Ostashay & Associates consulting P.O. Box 542 Long Beach, CA 562.500.9451 [email protected] Memorandum To: Steve Mizokami, City of Santa Monica Date: 03/07/2018 From: Jan Ostashay, Principal OAC Re: PRELIMINARY HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT: 2906 Santa Monica Boulevard Introduction At the request of the City of Santa Monica Planning Division, Ostashay & Associates Consulting (OAC) has conducted a preliminary historical assessment of the property referenced above for consideration as a City Landmark. As part of the scope of work, a site visit was conducted and relevant archival material on the subject property was collected and reviewed. This assessment includes a succinct discussion of the survey methodology used, a summarized property description, a brief historic context, and a concise preliminary evaluation for potential individual historical significance. Relevant supporting material has also been included, as applicable. In concluding the preliminary assessment it appears the subject property possess sufficient historical importance and architectural merit to recommend further consideration as a potential City of Santa Monica Landmark. Because of its rare Googie architectural qualities and association with noted master architects Armet & Davis the property may satisfy criteria associated with historical architecture. It is also recommended that as part of any additional investigation of the property’s landmark potential, the status of its historical integrity and a more extensive comparative analysis of extant Googie style coffee shop restaurants remaining in the City be completed. Methodology For this preliminary assessment a site inspection, a review of building permits and tax assessor records, and site-specific research were completed to document the property’s existing condition, develop an appropriate themed-based historic context, and assist in evaluating the residence for potential historical significance. The City of Santa Monica landmark criteria were employed to preliminarily evaluate the significance of the property and its potential eligibility for local city landmark designation. Documentation and evaluation of the property was conducted by Jan Ostashay, principal with OAC, who meets the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications Standards in history and architectural. Property Information Property Site Data. The subject property (APN: 4267-018-026) is sited at the southeast corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Yale Street at the far eastern end of the city boundary. The building under review occupies three tied parcels each measuring approximately 50 feet wide by 146 feet long. 1 PRELIMINARY HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT: 2906 Santa Monica Boulevard According to the assessor records the legal description is described as Serra Vista Townsite, Lots 1, 2, and 3, Block 9. This portion of the Santa Monica Boulevard is comprised primarily of moderate size vernacular style commercial structures of post-World War II vintage with varying degrees of setback from the public sidewalk. Residential development is situated to the south and north of this commercial corridor. Previous Surveys and Evaluations. The subject property has not been previously identified or evaluated for historical significance under any of the City’s past survey efforts. Therefore, it is not currently included in the City’s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) nor is it a designated City of Santa Monica Landmark or Structure of Merit. Property Description. The one-story Googie style coffee shop is of masonry and wood-frame construction. With a rectangular plan, the structure is capped with a front-facing gable roof over the main dining area and a flat roof with parapet over the rear kitchen space. The gable roof features a metal standing seam cover, overhanging eaves, and large exposed “notched” rafter beams. Off the east side of the building is an open dining patio area that is enclosed by a low-rise stucco wall with windbreak glass and covered by are a series of wood-frame outrigger elbows that support a motorized awning system. Access to the dining patio area is via an opening in the patio wall adjacent the front door off the east elevation. The front façade of the building (north) is setback from the sidewalk and faces out onto Santa Monica Boulevard. It is comprised primarily of large fixed-pane glass windows set under an extended eave line. The windows are of varying size and shape to fit within the stuccoed corner piers of the building, the bulkhead base, and arching “boomerang” shape header. Tropical landscape planted within the setback area provides some privacy to the dining guests from the passing public view outside. The side elevations (east and west) of the building under the gable roof portion are basically similar in design and features. Roughly three bays long, a series of large fixed-pane recessed windows set on stuccoed bulkheads define each of the bays along these façade walls. Overhanging eaves with exposed “notched” rafter beams along the edges of the gable roof provide indirect shade to the diners within. Situated within the third bay of both the east and west elevations are metal framed glazed entry doors flanked by glazed sidelights and transoms. The double doors on the east elevation provide access to the coffee shop while the single door on the west elevation is now used as an emergency exit. The back half of these side elevations have been modified by the construction of stuccoed additions. The rear (south) elevation abuts a portion of the parking lot and is utilitarian in design and function. It features stucco sheathed exterior walls; two secondary pedestrian doors for use by the employees; and a tall, dense grouping of shrubs set between the doors. This side of the building is also devoid of fenestration. The site also includes a large paved parking lot and a detached two-story open screened trash enclosure with a storage room overhead. This small structure set at the southeast corner of the lot is rectangular in plan, is devoid of fenestration, has a flat roof, and is sheathed in stucco. An open, exterior metal staircase is attached to the north elevation and leads to a small landing and single entry door into the unit. This structure is semi camouflaged from view by a dense growth of tall shrubs. Decorative, non-original street lamps are “planted” along the perimeter of the parcel to provide 2 PRELIMINARY HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT: 2906 Santa Monica Boulevard lighting of the business at night. At the northwest corner of the lot is a stout square shape pole sign that reads “Coogie’s Café Santa Monica.” Permit History. A review of building permits on file with the City of Santa Monica confirms the construction of the property and other work completed on the site over the years. The permits recorded with the City include the following: YEAR DESCRIPTION OF WORK 1969 Construct new restaurant ($52,000), Armet & Davis, Architects 1969 Pole sign ($4,500), no architect listed 1974 Conversion from Big Boy Jr. to Big Boy ($20,000), Armet Davis Newlove, Architects (Marriott) 1985 Add food bar, remodel kitchen ($9,000), no architect listed (Marriott) 1987 New trash yard and veneer stone where overhead door was removed $7,500), Marriott 1992 Fire damage repair-roof system only ($65,000), Marriott 1994 Interior T.I.; add 1-story storage room, outdoor patio area, and 2-story office space 1,326 sq. ft. ($96,000), James Mount architect 1998 Add motorized awning over existing patio area ($4,000), James Mount, architect Historical Integrity. Though the City of Santa Monica landmark designation criteria does not include historical integrity in its significance criteria it is defined in the ordinance. Historic integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance and is defined as the “authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s…historic period.” A property eligible for local designation must satisfy the applicable significance criteria and retain enough of its historic character and original appearance to be recognizable as a historical resource. The National Register of Historic Places (National Register) and the California Register of Historical Resources (California Register) recognize seven aspects or qualities that, in various combinations, define integrity. To retain historic integrity a property should possess several, and usually most, of those seven aspects or qualities. Thus, the retention of the specific aspects of integrity is paramount for a property to convey its significance. Such consideration of integrity is typically assessed for the exterior of properties. The seven qualities or aspects of historical integrity are defined as follows: • Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred. • Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property. • Setting is the physical environment of a historic property. • Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property. 3 PRELIMINARY HISTORICAL ASSESSMENT: 2906 Santa Monica Boulevard • Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory. • Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time. • Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. In addition, assessing the historic integrity of a rare property type as potentially historic may be considered. A property that appears to be a rare surviving example of its type should have the essential physical features that enable it to convey its historic character or important information. Depending on the circumstance and comparative information of other extant examples a greater degree of alteration or fewer features may be acceptable provided that enough of the property survives for it to be a significant resource.