IN OCEAN PARK’S THIRD STREET Historic District, it’s not what’s up front that counts.
The home at 2617 Third St. is in the heart of the district. It’s a single story, craftsman “front house" built in 1905. The controversy is what the property owner, Mark Woollen wants to build in his backyard: a "modern,” two floor, 1,213-square-foot addition onto a non-historical 1946-era accessory building behind his landmark front house.
Neighbors argue that the large, cantilevered, two-story box proposed for the backyard of his historic California bungalow is inappropriate and not harmonious with the neighborhood. They say it does not conform to the district’s design guidelines for new construction and additions. The project failed to receive Landmarks Commission approval on Jan. 14, so Woolen is appealing his new addition to the City Council, tomorrow night.
Woolen’s neighbors and preservationists want to protect the historic feel of the neighborhood and oppose the project. They claim the neighborhood is under assault from developers and newer homeowners and their architects who are insensitive to the period atmosphere.
Another recent project at 2642 Second St. involves the demolition of a small, period-style, but non-historic bungalow by property owners who want to replace it with a new Modern style house. This two story home with 2,365 square feet of space, a roof deck and a detached two-car garage will go up 23 feet. The project is described as a pair of rectangular boxes clad in tan stucco and wood. Nevertheless, this particular project was approved by the landmarks commission. Neighbors opposing the project appealed the decision to City Council who denied their appeal on Feb. 12.
The historic Ocean Park neighborhood within roughly Second, Third and Hill streets and Ocean Park Boulevard represents architectural styles popular in Santa Monica from 1875 through 1935. In all, 42 structures in the district are original. It’s the Victorian and California Craftsman style bungalows that define the early 20th century feel — an aura which neighbors want to maintain and preserve.
However, the criteria for issuance of a Certificate of Appropriateness for new construction states that the project must be compatible with the scale, materials, and massing of contributing structures in the district. The adopted Ocean Park Neighborhood Development Guide specifies that new construction in the OP Zoning Districts must be International style/modern, craftsman bungalow or Spanish colonial revival/Mediterranean.
Neighbors and preservationists argue that Woolen’s proposed project “damages the character of the district, violates the purpose for creating the district and is incompatible with the district’s dominant architectural character found in its California bungalows.” They maintain that “the Landmarks Commission substituted its own criteria; that new buildings should be ‘of their time’ (a standard not included in the any standards or guidelines relevant to the district) and that the project’s size, massing, style, building shape and materials do not complement the surrounding contributing structures as required by the Neighborhood Design Guidelines."
I personally feel Woollen’s appeal should be denied. A city government that professes to care about Santa Monica’s past should derail this latest threat to the district’s early 20th century integrity (what’s left of it) and character. Santa Monica is a small town physically and the Third Street Historic District is the only neighborhood where there’s any semblance of a historic or period atmosphere.
The architectural style Woollen contemplates for 2617 Third St. may (depending on how one views things) be “technically” appropriate, but my heart and intellect says, “Not." Projects like Woollen’s chip away at the very character of the district, one building, one addition and one remodel at a time.
This raises a much bigger question about our future. Is Santa Monica’s development to serve the community’s residents (read: voters) or will our town become even more of a playpen for the very wealthy and a cash cow for speculators and developers?
However, the only way to end debates on appropriateness is to revise both the Ocean Park zoning codes and the Neighborhood Development Guide to reflect only those architectural styles — Victorian, Gothic, American Colonial Revival, American Foursquare, California Craftsman and Spanish Colonial Revival — which represent the neighborhood’s turn-of-the century development before World War II.
In other words, it’s time to close and lock the door before more cattle sneak out of the barn.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 21, 2008. Read the original PDF.