Commission plans to review Zucky’s sign
By CORTNEY FIELDING Special to the Daily Press
Plans to remodel the long-defunct Zucky’s Deli building were delayed this week when the city nominated the building’s signature sign for landmark status.
The Landmarks Commission on Monday night called for historical preservation of the bright-orange and brown sign, which members say is the most character-defining element of a building that has remained abandoned for more than a decade.
According to chairman Rodger Genser, who was absent Monday night, simply nominating the sign does not automatically render it a Santa Monica landmark. Rather, the structure will be considered for preservation status following a thorough examination by the commission.
If accepted, however, the building’s owners will not be able to alter or change the sign — which bears the Zucky’s name in large burnt-orange letters — beyond such touchups as a fresh coat of paint, said landmarks commissioner Nina Fresco.
“It will become the Zucky’s building,” she said.
The sign, which has stood tall above the building at Fifth Street and Wilshire Boulevard since the 1950s, is the most prominent indicator that a bustling deli once resided there.
The defunct Zucky’s restaurant and coffeehouse was once a Santa Monica staple, a well known 24-hour hangout where residents might spot a local politician or visiting celebrity at any hour of the day. Built in 1954, the building is classified as “Googie” — a style of architecture typified by characteristics such as the use of Palos Verdes stone, bold-colored ceramic tile and an expansive use of plate glass walls.
Zucky’s closed its doors in 1993 and has since remained vacant. And according to city planner Marika Modugno, the building has not been consistently maintained and is the source of many resident complaints. Modugno contends it gets worse every year.
While the building remains empty and dilapidated, the debate over what should be done with the one-time hot spot was renewed earlier this year, when the building’s owners went in front of the Architectural Review Board (ARB) seeking permission to remodel its façade in order to bring new tenants into the space.
However, the building’s owners — Carey Testamentary Trust — were met with opposition from the historic preservation group the Los Angeles Conservancy.
The conservancy opposed modifications to the building, referring to Zucky’s as a cultural icon and one of the last remaining examples of post-war coffee-shop architecture in the city.
The ARB ordered the two groups to work together, and the parties have since reached a consensus.
Fresco said the Landmarks Commission felt the agreement between the conservancy and the building’s owners ensured the “character-defining elements” of the building, such as its signature tile, would be protected.
As a result of the agreement, the commission did not feel it was necessary to pursue landmarking the entire building, said Fresco. The commission voted only to investigate the sign.
Not every commissioner was on board with that line of reasoning. Commissioner and architectural historian Ruthann Lehrer didn’t think it was appropriate to view the building and sign as separate entities, and voted against the proposal.
“That is dismantling the building,” she said.
Although voting to nominate the sign along with the majority of the commission, Fresco also disagreed with the commission’s decision, saying the Zucky’s building has inspired both community and media interest, which indicates it deserves a thorough examination.
Now that the sign has been nominated, the commission must hold a public hearing, after which the commission will consider a report from city staff before making its final ruling.
In a report earlier in the year, staff concluded that neither the building nor the sign needed protection under the California Environmental Quality Act.
But city urban planner Stephanie Reich said staff would look more closely this time around.
Reich said staff did not consider the sign historically significant partly because it did not appear on a 2000 city inventory of meritorious signs. However, that might be an unfair marker, she said, because to be considered for the list, the building’s owner had to nominate the sign. During that time, the Zucky’s building was abandoned.
Although commission members say they do not ultimately know if the sign will be landmarked, they agreed the restaurant’s sign was its most striking element.
City Councilman Kevin McKeown, a liaison to the landmarks commission, spoke on behalf of landmarking the sign and agreed with the commission’s ultimate decision.
“The sign is the thing most people notice when looking at the building,” he said. “That sign is something everyone recognizes.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on April 22, 2005. Read the original PDF.