MAIN STREET In the end, the reports of Dogtown’s death were greatly exaggerated.
The former Zephyr and Jeff Ho Productions surf shop was designated as a cultural and historical landmark on Monday. The Landmarks Commission unanimously voted to save the building from demolition in perpetuity, an incredibly rare move in which a building was preserved not based on its architectural features, but for its cultural significance.
The west wing of 2001-2011 Main Street was the only portion of the structure saved from demolition in the historic designation. It is in the west wing where a group of unknown street kids from Dogtown crafted a new revolutionary style of skateboarding that they introduced during the 1975 Bahne-Cadillac National Skateboard Championship. Many credit the event — also known as the Del Mar Nationals — with jump-starting a revolution in skateboarding, transforming it from a largely recreational activity to an aggressive outlaw sport.
“I’m happy for the city of Santa Monica, glad that they’ve acknowledged the fact the building needed to be saved for historical and cultural value because of the surfing and skating industry that has been a part of Santa Monica for years,” said Jeff Ho, former owner of the old skate shop. “That’s one of the best things... the city has done for the public.”
The Zephyr shop actually took up about half of the west wing. Directly adjacent to the old shop, and also part of the west wing, is the Horizons West Surf Shop. Randy Wright, the owner of Horizons, rents the entire wing and keeps the old Zephyr surf shop as a shrine to the Z-Boys team, selling strictly Z-Boys and Dogtown merchandise.
The parking lot and the east and south wings of the structure will be demolished and converted into 14 units of mixed use multi-family housing units along with a below grade garage that will hold 48 parking spaces. The entire project is expected to be certified for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design by the U.S. Green Building Council.
The east and south wings are currently occupied as artist studios.
Some minor work will be done on the west wing, including a seismic retrofit and dry rot repair. The building will also be brought up to meet ADA standards and will undergo life, fire and safety upgrades to make it safe for the public, said Howard Laks of Howard Laks Architects.
An Environmental Impact Report (EIR) will be conducted to determine the affects the project will have on the neighborhood. The EIR is expected to take anywhere from six to nine months to complete. The project will then go before the Planning Commission for approval and the Landmarks Commission thereafter for a Certificate of Appropriateness, which is required for any work done on a historically designated building.
It was a pleasant conclusion to a story that could’ve ended with the entire structure being demolished, considering that property owner Juli Doar had filed a demolition permit before she was informed of the historic significance of the building in October. She later withdrew the permit.
Former Dogtown skaters and community activists spoke out, demanding the entire structure be saved and arguing that demolition of the building would be a tragedy. Doar initially offered to fund a homage to skating history, suggesting murals and statues.
Following a series of Landmarks Commission meetings and community workshops, Doar came back to the commission last month offering a compromise — keeping the portion of the structure housing the old Zephyr shop and Horizons West Surf Shop, but tearing down the rest.
“It’s been a somewhat time-consuming process for us, but it seems at least we‘re at a point where we can reach a conclusion,” said Ken Kutcher, a land use attorney representing the owner.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 16, 2007. Read the original PDF.