By Erin Maynes Santa Monica
I urge City Council to uphold the landmark status of 2219 Ocean Avenue on Tuesday and deny the University of Illinois Foundation’s appeal to demolish it. Ask anyone who lives in the neighborhood, passes by on Ocean Avenue or simply enjoys our beach, the little yellow cottage between Pacific and Strand has been an unofficial landmark in the neighborhood for decades, especially since it (and) every other one like it has disappeared from the beach front.
It represents the very essence of early Santa Monica, the last original 1900s single-story cottage of its kind left to be seen in full view from the beach. It brings a smile to all who pass, its clapboard siding and simple lines evoking the good old days when Santa Monica was just a humble resort town … In fact, it’s struck such a chord in the community that over 2,400 signatures have been collected in a petition to save it.
Our Landmarks Commission unanimously designated it a landmark. Stripping the cottage of this status would inevitably lead to its demolition, and the end of an era. What a travesty it would be to stroll down Ocean Avenue (Ocean Park’s original Main Street) or the beachfront someday to realize that this unique window into our past has been replaced by cold concrete and steel when it could have been saved … It could easily survive another century, preserving our unique beach heritage and becoming even more special to Santa Monica.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on February 26, 2008. Read the original PDF.