Public input sought for skating symbol
OCEAN PARK LIBRARY — A two-part series of workshops aimed at brainstorming ways in which to commemorate the birthplace of modern skateboarding in Santa Monica is set to begin here tonight.
Community leaders and skateboard advocates have organized the sessions, the second of which will take place on Jan. 25 at the same location, to generate ideas on how best to honor the significant cultural history that occurred as a result of a surf and skate business inside a small rundown building at the corner of Main and Bay streets.
It was in that building, in a small shop called Zephyr and Jeff Ho Productions, where a group of street kids from Dogtown formed the Z-Boys team and helped usher in a new era in the world of skateboarding by introducing a more aggressive style during a competition in 1975.
The building itself became a hot topic in the local community late last year when its longtime owner drew up plans to demolish the structure and erect a mixed-use “green” complex in its stead, potentially eradicating much of the history that occurred at 2001- 2011 Main Street. Those plans have been placed on hold, for now.
Today, surf and skate followers flock to Horizons West Surf Shop, located in the same building where Zephyr and Jeff Ho Productions once did business.
After receiving a push from the Landmarks Commission to explore ways of honoring skateboarding’s history, community activists have decided to host the two-part meeting as a starting point, beginning with this evening’s 7 p.m. gathering.
Juli Doar, the granddaughter of the property owner, will speak tonight about the proposed replacement structure and her commitment to preserve the cultural significance of the building. The new building, which would seek certification by the federal government as an environmentally friendly structure, would include 14 rental units, with retail on the first floor.
Doar has shown interest in welcoming back Horizons West Surf Shop. symbolize the outlaw nature of the skate-boarding culture,” said Abby Arnold on Tuesday. “That is why we’re holding these community meetings — so people can learn about what is planned for the site and give input about how that site will be a permanent landmark for skateboarding culture.”
Similar historical monuments have popped up across Southern California, where buildings have come down. In 2005, a brick wall with a plaque honoring the Beach Boys was erected at the site where their house once stood in Hawthorne.
Ideas have floated around since mid- December when the Landmarks Commission gave the directive to community leaders and activists — like Arnold, an Ocean Park resident who ran for City Council a few years ago — to reach out to the community and gauge the best ways to honor skating history. One suggestion gaining momentum is a mural near the building.
Former Z-Boy Nathan Pratt said he will make an attempt to attend the meeting in two weeks. Pratt worked in the Zephyr store and took over operations when the store closed in 1976. In its place, he opened Horizons West Surf Shop a year later and ran the business until handing the keys over to current owner Randy Wright in 1987. Pratt still owns the licensing rights to the Horizons name.
“I don’t really think the building needs saving per se,” Pratt said on Wednesday. “I don’t consider us as that big of heroes. It’s not the birthplace of a president.”
Pratt believes the best way to commemorate the site’s cultural significance would be to build a skatepark at an existing park on Bicknell Hill.
“There is a park there that is used only by transients,” he said. “Bicknell Hill is where we used to skateboard all the time.”
Arnold and company will be asked to report back to the Landmarks Commission in a few months. The commission is looking to see if there can be a compromise reached between the community and the owner of the building.
“It’s the cultural significance we want to recognize, and if we can find a way to do that through the community group, that will be better than landmarking,” said Nina Fresco, chairwoman of the Landmarks Commission. “If we feel we will lose everything, then we might have to take a different path.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on January 11, 2007. Read the original PDF.