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# The never-before seen
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/the-never-before-seen/
- Published: 2007-12-26T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-24T04:36:30.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Environment, Pier, #archive-import

Buildings weren’t the only structures deemed worthy of landmark status.

The year saw the unprecedented preservation of the largest parcel of green space in Santa Monica — the 26.4-acre Palisades Park — and a call to landmark 153 ficus trees on Second and Fourth streets, which if approved, would be another unprecedented designation.

Formerly known as Linda Vista Park, the 1.5-mile-long open space was designated by the Landmarks Commission in September, unique in that it’s a living monument, sensitive in that it constantly changes as the landscaping grows.

The park, which extends from the Santa Monica Pier to the 200 block of Ocean Avenue, was donated in 1892 by city founders Sen.John P. Jones and Col. Robert Baker on the condition it be used as a park in perpetuity.

“The respect for the beauty of the spot has continued ever since then,” commission Chairman Nina Fresco said in September.

The park has long been an iconic figure in Santa Monica, featured often in commercials and movies, and a popular workout spot for fitness buffs.

Though there are five individually landmarked trees throughout Santa Monica, the Santa Monica Treesavers’ movement to spare downtown ficus trees marks the first time a group has sought to preserve a series of a specific breed of trees.

The issue stems from a controversial downtown streetscape improvement project that would result in the destruction and transplantation of 54 ficus trees from Second and Fourth streets, a move decried by environmental activists and several business owners in the district.

The landmark application, filed in October, was the latest move by the Treesavers to keep the ficus trees intact.

A hearing by the Landmarks Commission is scheduled for January. City staff and consultants are recommending the commission deny the request to landmark.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/122607-13_orig_020.jpg)

GROWING OLD TOGETHER: People take a stroll through Palisades Park on a sunny afternoon in 2002\. (Photo: Photo courtesy)

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on December 26, 2007.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/122607.pdf?ref=smdp.com)