Category: Historic Preservation (Page 2 of 7)

Great Hall-Long Hall dedication in 1938

Dear Mayor Meister, Mayor Pro Tem Shyne, and Councilmembers D’Amico, Erickson, and Horvath —

The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance (WHPA) is grateful to Mayor Lauren Meister for initiating the effort to designate Great Hall/Long Hall and Fiesta Hall as local cultural resources and urges the Council to begin the process by supporting the resolution in Agenda Item 5.B. at your May 2 meeting.

Built as the Community Clubhouse in Plummer Park by the Works Progress Administration in 1937, Great Hall/Long Hall has already earned well-deserved listings on the National Register of Historic Places and the California State Register. And it’s time to make that a trifecta with a local cultural resource listing for this distinctive Spanish Colonial Revival courtyard building.

Across the way from Great Hall/Long Hall stands the younger Fiesta Hall, built in 1949 as an auditorium. The city’s 2016 survey found that Fiesta Hall is both an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style and is significant in the context of Postwar West Hollywood. It, too, merits local cultural resource designation.

The WHPA thanks you for initiating action items that support historic preservation and stands ready to work with all interested parties.

–Victor Omelczenko, Board President

1960s postcard depicting the Thunderbird Hotel, 8300 Sunset Blvd., most recently known as the Standard Hotel

The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance (WHPA) urges the Historic Preservation Commission to affirm city staff’s recommendation to support local cultural resource designation for the property located at 8300 Sunset Boulevard. The WHPA concurs with the findings of applicant Steven Luftman and the organization Save Iconic Architecture regarding this mid-century masterwork.

Formerly known as the Thunderbird Inn and most recently as The Standard, this property retains all seven aspects of historic integrity as defined by the Secretary of Interior Standards for historic preservation. Few structures in our city and adjacent areas retain this much integrity, showcasing a style that is emblematic of a vital and creative Southern California typology.

WHPA understands that there has been a request to delay the HPC’s vote but we believe that such a designation at this time should be considered as a buyer’s incentive. The purchase of an historically designated property could receive valuable tax benefits and major rehabilitation funding in coming years.

The preservation community has learned from past experiences that delays seldom benefit an historic resource. We urge the HPC to recommend to the City Council that it designate 8300 Sunset Boulevard as a local cultural resource in West Hollywood by approving HPC Resolution 22-158 at tonight’s hearing.

927 Palm Avenue (Ed Levin)

For the Public Record Regarding FOPA Appeal of 923 – 931 N. Palm Avenue Project
Item 3.B., West Hollywood City Council Hearing on April 19, 2021

Dear Mayor Horvath, Mayor Pro Tem Meister, and Councilmembers D’Amico, Erickson, and Shyne:

The WHPA asks that you support the appeal of the Friends of Palm Avenue (FOPA) and deny the proposed project because of its massing and height, its look and feel, and its impact on designated cultural resources. Future development on these three remaining contiguous parcels of land from West Hollywood’s historic Sherman era needs to be rethought and a full Environmental Impact Report conducted.

The WHPA believes this is not the right project currently because of serious concerns with the staff report’s reasoning on Pages 10-11 regarding Contention 7. In fact, the WHPA believes that this project does not conform to the Secretary of the Interior standards, especially regarding Standard 9: “New construction needs to be built in a manner that protects the integrity of the historic building(s) and the property’s setting…” (a historic building traditionally surrounded by open space must not be crowded with dense development).

The City Architect and planning staff stated in a report for the July 9, 2020, meeting of the Planning Commission’s Design Review Subcommittee: “From a scale perspective, the building looms over the bungalows, mitigated in part by a step back element at the street facing front of the south leg. The form of the structure is a block mass and it is intended to serve as a backdrop to the historic bungalows.” [emphasis added}

“Looms” and “block mass” indicate issues with the massing and size of the new building as well as with its spatial relationships to the two historic bungalows. The building immediately behind 931 Palm is a four-story apartment building on Larrabee. The distance between that building and the back of the bungalows is 92.5 ft.

However, the proposed L-shaped building is only 10 feet from the back of the designated historic bungalows, further compromising the overall spatial relationships. In fact, the proposed building is 19 TIMES larger in square feet than the existing bungalows.

“Looms” and “a block mass” are not design terms that instill confidence in the preservation community. Let us preserve not only the historic structures themselves but also the last vestiges of the physical and spatial environment of Old Sherman. Please support the Friends of Palm Avenue appeal, deny this project, and request a new development proposal that respects our city’s history and the neighborhood.

8919 Santa Monica Blvd. (WEHOville.com)

During this horrible pandemic when other LGBTQ+ entertainment venues and neighborhood-serving businesses have permanently closed, it’s good to know that Gym Sports Bar and Grill will soon be reopening at a new location in a building which has a place in West Hollywood’s cultural and architectural history. The West Hollywood Preservation Alliance (WHPA) offers the following observations for the Tuesday, March 9, Director’s meeting regarding Item 4.A. 8919 Santa Monica Boulevard (Gym Sports Bar & Grill). The meeting begins at 5 p.m. and can be accessed on Zoom; meeting ID:96166511208

THE FACTS

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Log Cabin Property on Robertson

For the public record and consideration during the City Council’s closed session on Monday, March 1, 2021, the West Hollywood Preservation Alliance submits the statement below.

As it did during the January 21, 2020, closed session of the City Council, the West Hollywood Preservation Alliance (WHPA) again urges the City of West Hollywood to purchase the two parcels of land at 617-621 North Robertson Boulevard. That purchase would help preserve the 2,000+ square foot historic log cabin building that has served the recovery community for many years

Such a purchase would also enable the city to plan for future community uses – perhaps permanent affordable housing or transitional/bridge housing to address the critical issue of homelessness? – on the remaining nearly 13,000 square feet of land that surrounds the building and currently serves as surface parking.

Furthermore, the fact that the city’s 2016 commercial survey considered the log cabin property eligible for historic designation not only on the local level but also on the California Register and the National Register attests to the property’s architectural, social, and cultural significance. It’s that rare “trifecta” of designations that few buildings can achieve.

And we certainly believe that the City Council can proactively initiate action to designate the log cabin as a local cultural resource.

It’s time to make a deal with the City of Beverly Hills and to purchase this precious land that comes with so much history and so much future potential use by the city and its residents.

Plummer Park photo published by Beverly Press

From Beverly Press:

The West Hollywood City Council voted on Feb. 16 to confirm the $9.5 million cost for upgrades to Plummer Park, setting in motion long-awaited plans to upgrade the historic park on the city’s eastside that could start with improvements to the halls and the addition of a dog park.

The item, which was approved unanimously without discussion as part of the consent calendar, directed staff to confirm the costs for the project using redevelopment bonds, while also asking staff to return with further direction.

The $9.5 million estimate includes $3.3 million for upgrades to the Great Hall/Long Hall, between $2.8 and $4.5 million for construction on Fiesta Hall, and between $385,000 and $510,000 for the addition of a permanent dog park area.

WHPA statement to the council on Plummer Park follows:

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NOTICE: Due to the death of community leader Duff Bennett, the public hearing on this project has been rescheduled to Thurs., Nov. 19 at 6:30pm (participation instructions still to come). To see community reaction so far, go to correspondence links within Item 10.B. HERE [PDF]

WEHOVILLE: “With a unanimous vote Thursday night, West Hollywood’s Planning Commission delayed a hearing on a controversial senior living project on Palm Avenue for a month due to the sudden death of the project’s chief opponent.

“Duff Bennett, who has spearheaded opposition to the project for the past four years, died on Monday night after a sudden illness. Others opposed to the project petitioned for the continuance while they grieve Bennett’s death and regroup for their fight against it.”