Multi-Family Residences Dating from 1905 to 1930 Are Associated with the Architectural Styles and Culture of Early 20Th Century Residential Architecture

City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report

M.S. Hellman Residence 525 Georgina Avenue Santa Monica, California

Prepared for

City of Santa Monica Planning Division

Prepared by

Margarita Jerabek, Ph.D. Amanda Kainer, M.S. Nicole Nietzel, M.A.

PCR Services Corporation Santa Monica, California

February 2015

Table of Contents

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ...... ii B. LOCATION ...... ii C. METHODOLOGY ...... ii A. CITY OF SANTA MONICA ...... iii A. HISTORIC CONTEXT ...... vi 1. Santa Monica ...... vi 2. The Subdivision and Development of the Palisades Tract ...... vi 3. MS Hellman House Construction History ...... vii 4. Maurice S. Hellman ...... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5. Sumner P. Hunt & Stiles Burns ...... x 6. Craftsman Style (1905-1930) ...... xi A. PREVIOUS EVALUATION ...... xvi B. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION, INTEGRITY ANALYSIS, AND SIGNIFICANCE EVALUATION ...... xvi a. Architectural Description ...... xvi b. Integrity Analysis ...... xix c. Evaluation of Local Significance ...... xix C. CONCLUSION ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.

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I. INTRODUCTION

A. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY PCR evaluated the M.S. Hellman Residence at 525 Georgina Avenue against the Landmark Criteria for the City of Santa Monica. Following an intensive pedestrian site survey and historical research, PCR concluded that the subject property was eligible for designation as a Santa Monica Landmark under criteria 1 and 4.

B. LOCATION The M.S. Hellman Residence was constructed circa 1910 in the American Craftsman architectural style. Located within the Palisades Tract on lot 17 of block J on assessor parcel number 4293-004-150, the subject block bounded by Georgina Avenue to the south, San Vicente Boulevard to the north, 7th Street to the east, and 4th Street to the west. Palisades Park is approximately two blocks to the west of the subject property. The Pacific Ocean is approximately one-quarter mile to the west. The subject property lies within a residential neighborhood comprised primarily of one- and two-story single family residences set-back from the street with large front-lawns.

C. METHODOLOGY PCR conducted this assessment to evaluate the existing conditions of the subject property in order to determine its eligibility for designation as a Santa Monica Landmark. A multi-step methodology was utilized to evaluate the property. An intensive pedestrian site survey was conducted to identify and record physical conditions through digital photography and manuscript notes. The physical inspection included examination of the materials and construction techniques, as well as analysis of the construction chronology as evidenced in the existing built fabric. Historical background research included review of available building permits, historic maps, photographs, newspaper articles, and published secondary sources on the history of Santa Monica. PCR contacted the Santa Monica History Museum for additional information on the property and researcher Michael J. Burton was unable to find information about the property in their database. The information collected from these sources was used to assist in the architectural analysis and the evaluation of the building for designation. Ordinances, statutes, regulations, bulletins, and technical materials relating to federal, state, and local historic preservation, designation assessment processes and related programs were reviewed and analyzed. The evaluation criteria of the National Register, the California Register, and the City of Santa Monica were utilized to evaluate the current historical and architectural significance of the property.

The evaluation was conducted by PCR’s historical resources staff Margarita Jerabek, Ph.D., Director/Principal Architectural Historian, Amanda Kainer, M.S., Senior Architectural Historian, and Nicole Nietzel, M.A., Historic Resources Intern, whose qualifications meet the Secretary of the Interior’s professional qualifications standards in architectural history. Professional qualifications are provided in Appendix H.

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II. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

A. CITY OF SANTA MONICA The City of Santa Monica formally initiated a historic preservation program with its 1976 adoption of the Landmark and Historic Preservation Ordinance. Santa Monica Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance was amended in 1987 and again in 1991, to create a more comprehensive preservation program. This ordinance established the Landmarks Commission whose powers include designation of Structures of Merit and Landmarks, and recommendation to the City Council for the designation of historic districts. Furthermore, it identified both obligations required of historic property ownership and a broad range of incentives available to owners of historic properties.

In 2002, the City adopted the Historic Preservation Element of the General Plan. This element includes information about the history and historical development of Santa Monica, establishes a long-range vision for the protection of historic resources in the City of Santa Monica, and provides implementation strategies to achieve that vision. In 2010, the City adopted the updated General Plan Land Use and Circulation Element (LUCE), which includes a chapter on Historic Preservation (Chapter 2.3). The LUCE supplements the City’s existing Historic Preservation Element by actively integrating the preservation of historic resources into planning efforts throughout the City. Chapter 2.3 of the LUCE includes policies to ensure that the City continues to protect what is unique and valued on a citywide and neighborhood level, including Palisades Park and the bluffs; Santa Monica Pier; and neighborhood streetscapes, architecture, and building scale.

Section 9.36.100 of the City of Santa Monica Landmark and Historic Preservation Ordinance authorizes the Landmarks Commission to designate Landmarks or Historic Districts. A geographic area or a noncontiguous grouping of thematically related properties may be designated a Historic District by the City Council. An individually significant property may be designated a Landmark.

Such designations may be made provided that the subject property(ies) meet one or more of the following criteria:

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

2. It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.

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

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.

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

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.

An historic district is defined by the City of Santa Monica as “any geographic area or noncontiguous grouping of thematically related properties that the City Council has designated as and determined to be appropriate for historical preservation pursuant to the provisions of this [ordinance].” In order to be designated an historic district, an area must meet one of the following criteria, outlined in the Santa Monica Municipal Code [§9.36.100(b)]:

1. Any of the criteria identified in Section 9.36.100(a)(1) through (6).

2. It is a noncontiguous grouping of thematically related properties or a definable area possessing a concentration of historic, scenic or thematic sites, which contribute to each other and are unified aesthetically by plan, physical development or architectural quality.

3. It reflects significant geographical patterns, including those associated with different eras of settlement and growth, particular transportation modes, or distinctive examples of park or community planning.

4. It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community or the City. (Prior code § 9607; added by Ord. No. 1028CCS, adopted 3/24/76; amended by Ord. No. 1590CCS § 1, adopted 7/23/91)

Section 9.36.080 of this ordinance recognizes the significance of Structures of Merit. The City Landmarks Commission may designate such structures if the structure possesses one of the following characteristics:

 The structure has been identified in the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.

 The structure is a minimum of 50 years of age and meets one of the following criteria:

– The structure is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type. – The structure is representative of a style in the City that is no longer prevalent. – The structure contributes to a potential Historic District. (Prior code § 9606.1; added by Ordinance No. 1590CCS § 1, adopted 7/23/91).

Section 9.36.080 of the Ordinance recognizes the significance of Structures of Merit and empowers the City Landmarks Commission to designate such structures. Section 9.36.140 of

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the ordinance empowers the Landmarks Commission, or the City Council on appeal, to issue a certificate of appropriateness for any proposed alteration, restoration, construction, removal, relocation, demolition, in whole or in part, of or to a Landmark or Landmark Parcel, or of or to a building or structure within a Historic District.

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III. HISTORIC CONTEXT AND EVALUATION

A. HISTORIC CONTEXT The historic context developed below presents the background necessary to evaluate the historical and architectural significance of the M.S. Hellman Residence located at 525 Georgina Avenue, including the construction and alterations history, the history of the development of Santa Monica and the neighborhoods surrounding the subject property. The period of significance associated with M.S. Hellman Residence is 1910, the date of construction. Research indicates the property is associated with the following historical and architectural themes: Consolidation and Growth of Santa Monica, Subdivision and Development of the Palisades Tract, M.S. Hellman Residence Construction and Occupancy History, Architecture Firm of Sumner P. Hunt & Stilas R. Burns, and Craftsman Style (1905- 1930).

1. Consolidation and Growth of 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 that was visited primarily by wealthy patrons. Areas located just outside of the incorporated city limits were semi-rural in setting and populated with scattered residences. Following the widespread acceptance of the automobile in the 1920s, Santa Monica experienced a significant building boom, with numerous homes constructed in the tracts north of Montana and east of Seventh Street for year-round residents.

2. Subdivision and Development of the Palisades Tract The Palisades Tract neighborhood offers a remarkably intact ensemble of domestic architecture, primarily dating form the years 1906 to 1930. Opened as a tract in 1905 (Appendix A), it was laid out with broad, tree-lined streets that 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 Fourth 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 the city officials, and the first application to build was issued to the Alta Santa Monica Company for what is now 401 Marguerita. 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

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Tract. During the first fifteen years of development, many homes were built in the Craftsman style. The more intensive 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.

Among the architects represented in the area are John Byers (240 and 624 Alta, 547 7th, 300 and 400 Georgina), Robert Farquhar (147 Georgina, 401 Ocean), Marsh and Russell (216 Georgina), Webber, Staunton and Spaulding (317 Georgina), Frederick Roehrig (325 Georgina), Hunt and Burns (525 Georgina), John and Donald Parkinson (701 Ocean), and Greene and Greene (226 Palisades). Several prolific builders, many of whom produced designs from their own offices and others who worked with architects, were involved in the development of the Palisades Tract. During the early years, H. Goetz, was responsible for the construction of numerous residences and institutions (Lincoln High School, North Beach Bath House, Santa Monica City Hall) and worked in the Palisades Tract. Other prolific builders associated with the Palisades Tract included George D. Snyder, W.S. Freeman, and C.B. Powell. In later years, several contractors who had a strong impact on the character of the neighborhood east of 7th Street included C.L. Freeman, Frank Roden, Rose and Rowell, H.E. Werner, and noted Los Angeles builder Frank Meline.

3. M.S. Hellman Residence Construction and Occupancy History

On July 18, 1910, M.S. Hellman filed an application to build a two-story dwelling valued at five-thousand dollars. While the original building permit is unavailable, the Santa Monica building permit ledger (Appendix B) notes the contractor is G.H. Snyder. The 1983 Santa DPR Form prepared for the subject property identifies the architects Sumner P. Hunt & Stilas Burns and notes the residence was mentioned in the Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer on July 9, 1910. However, after searching numerous issues of the Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer this specific citation was not found.1 The subject property and the footprint of the M.S. Hellman Residence, is represented on the 1918 Sanborn, the earliest map available showing the subject property. The 1918 Sanborn map (Appendix C), a detail of the map is included in Figure 1 below, shows the footprint of the subject residence and two ancillary structures located along the north lot line. These two structures appear to be a guest house and storage shed or garage. The footprint of the house appears to be unchanged from today.

1 PCR searched issues of the Southwest Contractor and Manufacturer (volumes 2 to 8 that include years spanning 1909 to 1917) digitized in the Hathi Trust Digital Library, http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/012477768

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Figure 1. M.S. Hellman Property from the Sanborn Map, 1918, Sheet 6 (LAPL)

The original owner of the subject property is listed in the Santa Monica Building Permit ledger as M.S. Hellman. Santa Monica directories list Melville S. Hellman (1890-1967)2 as living at the subject property between 1913 and 1961. Also, the subject property is listed in the United States Census Records for the years of 1920, 1930, and 1940. In 1920 Melville Hellman is listed as occupying the property along with a nurse, in 1930 with a nurse and cook, and in 1940 with a gardener and housekeeper/cook. Census records are provided in Appendix E. In both census entries the occupation field for Mr. Hellman is blank. On his 1917-1918 draft registration World War I card (Appendix F) claimed an exemption from service because he had a “nervous condition, unable to perform military duty.”3 His condition possibly explains why a nurse was listed as living with him on the census records. It appears Mr. Hellman was a banker for a period of time, as noted in the 1915-16 Santa Monica Directory, who was heir to a banking legacy.4 His father, Maurice S. Hellman, a

2 Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000. 3 Registration State: California; Registration County: Los Angeles; Roll: 1531193; Draft Board: 3. 4 Year: 1900; Census Place: Los Angeles Ward 4, Los Angeles, California; Roll: 89; Page: 5A; Enumeration

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pioneer banker, established Security-First National Bank and was eventually became the vice president, chairman of the board and director of the Security Trust & Savings Bank, the director and vice chairman of the board of the Security-First National Bank, and vice president and director of the Title Insurance and Trust Company.5

Following his ownership, the directories list the property as vacant between 1965 and 1966, 1969-1971, and lists M. Anchell as an occupant in 1967 and Donald F. Brannan in 1972.

Almost ten years later, the Santa Monica building permits list Dr. Leo Sario (1916-2009) as the owner of the subject property in 1983. Also, the last building permit on file lists Dr. Leo Sario as the owner in 2001. Born in Finland, Leo Sario (1916-2009) served in WWII where he was recognized as an excellent teacher and officer who made key contributions to the defense of the country, following the war he received his PhD under Rolf Nevanlinna and helped to establish the National Academy of Finland. Moving to the United States during the the 1950s, he worked at Princeton, MIT, Stanford and finally UCLA, from which he retired in 1986. Sario created the theory of principal functions and wrote five major books including Riemann Surfaces with Lars Ahlfors, Classification Theory of Riemann Surfaces with M. Nakai, and Principal Functions with Burton Rodin. During his academic career he also published over 130 research papers and mentored 36 doctoral students.6

There are four building permits on file at the Santa Monica Department of Building and Safety for the subject property, as listed Table 1 below. The first improvement on record is in 1955 for the construction of a detached one-car garage in the northeast corner of the lot and appears to be extant. In 1983, an exterior drain pipe was repaired and an interior wood beam damaged by termites was replaced. The foundation was retrofit with the addition of a new concrete steam, row of girders, and water proofing to the existing raised foundation for an approximate value of thirty-thousand. The 1950 Sanborn Map (Appendix D), the second Sanborn Map on which the house appears, shows that the footprint of the house has not changed since the first 1918 Sanborn Map was created.

Table 1. Building Permits for 525 Georgina Avenue

Permit Issued # Owner Architect Contractor Engineer Valuation Description 2/8/1955 B17189 Jack None Owner None 700 Detached Garage Hellman (20ftx20ft) covered in stucco in the northeast corner of lot

District: 0039; FHL microfilm: 1240089. 5 “Death Takes M.S. Hellman: Pioneer Banker Dies After Week’s Illness,” Los Angeles Times (January 18, 1943): A1. 6 “In Memorium: Leo Sario, Professor Emeritus, 1916-2009,” UCLA Department of Mathematics, http://www.math.ucla.edu/news/memoriam-leo-sario-professor-emeritus-1916-%E2%80%93-2009, accessed February 5, 2015.

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Permit Issued # Owner Architect Contractor Engineer Valuation Description 1/10/1983 55619 Leo Sario None None None 2,500 Repair broken drain pipe under 12ftx20ft gates. Refill with gravel and 4in. thick cement on top

2/1/1983 55659 Sario None John T. Chet Kutik 1,000 Replace beam McLain termite damaged.

8/9/2001 B67559 Dr. Leo None None Andrew 30,000 Add new concrete Sario Chan steam to existing raised foundation, water proof behind basement wall, add new row of girders

4. Architecture Firm of Sumner P. Hunt & Stilas R. Burns Sumner P. Hunt (1865-1938), a well-known civic leader as well as a successful architect for fifty years, was born in Brooklyn, New York. Like many early architects, he did not receive academic training but learned to design by taking on low-level drafting jobs in prominent architectural offices, starting as a teenager in 1879 working for the architectural firm of Clarence B. Cutler in Troy, New York. After relocating to Los Angeles in 1889, he worked for the firm of Caulkin & Haas, before establishing his own office in 1895. One of his most important jobs there was the development of working details and the supervision of construction of the old Los Angeles City Hall. He never worked alone but had a series of partners, including Silas R. Burns (1855-1940) with whom he began an association in 1908. Over the years, his other partners were Theodore Eisen and A. Wesley Eager. However, Burns stayed the longest–continuing in the firm until Hunt’s retirement in 1930. During the early period, Hunt’s firm was responsible for the design of many fine residences in Southern California and “his early influence was largely responsible in directing local domestic architecture from the prevailing milwork type to one of simpler lines.”7 Mr. Hunt was also involved in the planning and design of many schools including a new building for Virgil Avenue Junior High; Louis Pastor Junior High; reconstruction of David Starr Junior High School; and Academic Hall, Scripps College.8

Hunt was a member of the Allied Architects Association and also served as an original member of the Los Angeles City Planning Commission and on the Municipal Art Commission. One of his most valuable contributions was the support of seismic standards to

7 “Obituary: Sumner P. Hunt,” The Bulletin: The Southern California Institute of Architects 3.12 (December 1938:) 2. 8 Henry F. Withey, A.I.A. and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956): 312.

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resist earthquake damage and was on a number of committees, such as the American Institute Committee on Earthquake Hazards. A Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), he was a strong proponent of the restoration of California missions and was one of the founders of the California Landmarks Club. In fact, his residential work often reflected the monumentality and historicity of old pioneer buildings he had seen around Southern California.9

Silas Burns (1885-1940) was a native of Morgantown, West Virginia. After graduation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in 1881 Burns established an architectural firm with Luther Peters in Dayton, Ohio–a partnership that was to last twenty-six years. Burns’ first trip to Los Angeles in 1887 was to serve as supervisor of construction of the National Soldiers’ Home in Sawtelle. He moved permanently to Southern California in 1907 and soon after received his certificate from the State Board of Architecture. In 1907 he entered into a partnership with Mr. Hunt and A. Wesley Eager which became Hunt & Burns after Mr. Eager withdrew in 1910. The firm of Hunt & Burns maintained one of the leading architectural offices in Los Angeles until 1930 when Mr. Burns retired. Like Hunt, Burns was a Fellow of the AIA and was a member of the Engineers and Architects Association of Southern California.10 His obituary published in the Los Angeles Times on August 11, 1940 noted “he was known throughout the country as a designer and builder of military homes, having planned and constructed those of Marion, Indiana; Dayton, Ohio; and West Los Angeles.”11

The Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) lists the most prominent projects of Hunt and Burns in Southern California: The Children's Hospital (1910); Southwest Museum (1914); Los Angeles Country Club (1923); Annandale Country Club; Ebelle Club; and Balch Hall at Scripps College, Claremont.12

Contractor G.D. Snyder Contractor G.D. Snyder is listed in the 1985-86 Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory Survey as the contractor of several other homes in Santa Monica including, 2715-17 Main Street, 133 Wadsworth Avenue,

5. Craftsman Style (1905-1930) The subject property’s architectural style was derived from the Arts and Crafts Movement which originated in England during the second half of the nineteenth century as a reaction to

9 “Obituary: Sumner P. Hunt,” The Bulletin: The Southern California Institute of Architects 3.12 (December 1938:) 2. Henry F. Withey, A.I.A. and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956): 311-312. “Sumner P. Hunt, Celebrated Architect, Taken by Death,” Los Angeles Times (November 20, 1938): 10. 10 Henry F. Withey, A.I.A. and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956): 100-101. 11 “Noted Architect Taken by Death,” Los Angeles Times (August 11, 1940): 6. 12 Henry F. Withey, A.I.A. and Elsie Rathburn Withey, Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased) (Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956): 101, 312.

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nineteenth century industrial culture. The Arts and Crafts Movement called for a return to honesty and utility in design, handcrafted construction, and the use of natural materials. Advocates of the movement in England, including William Morris, argued that relying on handcrafted construction allowed each creation to be an individual work rather than a standardized industrial product. In the United States, the Arts and Crafts Movement included architecture, furniture, and decorative arts. The Craftsman architectural image combines references to the Swiss and Japanese traditions of domestic architecture with the characteristic aesthetic values of the Arts and Crafts movement.

The Swiss Chalet influence on the Craftsman style bungalow emerged from a popular fascination with Swiss and Tyrolean vernacular architecture that developed at the end of the 19th century. During this period, there were several European architectural books that popularized Swiss domestic architecture, including Charakteristische Holzbauten der Schweiz and Der Schweizer Holzstil, both published in 1877 by Ernst Gladbach. Shown in Figure 1 below is an image of a Swiss residence published in Der Schweizer Holzstil. In America, Architectural Record published “The Wooden Houses of Switzerland” in 1897 followed by articles and books such as a “Bungalow in Swiss Chalet Style” article published in the Architectural Record in 1904 and H.L. Wilson’s Bungalow Book of 1908 that included Swiss Chalet designs. By 1913, the Bungalow-Craft Company (Henry Menken) of Los Angeles was illustrating a number of one-and two-story “chalet bungalows” in its annual catalog.13

13 Rodney Douglas Park, “The California Bungalow and the Tyrolean Chalet: The Ill-Fated life of an American Vernacular,” Journal of American Culture 15.4 (Winter 1992): 3, 7.

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Figure 1. Swiss Chalet residence in Canton Berne, Switzerland, from Gladbach’s Der Schweizer Holzstil (Park, Rodney Douglas, The California Bungalow and the Tryolean Chalet, p. 4)

The Craftsman style was adaptable across socioeconomic categories and included both large finely crafted homes for the affluent class, and small modestly built cottages or bungalows for the working class. In contrast to earlier styles, the bungalow was intended for the servant-less household and could be built by either an unskilled builder using plans from books or with kits fully cut and shipped from mail-order houses. The Craftsman style was publicized extensively in lifestyle magazines of the period, which led to a flourishing of pattern books, some of which offered prefabricated “kit” components for on-site assembly such as products by Sears Roebuck and Company and Pacific Ready-Cut Homes. In other examples, architects and master builders used the architectural vocabulary of the Craftsman style to create complex and highly detailed residential architecture.14

The architecture of the American Craftsman style was defined by its use of natural materials, hand craftsmanship, integration into the landscape, incorporation of the climate, and broad horizontality with multilevel eaves. Craftsman style single-family residences were once ubiquitous throughout the United States. However, because of their wide covered front porches, a key design feature that functioned as an outdoor room, Craftsman properties were especially popular in warmer areas of the country, such as Southern California. The typical Craftsman residence is one to one-and-one-half stories in height. Its character defining features include: low-pitched hipped or gabled roofs; wide, overhanging eaves; exposed rafter tails; decorative brackets, knee braces or false beams under gable pitches; full- or partial-front porch with tapered wood posts and/or masonry piers; shingle, clapboard or ship- lap siding; emphasis on natural materials such as stone, handcraftsmanship; emphasis on horizontality in design; and exposed structural members, often used as ornamentation.

As architectural scholar Rodney Douglas Parker explained, “a Key factor in the attraction of Swiss vernacular design was the deep spatial interlock the wide eaves, verandas and balconies typically formed with the natural surroundings.”15 This image applied perfectly to the Arts and Crafts style and mild-California climate. Many of the character-defining features described as Craftsman originate from Swiss vernacular architecture. Character- defining features of representative of the Swiss Chalet architectural style include square floor-plan and massing; low-pitched, front-gabled roof with wide, overhanging eaves supported by decorative brackets or exposed rafter tails; big brackets and knee braces; whimsical balustrades; exposed rafter tails; corbels; and banding. Swiss Chalet residences often give the impression that the galleried second floor is the main floor and the ground floor is secondary.16

14 “Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory,” 1985-86 Final Report. 15 Rodney Douglas Park, “The California Bungalow and the Tyrolean Chalet: The Ill-Fated life of an American Vernacular,” Journal of American Culture 15.4 (Winter 1992): 3. 16 “The Swiss Chalet, 1885-1910,” Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival, http://artsandcraftshomes.com/the- swiss-chalet-1885-1910/, accessed February 4, 2015.

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During the first three decades of the 20th century, the Craftsman style bungalow was common in Los Angeles and the residential neighborhoods of Santa Monica, Ocean Park and Venice. The Craftsman style has a generally recognized national period of significance of 1905 to 1930 during the time when this style was most common.17 Craftsman multi-family residences dating from 1905 to 1930 are associated with the architectural styles and culture of early 20th century residential architecture. They illustrate the broad influence of the Arts and Crafts Movement on the local architects, designers, and builders working in Los Angeles during the first few decades of the 20th century.

Within the Palisades Tract there are many distinctive examples of the Craftsman style, with a high concentration of Craftsman style residence located along Palisades Avenue:

222 Palisades Avenue (1911); 226 Palisades Avenue (1917); 237 Palisades Avenue (1912); 405 Palisades Avenue (1912); 514 Palisades Avenue (1911), 607 Palisades Avenue (1911); 608 Palisades Avenue (1911); 624 Palisades Avenue (1909).

325 Georgina Avenue (1910) Frederick Roehrig, architect; 308 Alta Avenue (1912); 419 4th Street (1922); 435 Georgina Avenue (1913); M.S. Hellman Residence, 525 Georgina Avenue (1910); 607 Georgina Avenue (1912); and 401 Marguerita Avenue (1906).

Of this grouping of Craftsman style houses located within the Palisades Tract it appears the M.S. Hellman Residence is the only residence with Swiss Chalet inspired architectural details. Searching the Santa Monica Citywide Survey Historic Resources Survey of 2010, it appears there are no other examples of Craftsman style residences with Swiss Chalet details recorded in the inventory. PCR found an example of a Swiss Chalet style restaurant located at 2201 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica (Figure 2), however, this building is no longer extant. By searching the Santa Monica Public Library’s historic photograph database, PCR identified two extant Craftsman style residence with Swiss Chalet details located at 842 Second Street and 308 Alta Avenue. Therefore, the subject property appears to an excellent

17 Virginia McAlester and Lee McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1990).

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and rare example of a Craftsman style residence with Swiss Chalet architectural details with a high level of physical integrity in the City of Santa Monica.

Figure 2. The Swiss Chalet Restaurant, 2201 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, 1955 (Ebay Postcard)

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IV. EVALUATION

A. PREVIOUS EVALUATIONS The subject property has been identified and assessed under the City of Santa Monica’s ongoing survey process. The subject property was first recorded in 1985-1986 as part of the Phases 1 and 2 of the City of Santa Monica’s Historical Resources Inventory and was assigned a 5*/5D status code. The property was determined eligible as a contributor to a potential local historic district, “Palisades Tract Historic District,” and was also determined individually eligible as a Santa Monica landmark.18 Most recently the subject property was resurveyed during the 2010 citywide survey update and the eligibility of the subject property was changed to a 5S2, “individual property that is eligible for local listing or designation.” The subject property was removed as a contributor to the potential Palisades Tract district “due to the loss of numerous contributors from demolitions and alterations, Georgina Avenue no longer qualifies for inclusion.”19 The previous evaluations of the subject property are included in Appendix G.

B. ARCHITECTURAL DESCRIPTION, INTEGRITY ANALYSIS, AND SIGNIFICANCE EVALUATION a. Architectural Description The Craftsman style M.S. Hellman Residence with Swiss Chalet inspired architectural details is set centrally on its lot back from the main street (Figure 3). The entrance façade is oriented southeast, parallel to Georgina Avenue. The irregular rectangular plan, two-story house is sided with wooden shingles. The cross-gable roof has overhanging eaves and is clad in composition shingles.

18 Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory: 1985-1986. 19 P. Moruzzi, M. Potter, K. Lain, ICF International, “DPR Form: 525 Georgina Avenue,” Prepared for the City of Santa Monica (December 2007).

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Figure 3. Aerial View of 525 Georgina from the Northwest (Bing)

On the southwest or entry façade (Figure 4), the gable is accentuated with large ornamental brackets. Below this, in the gable pediment are flush vertical boards each with a cutout of a small square at the bottom, a spade at the top, which is connected by a vertical line. The rest of the primary façade is dominated by fenestration. Over each window the wood shingle siding flares slightly, forming a hood over the windows. The second story has a bank of five connected fixed windows (possibly replaced, however no building permits are available to document this alteration) with a long wooden flowerbox beneath, supported by wooden brackets. On either side of this bank of windows are narrower windows of the same height which appear to be casement windows. On the first story, to the south is a tripartite window of a similar style as the second story. To the east of these windows sits the recessed entrance porch (Figure 5), with a cement floor, painted brick barriers, and a painted brick column on the corner. On both the walls of the porch is glass-paned entry door (possibly replaced, however no building permits are available to document this alteration), each flanked on both sides with a window the size of the door.

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Figure 4 (Left). Southwest or entry façade, facing north (PCR 2015) Figure 5 (Right). Southwest façade porch, facing northeast (PCR 2015)

On the northeast façade (Figure 6), similar elements repeat such as the ornamental brackets, carved vertical boards in the gable, and flaring of the siding above the windows. The majority of the windows on this façade are double hung sash windows. There is a porch with sloping roof projecting over the side entry door. This shallow porch has painted brick barriers and slender wood supports. The side door is a glass-paned door flanked by two door-height fixed windows.

Figure 6. Northeast façade, facing southwest (PCR 2015)

The southwest façade (Figure 7) has cross-gable on the rear half of the façade, and a deep overhanging eave on the front half of the façade. The southwest façade has several sets of tripartite windows, and the central tripartite window on the second story is accented with a flowerbox similar to the one seen on the front façade. The rear or northwest façade has a gable to the north with rear entry door and similar features as the other facades.

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Figure 7. Southwest façade, facing north (PCR 2015)

Also on the property is a wooden fence towards the rear of the house, separating the rear of the property from view of the street. There is a cement walkway (later addition) surrounding the house. This walkway also leads up to the house from the southeast corner, where it is highlighted by two low brick partitions that emulate the barriers of the porches on the residence. b. Integrity Analysis The overall appearance of the M.S. Hellman Residence indicates that the integrity is good in terms of location, design, materials, workmanship, feeling and association. There appears to be no major alterations to the residence besides the structural retrofit to the foundation and the possible replacement of windows and doors on the primary façade. However, there are no buildings permits on file documenting window or door replacement. If the windows and doors were replaced, they are compatible replacements to the historic character of the residence and appear to meet Standards. Furthermore, the property retains the major character-defining features of the Craftsman and Swiss Chalet style. As a result of the retention of workmanship, materials, and design, the property continues to convey its historic association with the early settlement and development of Santa Monica and the Palisades Tract, and continues to be a highly intact example of the Craftsman style with Swiss Chalet architectural details. However, the subject residence does not retain integrity of setting, as the parcels adjacent to the subject property have been improved with residence constructed outside of the period of significance of the subject residence and Palisades Tract. c. Evaluation of Local Significance

Constructed in 1910 in the Palisades Tract, the M.S. Hellman Residence was evaluated against the following themes: Consolidation and Growth of Santa Monica, Subdivision and Development of the Palisades Tract, M.S. Hellman Residence Construction and Occupancy History, Architecture Firm of Sumner P. Hunt & Stilas R. Burns, and Craftsman Style (1905- 1930). The M.S. Hellman Residence maintains a high level of integrity from its period of significance, 1910, and is an exceptional example of a Craftsman style residence with Swiss Chalet architectural details. The residence was constructed by G.D. Snyder and the design is attrivuted to the architectural firm of Hunt & Burns. Therefore, PCR recommends that the M.S. Hellman Residence be designated a Landmark by the City of Santa Monica under local Criteria 9.36.100(a)(1) and (4).

The property was evaluated according to statutory criteria, as follows:

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

The M.S. Hellman Residence is an excellent example of the Craftsman style with Swiss Chalet architectural details as applied to a large single-family residence. It retains sufficient contextual and architectural integrity to represent the residential development and architectural history of Santa Monica and the Palisades Tract. The M.S. Hellman

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Residence reflects many of the distinctive features associated with the Craftsman and Swiss Chalet style and period including its massing; shingle siding; cross-gabled roof; prominent front facing gable; overhanging eaves supported by decorative brackets; decorative balustrade supported by large wood decorative brackets; casement and double- hung multi-light windows; and overall high level of craft. Additionally, the subject residence manifests the cultural, social, and economic history of the upscale Palisades Tract. Of the streets located within the Palisades Tract, Palisades Tract has one of the highest concentrations of large-scale Craftsman residences in the City of Santa Monica. The subject residence, originally owned by a wealthy Santa Monica citizen and banker, Melville S. Hellman, constructed by G.D. Snyder, and possibly designed by the prominent architectural firm of Hunt & Burns, The M.S. Hellman Residence manifests the architectural and cultural history of the Palisades Tract and Santa Monica. As an intact and representative example of the Craftsman style, the M.S. Hellman reflects major patterns in the City’s early architectural history and continues to clearly convey the aesthetic and associative principles, values, and deas of the era in which it was constructed. Therefore, the subject property appears 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 have aesthetic or artistic interest or value, therefore the subject property does not appear to meet this criterion.

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

The subject residence was constructed for Melville S. Hellman in 1910. While Mr. Hellman is associated with a prominent family involved in establishing early banks in Los Angeles, he does not appear to be directly tied to the establishment of his family’s wealth or connected to the success of his family’s banking business. It appears he may have been in poor health throughout his life and did not contribute to his family’s banking business. The other owner associated with the M.S. Hellman Residence is Professor Leo Sario, who appears to have owned the house approximately between 1983 and 2001. Professor Leo Sario was a prominent mathematician who taught at UCLA, developed the theory of principal functions, and wrote many academic books and publications. However, it does not appear the academic success of Leo Sario is directly tied to the M.S. Hellman Residence, nor does it appear he altered the subject residence to further his career. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to satisfy 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 M.S. Hellman Residence is an excellent example of the Craftsman and Swiss Chalet style applied to a large single-family residence. It embodies many of the style’s character-

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defining features including its general scale and massing; shingle siding; cross-gabled roof; prominent front facing gable; overhanging eaves supported by decorative brackets; decorative balustrade supported by large wood decorative brackets; and casement and double-hung multi-light windows. The M.S. Hellman Residence is an excellent and rare example of a Craftsman style residence with Swiss Chalet architectural features that has a high level of craft and architectural detailing. While there are a handful of other Craftsman style residences within the Palisades Tract, it appears the M.S. Hellman house is the only residence with Swiss Chalet inspired architectural details and the once ubiquitous style has declined in numbers in recent years. The architectural style also appears rare within the City. As a result, the subject property is therefore representative of a style that is no longer prevalent in Santa Monica. The M.S. Hellman Residence appears eligible under Criterion 4 as a unique and rare example of a stylistic hybrid of the Craftsman and Swiss Chalet styles in Santa Monica.

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.

The subject property does not appear to satisfy this criterion. While the 1983 Santa DPR Form prepared for the subject property identifies the architects Hunt & Burns as designed the subhect residence, there is no primary evidence to support this claim. PCR did not uncover an original building permit, architectural journals, newspaper articles, or other documentation attributing Hunt & Burns to the subject residence. While the Craftsman style residence may fit within the body of Hunt & Burns architectural work, as they designed many grand single- family residences for the wealthy in historic style, without documentation supporting their contribution to the design, the M.S. Hellman Residence does not appear to meet this criterion. Furthermore, the contractor listed in the as contractor appears to have constructed other buildings in Santa Monica, including, 2715-17 Main Street and 133 Wadsworth Avenue, but does not appear to be a notable contractor. Should additional information arise that confirms Burns & Hunt were the architects , the residence would likely satisfy 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 M.S. Hellman Residence is located in the middle of a residential block on the north side of Georgina Avenue. The subject residence blends into the single-family residential streetscape, as the other adjacent residents have similar setbacks and two-story scale. While the subject residence has a distinctive Craftsman style, it does not stand out amongst the other two-story residences lining Georgina Avenue. Therefore, the residence does not have a unique location, singular physical characteristic, or is an established feature of the neighborhood and does not appear to meet this criterion.

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V. BIBLIOGRAPHY

California Historical Resource Status Codes.

City of Santa Monica, Planning & Community Development. “Historic Resources Inventory.” 2008-2010. http://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Historic-Resources- Inventory/.

---. Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update: 2007-2008. Prepared by Jones and Stokes Associates, Inc., March 2008.

---. Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory, Phase I: 1983. Prepared by Paul Gleye and Leslie Heumann, 1986.

---. Santa Monica Historical Resources Inventory, Phase II: 1985-1986. Prepared by Johnson Heumann Research Associates, 1986.

---. Historic Resources Inventory Update: North of Montana Area 2001-2002. Prepared by Historic Resources Group, March 2002.

---. Historic Resources Inventory Update. Prepared by Parkinson Field Associates, September 1995.

“Death Takes M.S. Hellman: Pioneer Banker Dies After Week’s Illness,” Los Angeles Times (January 18, 1943): A1.

“In Memorium: Leo Sario, Professor Emeritus, 1916-2009,” UCLA Department of Mathematics, http://www.math.ucla.edu/news/memoriam-leo-sario-professor- emeritus-1916-%E2%80%93-2009, accessed February 5, 2015.

Ingersoll, Luther A. Ingersoll's century history, Santa Monica Bay cities. Santa Monica: L. A. Ingersoll, 1908.

Los Angeles County Tax Assessor. Property Information Records.

McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.

National Park Service. National Register Bulletin: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington DC: U.S. Dept. of the Interior, National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1990.

“Noted Architect Taken by Death.” Los Angeles Times. August 11, 1940.

Park, Rodney Douglas. “The California Bungalow and the Tyrolean Chalet: The Ill-Fated life of an American Vernacular.” Journal of American Culture 15.4, Winter 1992.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, City of Santa Monica.

525 Georgina Avenue City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report page xxii

Storrs, L.S. Special Report on the Palisades Tract. Prepared for the Santa Monica Planning Commission. Santa Monica, CA: [s.n.], 1989.

The Santa Monica Community Books. (all editions).

Santa Monica Building and Safety Department. Building Permits.

The Santa Monica Blue Book. (all editions).

The Santa Monica City Directory.

Scott, Paula A. Santa Monica: A History on the Edge. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2004.

“Sumner P. Hunt, Celebrated Architect, Taken by Death.” Los Angeles Times. November 20, 1938.

“Sumner P. Hunt.” The Bulletin: The Southern California Institute of Architects Volume 3 Number 12. December 1938.

“The Swiss Chalet, 1885-1910.” Arts & Crafts Homes and the Revival. http://artsandcraftshomes.com/the-swiss-chalet-1885-1910/, accessed February 4, 2015.

U.S. Census. Santa Monica Township, Los Angeles County, California. 1920, 1930, 1940.

Withey, Henry F. A.I.A. and Elsie Rathburn Withey. Biographical Dictionary of American Architects (Deceased). Los Angeles: New Age Publishing Company, 1956.

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VI. APPENDIX

A. Palisades Tract Map 1905

B. 1910 Santa Monica Building Permit Ledger Page

C. Sanborn Map 1918 (sheet 6)

D. Sanborn Map 1950 (sheet 45)

E. U.S. Census Records from 1920, 1930, and 1940

F. 1917-1918 Draft Registration World War I Card

G. Previous DPR Forms

H. Professional Qualifications