927 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA · 2017. 6. 12. · 927 Ocean Avenue Landmark Assessment Report May 30, 2017 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 1 1. Introduction At the request of the

927 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA Landmark Assessment Report

Prepared for:

City of Santa Monica Planning & Community Development Department 1685 Main Street, Room 212 Santa Monica, CA 90401 Prepared by:

Pasadena, California

May 30, 2017

927 Ocean Avenue Landmark Assessment Report May 30, 2017 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP i

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

2. Architectural Description .................................................................................................. 2

2.1 Site and Setting ................................................................................................................ 2

2.2 Building Exterior .............................................................................................................. 4

3. Alterations and Chronology of Development .................................................................... 7

4. Historic Contexts .............................................................................................................. 8

4.1 Early 20th Century Multi‐Family Residential Development in Santa Monica .................. 8

4.2 Apartment Hotels .......................................................................................................... 11

4.3 Mediterranean Revival Architecture ............................................................................. 12

4.4 Owners and Occupants of 927 Ocean Avenue .............................................................. 12

4.5 Builders and Architects of 927 Ocean Avenue .............................................................. 15

5. Regulations and Criteria for Evaluation .......................................................................... 17

5.1 City of Santa Monica Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance ............................... 17

6. Evaluation of Significance ............................................................................................... 19

6.1 Previous Evaluations ...................................................................................................... 19

6.2 Evaluation of Local Significance ..................................................................................... 19

7. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 22

Bibliography .......................................................................................................................... 23

927 Ocean Avenue Landmark Assessment Report May 30, 2017 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP ii

927 Ocean Avenue Landmark Assessment Report May 30, 2017 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 1

1. Introduction

At the request of the City of Santa Monica’s Planning and Community Development

Department, Architectural Resources Group, Inc. (ARG) has prepared this Landmark Assessment

Report for 927 Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, Los Angeles County.

The property contains a two‐story Mediterranean Revival‐style apartment house with a three‐

story tower volume; a one‐story detached garage building sits at the rear of the parcel facing an

alley. The buildings were constructed in 1922, making their period of significance 1922. A small

1928 addition to the apartment house is not considered to be significant in its own right.

ARG evaluated the property to determine whether it appears to satisfy one or more of the

statutory criteria associated with City of Santa Monica Landmark eligibility, pursuant to Chapter

9.56 (Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance) of the Santa Monica Municipal Code.

Completion of this assessment involved a site visit and visual inspection of the buildings’

exteriors on April 13, 2017; compilation and review of information, including historical building

permits and previous architectural inventories, obtained from the City’s Planning and

Community Development Department; archival research conducted at various online

repositories; development of applicable historic contexts and themes; and evaluation of

eligibility under Santa Monica Landmark criteria. This report was prepared by ARG staff Katie E.

Horak, Principal, and Mary Ringhoff, Associate, both of whom meet the Secretary of the

Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards for Architectural History and History.

In summary, ARG finds that the property appears eligible under City of Santa Monica Landmark

Criteria 9.56.100(A)(1) and 9.56.100(A)(4). The following sections provide a contextual basis for

analysis and a detailed discussion of how this determination was made.


2. Architectural Description

2.1 Site and Setting

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue is a two‐ and three‐story apartment house located in

northwest‐central Santa Monica, on Ocean Avenue between Idaho Avenue and Washington

Avenue. It lies within the Wilshire‐Montana neighborhood1 and is on the westernmost

residential street before the Pacific Coast Highway and the beach in this part of town; the

buildings here sit on a flat area atop a steep bluff above the ocean. The street grid is skewed

southwest/northeast as a reflection of the original townsite layout. Ocean Avenue is a wide

thoroughfare with a wide concrete sidewalk and parkway on its east side. It is lined with palm

trees. Its west side contains Palisades Park (originally Linda Vista Park), a narrow, landscaped

park with compacted dirt walkways and a low fence at the cliff dropoff at its western edge;

below it is the California Incline providing car and pedestrian access to the Pacific Coast Highway

and the beach below. The subject property sits within a residential area, with exclusively multi‐

family residential buildings on this part of Ocean Avenue. A wide range of construction dates

and building sizes are represented, from 1920s two‐story apartment houses to 2010s apartment

towers of five or more stories. Their architectural styles include Spanish Colonial Revival,

Mediterranean Revival, Minimal Traditional, Mid‐Century Modern, and Late Modern. The area’s

lots are uniformly rectangular, but exhibit a wide range of sizes. Most of the buildings have

primary facades facing Ocean Avenue, and parking is accessed via rear alleys like 1st Court. No

curb cuts or driveways are present along Ocean Avenue on the subject property’s block.

The apartment house at 927 Ocean Avenue sits on a narrow rectangular lot, and is slightly

elevated from street level. It is fronted by a shallow lawn with foundation plantings, and its

central entry is accessed by a set of concrete steps. A narrow concrete walkway runs along the

north edge of the parcel. The rear of the parcel contains an open lawn with trees at its northeast

edge, along a one‐story garage building that spans the full width of the parcel. The flat‐roofed,

stucco‐clad garage contains five bays, each with double wood doors, facing northeast onto the

1st Court alley. Its southwest (rear) façade contains one fixed, single‐light, wood window for

each garage bay.

1 This neighborhood name is identified in the City of Santa Monica’s Land Use and Circulation Element (2010) and is not necessarily the historic name.


Location map. 927 Ocean Ave. is outlined in red. Aerial imagery: Google Maps.

Site plan, 927 Ocean Avenue. Base map courtesy City of Santa Monica, 2017.


2.2 Building Exterior

The apartment house at 927 Ocean Avenue is a two‐story Mediterranean Revival building with a

third‐story tower at its south corner. It has a rectangular footprint and occupies most of the lot,

with a yard and a detached garage building at the rear of the parcel. The building is clad in

stucco and has a flat roof with a parapet, except at the tower volume, which has a hipped roof

with closed eaves and decorative wood knee brackets. The tower roof is covered with faux clay

tile roof material. The tower volume is dominated by tripartite wood multi‐light windows (fixed

flanked by casements) in segmental arch openings on the southwest, southeast, and northeast

façades. Each window has a projecting wood flowerbox supported by decorative wood knee

brackets. The tower’s northwest façade contains a partially glazed wood door and windows of

indeterminate type, opening onto a covered terrace to the north. The terrace has a wood railing

and a flat wood roof supported by wood posts with brackets, and projecting rafters with

notched ends. The terrace is open at the front (southwest side) and rear (northeast side) and is

partially enclosed at its northwest side by fixed wood windows (both single‐light and multi‐

light). Most of the buildings’ windows are wood, with the exception of several aluminum sliding

windows visible in the southeast façade.

The primary (southwest) façade is symmetrical on its first and second stories, with asymmetry

added at the third story with the tower volume and terrace. A hipped pent roof with closed

eaves and decorative wood knee brackets projects over the west portion of the primary façade

below the terrace, at the building’s west corner. The building has a central entry with an open

concrete stoop accessed via a set of concrete steps; it is covered by a shed‐roofed canopy with

exposed rafter tails and faux clay tile roof material, supported by decorative wood knee

brackets. Two slack metal chains extend from the top of the canopy upward to the building. The

primary entry is a single, partially glazed wood door with the multi‐light glazing in an arched

opening. A metal kickplate is present. The entry is flanked by a tripartite wood window on each

side, containing a fixed single‐light sash with a multi‐light transom between multi‐light

casements. Above the entry, the second story contains a cantilevered wood balconette with a

metal railing, fronting wood multi‐light French doors. It is flanked by windows identical to those

on the first floor.

The northwest façade contains single and paired double‐hung, single‐light wood windows with

horns, with the same fenestration on the first and second stories. Several rectangular metal

vents (not decorative) are present.

The southeast façade contains a double‐height canted bay with a hipped roof covered in

composition shingle. This bay contains double‐hung, single‐light wood windows with horns at

the first story and sliding aluminum windows at the second story. The rest of the façade

contains single and paired double‐hung, single light wood windows with horns and at least one

sliding aluminum window, with the same fenestration pattern on the first and second stories.

The same vents as seen on the northwest façade are present, as are several vertically projecting

vent pipes affixed to the façade.


The northeast (rear) façade has a one‐story projecting addition (1928) at the eastern portion of

the first story; this slightly L‐shaped volume has a flat roof. Its southeast façade contains a

partially glazed, wood paneled door with a small fixed wood window above one corner. To the

left of that is a second partially glazed wood door, with louvers in the glazed portion. The

northeast façade contains a fixed, single‐light wood window and a paneled, boarded‐up wood

door (likely a replacement). It also contains a horizontal board with hooks, once part of a

clothesline. Aside from the addition, the first story of the apartment house’s northeast façade

contains a fully glazed, multi‐light wood door accessed by a concrete step. Single double‐hung,

single‐light wood windows with horns sit next to the door. The second story contains grouped

single‐light wood casement windows and single double‐hung, single‐light wood windows with

horns.


927 Ocean Ave., southwest and northwest facades, view east. ARG, 4/13/17.

927 Ocean Ave., southwest and southeast facades, view north. ARG, 4/13/17.

927 Ocean Ave., detail of tower volume, view north. ARG, 4/13/17.

927 Ocean Ave., detail of terrace, view north. ARG, 4/13/17.

927 Ocean Ave., northeast façade with addition, view west. ARG, 4/13/17.

927 Ocean Ave., detached garage, northeast façade, view west. ARG, 4/13/17.


3. Alterations and Chronology of Development

Upon review of previous research, archived building permits obtained from the City of Santa

Monica’s Planning and Community Development Department, historic aerial photographs,

Sanborn Fire Insurance Company maps, and property data obtained from the Los Angeles

County Assessor’s Office, ARG produced the following chronology of development for 927

Ocean Avenue. This chronology provides a summary of the property’s development and

alterations that have been made over time.

Date Description of Work Performed Owner on Record

1922 Apartment house constructed (34 rooms)2 Peter J. Maguire

1922 Garage constructed (5 part)3 Peter J. Maguire

1928 Addition to building (the one‐story volume at rear)4 [illegible] Maguire

1965 Cornice and soffit stucco replaced with asbestos board5 William Hobson

Ca. 1965 Some side windows replaced with sliding aluminum windows; door in rear addition replaced with louvered partially glazed door6

Unknown

2008 Repair garage wall damaged by car7 Unknown

Unknown Second door in rear addition replaced with wood paneled door8 Unknown

Unknown Clay tile roof material replaced with faux clay tile sheets9 Unknown

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue has been minimally altered. In 1928, a one‐story volume was

added to the rear façade; it was not part of the original design, is not visible from the public

right of way, and is not considered to be a significant element. Several windows on the

apartment house’s southeast façade have been replaced with aluminum sliding windows, and

two doors on the 1928 rear addition have been replaced. The clay tile roof material was

replaced with faux clay tile sheet roof material at an unknown date. The cornice and soffit

stucco at the hipped and pent roofs was replaced with asbestos board in 1965. The covered roof

terrace at the primary façade appears to have been partially enclosed and re‐opened up at least

once over the years, and its roof appears to have been replaced.10

2 Building Permit B8656, 3/15/22. 3 Building Permit B8812, 4/7/22. 4 Building Permit B952, 1/30/28. 5 Building Permit B36657, 5/5/65. 6 ARG field observation, 4/13/17. 7 Building Permit 08CBP0762, 9/24/08. 8 ARG field observation, 4/13/17. 9 Ibid. 10 Comparison of Google Maps street view images from 2009‐2016, HRI sheets from 1983, 1995, and 2006.


4. Historic Contexts

4.1 Early 20th Century Multi-Family Residential Development in Santa Monica

The original townsite of Santa Monica, with boundaries at 26th Street, Railroad (now Colorado)

Avenue, the Pacific Ocean, and Montana Avenue, was platted and recorded in 1875. After

incorporation in 1887, Santa Monica became well‐known as a tourist destination acclaimed for

its recreational culture, balmy climate, bathhouses, opulent hotels, and amusement piers.

Tourist‐based development spread south along the coast, into the area that would become

known as Ocean Park in 1895, and residential development accelerated throughout the city.

Santa Monica’s early residential development was almost entirely single‐family houses, with

hotels, beach tents/cottages, and a few boarding houses catering to short‐term visitors; no

apartment houses are listed in city directories until 1907, when the Kensington Apartments are

noted on Ocean Avenue.11 Residential development expanded as Santa Monica began to come

of age as a residential enclave in the 1900s‐1910s, aided by the proliferation of electric streetcar

lines. Multi‐family residential development continued along with single‐family, and by 1912 the

city directory listed 114 apartment buildings in the city (including those in Ocean Park).12

After World War I, Santa Monica saw a population increase from 15,000 to 37,000.13 Among the

new residents were many retirees and widows, both blue‐collar and white‐collar, which

increased the demand for rental properties.14 The “floating” population of tourists and seasonal

visitors increased as well, with one 1930 source estimating it contained as many as 10,000

people.15 Residential construction hastened to keep pace during the 1920s, and for the first time

multi‐family residential properties came to dominate areas of the city. They ranged in size from

duplexes to large apartment buildings, with one of the most prominent concentrations found

north of California Avenue and east of Euclid Street, in a sparsely developed part of the Wilshire

Montana neighborhood.16 Owned by individuals, small corporations, and large investment

groups, the multi‐family residential properties of the 1920s displayed styles like Craftsman,

Spanish Colonial Revival, and Mediterranean Revival, with the latter particularly popular for

apartment houses.17 Numerous two‐ and three‐story apartment buildings were constructed

along major thoroughfares throughout the city and Ocean Park during this time. This property

11 Historic Resources Group (HRG) and Architectural Resources Group (ARG), City of Santa Monica Draft Historic Context Statement (prepared for City of Santa Monica Planning & Community Development Department, 31 January 2017), 95. 12 Ibid., 96. 13 Dave Berman, “Founders’ Dreams Dashed – City Finds its Own Identity,” Santa Monica Outlook, Centennial Edition, 1875‐1975, 5A in City of Santa Monica Draft Historic Context Statement, 149. 14 ICF Jones & Stokes, Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Final Report (prepared for the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department, 2010), 58. 15 “The Port That Never Found Its Sea‐Legs,” Southern California Business 11 (January 1932), 10, cited in Todd Douglas Gish, “Building Los Angeles: Urban Housing in the Suburban Metropolis, 1900‐1936” (PhD Dissertation, University of Southern California, 2007), 51. 16 City of Santa Monica Draft Historic Context Statement, 96. 17 City of Santa Monica Draft Historic Context Statement, 96.


type was very common along Ocean Avenue, the western boundary of the original townsite

which boasted expansive views of the sea. Hotel properties were also built in great numbers in

the 1920s, and some of the new multi‐family buildings were apartment hotels serving both long‐

term tenants and short‐term visitors. Construction of these multi‐family properties continued

through the 1930s, and common styles came to include Art Deco and Streamline Moderne along

with the earlier Arts and Crafts and Period Revival styles.

Santa Monica’s multi‐family residential development continued through the Great Depression,

bolstered by the continued attraction of the city to residents (including students at UCLA, which

saw rapidly rising enrollment).18 Demand only intensified in the early 1940s and into the World

War II era, when the area saw a massive influx of people coming to work at defense plants like

Douglas Aircraft. The city had little space to construct new defense worker housing, so the

existing built environment had to accommodate thousands of new residents; owners subdivided

single‐family residences, built secondary units on their properties, and constructed new multi‐

family residences where they could. The City of Santa Monica created zoning variances to assist

the war effort, and one result was a major shift from “owner occupied single‐family residences

to a city of renters.”19

During the postwar period, multi‐family residential development exploded as older buildings

were torn down to make way for new apartment buildings ranging from two to ten‐plus stories.

The development was encouraged by economic incentives that made construction and renting

of new multi‐family buildings a much more profitable enterprise than it had been during the

prewar period.20 Santa Monica continued to see great changes in its built environment, due

largely to the proliferation of multi‐family properties, through the rest of the 20th century.

Multi-Family Residential Development in Wilshire Montana and on Ocean Avenue

Today’s Wilshire Montana neighborhood occupies the northern part of the original Santa

Monica townsite, and Ocean Avenue constitutes the western edge of its residential area. As in

the rest of the city, Wilshire Montana saw very little multi‐family residential development prior

to 1910; most of its residential buildings were single‐family houses. Some of the city’s most

impressive single‐family residences were constructed along Wilshire Montana’s portion of

Ocean Avenue, including Senator John P. Jones’ Miramar (1889) at the corner of Ocean and

Wilshire Boulevard. This pattern of development, seeing relatively large houses on modest lots

on the bluff overlooking the ocean, continued for the first two decades of the 20th century. It

was bolstered by the 1892 establishment of Linda Vista Park along the western edge of the

neighborhood’s bluff, separated by Ocean Avenue from residential parcels to the east. Now

known as Palisades Park, it was the city’s first public park and a very popular public space.

18 Ibid. 19 Ibid., 97. 20 Ibid., 99‐100.


The post‐World War I population increase affected the Wilshire Montana neighborhood along

with the rest of the city, as residential development of all types spilled out beyond its original

core in the southern part of the Santa Monica townsite. For the first time, multi‐family

residential properties came to dominate areas of the neighborhood, including the area north of

California Avenue and east of Euclid Street as noted above. High‐end, three‐ to five‐story

apartment buildings like the Sovereign Apartments (205 Washington Avenue, 1929), the

Embassy Hotel Apartments (1001 3rd Street, 1927), and the Charmont Apartments (330

California Avenue, 1929) marked Wilshire Montana as a desirable neighborhood for renters.

Ocean Avenue saw a major shift in its built environment during the 1920s, as it was targeted for

apartment development and two‐ and three‐story apartment buildings began joining, and

increasingly replacing, the existing single‐family residences.21

The western portion of Wilshire Montana, including Ocean Avenue, was also a popular spot for

hotel properties. Jones’ Miramar Hotel was even converted into an apartment hotel with the

1924 addition of the six‐story Renaissance Revival Palisades wing.22 The line between hotel and

apartment building commonly blurred, as many of the new multi‐family buildings (like 927

Ocean Avenue and others on grander scales like the Embassy, Sovereign, and Charmont) were

apartment hotels serving both long‐term tenants and short‐term visitors.

Starting in the early 1940s and continuing into the early 1960s, any remaining undeveloped

parcels in Wilshire Montana were filled in, usually with multi‐family properties in Minimal

Traditional and Mid‐Century Modern styles. By the end of the 1960s, many older buildings had

been demolished to make way for the construction of ever‐larger apartment buildings, some of

which occupied two or more lots. Buildings of three to six stories in height came to dominate

Ocean Avenue through the Wilshire Montana neighborhood, while the Downtown and North of

Montana neighborhoods on either side saw the construction of high‐rise Mid‐Century Modern

and Late Modern apartment towers, and the number of smaller 1920s and 1930s properties

dwindled rapidly. Redevelopment has continued through the present day, resulting in the

replacement or alteration of many of the area’s 1960s multi‐family properties as well as its

earlier buildings, and the construction of new hotels and large apartment towers.

Today, few intact 1920s‐1930s multi‐family properties remain in Wilshire Montana or on Ocean

Avenue; of the hundreds that once existed, many have been demolished or significantly altered.

The two to three story apartment houses that were once common in the neighborhood are now

increasingly rare. According to the preliminary results of the citywide historic resources

inventory update now in progress, the stock of 1920s‐1930s apartment houses (defined as

multi‐family buildings two or more stories in height) comprises fewer than 20 intact,

undesignated examples in Wilshire Montana.23 There appear to be at least six designated

21 City of Santa Monica Draft Historic Context Statement, 103. 22 Margarita Wuellner, et al. “City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report: Miramar Hotel, 101 Wilshire Boulevard/1133 Ocean Avenue (APN: 4292‐028‐001), Santa Monica, California” (Prepared by PCR Services Corporation for the City of Santa Monica Planning Division, November 2012), 5. 23 Architectural Resources Group, preliminary historic resources inventory data for Wilshire Montana as of 22 May 2017. The numbers reported here reflect intact (Landmark‐eligible in terms of integrity), two‐plus story, multi‐family residences dating from 1920 to 1939.


examples of the property type from this time period in this neighborhood: the Embassy, the

Charmont, the Sovereign, the Vanity Fair Apartments (822 3rd Street, 1935), a Regency Moderne

apartment building (1143 11th Street, 1938), and a Streamline Moderne apartment building (822

Euclid Street, 1938). The first three properties were apartment hotels on a grand scale, a

property type discussed in the next section.

4.2 Apartment Hotels

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue was originally built as an apartment hotel, a property type

that provided housing for both long‐term tenants and short‐term/seasonal visitors. While small‐

scale apartment hotels housing mostly tourists existed in Santa Monica as early as the 1880s,

the building type truly came into its own during the city’s 1920s boom. Like other beachfront

resort towns, Santa Monica marketed itself as a recreational center and capitalized on post‐

World War I prosperity to draw in even more tourist traffic. Owners built hotels and apartment

hotels on the streets closest to the beach, including Ocean Avenue, and some existing properties

were converted into tourist destinations (like the 1889 Miramar with its 1924 Palisades

addition). Typically, Santa Monica’s destination apartment hotels were four to eight stories in

height (with some as high as 12 or 13), were built of reinforced concrete, and boasted highly

articulated Spanish Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Renaissance Revival, Art Deco, or

Moderne architectural styles; they often had courtyards, designed landscapes, and expansive

lobbies.24 Some incorporated beach clubs, ballrooms, garages, and recreational facilities like

tennis courts.25 Extant Santa Monica examples like the Miramar, Embassy, El Cortez, Charmont,

Sovereign, Georgian, and Shangri‐La illustrate the large scales and grand, highly ornamented

façades characteristic of the city’s 1920s‐1930s destination apartment hotels.26 These properties

are what historian Paul Groth defines as “palace hotels,” catering to wealthy individuals.27

As illustrated by the relatively modest scale and style of 927 Ocean Avenue, not all of Santa

Monica’s 1920s‐1930s apartment hotels were massive, elaborate examples of the property type.

Most were more akin to apartment houses than destination hotels, providing housing to a wider

range of tenant types and income levels. They fall into Groth’s category of “midpriced hotels”

and “rooming houses,” below palace hotels but above the cheapest lodging houses.28 The city’s

small‐scale apartment hotels housed residents other than the wealthy who could afford to stay

at the opulent destinations, and provided flexibility for Santa Monica residents who fell between

the categories of permanent and transient. It is difficult to accurately characterize smaller

apartment hotels, since they were often just referred to as apartments in city directories and

other sources and were not heavily marketed in local newspapers. The larger apartment hotels,

24 Wuellner, et al., “City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report: Miramar Hotel,” 5‐6; Los Angeles Times, “Large Realty Deals Made,” 28 December 1923; Los Angeles Times, “Huge Apartment Planned,” 29 November 1923. 25 Los Angeles Times, “Proposed…Combination…Apartment,” 4 January 1923. 26 Ibid., 10. The Streamline Moderne Shangri‐La is on the later end, having been constructed in 1940. 27 Paul Groth, Living Downtown: The History of Residential Hotels in the United States (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994), 20. 28 Groth, Living Downtown, 20‐23.


on the other hand, trumpeted their arrival throughout the region.29 Santa Monica’s smaller

apartment hotels tended to be two to three stories in height, and displayed more modest

versions of styles like Spanish Colonial Revival, Mediterranean Revival, Art Deco, or Streamline

Moderne. Rather than incorporating large courtyards or designed landscapes on large parcels,

smaller versions of the property type maximized their footprints on their lots.

With the exception of the grand, destination apartment hotels, the property type appears to

have fallen out of favor during the post‐World War II period. The postwar population boom

meant Santa Monica had more permanent residents than ever before, so landlords could

concentrate on the more dependable, stable income of long‐term occupants. Furthermore, the

accompanying nationwide economic upturn meant tourists visiting the city had money to spend

in purpose‐built hotels and motels, which flourished during the 1950s and 1960s. It is likely that

most existing apartment hotels shifted away from short‐term visitor rentals toward longer‐term

rentals during this time. However, little concrete information is available on demographic shifts

in their tenant types during the postwar period, and further research is needed to confirm when

apartment hotels really converged with other apartment buildings in terms of their occupancy.

4.3 Mediterranean Revival Architecture

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue is an example of Mediterranean Revival architecture. Like

the Spanish Colonial Revival style, Mediterranean Revival architecture in Southern California was

primarily inspired by the 1915 Panama‐California Exposition in San Diego. It became popular

because of Southern California’s identification with the Mediterranean region of Italy, Spain,

southern France, and North Africa as having a similar climate. The style became increasingly

prevalent in Santa Monica during the 1920s, seeing residential, commercial, and institutional

applications.

Loosely based on 16th century Italian villas, the Mediterranean Revival style is more formal in

massing than the Spanish Colonial Revival style and is characterized by symmetrical façades and

grand accentuated entrances. Common character‐defining features of the style include two‐

story heights; rectangular plans; dominant first story, with grand entrances and larger

fenestration than other stories; low‐pitched hipped roofs with clay tile roofing; boxed eaves

with carved brackets; stucco cladding; entrance porches; arched entryways and window

openings; and eclectic combinations of stylistic features from several countries of the

Mediterranean.

4.4 Owners and Occupants of 927 Ocean Avenue

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue was constructed by owner Peter J. Maguire as the Maguire

Apartment‐Hotel in 1922. An April 1922 announcement in the Los Angeles Times stated that

Maguire was an “experienced hotel man” and that the construction cost would be about

29 E.g., Los Angeles Times, “Apartment Hotel Plan Announced,” 10 April 1924; “Proposed…Combination…Apartment,” 4 January 1923, “Huge Apartment Planned,” 29 November 1923.


$60,000.30 Maguire spent most of his career in the Midwest, managing Harvey House hotels for

the Santa Fe Railway Company in Hutchinson and Newton, Kansas, where he “had the

reputation of running the most spotless hotel in Kansas.”31 In 1920, he sold the patent rights to

an egg poacher he had invented; a newspaper article noted the first shipment of 10,000 devices

had already been sold.32 Maguire suffered from poor health, so he moved to Santa Monica with

his wife Maude V. Maguire in 1921 in hopes the mild climate would provide relief. There, he

hired the Master Building and Investment Company to design and build his property at 927

Ocean Avenue. Upon its completion, the Maguires lived in the building and acted as managers

until Maguire died in May 1922.33

Los Angeles Times, 4/9/22.

Maude Maguire continued living in and managing the building until at least 1928, and appears

to have moved out of the property sometime after that; it is unknown whether she retained

30 Los Angeles Times, “For Nearby Beach City,” 4/9/22. 31 “Among Ourselves: Chicago,” The Santa Fe Magazine, Volume 17, December 1922 (Chicago: Santa Fe Railway Company), 72. 32 Topeka Daily Capital, “Sells Egg Poacher,” 31 March 1920. 33 Ibid.


ownership.34 It was during her tenure as owner/manager that the small 1928 addition was

placed at the rear of the building, likely as a laundry room. The building permit lists Andrew Z.

Meyer as architect.

The Maguire Apartments, as it was most commonly known, appears to have housed longer‐term

tenants in five units; it was a 16‐unit building, so the rest of the units are presumed to have

been occupied by short‐term visitors, probably tourists. The building’s third story tower and

terrace are more characteristic of resort hotel‐style common spaces than of those in long‐term

residential buildings. They would have provided expansive views of the coastline, and may have

even served as sleeping porches. The 1930 census provides a glimpse into the types of longer‐

term tenants that lived in the Maguire Apartments during its first decade: households headed

by a newspaper writer, railroad conductor, and real estate salesman were present, as well as

two households with no listed occupation. Research into the 1930 listed tenants below found no

evidence of any of them being significant individuals in the history of Santa Monica.

Occupants of 927 Ocean Avenue, 1930

Household 1 E. Marshall Young, newspaper writer Edna Young G. Marshall Young Household 2 Carolyn E. Squier Ellen Barnes John W. Griffith, railroad conductor Elizabeth Griffith Household 3 Eleanor Moorhead Household 4 Burton L. Allen, real estate salesman Hazel H. Allen, nurse Household 5 Frederick Anderson Minerora Anderson By 1936, the building was known as the Ocean Crest Apartments and it was managed by

resident Hannah A. Cox, a widow who had previously lived in both San Bernardino and Los

Angeles. It is unknown whether she also owned the building; in the 1940 census she is listed as a

renter, not owner, of the property.

34 Santa Monica City Directories 1925, 1927; Voter Registration Records, 1928; Building Permit B952.


The 1940 census also showed that all of 927 Ocean Avenue’s listed tenants were women living

in seven households, as listed below. If the property was still housing short‐term visitors,

nothing is known about them or about the exact nature of their occupations. Research into the

tenants listed below found no evidence of any of them being significant individuals in the history

of Santa Monica.

Occupants of 927 Ocean Avenue, 1940

Household 1 Hannah A. Cox, apartment house manager Household 2 Mary B. Lucas Household 3 Sarah Bingham, high school social sciences teacher Household 4 Elsie Miller, elementary school teacher Household 5 Stella B. Hicks Household 6 Lillian M. Simpson, laboratory technician Household 7 Evelyn Wilson (?) Marjorie Wilson, secretary stenographer Audrey Wilson City directories indicate Cox remained the on‐site manager of 927 Ocean Avenue until at least

the mid‐1950s. By 1952, she was also managing the properties on either side—923 Ocean

Avenue (the La Merie Apartments) and 933 Ocean Avenue (the Ocean Villa Apartments). In

1958, the city directory listed her home address at the La Merie. No information could be found

on the later ownership or occupants of 927 Ocean Avenue until 1965, when a building permit

for soffit repairs lists William Hobson as owner. No information could be found on Hobson.

4.5 Builders and Architects of 927 Ocean Avenue

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue was designed and built by the Master Building Investment

Company. Based in downtown Los Angeles, this firm constructed a few buildings in the greater

Los Angeles area and was mentioned sporadically in publications like Southwest Builder and

Contractor during the 1920s. No other information could be found on the firm, and it does not

appear to have been a particularly prominent or prolific development company.


The 1928 building addition permit lists Andrew Z. Meyer as architect and builder. City directory

and 1930 census information indicates Meyer was a real estate broker with an office in Santa

Monica and a home in Los Angeles. No other information could be found on him, and he does

not appear to have been a prominent architect or builder.


5. Regulations and Criteria for Evaluation

5.1 City of Santa Monica Landmarks and Historic Districts Ordinance

Historic preservation in Santa Monica is governed by Chapter 9.56 (Landmarks and Historic

Districts Ordinance) of the Santa Monica Municipal Code. The Ordinance was adopted by the

Santa Monica City Council on March 24, 1976 and was amended in 1987 and again in 1991.35 Its

current version was adopted in 2015. Among the primary objectives achieved by the Ordinance

was the creation of a local designation program for buildings, structures, sites, objects, districts,

and landscapes in the City that are of historical significance.

With regard to individually significant properties, the Ordinance distinguishes between two tiers

of designation: Landmarks and Structures of Merit. Landmarks, outlined in §9.56.100, are

considered to exhibit “the highest level of individual historical or architectural significance;”

Santa Monica’s designated landmarks include well‐known and highly significant properties like

the Rapp Saloon, Santa Monica City Hall, and the John Byers Adobe. Structures of Merit,

outlined in §9.56.080, possess a degree of individual significance that is more limited in scope.36

Protections against demolition and alterations are commensurate with the tier of individual

designation assigned to a particular resource.

In addition to individual Landmarks and Structures of Merit, the Ordinance establishes statutory

criteria and procedures for the designation of Historic Districts, defined in §9.56.030 as a

“geographic area or noncontiguous grouping of thematically related properties” that collectively

contribute to the historic character of an area within the City. Unlike individual properties,

whose designation does not require owner consent and is approved by the City’s Landmarks

Commission, Historic Districts must win the support of a majority of property owners within the

district and be approved by the City Council.37

Per §9.56.100(A) of the Ordinance, a property merits consideration as a Landmark if it satisfies one or more of the following six statutory criteria:

(1) It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political, or architectural history of the City;

(2) It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value; (3) It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state, or

national history; (4) It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a

period, style, method of construction, or the use of indigenous materials or

35 City of Santa Monica General Plan, “Historic Preservation Element,” prepared by PCR Services Corporation and Historic Resources Group (September 2002), 1‐2. 36 City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department, “Historic Preservation in Santa Monica,” accessed 8 August 2014, http://www.smgov.net/departments/PCD/Programs/Historic‐Preservation/. 37 Ibid.


craftsmanship, or is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail, or historical type valuable to such a study;

(5) It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer, or architect;

(6) It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City.


6. Evaluation of Significance

6.1 Previous Evaluations

The property at 927 Ocean Avenue has been previously evaluated as part of the City’s ongoing

historic resource survey efforts. It was identified in a 1983 survey, but it is unclear whether it

was recommended eligible under Landmark or Structure of Merit criteria.38 Its physical condition

was inspected in 1995 following the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, and the property was given a

status code 5S3 at that time (“Is not eligible for separate listing or designation under an existing

local ordinance but is eligible for special consideration in local planning.”).39 In 2006, 927 Ocean

Avenue was recommended eligible for designation as a Structure of Merit, as a “representative

example of Mediterranean‐influenced multi‐family dwellings that were constructed on Ocean

Avenue in the 1920s and 1930s”; a specific criterion is not cited.40 The Santa Monica Historic

Resources Inventory categorizes it with California Historical Resource Status Code 5S3* (appears

to be individually eligible for locally listing or designation through survey evaluation, Structure of

Merit level).41

6.2 Evaluation of Local Significance

In summary, the property at 927 Ocean Avenue appears eligible for local listing as a Landmark.

The determination was made by evaluating the property against each of the City’s Landmark

criteria as follows:

9.56.100(A)(1). It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social,

economic, political, or architectural history of the City.

The subject property appears to satisfy this criterion for exemplifying major patterns in Santa

Monica’s developmental and architectural history. It is a representative, intact, and rare

remaining example of a 1920s apartment hotel, reflecting the shift from single‐family to multi‐

family residential development in the Wilshire Montana neighborhood, in the city as a whole,

and along the Ocean Avenue corridor. During the population boom of the 1920s, Santa Monica

saw the construction of many new multi‐family residential buildings throughout the city. A

common type was the apartment hotel, which housed long‐term residents as well as short‐term

visitors and came in a variety of scales and architectural styles. The property at 927 Ocean

Avenue exemplifies the smaller‐scale apartment hotels which provided housing to tenants and

38 Leslie Heumann, Historic Resources Inventory sheet for 927 Ocean Avenue, March 1983 (in landmark application materials from City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department). 39 Scott Field and Janet Tearnen, DPR Continuation Sheet for 927 Ocean Avenue, 9/28/95 (in landmark application materials from City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department). 40 Jan Ostashay and Peter Moruzzi, DPR Forms for 927 Ocean Avenue, 6/1/06 and 8/1/06 (in landmark application materials from City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department). 41 City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department, “Historic Resources Inventory,” http://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Historic‐Resources‐Inventory/; ICF Jones & Stokes, Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Final Report (prepared for the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department, 2010).


tourists who could not afford to stay in the grander destination apartment hotels of the period.

It manifests elements of the demographic and socioeconomic changes that characterized Santa

Monica during this period of rapid growth, particularly the very beginnings of the city’s shift into

a community of renters. The property’s Mediterranean Revival style is typical of small‐scale

apartment hotels and apartment houses during this time period, and of the Period Revival styles

popular for other types of multi‐family residential properties. As a result, 927 Ocean Avenue is

associated with important patterns of multi‐family residential development in Santa Monica

during the 1920s. It continues to communicate the associative and aesthetic principles, values,

and ideas of the period during which it was constructed.

9.56.100(A)(2). It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.

The subject property is a representative example of Mediterranean Revival architecture and

retains typical character‐defining features of the style. However, it is a comparably modest

example in a city that retains excellent examples of the style as applied to multi‐family

residences, single‐family residences, commercial buildings, and institutional properties. As a

result, its aesthetic or artistic value is not highly significant, unusual, or noteworthy. It does not

appear to satisfy this criterion.

9.56.100(A)(3). It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state, or

national history.

The subject property was originally owned by Peter J. Maguire, a former Harvey House hotel

manager who moved to Santa Monica for health reasons; he lived in the property for a very

brief time before dying of his illness, and does not appear to have been highly significant in

local, state, or national history. None of the subsequent owners or known occupants of 927

Ocean Avenue, including longtime manager Hannah A. Cox, appears to have been a significant

personage either. No important events in local, state, or national history took place there.

Therefore, 927 Ocean Avenue does not appear to meet this criterion.

9.56.100(A)(4). It embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of a

period, style, method of construction, or the use of indigenous materials or craftsmanship, or is a

unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail, or historical type valuable to such a

study.

The subject property is an excellent example of a low‐scale 1920s apartment hotel, embodying a

property type designed to house both long‐term tenants and short‐term visitors. Apartment

hotels were a common building type in 1920s Santa Monica, with the best‐known examples

being large, grand, destination apartment hotel properties like the Miramar, Embassy, El Cortez,

Charmont, Sovereign, Georgian, and Shangri‐La. The smaller, more modest examples of the

property type were often indistinguishable from standard apartment houses, as they tended not

to rise above three stories, be highly ornamented, or incorporate features like courtyards or

designed landscapes. The property at 927 Ocean Avenue embodies this tendency, exhibiting a

standard rectangular plan, two‐story height, and minimal ornamentation. However, its third‐

story tower volume and adjacent roof terrace are features more characteristic of a mixed hotel‐


apartment use, providing expansive views of the ocean and both open and enclosed spaces for

enjoying the benefits of the mild climate. The property at 927 Ocean Avenue is a rare remaining

example of the low‐scale apartment hotel property type that used to be common in Santa

Monica. The fact that it is known to have been constructed and used as an apartment hotel, a

property type which is often difficult to discern from other apartment house types, makes it a

valuable example which could enable deeper study of this once‐common, now largely invisible

property type. Given the period during which it was constructed, its value as a well‐documented

example of an under‐documented type, and its high level of physical integrity, the subject

property embodies distinguishing architectural characteristics valuable to a study of 1920s‐

1930s multi‐family residential development. It appears to satisfy this criterion.

9.56.100(A)(5). It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable

builder, designer, or architect.

According to building permits, the property was designed and constructed by the Master

Building and Investment Company and its 1928 rear addition was designed and constructed by

real estate broker Andrew Meyer. Research does not indicate that either was a notable builder,

designer or architect. As a result, the subject property does not appear to meet this criterion.

9.56.100(A)(6). It has a unique location, a singular physical characteristic, or is an established

and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City.

The subject property does not occupy a unique location or have a singular physical

characteristic. Its lot size and shape are typical of others in the original Santa Monica townsite

(though many other lots on Ocean Avenue have been combined/enlarged), and the property

conforms to the typical street grid pattern characteristic of this area of Santa Monica. The

building is one of multiple multi‐family residential properties on Ocean Avenue. It is not likely an

established and familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, and does not appear to satisfy this

criterion.


7. Conclusion

Based on documentary research, site analysis, the development of historic contexts, and an

evaluation against local eligibility criteria, ARG finds that the property at 927 Ocean Avenue

appears eligible under City of Santa Monica Landmark Criteria 9.56.100(A)(1),and

9.56.100(A)(4).


Bibliography

Books, Periodicals, and Other Published Materials

“Among Ourselves: Chicago.” The Santa Fe Magazine, Volume 17, December 1922. Chicago: Santa Fe Railway Company.

City of Santa Monica General Plan, “Historic Preservation Element,” prepared by PCR Services Corporation and Historic Resources Group (September 2002).

Gish, Todd Douglas .“Building Los Angeles: Urban Housing in the Suburban Metropolis, 1900‐1936.” PhD Dissertation, University of Southern California, 2007. Groth, Paul. Living Downtown: The History of Residential Hotels in the United States. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1994. Historic Resources Group and Architectural Resources Group. “City of Santa Monica Draft Historic Resources Inventory Update: Historic Context Statement.” Prepared for City of Santa Monica Planning & Community Development Department, 31 January 2017. ICF Jones & Stokes. “Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Final Report.” Prepared by ICF Jones & Stokes for the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department, 2010.

Leslie Heumann and Associates, “Final Report: Santa Monica Historic Resources Survey Phase Three.” Prepared by Leslie Heumann and Associates for the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department, 1994.

Los Angeles Times, various dates.

McAlester, Virginia, and Lee McAlester. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., 1984.

Santa Monica City Directories, various dates and publishers.

Scott, Paula. Santa Monica: A History on the Edge. San Francisco: Arcadia Publishing, 2004. Wuellner, Margarita, Amanda Kainer, and Jon Wilson. “City Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report: Miramar Hotel, 101 Wilshire Boulevard/1133 Ocean Avenue (APN: 4292‐028‐001), Santa Monica, California.” Prepared by PCR Services Corporation for the City of Santa Monica Planning Division, November 2012.

Other Sources

Architectural Resources Group, preliminary findings for the City of Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory Update, as of 22 May 2017.


City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department. “Historic Preservation in Santa Monica.” Accessed online at http://www.smgov.net/departments/PCD/Programs/Historic‐Preservation/.

City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department. “Historic Resources Inventory.” Accessed online at http://www.smgov.net/Departments/PCD/Historic‐Resources‐Inventory/.

City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department. Building and alteration permits for 927 Ocean Avenue.

City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department. Landmark application materials for 927 Ocean Avenue, including Historic Resources Inventory Forms.

Historic Aerial Images, 1947‐2005. Accessed online at http://www.historicaerials.com.

Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. Tract Maps. Accessed online at http://dpw.lacounty.gov/sur/surveyrecord/tractMain.cfm.

Sanborn Map Company. Fire Insurance Maps, Santa Monica, California, 1918 and 1950.

Santa Monica Public Library. Historical Maps of Santa Monica. Accessed online at http://digital.smpl.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/maps.

Santa Monica Public Library. Santa Monica Image Archive. Accessed online at http://digital.smpl.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/smarchive.

Santa Monica Public Library. Santa Monica Newspaper Index. Accessed online at http://digital.smpl.org/cdm/landingpage/collection/smfile.

United States Bureau of the Census. Census records, 1920, 1930, 1940. Accessed online at http://www.ancestry.com.


Attachments:

Building Permits

Documents

927 Ocean Avenue, Santa Monica, CA · 2017. 6. 12. · 927 Ocean Avenue Landmark Assessment Report May 30, 2017 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 1 1. Introduction At the request of the