City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report M.S. Hellman
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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 List of Tables Page Table 1 Building Permits for 525 Georgina Avenue .................................................................................................................... 8 525 Georgina Avenue City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report . ii Table of Contents I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................................................... 1 A. Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................................................... 1 B. Location ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 1 C. Methodology .................................................................................................................................................................................. 1 II. REGULATORY FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................................................................... 3 A. City of Santa Monica ................................................................................................................................................................... 3 III. HISTORIC CONTEXT AND EVALUATION ................................................................................................................... 5 A. Historic Context ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5 1. Consolidation and Growth of Santa Monica ............................................................................................................... 5 2. Subdivision and Development of the Palisades Tract ............................................................................................ 5 3. M.S. Hellman Residence Construction and Occupancy History .......................................................................... 6 4. Architecture Firm of Sumner P. Hunt & Silas R. Burns ........................................................................................... 8 5. Contractor George D. Snyder ............................................................................................................................................ 9 6. Craftsman Style (1905-1930) ........................................................................................................................................ 10 IV. EVALUATION ................................................................................................................................................................... 15 A. Previous Evaluations .............................................................................................................................................................. 15 B. Architectural Description, Integrity Analysis, and Significance Evaluation ..................................................... 15 1. Architectural Description ................................................................................................................................................ 15 2. Integrity Analysis ............................................................................................................................................................... 17 3. Evaluation of Local Significance ................................................................................................................................... 17 V. BIBLIOGRAPHY ................................................................................................................................................................ 21 VI. APPENDIX ........................................................................................................................................................................ 23 List of Figures Page Figure 1. M.S. Hellman Property from the Sanborn Map, 1918, Sheet 6 (LAPL) ............................................................. 7 Figure 2. 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) ................................. 11 Figure 3. The Swiss Chalet Restaurant, 2201 Wilshire Boulevard, Santa Monica, 1955 (Ebay Postcard) ......... 13 Figure 4. Aerial View of 525 Georgina from the Northwest (Bing) .................................................................................... 15 Figure 5 (Left). Southwest or entry façade, facing north (PCR 2015) ................................................................................ 16 Figure 6 (Right). Southwest façade porch, facing northeast (PCR 2015) ......................................................................... 16 Figure 7. Northeast façade, facing southwest (PCR 2015) .................................................................................................... 16 Figure 8. Southwest façade, facing north (PCR 2015) ............................................................................................................. 17 525 Georgina Avenue City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report . i 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, 4, and 5. B. LOCATION The M.S. Hellman Residence was constructed circa 1910 in the American Craftsman architectural style with Swiss Chalet architectural details. Located within the Palisades Tract on Lot 17 of Block J and identified with assessor parcel number 4293-004-150, the subject block is 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 and 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 subject residence for designation under the City of Santa Monica landmark criteria. 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. 525 Georgina Avenue City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report . 1 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