RESOLUTION NO. PC-2026-09
A RESOLUTION OF THE LANDMARKS COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF FULLERTON, CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING THE "FLIGHT" PUBLIC ARTWORK LOCATED AT 353 WEST COMMONWEALTH AVENUE (HISTORIC LANDMARK NO. HL-117) AS A LOCAL LANDMARK AND RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY
COUNCIL APPROVE A GENERAL PLAN REVISION TO MAKE
CORRESPONDING AMENDMENTS TO THE FULLERTON PLAN HISTORIC PRESERVATION ELEMENT, TABLE 6 - CITY OF FULLERTON LOCAL REGISTER OF HISTORICAL RESOURCES AND EXHIBIT 3 - MAP OF
HISTORICAL RESOURCES - NATIONAL AND LOCAL
LRP-2026-0008
APPLICANT: FULLERTON HERITAGE
PROPERTY OWNER: CITY OF FULLERTON
RECITALS
WHEREAS, applications were filed for Local Landmark Designation of property located at the following property:
353 West Commonwealth Avenue - Orange County Assessor's Parcel No. 032-154-42 WHEREAS, the Landmarks/Planning Commission of the City of Fullerton, California, in compliance with noticing requirements of Fullerton Municipal Code (FMC) Section 15.76.040, held a duly noticed public hearing on said application; and
WHEREAS, the applications are categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15331 - Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation, which allows for the preservation and conservation of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for the treatment of Historic Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings.
RESOLUTION
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT FOUND AND DETERMINED AND RESOLVED by the Landmarks Commission of the City of Fullerton as follows:
1. In all respects as set forth in the Recitals of this Resolution.
2. The Landmarks Commission, pursuant to FMC Chapter 15.48, makes the following findings regarding the Landmark designation for the subject property:
a. Finding: The public artwork "Flight" located at 353 West Commonwealth Avenue is eligible for a Historical Landmark designation in accordance with the criteria identified in FMC Section 15.48.060.
Fact: The property meets Local Landmark eligibility Criterion 3, because of its association with notable residents of Fullerton. The Fullerton Bicentennial Committee for Art in Public Places - was organized and tasked with selecting an appropriate sculpture that would be Res. No. PC-2026-09
prominently displayed in the lawn area between the Fullerton Public Library and the Fullerton City Hall in the 300 block of West Commonwealth Avenue. Notable painter Florence Arnold was selected Chair of the Subcommittee; other members included Dorian Hunter, Frank Chow, Pauline and Pamela Nevius, 5 and Frances Wood, the first woman elected to the Fullerton City Council. The completed sculpture would be Fullerton's first major public art project.
Fact: The property also meets Local Landmark eligibility Criterion 7, because of its embodiment of elements of outstanding attention to architectural design, detail, materials or craftsmanship as the renowned artist Aldo Casanova designed the artwork. His works can be found in a number of permanent collections, such as the Whitney Museum of American Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C., and the UCLA Franklin D. Murphy Sculpture Garden. Casanova enjoyed a long and honored career in the arts. He was elected in 1992, to the National Academy of Design, and in 1994, he was made a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society.
He was the recipient of the Louis Comfort Tiffany Purchase Award, the Speyer Prize, the Lindsay Morris Prize, and the Tallix Foundry Prize from the National Sculpture Gallery.
Additionally, technical artist, fabricator, and conservator Jack Brogan fabricated the "Flight" artwork. His studio, Design Concepts, in Venice Beach, provided fabricator services to architects and industrial engineers, as well as NASA, Lockheed, and space contractors. Working from his studio, Brogan addressed the varying materials and production needs of the artists, architects, and industrial designers he worked with to fabricate prototypes and unique objects.
Brogan is best known for his work with the artists - Robert Irwin, Larry Bell, Peter Alexander, Helen Pashgian, etc. - behind Southern California's Light and Space Movement. Known as the Finish Fetish artists because of their manipulation of surfaces, the artists experimented with new materials and technologies, including acrylic, fluorescent lights, urethanes, and resin, that were often polished to a high sheen.
Brogan's papers are on file in the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Several books and catalogs discussing his work have been published, including Margaret Miya Honda's Found Technology: The Art Fabrication Business of Jack Brogan (1991); the Baxter Art Gallery's Jack Brogan: Projects exhibition catalog; and the Getty Research Institute's Pacific Standard Time: Los Angeles Art, 1945-1980 (2011).
Fact: The property also meets Local Landmark eligibility Criterion 9, as a unique location or singular physical characteristic representing an established and familiar visual feature of a neighborhood due to its prominent location between City Hall and the Fullerton Public Library.
b. Finding: Designation of this property as a Historical (Local) Landmark is consistent with the goals and policies contained in The Fullerton Plan.
Fact: The Historic Landmark Designation of this artwork supports The Fullerton Plan, Policy 4.2 Awareness of Historic Resources which supports programs and policies to raise the awareness of the value of historic resources in strengthening communities, conserving resources, fostering economic development, and enriching lives.
Fact: The Historic Landmark designation of the subject properties support The Fullerton Plan, Policy 4.4 Historic Character and Sense of Place which supports actions to reinforce the character and sense of place of established neighborhoods. - 2 -
Res. No. PC-2026-09
c. Finding: Property owner consent for the Historical Landmark designation has been granted pursuant to FMC 15.48.050.
Fact: The City has given written consent for the filing of the application for landmark designation.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED the Landmarks Commission does hereby APPROVE LRP-2026-0008, designating the public art as HL-117 and recommends the City Council amend The Fullerton Plan Historic Preservation Element, Table 6 - City of Fullerton Local Register of Historical Resources and Exhibit 3 - Historical Resources Map - National and Local.
ADOPTED BY THE FULLERTON LANDMARKS COMMISSION ON MAY 13, 2026.
Oscar Valadez, Chairman (
- 3 -
City of Fullerton
RESOLUTION CERTIFICATION
STATE OF CALIFORNIA )
COUNTY OF ORANGE ) SS
CITY OF FULLERTON )
RESOLUTION NO. PC-2026-09
I, Janet Ragland, Recording Clerk of the Landmarks Commission of the City of Fullerton, California, hereby certify that the whole number of the members of the Landmarks Commission of the City of Fullerton is five; and that the above and foregoing Resolution No. PC-2026-09 was adopted at a regular meeting of the Landmarks Commission held on the 13t day of May 2026, by the following vote:
LANDMARKS COMMISSIONER AYES: Fleenor, Tutor, Wehn, Dino, Valadez LANDMARKS COMMISSIONER NOES: None
LANDMARKS COMMISSIONER ABSTAINED: None
LANDMARKS COMMISSIONER ABSENT: None
Janet Ragland, Recording Clerk