and also a half-interest in the Rancho Boca de Santa Monica and developed a sheep ranch on the bluffs at the north end of present-day Santa Monica. In 1874, Baker sold a half-interest in his property to Nevada senator John P. Jones in 1874 (Water and Power Associates n.d.). Both men were among the directors of the Los Angeles & Independence Railroad (LA&I), which was chartered in 1874 as a road to silver mines in Inyo County. Santa Monica Bay’s first wharf was built by Baker and Jones (Basten 2001:15), a map of “Santa Monica” was recorded in the Los Angeles County Recorder’s office, and the sale of lots in Santa Monica began shortly before the wharf’s opening in 1875 (Homestead Museum n.d.; Marquez 2004:16). The original townsite was located between present-day Montana and Colorado avenues, and between the ocean and 26th Street. By 1876, 160 houses had been built, as well as numerous squatters occupying tents on the beach (Basten 1974:5). Also opening in 1876 were the first hotel – the Santa Monica Hotel, comprised of two two-story frame buildings each with a wraparound porch, located at corner of Ocean and Railroad avenues (present-day Colorado Avenue) near the LA&I rail line – and the first bathhouse, at the foot of the bluff below the hotel (Marquez 2004:16).