A historic apartment complex on San Vicente Boulevard will be designated as a city landmark, despite the wishes of the building’s owner.
The structure at 130-142 San Vicente Blvd. is a pinwheel-shaped multi-family unit constructed in 1949 in modern vernacular style. Originally known as the Teriton, the Santa Monica building was designated by the Landmarks Commission as a landmark parcel, meaning that it will be preserved, maintained and protected as a historical property.
The apartment’s owner, Haim Hashalom, appealed the commission’s decision, but the Council is expected to vote to uphold the building’s landmark status and deny further appeals. The complex was confirmed to hold aesthetic value and manifest elements of the social, economic, and architectural history of the city.
Designed by architect Stanford Kent, the San Vicente apartments are noteworthy in their incorporation of outdoor space, courtyards, and maximization of social interaction between tenants. After Kent’s similar structure on Seventh Street was demolished, 130-142 San Vicente Blvd. became the only property with a pinwheel arrangement in Santa Monica, and one of two such properties in Los Angeles.
The complex has remained almost entirely unchanged since its construction, and exemplifies the clean, sunlight-enhancing style of modern garden apartment architecture that was popular in Santa Monica in the years following World War II through the 1960s.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on July 24, 2007. Read the original PDF.