Local architect designed civic center auditorium
City officials were vindicated Tuesday when the city council upheld a decision to make the Santa Monica Civic Center Auditorium a landmark.
The city council denied an appeal by Councilman Herb Katz of an earlier decision to preserve the exterior and interior of the auditorium at its Tuesday night meeting.
The building’s exterior as well as its lobbies, the interior wood paneling, the main hall floor and the acoustics of the main hall space will be now be considered of historic merit and must be preserved in the future.
However, Katz warned that preserving the interior may handcuff future city councils from modernizing and remodeling the facility. Preservationists said designating the auditorium as a landmark would allow changes to take place, as long as the character of the building is maintained.
“This building is by any definition a landmark,” said landmarks commissioner Ruthann Lehrer. “It has a lot of cultural significance. It’s an icon in Santa Monica.”
Some residents urged the council to hold off on preserving the auditorium until the current Civic Center Redevelopment Plan — which aims to redesign Main Street between Colorado Boulevard and Pico Boulevard — is completed.
They said if the auditorium was preserved, plans for the civic center may have to be drastically altered.
“Why restrict certain buildings for having a specific past that appeals to only a certain group of residents,” said Eric Parlee, a local architect. “This may not be an excellent choice to make in light of changes that are going to be made over the next couple years.”
Bruce Beckett, the son of local architect Walton Beckett who designed the auditorium, asked the council to preserve the building and said the city could still make changes while respecting its historical significance.
“I don’t think anyone would want to restrict the city from updating the acoustics or enlarging the stage,” Beckett said. “Surely, preserving the building will still accommodate change.”
The auditorium hosted the 1966-1967 Academy Awards and over the years many famous musicians, including the Rolling Stones and Bruce Springsteen, played to cheering fans.
But recently the auditorium has been out of commission and mainstream musical acts have moved on to larger venues in the Los Angeles region.
Landmark officials say the building has a unique architectural style, with acoustics designed by a famous UCLA dean. And Beckett is internationally renown for his work on the Capitol Records building and the Hollywood Dome, preservationists said.
Senior staff, after studying the building’s history and hiring an independent consultant to review the building, recommended the council uphold the designation status. They said the landmark designation would not interfere with the current Civic Center Redevelopment Plan.
For example, city officials noted City Hall is a historical landmark and it just underwent an exhaustive remodeling process. They said the historical status of the building did not increase construction costs.
Lehrer said the building also qualifies for the national list of historic places and the Land marks Commission may move forward with placing it on the list.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 11, 2002. Read the original PDF.