SM Landmarks Commission to Consider Historic District for 11th Street Bungalows

On Monday, November 12th the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission will decide whether to designate a handful of Craftsman-style bungalows on 11th Street to become the City's fourth historic district. Commissioners will meet at 7:00pm in City Council Chambers, 1625 Main Street in Santa Monica. Mid City Neighbors, a neighborhood organization, filed the nomination application which includes bungalows built in the first two decades of the 1900s located on the 1200 block of 11th Street (south of Wilshire Boulevard) with a few more around the corner on Arizona Avenue. The neighborhood association partnered with local residents and preservationists to conduct the research which shows the importance of these homes, the people who lived in them and their place in the city's history.

This neighborhood is comprised of modest, well-built and well-designed bungalows for the middle class residents who began to populate the City of Santa Monica in the early 20th century, unlike those who previously came to enjoy the city for temporary recreation. The five buildings are pristine, intact and stand where they were originally built, evoking a bygone era.

"A historic district can stabilize entire blocks to the benefit of tenants, owners, residents and visitors," says Mario Fonda –Bonardi, AIA architect and vice chair of the Planning Commission. "These houses are at risk for demolition, yet they represent a significant part of the city's history-a place where the workers who built this city once lived."

The community is strongly encouraged to attend. Validated parking is available in the city lot to the south of City Hall.

For more information about the proposed historic district, visit www. historic11thstreetcoalition.org.