APPENDIX B: HISTORIC RESOURCES REPORT Historic Resources Group, Historic Resources Technical Report, Hollywood Citizen-News Building, 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles, October 31, 2018. [This Page Intentionally Left Blank] HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles October 31, 2018 HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 5 1.0 Executive Summary 6 2.0 Introduction 6 2.1 Purpose 7 2.2 Project Team 8 Figure 1: Project Location 9 3.0 Project Description 9 3.1 Project Summary 9 3.2 Use Permitted 9 3.3 Concurrent Application for Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) Status 9 3.4 Parking Provided 10 3.5 Height and Floor Area Ratio (FAR) 11 4.0 Current Setting 12 5.0 Methodology 13 6.0 Regulatory Framework 13 6.1 Historic Designation Programs 16 6.2 Historic Resources Under CEQA 18 6.3 SurveyLA 20 6.4 Hollywood Community Plan 20 6.5 Hollywood Redevelopment Plan 21 6.6 Historic Significance and Integrity HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP 2 25 7.0 Previous Evaluations 26 8.0 History and Description of the Surrounding Area 26 8.1 Description of the Surrounding Area 26 8.2 History of the Surrounding Area 29 9.0 Description of Evaluated Resource 31 10.0 Property History 33 10.1 Alterations 35 11.0 Historic Context 35 11.1 Identification of Historic Contexts 36 11.2 Development of the Early Newspaper Industry in Los Angeles and Hollywood 46 11.3 Development of the Hollywood Citizen-News 51 11.4 Architect Francis D. Rutherford 52 11.5 Art Deco Architecture 53 12.0 Evaluation of Eligibility 53 12.1 Evaluation of Historic Contexts 55 12.2 Evaluation of Integrity 56 12.3 Evaluation of Eligibility 59 12.4 Summary of Evaluations 60 13.0 Discussion of Potential Impacts 60 13.1 Significance Thresholds 61 13.2 Discussion of Potential Impacts 66 13.3 Impacts Analysis Using Los Angeles CEQA Thresholds HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP 3 66 13.4 Summary of Potential Impacts 68 14.0 Mitigation Measures and Recommendations 68 14.1 Mitigation Measures 68 14.2 Recommendations for Future Maintenance 70 Sources 72 Appendix A – Building Permit Chronology 77 Appendix B – Character-Defining Features Inventory 84 Appendix C – State of California DPR Forms 87 Appendix D – Photographs of Evaluated Resource 94 Appendix E – Resumes of Authors/Contributors HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP PREPARED FOR 4 Sheppard Mullin 333 South Hope Street 43rd Floor Los Angeles, CA 90071 Attention: Alfred Fraijo, Jr. HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 5 This report identifies historic resources and analyzes potential impacts in conjunction with the Proposed Project located on the site of the Hollywood Citizen-News Building at 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue in Hollywood. The Project will reuse the existing two-story office building for restaurant uses and an event space/banquet facility. The purpose of this report is to determine if historic resources as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)1 are present at 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, and, if so, to identify potential impacts to historic resources caused by the proposed Project. This report is intended to inform environmental review of the proposed Project. This study included a review of primary and secondary sources related to the development of the Hollywood Citizen-News as well as the newspaper publishing industry in Hollywood and Los Angeles, a field investigation of the Project Site, and analysis and evaluation of the Project Site in consideration of National Register of Historic Places (NRHP), California Register of Historical Resources (CRHR), and City of Los Angeles designation criteria. Based on visual observation of the property, research of primary and secondary sources, and an analysis of the eligibility criteria for listing at the federal, state, and local levels, HRG has determined that the Hollywood Citizen-News Building is eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the California Register of Historical Resources, and for local designation as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. Analysis of potential impacts to historical resources reveals that the Project will rehabilitate a building that is eligible for listing in the National Register, the California Register, and for local listing as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument. With mitigation to ensure that the Project rehabilitation is conducted in accordance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, the Project will avoid significant impacts to historic resources. 1 California PRC, Section 21084.1. HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP 2.0 INTRODUCTION 6 2.1 Purpose The purpose of this technical report is to determine if historic resources as defined by the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)2 are present at 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, and, if so, to identify potential impacts to historic resources caused by the proposed Project. This report is intended to inform environmental review of the proposed Project. Under CEQA the potential impacts of a project on historic resources must be considered. The purpose of CEQA is to evaluate whether a proposed project may have a significant adverse effect on the environment and, if so, if that effect can be reduced or eliminated by pursuing an alternative course of action or through mitigation measures. The impacts of a project on a historic resource may be considered an environmental impact. CEQA states that: A project that may cause a substantial adverse change in the significance of an historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on the environment.3 Thus, an evaluation of project impacts under CEQA requires a two-part inquiry: (1) a determination of whether the project site contains or is adjacent to a historical resource or resources, and if so, (2) a determination of whether the proposed project will result in a “substantial adverse change” in the significance of the resource or resources. This report investigates the proposed Project Site to determine if historic resources exist either within or adjacent to its boundaries and analyzes project impacts for any adverse change in the significance of such resources. This report contains: • A review of the existing property situated on the Project Site • A review of any previous historic evaluations through historic survey, environmental review, or other official action 2 California PRC, Section 21084.1. 3 Ibid. HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP • Analysis and evaluation of any potential historic resources 7 • Review of the required consideration of historic resources under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) 2.2 Project Team Research, evaluation, field inspection, and analysis were performed by Paul Travis, AICP, Principal and Senior Preservation Planner; John LoCascio, AIA, Principal and Senior Preservation Architect; and Heather Goers, Architectural Historian. All are qualified professionals who meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards. HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP Figure 1: Project Location 8 HISTORIC RESOURCES TECHNICAL REPORT Hollywood Citizen-News Building 1545-1551 North Wilcox Avenue, Los Angeles HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP 3.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION4 9 3.1 Project Summary The Project consists of the change of use from an existing two-story office building to a 7,108-square-foot ground-floor restaurant, a 6,667-square-foot ground-floor restaurant, and a 15,788-square-foot flexible event space/banquet facility on the second floor. An existing basement is to remain and serve as back-of-house/storage for the ground floor restaurants. The Applicant will be requesting a Site Plan Review for the change of use which results in a net increase of 1,000 or more average daily vehicle trips. The Project also includes the sale and dispensing of full-line alcoholic beverages for on- site consumption with the operation of the two ground floor restaurants and second floor event space/banquet facility, operated independent of one another. The Applicant requests an MCUB for the three tenant spaces, with operation seven days per week, from 7:00 AM to 2:00 AM daily. The Applicant is concurrently pursuing a nomination of the building as a historic cultural monument (HCM) with the City’s Historic Preservation Commission and the Office of Historic Resources. See Cultural Heritage Commission Case No. CHC-2018-3629- HCM. 3.2 Use Permitted Pursuant to LAMC § 12.16, restaurants and event spaces/banquet facilities are a permitted use as-of-right in the C4 commercial zone. 3.3 Concurrent Application for Historic-Cultural Monument (HCM) Status Concurrently with this MCUP application, the Applicant has submitted and is pursuing an application with the Department of Historic Resources to designate the Citizen News Building as a HCM, subject to approval of the City’s Cultural Heritage Commission. This request for a SPR and MCUP is made in reliance upon approval of the request for HCM status. 3.4 Parking Provided No on-site parking is currently provided or required as part of the change of use of a historic structure pursuant to LAMC § 12.21.A.4.x. As a practical matter, the Applicant recognizes the need to accommodate patrons who travel to the Site by automobile and 4 Project description as provided by the Applicant.