2016 Preservation Design Awards

Chattel is proud to announce that we were recently awarded two Preservation Design Awards by the California Preservation Foundation for our work on Mission Santa Barbara and Building 209 at the VA West LA. Mission Santa Barbara was selected for an award in the Preservation category. Building 209 was selected for an award in the Rehabilitation category.

The Awards ceremony was held at the Arboretum at Christ Cathedral (formerly Crystal Cathedral) in Garden Grove. 

Exterior of the Arboretum at Christ Cathedral, originally known as the Garden Grove Community Church, designed by Richard Neutra for Reverend Robert A Shuller, and completed in 1962.

Awards attendees admire and discuss the Mission Santa Barbara project poster during the cocktail hour.

Left to right: Robert Chattel, USC Heritage Conservation Program Founder Ken Breisch, former Chattel Associate Kathryn McGee, and Chattel Associate Sarah Vonesh.

Part of the Mission Santa Barbara Team, left to right: David Bolton, Executive Director of the California Missions Foundation, Brother Brian Trawick, Corporate Secretary for the Franciscan Friars of California, Tina Foss, Museum Director of Old Mission Santa Barbara, and Robert Chattel. 

Daniel Swienton (left), project manager at U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs and Nicos Katsellis (right), Director of Operations and Senior Associate at Leo A Daly accept the award for VA West LA, Building 209.

Learn more about our involvement with the Santa Barbara Mission and VA West LA.

Don't forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook and be a part of all of our preservation related projects, findings, travels and adventures. 

Sneak Peek of the Historic Westside School and Our Social Media Presence

We can't believe it's already August! We are especially excited about the grand opening on the 27th of the recently rehabilitated Historic Westside School in Las Vegas. The Mission Revival school was constructed in 1923 and a Ranch style annex was added in 1948. The school served predominantly Native American and African American residents of Old Town, which later became known as the Westside. Although the 1954 decision in the U.S. Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education declared that laws establishing separate schools for black and white students were unconstitutional, public education in Las Vegas remained segregated. The school closed in 1967 and was underused until now. Check out the video below to get a sneak peek of the work!

The dramatic transformation of the Historic Westside School is shown below.

We’re also proud to announce that Chattel is now on Facebook and Instagram. We recently hit 50 followers! Be sure to like/follow us to stay up to date on all of our projects and for the latest news on historic preservation work in not only Los Angeles, but all over California and the West! Follow us at the links below.

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Flashback Friday - Hillary and Historic Preservation in 1999

“One of the most powerful ways for us to imagine America’s future is to preserve what we truly value of our past—our monuments, our art and documents and historic sites will tell the story of this Nation to future generations”

— Hillary Rodham Clinton, Holiday Treasures at the White House 1999 brochure

Official White House Photograph P78676-12A 22-DEC-99 Ralph Alswang

Few may recall the origins of the Save America's Treasures program of the National Park Service. On the eve of the new millennium, then First Lady Hillary Clinton initiated a partnership between the White House Millennium Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation to preserve historic resources. On December 10, 1998, Clinton visited the Breed Street Shul in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles and declared it the first official Save America's Treasures project in California. Later that same day, she did the same for the Broadway Theater and Commercial District.

In 1999, the White House planned a very special Christmas celebration and asked partners from across the nation to share their creative impressions of the best of our heritage. The Jewish Historical Society of Southern California (JHS) chose not to customize a Christmas ornament, as was the tradition, and rather commissioned Beverly Hills artist Marlene Zimmerman to create a menorah for the event. The menorah was lit by the Clintons with JHS president Steve Sass in the West Wing of the White House.

"Historic Wonder" on 2nd Street

Leslie Brand's 800 square foot Santa Monica cottage has been resurrected as the centerpiece of a four-unit condominium development at 1012 2nd Street, now on the market. Famous for developments in Glendale and San Fernando, Brand's grand estate El Miradero in the foothills of the Verdugo Mountains has served as a library for some time and was also recently updated. The designated Landmark cottage was expanded and a glass bridge connects to bedrooms in the new building. The addition is four stories in height with views of the Pacific Ocean. It was a pleasure working on this great project with Howard Laks Architects, "rehabilitating it to its former glory." Read more about the project featured in the May 13, 2016 issue of Digs magazine here.

View of the bridge connection between the Landmark cottage and new building; note how the roof of the bridge connects just under the eave, nice (in so many respects)!

More Accolades for Building 209!

In the past several weeks, the Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing at the Department of Veterans Affairs West Los Angeles Campus Building 209 has received two more awards, a national Housing Award from the American Institute of Architects in the area of Specialized Housing and a Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy. 

Chattel staff poses before the Los Angeles Conservancy Awards Luncheon at the Biltmore Hotel.

Los Angeles Conservancy Board Chair Hernan Hernandez congratulates Special Assistant to VA Secretary Robert McDonald on the Preservation Award.

Project team celebrates the Preservation Award!

Mills Act Pre-Approval Workshop 2016

“The purpose of my bill is to provide an incentive to restoring and maintaining points of historical interest in California ”

— James Mills, 1977

Last Tuesday evening, Chattel, Inc. conducted the Mills Act Pre-Approval workshop to assist applicants in understanding the priority consideration criteria, stated contract goals and rehabilitation scopes of work.  

Held at Barnsdall Park, this informational workshop was held for owners of historic homes in Los Angeles, who applied and qualify for the Mills Act, a bill introduced in part as a means to persuade property owners to preserve their historic structures.

Chattel employees check in and assist applicants before the workshop. 

Speakers from the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources, Chattel, Inc. and the Los Angeles County Assessor's Office spoke on the specificities of the Mills Act Program, including the application, inspection and valuation process. 

Several questions from the applicants were answered by the panel, as well as one-on-one after the workshop concluded. 

Working with the community in fielding their questions about their historic homes is one of the many reasons we love historic preservation!!

Modern Snapshots from the Field

On December 8, 2015, Justin Greving, formerly of Chattel, Inc., was one of six presenters at the Getty Museum’s Modern Snapshots from the Field event sponsored by the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative. Justin delivered Chattel's presentation entitled Straight out of Compton: A Late Modern Icon Gets an Energy Upgrade.  

Thanks Justin!

Our presentation begins at 41:00 - check it out:

California Preservation Foundation Conference, San Francisco

Here's to a successful 2016 CPF Conference, held at the Presidio in San Francisco. This week, we had the chance to tour the Willis Polk designed  Bourn Mansion in Pacific Heights and attend several sessions on California related preservation topics.

Robert Chattel and Christi Di Iorio In front of the Bourn Mansion in Pacific Heights, in San Francisco 

The Bourn Mansion designed by Willis Polk, in Pacific Heights, in San Francisco

Reuniting with friends and former colleagues at the conference receptions was equally as enjoyable!

Left to Right: Shannon Ferguson, Robert Chattel, Pilar LaValley, Marissa Moshier, and Justin Greving at the CPF Conference at the Presidio, in San Francisco

Robert Chattel and Valerie Nagel at the Presidio, in San Francisco. 

It's events like this that remind us how much Chattel loves SF!

Chattel Receives John Wesley Powell Prize

Building 209 at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center Campus after rehabilitation and seismic upgrade. This view shows the integration of the new ADA accessible ramp with new landscape design. 

Last month, Chattel received the John Wesley Powell Prize from the Society for History in the Federal Government for its work on Building 209 at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center (West LA VA) Campus. The building was rehabilitated and now serves as transitional housing for 65 homeless Veterans. The project is one of only two award winners that were honored by the Society for History in the Federal Government in Baltimore, Maryland on March 17, 2016, during the Joint Annual Meeting of the National Council on Public History and the Society for History in the Federal Government. The award recognizes exceptional achievement in the field of historic preservation projects. The committee judged the project “to be an outstanding contribution to furthering the understanding of the history of the Federal Government on the basis of significance of subject matter, depth of research, rigor of methodology, clarity of presentation, and quality of style.”  

Chattel was the recipient of the 2016 John Wesley Powell Prize, awarded by the Society for History in the Federal Government. 

Building 209 is Mission Revival in style and was constructed in 1945 as a hospital and canteen; it is a contributing resource to National Register-listed West LA VA Historic District. As historic preservation consultant, Chattel worked with architect Leo Daly to fully rehabilitate and seismically retrofit the building. Through research, rehabilitation, and evidence-based design, Building 209 was transformed and is now home to male and female Veterans who were formerly homeless. Comprising 51,500 square feet of space, the three-level building supports a functional program of specialized accommodations and provides residents with stable housing as well as the services necessary to aid in their recovery.

The John Wesley Powell Prize is the latest honor for the West LA VA Hospital Homeless Veterans Transitional Housing project. The project will also receive a Los Angeles Conservancy award at the Annual Preservation Awards Luncheon on May 5, 2016.

Building 209 at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center Campus after the rehabilitation and seismic upgrade project. 

Better Late than Never... Chattel HOLIDAY Party 2015

Chattel  celebrated the holiday season on December 18, 2015 at Terroni, an established restaurant housed in a historic banking hall at 802 S. Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. In the setting of a sleek private dining room which was once the mezzanine of National City Bank, our team enjoyed a multi-course meal of southern Italian food and wine, exchanged holiday gifts, and reflected on our firm’s growth and accomplishments.

Although it's already February (how time flies), we just wanted to thank you for making 2015 so memorable. Can't wait to see what this year brings. From us at Chattel, Inc.

Straight Out of Compton: A Late Modern City Hall Gets an Energy Upgrade

FREE Lecture at the Getty Center: Tuesday, December 8th at 7:00 pm. Tickets Required

Compton City Hall (Chattel, 2012)

Chattel is honored to be presenting on the rehabilitation of Compton City Hall, part of the Getty Conservation Institute's second annual event celebrating modern architecture in Los Angeles, entitled "Modern Snapshots From the Field."  

Interior of Compton City Hall (Chattel, 2012)

City Hall opened its doors to the citizens of Compton in 1977. It represented a new civic identity for a community that had recently witnessed a dramatic change in demographics, evolving from exclusively Anglo prior to World War II into a majority African-American city in the decades following the war.  Designed by local African-American architect Harold L. Williams, FAIA (1924-2015), the City Hall was the result of Williams’ desire to create an architecturally significant landmark for the residents of Compton. Williams has been recognized for his involvement and leadership in a number of organizations throughout his lifetime, including the AIA, the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) and as the chairman of the Committee for Simon Rodia's Towers in Watts that have earned him the reputation as the “People’s Architect.”

In 2009, the City of Compton received a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to replace glazing of windows and doors and provide weatherstripping. Chattel was brought on in 2012 to perform Section 106 review including preparing a determination of eligibility for the property and finding of effect for the project.

City and County of San Francisco preservation planner Justin Greving will be presenting on behalf of Chattel, highlighting our role in preserving this local landmark.  Justin served as Chattel project manager for the City Hall and spearheaded the successful effort to gain approvals and implement the project on a tight schedule. The lecture will take place at the Museum Lecture Hall at the Getty Center, Tuesday, December 8th at 7:00 pm. The event is free but tickets are required. RSVP. 

Compton City Hall (Chattel, 2013)

Coming Home: West LA VA’s Building 209 Rehabilitated to House Veterans in Need

Building 209 after rehabilitation (Chattel, 2015)

Chattel consulted on the rehabilitation and seismic retrofit of Building 209 at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center (West LA VA) Campus. Collaborating with a team of architects and engineers, Chattel completed Section 106 review, consulting with the SHPO, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Los Angeles Conservancy. The building was rehabilitated to accommodate a long term therapeutic supportive residential program housing homeless Veterans. Chattel advised the team in developing a project that conformed with the Secretary’s Standards to streamline concurrence from SHPO.

Interior of residential unit after rehabilitation (Chattel, 2015)

Constructed in 1945, Building 209 is Mission Revival in style and was constructed as a hospital and canteen; it is a contributing resource to National Register-listed West LA VA Historic District. Through research, rehabilitation, and evidence-based design, Building 209 has been fully restored and transformed into housing for 65 homeless men and women. Comprising 51,500 square feet of space, the three-level building supports a functional program of specialized accommodations and provides residents with stable housing as well as services necessary to aid in their recovery.

Original steel sash windows in the process of restoration and reglazing (Chattel, 2014)

As part of the project, steel sash double hung windows were stripped of lead-based paint on site, reglazed to increase energy efficiency, and painted their historic color based on paint analysis. The building achieved LEED Gold certification. In November, Building 209 was awarded the Innovation in Design Merit at the Los Angeles Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council’s (USGBC-LA) Sustainable Innovation Awards.