Message from the President |
The recent outpouring of passionate support for revitalization of Santa Monica’s Civic Auditorium—not just as a historic building but as a community asset—makes it clear that people living in Santa Monica have not given up on the potential for this iconic site despite years of neglect and closure. The motive is in the name. To be civic minded is to relate to a city, town, country or to the people who live there.
Today the Civic Auditorium is an endangered building in a precarious situation, despite its landmark status. Welton Becket’s innovative mid-century modern design retains a very high degree of historic authenticity, but the structure is seismically deficient and in need of modernization of its systems which have been neglected since the building’s heyday. In other words, the Civic Auditorium is now neither safe nor practical.
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Since the closure of the Civic Auditorium, community projects have been constructed adjacent to the building following the City’s Civic Center Specific Plan. In addition to the building’s current condition, these projects also complicate potential solutions.
Revitalization is critical. Throughout the City, one can see how historic preservation is the connective tissue between today's urban environment and Santa Monica's roots. The Civic Auditorium is a great example, and its sheer scale makes it hard to ignore. Welton Becket’s spectacular architecture—including its size as both a building and a civic project—is one-of-a-kind in Santa Monica, and its mixed-use program combining the elements of concert hall, theater, trade show and convention center was designed to serve a broad segment of the community.
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The Civic Auditorium was the site of various productions from high profile sporting events to the Academy Awards, and for decades served as an important and inclusive performance venue that attracted the biggest musical acts in the country. |
And we acknowledge that the entire Civic Center is built on land that is recognized as the ancestral home of the Tongva people and the Civic Auditorium itself stands where the Belmar Triangle, a vibrant African American neighborhood, once stood and was demolished to build the venue.
The Civic Auditorium sits vacant because the costs to retrofit and restore the building—including access for all, sustainability in our environment, and technology for 21st century use—are beyond the City's capacity at this time. In October 2022 when the City designated the Civic Auditorium as surplus land, they renewed a process to develop a partnership for a long-term solution as a cultural arts venue.
Initial proposals under the Surplus Land Act require prioritization of housing, education, and recreational use. The City has rejected one offer for housing development by Community Corporation of Santa Monica and the School District is the only remaining eligible party. As the City weighs the District's proposal, which they may accept or set aside in favor of a community process, the Conservancy has identified and made public the preservation goals that any proposal should meet—see our article below.
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It is clear that an operational plan for the revitalization of the Civic Auditorium requires a shift in focus towards civic engagement to be successful. It must also take into account the fiscal and functional feasibility of any solution.
The Santa Monica Conservancy’s mission vis à vis the Civic Auditorium is to help facilitate the development of such an operational plan that presents community-serving programs, preserves the historic authenticity of the site, and is fiscally appropriate and sustainable for the community. The historic authenticity of the Civic Auditorium will go a long way towards connecting community members and telling the full story of Santa Monica.
The Conservancy supports the City’s efforts to find a viable solution that includes a pathway to pay for the extensive rehabilitation, a sustainable financial operating plan, and a commitment of resources that puts the landmark back into service for the community.
Please continue to watch across our communications channels including e-blasts, website, and social media, for more details about the Civic Auditorium’s history, architecture and cultural value, and why it currently deserves our full attention.
Learn More: Click here to browse our new webpage dedicated to the Civic Auditorium, including the first installment of a comprehensive history of the site.
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Sincerely,
Tom Cleys
President, Board of Directors
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About the Conservancy
Founded in 2002, the Santa Monica Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting understanding of the cultural, social, economic and environmental benefits of preserving the historic resources of Santa Monica's unique urban landscape.
Image Credits from Top to Bottom: (1) Photo of the Civic Auditorium by Julius Shulman for Welton Becket and Associates, 1958. Credit: © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2) Aerial view, May 8, 2022. Credit: Google Earth Pro (3) James Brown and Mick Jagger talk during filming of the T.A.M.I. Show rock and roll documentary at the Civic Auditorium in 1964. Credit: Unknown (4) Ad for La Bonita, an African American-owned bathhouse that was located in the Belmar Triangle neighborhood. Credit: Los Angeles New Age newspaper, August 28, 1914 (5) The Civic Auditorium in September, 2023. Credit: Stephen Schafer
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Conservancy Articulates Views on School District's Civic Auditorium Feasibility Study |
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Since making their Civic Auditorium Feasibility Study public in August (click here to download the Study), the School District has been meeting with City Council members in small groups to discuss and answer questions, as well as scheduling outreach presentations with local stakeholder groups. Under the Surplus Land Act (click here to read the City’s FAQS for Designation of the Civic Auditorium as Surplus Land), the City Council will discuss any proposal from the School District in closed session, tentatively at their October 10th meeting. The public could be expected to know more about the District’s proposal after that.
The Conservancy has submitted a letter to the School District to articulate our views on their current Feasibility Study. As part of the letter, the Conservancy has identified the following critical priorities for any proposal for the rehabilitation and revitalization of the Civic Auditorium:
- All of the work must be completed in compliance with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards.
- The landmark must remain under the purview of the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission for design review, following the procedures in the Landmarks Ordinance.
- The property should not be fenced or screened, limiting physical or visual access to the parcel or views toward the Civic Auditorium.
- The building’s cultural and architectural history should be shared through historic programming, school curricula, cultural memory projects and/or interpretive displays at the site.
The Conservancy now adds to that list of priorities that:
- The property should be revitalized consistent with the original public uses of the building – or any compatible community-serving use which can be implemented consistently with the Secretary of the Interior Standards.
Click here to read the Conservancy’s letter in full.
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The Conservancy Welcomes
New Board Member Alec Nedelman!
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Earlier this month, Alec Nedelman was elected to serve as the Conservancy's 11th member of the Board of Directors by a unanimous vote. As a long-standing Conservancy supporter and volunteer, his experience has already proved invaluable to the organization, and we are thrilled that he will assume a position on the board.
Professionally, Nedelman has been a trusted advisor and counselor to real estate clients and for-profit and not-for-profit companies, providing them with the critical thinking needed to reason through unexpected issues and opportunities. He has over 40 years of experience helping clients and companies analyze, structure, negotiate and implement complex commercial transactions, including financings, ground leases, and workouts and restructurings. During that same time period, he has been involved with helping over a dozen not-for-profits with board governance, fund raising, mission fulfillment and retreats.
On his Conservancy involvement, Nedelman says, "If we destroy our history, how are we going to learn from the past? The Conservancy plays a vital role in preservation, adaptive reuse, and education about Santa Monica‘s communal history. As a Board member, I am looking forward to working with the other directors to learn from them and contribute to the Conservancy’s many successful programs."
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Save-the-Date!
Santa Monica Conservancy Holiday Celebration
at the Church in Ocean Park
December 2 from 3-5 p.m.
235 Hill Street, Santa Monica
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The Conservancy has an exciting afternoon in store for our annual Holiday Celebration! We hope you will join us to connect with your fellow members and community partners, as well as to toast the close of our successful 20th Anniversary Campaign. During the festivities, we will debut a new video, produced by our Preservation Next affinity group, to showcase how the next generation is shaping the philosophy and practice of historic preservation.
We are delighted to be meeting at the Church in Ocean Park, whose doors will be reopening this fall after a successful campaign to repair the broken roof! Stay tuned for more details. Photo: Steve Loeper
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The Conservancy would like to take a moment to remember Ruth Smoot, who passed away on August 12th. A dedicated member of this organization since 2010, she was a steward of history, including her own. Her loved ones have noted that "her lifetime journaling serves as a beautiful record of her family's history."
Ruth was a kind, intelligent, and steadfast member of the community. She was a mother and grandmother, and she supported many organizations including the Girl Scouts, YWCA, and Didi Hirsch. An alumna of Stanford, Ruth taught kindergarten and Head Start, and later worked as a paralegal for Lyon & Lyon. She will be missed.
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Conservancy Tours & Events |
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Friday-Monday, from 12-2 p.m.
September 22-25; September 29-30 & October 1-2; October 6-9, 13-16 & 20
No tours October 21-23
415 Pacific Coast Highway
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Enjoy a free tour led by Conservancy docents and learn about the rich history of the Marion Davies Guest House, which was built by William Randolph Hearst for actress Marion Davies. The hottest spot on Santa Monica’s Gold Coast during the 1920s, guests included Charlie Chaplin and Greta Garbo. The 20-minute tours are available on a walk-up basis. Learn more
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First and third Saturdays
of the month at 10 a.m.
October 7 & 21
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Discover the architectural gems and rich history of Downtown Santa Monica on our highly rated guided tour. From Art Deco to Victorian and Romanesque Revival, you’ll explore the various styles that fill the streets of our city. Tours are approximately two hours and cover six blocks. Free for members and $10 for the general public. Register
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2520 2nd Street
*Open during "Open Main Street" on Saturday & Sunday, October 21 & 22*
Wednesday, October 25
Open from 12-2 p.m.
Live Virtual Tour
Saturday, September 30 at 1 p.m.
Sunday, October 15 at noon
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Come and visit the last intact shotgun house in Santa Monica this weekend! Discover the journey of this incredible little house, which was saved from demolition and moved – on wheels – three times before being adapted into our modern-day Center. Learn more
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LA Opera Presents:
Opera at the Santa Monica Pier!
Saturday, September 23
Doors open at 4 p.m.
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Tomorrow, the LA Opera’s opening night of Mozart’s Don Giovanni will be simulcast to large LED screens at the Santa Monica Pier. The opera begins at 6:00 p.m. but doors open at 4:00 p.m. for pre-show activities and performances including family-friendly arts and crafts, a balloon artist, a beer garden and food vendors. The event is free and no tickets are required but guests are encouraged to sign up in advance. Register
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The Westside Chamber Orchestra Makes its Debut!
St. Paul's Luthern Church
958 Lincoln Blvd.
September 23, 7-10 p.m.
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The Santa Monica Youth Orchestra introduces a new, professional ensemble: The Westside Chamber Orchestra, led by conductor Brian Stone! The Orchestra makes its debut tomorrow night at St. Paul's Lutheran Church. A stop on the Conservancy’s 2017 Sacred Places tour, St. Paul’s has been serving the Santa Monica community for one hundred years. The program features Mozart’s Symphony No. 40, Beethoven’s Carolina Overture and Schoenberg’s Transfigured Night. Tickets
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Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties, with Jon Wiener
Presented by the California Historical Society
Live webinar on September 26, 2023, at 5:30 p.m. PST.
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With their 2020 bestselling book Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties (Verso), Jon Wiener and Mike Davis co-authored the first comprehensive movement history of Los Angeles amid the upheaval of the 1960s. In this talk, Wiener discusses sixties movement politics, the result of the extensive archival research, scores of interviews, and personal histories that he and Mike Davis gathered for their book. Register
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Santa Monica Conservancy
310-496-3146
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