New life in the historic heart of Beverly Hills

Just shy of a century old, 9701-9725 S. Santa Monica Boulevard sits at the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Roxbury Drive, blocks away from Rodeo Drive, famously known as the height of commercial luxury in Beverly Hills.

Historic aerial of 9701-9725 S. Santa Monica Boulevard in 1947. Image courtesy of UCLA Air Photo Archives.

In 2007, the property was identified in the City of Beverly Hills Historic Resources Survey as eligible for the National Register as a good example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture.

Drawing of the South Elevation prior to rehabilitation. Base drawing provided by Optimus; annotation done by Chattel, 2020. Red dotted line signifies non-original awnings over original transoms whereas red overlay signifies alteration (found through primary documentation; permit or photograph).

Through recommendations and conformance review memorandums, Chattel worked with the project architect, Gabbay Architects and property owner client, Optimus Properties, LLC to address alterations over time, regain consistency of the recessed storefronts below multi-light transoms and reposition the property as a contemporary office and retail space. Goals included repainting the entire building, making the south elevation storefronts more consistent, and implementing a new signage program. Chattel’s reports did so in two notable ways:

• First, fabric awnings were removed from the transom above storefronts to reveal the windows, originally intended to transmit natural light into each store. The new signage program due inspiration from the Michelin House in London, providing a contemporary interpretation while not detracting from the historic features of the building.

• Second, all storefront doors and windows were replaced the original design intent with rectangular and angled recesses with full height glass doors, door transoms, and transom windows.

The project received permit approval for exterior façade modification in December 2020 through a City staff level architectural review with guidance from memorandums Chattel prepared. Today, 9701-9725 S. Santa Monica Boulevard gains new life in a revitalized building that retains its historic features while being aesthetically compatible with its posh neighborhood.

Chattel's Recent Awards

....And we're back. So much has happened during our short blogging hiatus, but we first want to highlight some of our recent recognition for some of our beloved past projects.

Los Angeles Conservancy Preservation Awards

The project team behind SurveyLA upon receiving the Chairman’s Award at the 2017 Preservation Awards hosted by the Los Angeles Conservancy. Photo source: Larry Underhill.

This year’s Chairman’s Award of the 2017 Preservation Awards hosted by the Los Angeles Conservancy was presented to the project team behind SurveyLA: The Los Angeles Historic Resources Survey. Led by the City of Los Angeles, Department of City Planning, and the J. Paul Getty Trust, SurveyLA consisted of a wholesome effort between public and private entities toward what’s been recognized as the “largest and most comprehensive survey ever completed by an American city.” The award was presented at the LA Conservancy’s 36th Annual Preservation Awards Luncheon earlier this month on May 3rd at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. At the luncheon, our team was recognized for our contribution in this 10-year effort which included a mix of survey work and preparing historical context statements. We wrote the Chinese American Historical Context statement, as well as the Industrial Context statement in collaboration with LSA Associates. Additionally, we participated in survey efforts for the South Los Angeles Community Plan Area. We are proud to have been involved in such a momentous endeavor!

Enjoying the LA Conservancy luncheon hosted at the historic Millennium Biltmore Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

Dorothy Wright Brick and Mortar Award

All of our hard work at the Historic Westside School in Las Vegas has finally paid off. On May 17, 2017, the City of Las Vegas Historic Preservation Commission recognized the rehabilitation of the Historic Westside School Campus with the Dorothy Wright Brick and Mortar Award. The project was further recognized for its rehabilitation efforts in the “Proclamation from the office of the Mayor” declaring the month of May as “National Preservation Month” for the City of Las Vegas. Read more about our involvement with the Historic Westside School Campus rehabilitation project here.

The Dorothy Wright Brick and Mortar Award and the Proclamation of May as National Preservation Month presented to the City of Las Vegas for the rehabilitation of the Historic Westside School Campus.

Keep your eyes peeled on here (and the links below) for more project and team updates.

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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. 

A Window into Santa Barbara History

The fourth phase of construction at Mission Santa Barbara is well underway! The project team met on April 17, 2015 to see the work in progress.  "Windows" have been opened through exterior, Portland cement cladding on the convento wing to reveal a mix of underlying, early California building materials like sandstone, adobe, terra cotta, and brick.  These materials will be repaired, and a new overlay of lime-based plaster and paint will be applied. 

Project team members in front of the convento wing south elevation.  From left:  Napoleon Gallardo (Spectra), Troy Parry (Spectra), Nels Roselund (Roselund Engineering), Shane Swerdlow (Chattel), Tina Foss (Old Mission Santa Barbara), John Griswold (Griswold Conservation Associates), Brother Brian Trawick (Old Mission Santa Barbara), and Gabby Gonzalez (California Missions Foundation).

Project sign.

Project conservator John Griswold discusses mix of underlying building materials.  

Convento wing south elevation with "windows" showing underlying sandstone.  

Convento wing north elevation with "windows" showing underlying building materials.  

Pecha Kucha at the Getty

On December 9, 2014, Robert Chattel was one of six presenters at the inaugural "Powered by Pecha Kucha" event sponsored by the Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative at the Getty. Robert presented a 6 minute 40 second presentation entitled Medicinal Masterpiece: Rehabilitation and Adaptive Reuse of the Stuart Building. Check it out!

A Torrance Icon Day and Night

The Torrance City Council presented a Proclamation to those involved in rehabilitating the bridge.  Pictured from left, front row:  Jamie Ruth Watson (President, Torrance Historical Society), Shane Swerdlow (Associate, Chattel, Inc.), Pat Furey (Mayor, City of Torrance), Elizabeth Overstreet (Engineering Manager, City of Torrance, Department of Public Works), and Andy Perez (Director, Port Affairs, Union Pacific Railroad).

On December 2, 2014, the Torrance City Council kicked off its weekly meeting with an official lighting ceremony for the 1913, Irving Gill-designed Pacific Electric Railway - El Prado Bridge. Chattel Associate Shane Swerdlow spoke at the event, accepting a Proclamation from the City Council on behalf of the team involved in the bridge’s rehabilitation. Watch the Proclamation presentation and lighting ceremony.

Torrance Historical Society members gathered at the bridge while Mayor Pat Furey flipped a switch at City Council Chambers to officially illuminate the structure (source of photo: Torrance CitiCABLE 3)

Chattel worked with structural engineer Krakower & Associates, concrete specialist Preservation Arts, and City of Torrance, Department of Public Works to develop a project that brought back the modern elegance of the arched, reinforced concrete bridge, which had suffered years of deferred maintenance. Work included removing paint, graffiti, and dense vines, patching damaged concrete, reconstructing wood guardrails, and adding clear anti-graffiti coating. Chattel also consulted with the Torrance Historical Society to come up with the official Pacific Electric Railway – El Prado Bridge name approved by the Torrance City Council—the structure was previously called “the bridge” and several other colloquial names. Read more about Chattel’s presentation to the City Council on the bridge’s name in the Torrance Tribune. Chattel also worked with City staff to develop the new lighting scheme, which consists of in-ground uplights accentuating the iconic arches.

Chattel worked with City staff to develop the new lighting scheme.  Pictured here is Lea Reis (Associate Engineer, City of Torrance, Department of Public Works) with a sample in-ground uplight.

Built in 1913 by the Pacific Electric Railway, the bridge originally served trains passing over tracks used by southern California's famous Red Cars. It is one of the first bridges to use arches purely for decoration, disguising an otherwise simple structure of concrete girders and beams. Southern Pacific Railroad later took over ownership of the bridge and donated it to the City of Torrance in 1986. The bridge was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. At a 100th birthday celebration on May 23rd, 2013, the American Society of Civil Engineers presented a plaque commemorating the bridge as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, joining the ranks of the Golden Gate and Brooklyn bridges. Today, it serves as Torrance’s eastern gateway and an icon of civic identity, prominently featured in logos and seals of City departments and organizations.

From top: bridge in 1913, soon after construction (Torrance Historical Society); 2012, before rehabilitation; 2013, after rehabilitation; and 2014, during lighting ceremony.

Banking on History: Five Incentives for Preservation Projects

CPF Workshop - Thursday, December 11th

Castle Green in Pasadena

Join Shane Swerdlow, Associate at Chattel, Inc. as he discusses the Mills Act at a special, day-long workshop on historic preservation financial incentives presented by the California Preservation Foundation at Pasadena’s historic Castle Green.

The Mills Act Program is California’s leading financial incentive for historic preservation, providing potential property tax reduction to owners of qualified historic buildings.  Owners must commit to a substantial scope of rehabilitation, restoration, and maintenance work described in a Mills Act Contract that is executed with a local city or county government.

The workshop will also focus on Federal Historic Preservation Tax Incentives, easements, and a variety of grant programs.

Register

Other speakers include: 

• Kevin Sanada, National Trust for Historic Preservation
• Tara Hamacher, Founder and President, Historic Consultants, Inc.
• Diana Letsinger, Partner, Novogradac & Company LLP
• William Huang, Director of Housing, City of Pasadena
• Jesse Lattig, Preservation Director, Pasadena Heritage
• Shane Swerdlow, Associate, Chattel, Inc.
• Kevin Johnson, City of Pasadena, Planning & Community Development Department
• Patricia Johnson-Conner, Los Angeles County, Office of the Assessor
• Charles Loveman, Executive Director, Heritage Housing Partners
• Christopher Smith, Architectural Resources Group
• John LoCascio, Senior Architect, AIA, Historic Resources Group

Conserving Southern California's Modern Architecture

FREE Lecture at the Getty - Tuesday, December 9th at 7:00 PM

Stuart Company Building in Pasadena

Robert Chattel, AIA will highlight the preservation challenges and successes of his work on the Stuart Company Building at a FREE event sponsored by the Getty Conservation Institute's Conserving Modern Architecture Initiative, which seeks to advance the practice of conserving twentieth-century heritage. The presentation will be "Powered by PechaKucha," a simple presentation format in which speakers show 20 images, each for 20 seconds, making for a fast-paced and lively evening.

Please join us.

Tuesday, December 9, 2014 at 7:00 PM

Museum Lecture Hall, Getty Center

R.S.V.P.

The Public Landscapes of Ralph Cornell

FREE Tour of Harvey Mudd College - Sunday, November 9th at 2:30pm

Harvey Mudd College Great Mall with new Center for Teaching and Learning at right.

As part of The Cultural Landscape Foundation's program What’s Out There Weekend Los Angeles - The Public Landscapes of Ralph Cornell, Robert Chattel, AIA will lead a tour of Harvey Mudd College in Claremont. Chattel evaluated the campus master plan amendment and identified a potential historic district with the period of significance 1957-1972. Chattel also reviewed a proposed replacement building by Portland-based Boora Architects, a center for teaching and learning, for conformance with the Secretary’s Standards.

Los Angeles-based landscape architect Ralph Cornell is known for his design restraint and thoughtful use of indigenous plantings. His work at Harvey Mudd College was in collaboration with landscape architect Thomas Church, and architects Earl Heitschmidt and Edward Durrell Stone. The upcoming What's Out There Weekend features free, expert-led tours of more than a dozen significant Cornell-designed landscapes in greater Los Angeles.

LA Conservancy Garden Apartment Tour

Saturday, November 1st; 10am to 4:30pm

Imagine living in a low-density, garden oasis like Chase Knolls (above) in the middle of America’s second-largest city.  Los Angeles has one of the largest collections of garden apartments in the nation, with nearly 40 built between the late 1930s and the mid-1950s.  Here’s a chance to see what life is like in historic garden apartments.

Robert Chattel, AIA will be available to discuss the careful analysis and development of a prioritized approach to phased rehabilitation of Chase Knolls buildings and landscape.  Join theLA Conservancy for this special one-time-only overview and tour of Village Green in Baldwin Hills (1941), Chase Knolls in Sherman Oaks (1948), and Lincoln Place in Venice (1951).

State Historic Tax Credit Act: What's Next?

Help AB 1999 cross the finish line!

Put your coffee down and email Governor Jerry Brown and encourage him to sign the legislation for AB 1999. It’s simple, enter your name and email address, scroll down to AB 01999 and enter your email text, then press send.

Here’s sample email text.  It’s just a start, make it yours!

I'm writing to express my personal support for AB 1999, the state historic tax credit bill authored by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins. The bill is truly a landmark that was passed unanimously and with bipartisan support in both the Senate and Assembly. The proposed legislation will provide an incentive to rehabilitate historic commercial income-producing and owner-occupied residential properties in urban and rural areas across California. We need to encourage property owners to retain and reuse important touchstones of our history as older downtowns are revitalized, former military bases are reused and affordable housing is provided. The bill was co-sponsored by the California Preservation Foundation and California Council of the American Institute of Architects and supported by thoughtful cities, astute developers, preservation organizations and caring individuals like me statewide. I urge you to sign the bill into law and make California the 35th state to enact a state historic tax credit. Thank you for your consideration.

What will AB 1999 do?

The bill amends several sections of the state tax code to allow for a basic 20% or, in certain limited areas, 25% investment tax credit for qualified rehabilitation of income-producing commercial and owner-occupied residential properties. 

When would it take effect?

January 2015.

How can you learn more?

Visit the California Preservation Foundation website.

For those who care about our history and preservation of California’s rich and diverse built environment, the long-awaited State Historic Tax Credit is in the final stage of adoption. AB 1999 was just unanimously passed with bipartisan support in both the California Senate and Assembly and now heads to Governor Jerry Brown for signature.  The bill was authored by Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego), co-sponsored by the California Preservation Foundation and California Council of the American Institute of Architects, and supported by like-minded organizations statewide including the California Historical Society, Los Angeles Conservancy and San Francisco Heritage.

Neon Museum: A Mid-Century Case Study

FREE Webinar on September 9 at 12pm

Join Robert Chattel, AIA and Shane Swerdlow for a webinar about the trials and tribulations of saving the Mid-Century Modern La Concha Motel lobby from demolition, its move to a new site, and rehabilitation as the Visitor Center for Las Vegas’ highly successful Neon Museum. Learn how a team of advocates for its protection, a structural engineer, and a consulting preservation architect worked together to save the iconic structure. The webinar is the third and final part of a California Preservation Foundation (CPF) series on architecture and urbanism in the mid-twentieth century.

Robert Chattel, AIA, Historic Architect, will moderate the webinar. Other speakers will include Nancy Deaner, Director, City of Las Vegas, Office of Cultural Affairs; Mel Green, Structural Engineer, Melvyn Green & Associates, Inc.; Shane Swerdlow, Project Manager, Chattel, Inc.; Mara Jones, Architectural Historian, Nevada State Historic Preservation Office; and Danielle Kelly, Executive Director, The Neon Museum, Las Vegas.

Register for the webinar

Registration is free for members of CPF and partner organizations, including Restore Oregon, Nevada Preservation Foundation, Preserve Nevada, Nevada Architectural History Alliance, and The Neon Museum. $15 for Non-members.

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Robert Chattel, AIA, Moderator

Robert Chattel, AIA is a licensed general contractor and architect in California with more than 30 years’ experience in historic preservation. He established Chattel, Inc. in 1994 and has been involved in achieving creative changes to diverse historic properties throughout the western United States, including a notable array of Modern buildings. For the 1958 Edward Durell Stone-designed Stuart Company Plant and Office Building in Pasadena, Robert consulted on design and construction of an adaptive reuse project integrating the historic New Formalist building within a compatible new apartment community and performing arts venue. He worked closely with public agencies and Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee when consulting on rehabilitation of the 1957 Googie-style Harvey’s Broiler, now Bob’s Big Boy, in Downey. As consulting historic preservation architect for the Neon Museum Visitor Center, he collaborated with Westar Architectural Group to develop plans for rehabilitation of the La Concha Motel lobby and a new addition housing museum support spaces. He serves as President Emeritus of the Board of Trustees of the San Francisco-based California Historical Society.

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Shane Swerdlow, Speaker

Shane Swerdlow is a historic preservation planner at Chattel, Inc. involved in design collaboration and environmental review for projects involving historic resources. His work on Modern buildings includes a historic resource assessment of the 1955 National Register-eligible, Welton Becket and Associates-designed Schoenberg Hall at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), which houses the Herb Alpert School of Music, and consultation on design of a new addition. He also consulted on and monitored construction of stabilization and rehabilitation work at the 1913 National Register-listed Pacific Electric Railway – El Prado Bridge in Torrance, designed by Irving Gill, a pioneer in Modernism. For the Neon Museum Visitor Center, he managed implementation of National Scenic Byways Program grant funding and worked closely with the Nevada State Historic Preservation Office, Federal Highway Administration, and Nevada Department of Transportation to successfully complete Section 106 environmental review. He serves as Vice President of the University of Southern California (USC) Sol Price School of Public Policy Alumni Association Board of Directors and member of the Board and Planning and Land Use Committee of Los Angeles’ Mid City West Community Council. 

La Concha Motel Lobby disassembled at donor site before relocation in 2006.

Chattel consulted on design of the new addition housing offices and support spaces.

The Neon Boneyard is home to over 150 neon signs.