Source: smconservancy.com; photo by Tim Street Porter

Santa Monica, an Abundance of Historic Preservation

by SweisKloss
April 29, 2021

There are a ton of places to admire in Southern California. We have the coast, the mountains, the best weather, not to mention an amazing amount of historic architecture and landmarks. Without question, a favorite city to visit, live, and work is Santa Monica, which is why Abeer chose it as the location for the SweisKloss office—we’ve been in the Central Tower building in DTSM for 20+ years. Many of our staff live here, and if given the chance, they will tell you how much they love it.

Now, did you know that Santa Monica has over 100 designated historic buildings, homes, and landmarks? The first town lots were sold on July 15, 1875; so, you can imagine the amount of historic architecture that has added up over the years. Thanks to the Santa Monica Conservancy, these gems have been mapped out for us. The SM Conservancy is dedicated “to promoting the widespread understanding and appreciation of the cultural, social, economic, and environmental benefits of historic preservation.” Their goal is to closely work with the community to connect everyone to Santa Monica’s heritage.

Most would know the more famous historic landmarks here, such as the Santa Monica Pier, designated in 1976. The Looff Hippodrome at the pier was built in 1916 and was recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1987. But there are numerous homes, buildings, parks that have been designated. Some places on the list include the Aero Theatre, the Art Deco Commercial Building on Wilshire (designed by architect Irvin Goodfellow), the Bay Cities Guaranty Building, the Central Tower, the Charmont Apartments, the Marion Davies Estate (North Guest House), Palisades Park, and on it goes.

In 2020, the President’s Preservation Award went to the Santa Monica Professional Building as part of the Proper Hotel. “This 1928 landmark building has been rehabilitated and adaptively reused as 55 rooms with ground floor commercial space as part of the new Proper Hotel. The five-story building was refurbished, including rehabilitated steel windows and storefronts, restored interior circulation spaces and significant seismic improvements…The project team developed a compatible new structure with a compelling modern expression in harmony with the historic building.” (Cited from the SM Conservancy.)

Preservation awards are given out each year by the SM Conservancy. SweisKloss was honored with a preservation award for the Frederick Monhoff Mid-Century home that we renovated a few years back. We were very proud to receive the award and continue to strive to be a part of the conservation effort. On May 16, 2021, the SM Conservancy will hold their 2021 Annual Meeting and Preservation Awards. This is a free virtual event for all. Click here for more info and to RSVP.