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M E M O R A N D U M
PLANNING AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
PLANNING DIVISION
DATE: September 9, 2019
TO: The Honorable Landmarks Commission
FROM: Planning Staff
SUBJECT: 3223 Donald Douglas Loop, 19ENT-0213
Public Hearing to consider Landmark Designation application 19ENT-0213 to determine whether the painted Compass Rose on concrete paving located adjacent to the runway generally at the northwest corner of the Santa Monica Municipal Airport property, in whole or in part, should be designated as a City Landmark and, if so designated, whether an associated Landmark Parcel should be defined and described in order to preserve, maintain, protect, or safeguard the Landmark.
PROPERTY OWNER: City of Santa Monica
APPLICANT: Chattel Inc. and The 99s of the Los Angeles Area, Inc.
INTRODUCTION & BACKGROUND
The applicant filed a Landmark Designation application for a painted Compass Rose located to the north of and adjacent to Runway 3 at the Santa Monica Municipal Airport on May 30, 2019. The Compass Rose is a painted compass that is circular in shape, located adjacent to the airport runway, and used as an early aviation navigational tool and form of air marking, common to most airports.
A Landmark Assessment report was prepared for the subject building by one of the City’s historic preservation consultant, Ostashay and Associates Consulting (OAC), provided as Attachment C. Based on the findings as provided in the report, the consultant finds that the Compass Rose is eligible for Landmark designation under the City of Santa Monica Landmark criteria 9.56.100(A)(1) as symbolizing an important chapter in the aviation history of women in Santa Monica.
On August 11, 1988, the Landmarks Commission designated the Santa Monica Airport Rotating Beacon Tower as a City Landmark as a noteworthy, functional navigational tool identified with both historic personages and important local events, while also exemplifying the City’s economic history as a symbol of the vital role of the aviation 11-A
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industry during the early development years of the City. The Statement of Official Action (STOA) is provided for reference as Attachment D.
Historic Resources Inventory Status
The subject Compass Rose is not identified in the City’s 2018 Historic Resources Inventory survey and has not been identified on previous City surveys.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
Notice of this hearing was provided as required by Section 9.56.170(c) of the Landmarks Ordinance, with notice sent to all owners and occupants within a 300-foot radius and a newspaper notice published in the Santa Monica Daily Press at least 10 consecutive calendar days prior to the hearing. A copy of the notice is included as Attachment A.
ANALYSIS
Historic Context: Santa Monica Airport
The Santa Monica Airport is located at the southeast portion of the City adjacent to the southwestern boundary line of the City of Los Angeles. The airport is owned by the City of Santa Monica and is operated under a division of the City of Santa Monica Public Works Department. The airport consists of 227 acres and also includes non-aviation uses including a City park, offices, art studio, museum, event venues, parking, and airplane hangars.
The subject property was previously used as barley fields dating from 1916. As early as 1917, pilots of World War I biplanes began using the site as an informal landing strip. In the spring of 1923, the U.S. Army Air Corps officially converted the barley field airstrip into an operational military airfield and named it Clover Field. In April 1926, through the use of Park Bond revenue, the City of Santa Monica purchased 158 acres of land comprising the Clover Field site (adjacent to Ocean Park Boulevard) for use as a general aviation public-use airport. By 1929, the Douglas Aircraft Company completed the move of its factory to Clover Field, and by 1933, the Santa Monica Airport area was rectangular in plan with a straight 2,800 foot long asphalt paved runway with an adjacent open airfield space to the immediate south.
Despite the Great Depression of the 1930s, the Douglas plant at the airport continued to grow, employing many local residents and developing the residential neighborhoods around the airfield. The company constructed large factory assembly structures, massive hangars, and modern administrative offices. During World War II, Douglas manufactured, housed, and transported newly built transport planes and bomber aircraft used extensively during the war. During its peak years, Douglas Aircraft employed up to 44,000 employees leading to the City’s transformation from a beach resort town into a blue-collar community. The Douglas Aircraft Company continued to flourish through the 1960s however, left Santa Monica in 1975. During the 1950s through to the 1970s, there was an increase in civilian aviation activity at the airport. In 1984, the City of Santa Monica adopted a new Airport Master Plan, followed by the Santa Monica Airport Agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that same year. - 3 -
The Ninety-Nines
In addition to the record-breaking events and flights that occurred at the Santa Monica Airport (aka Clover Field) during its formative years, the first National Women’s Air Derby of 1929 (Powder Puff Derby), which started at the Santa Monica Airport (Clover Field), became the turning point for women in aviation. This first major transcontinental sanctioned air race for women proved that women pilots were as competent and determined as male pilots, and attracted women pilots locally, nationally, and abroad. By 1929, there were approximately 60 women pilots in the United States, potentially up to 117 worldwide, in which 20 women pilots participated in the event. The success of the air race encouraged pilot Amelia Earhart and others to form an organization of women pilots which led to the formation of the Ninety-Nines.
Established in November 1929, the Ninety-Nines was a social and professional organization with goals to encourage and support women in aviation and to enhance opportunities for women seeking careers in such a male-dominated field. Women pilots faced significant discrimination, were discouraged from flying, and were often negatively compared to their male counterparts. By the early 1930s, the Ninety-Nines were divided into regional sections with each section sponsoring some activities furthering women flying and aviation in general. The organization officially incorporated in 1950 and later renamed The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots in efforts to include members from around the world. In total, eight geographic sections that were further divided into chapters were established for its members. Today, there are currently 155 chapters of the Ninety-Nines in 44 countries with over 6,000 members, including the Los Angeles chapter based at the Santa Monica Airport. The Ninety-Nines continue to promote the advancement of aviation through education, scholarships, and mutual support while honoring their unique history and sharing a passion for flying.
The subject Compass Rose is not directly associated with The Ninety-Nines in terms of historic personages or with important events in local, state, or national history in which it memorializes. As described below, the Compass Rose was used as an early aviation navigational tool and form of air marking common to most airports, and not directly associated with The Ninety-Nines. Although the first National Women’s Air Derby of 1929 was an important event in local history which began at the Santa Monica Airport and was the first sanctioned air race for women in the world, the Compass Rose itself is commemorative in nature and not directly associated with the event. Physical evidence of a Compass Rose at its original location at the airport dates to approximately 1947. The subject Compass Rose in its current location was painted as a volunteer effort by members of the local chapter of The Ninety-Nines in 1985 and has been repainted since that time. Therefore, any association with historic personages or important events is merely symbolic.
Santa Monica Compass Rose
Before radio navigation was widely available, pilots of small aircraft depended on natural landmarks, roads, or unusual structures visible from the air. Air marking is known as a program of painting or creating markings on the roofs of buildings or on ground areas to identify the location of airfields for pilots. The compass rose is multi-functional in that it is - 4 -
a form of air marking to assist pilots in navigating airfields, and it is also used to calibrate on-board airplane compasses before departure.
Research indicates that the Santa Monica Airport was known to have a functioning compass rose on its grounds adjacent to the airfield during its early years. There are references prior to the standardization of air marking during the 1930s and early 1940s, and prior to the creation of the Ninety-Nine’s distinctive Compass Rose logo (1939) that current exists at the airport. It is uncertain if or where a compass rose was located on the airfield at the time of the 1929 Powder Puff Derby and in the years following the event.
However, it is assumed that a compass would have existed at the airport for use by pilots and the Douglas Aircraft Company to calibrate the on-board flight compasses.
The Compass Rose was removed from the airport or hidden from public view during the war period for security reasons. Photo documentation after the war in 1947 show the compass rose located at the northeast corner of the airport adjacent to runways 21 and
22. The Compass Rose is also visible in aerial photographs dating from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. In November 1974, the Los Angeles Chapter of the Ninety-Nines’ air marking committee obtained approval to re-mark the compass at the Santa Monica Airport and in 1985 painted its first Compass Rose at the airport. The painting/installation was one of several airport improvement projects completed between 1985 and 1989. In June 1989, the Compass Rose was relocated from the northeast portion of the airport to its current location, and was last repainted by the LA 99s in 2010.
As such, the Compass Rose painting itself, as recently repainted in 2010, is non-original.
Additionally, the current location of the Compass Rose is non-original and therefore its location does not appear to be historically significant. However, the Compass Rose has importance to Santa Monica in that it symbolizes the important contributions of women in aviation, which is significant to the City’s cultural history. As such, the Compass Rose appears to be eligible under Criterion 1 as described below. The character-defining features associated with the Compass Rose include its location near or adjacent to the airfield, runway, taxiway, or other airport associated feature (as its current location is nonoriginal and therefore not historic), its large size and distinct shape as an 12-point Compass Rose, its paint material, color pattern, and blue and white hue, and its block font type of “99” logo and arrangement as two interlocking number “9”s of varying size and shape.
Landmarks Ordinance/Findings
The Landmarks Ordinance requires the Commission to review the building’s eligibility as a landmark based on the six criteria discussed below. In order to be designated as a City Landmark, the Commission is required to find that the property meets one or more of these criteria.
Based on the findings as provided in the Landmark Assessment Report, the consultant finds that the property appears eligible as a landmark under the City of Santa Monica Landmark criteria 9.56.100(A)(1). Based on research and evaluation, staff agrees with - 5 -
the consultant’s findings that the Compass Rose satisfies Landmark Designation criterion
1. The following draft findings are provided to support this conclusion:
(1) It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history of the City.
In addition to the record-breaking events and flights that occurred at the Santa Monica Airport (aka Clover Field) during its formative years, the first National Women’s Air Derby of 1929 (Powder Puff Derby), which started at the Santa Monica Airport (Clover Field), became the turning point for women in aviation. This first major transcontinental sanctioned air race for women proved that women pilots were as competent and determined as male pilots, and attracted women pilots locally, nationally, and abroad. By 1929, there were approximately 60 women pilots in the United States, potentially up to 117 worldwide, in which 20 women pilots participated in the event. The event led to the formation of the Ninety-Nines in November 1929, a social and professional organization with goals to encourage and support women in aviation and to enhance opportunities for women seeking careers in such a male-dominated field. By the early 1930s, the NinetyNines were divided into regional sections with each section sponsoring some activities furthering women flying and aviation in general. The organization officially incorporated in 1950 and later renamed The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots in efforts to include members from around the world.
There are references of a Compass Rose utilized at the Santa Monica Airport prior to the standardization of air marking during the 1930s and early 1940s, and prior to the creation of the Ninety-Nine’s distinctive Compass Rose logo (1939) that current exists at the airport. In November 1974, the Los Angeles chapter’s air marking committee obtained approval to re-mark the compass at the Santa Monica Airport and the Compass Rose by Ninety-Nines was first painted in 1985. The painting/installation of the compass rose was one of several airport improvement projects completed between 1985 and 1989. In June 1989, Compass Rose was relocated from the northeast portion of the airport to its current location, and was last repainted by the LA 99s in 2010. Today, the compass rose is a symbolic feature and is not necessarily in a historic location at the airport.
The subject Santa Monica Airport Compass Rose symbolizes the important aviation history of women in Santa Monica. It is also emblematic of the early air marking program for which the Ninety-Nines were and still are so closely associated with. The Compass Rose symbolizes the important contributions of women in aviation, important to the City’s cultural history. Therefore, the Santa Monica Compass Rose appears to satisfy this criterion.
(2) It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value.
The Compass Rose does not appear to have the aesthetic or artistic interest or value necessary for such recognition under this criterion. Therefore, the subject Compass Rose does not appear to satisfy this criterion.
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(3) It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state or national history.
Although the Compass Rose symbolizes the importance of women in aviation history in the City, it is not directly association with historic personages or with important events in local, state, or national history in which it memorializes. Although the first National Women’s Air Derby of 1929 was an important event in local history which began at the Santa Monica Airport and was the first sanctioned air race for women in the world, the Compass Rose itself is commemorative in nature and not directly associated with the event. Physical evidence of a Compass Rose at its original location at the airport dates to approximately 1947. The subject Compass Rose in its current location was painted as a volunteer effort by members of the local chapter of The Ninety-Nines in 1985 and has been repainted since that time. Any association with historic personages or important events is merely referential. Therefore, the subject Compass Rose does not appear to satisfy this criterion.
(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 Compass Rose in its current location is considered a functional piece of art painted by the local chapter of the Ninety-Nines (Los Angeles Chapter, The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots). As such, it does not possess any distinguishing architectural characteristics or embody the use of indigenous materials that would be valuable to a study of a period, style, method of construction. As it is a symbolic re-creation of the Ninety-Nine’s compass rose, it does not represent a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail, or historical style valuable to such a study.
Therefore, the subject Compass Rose does not appear to satisfy this criterion. (5) It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer or architect.
The Compass Rose is not a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer, or architect. While the design of the Santa Monica Compass Rose in its current location is based on the original scheme created in 1939 by Ninety-Nine member Wilma Fritschey, it was repainted by the Los Angeles chapter of the Ninety-Nines. There is no indication that this local group should be considered a master in the field of design, construction, or architecture. Therefore, the subject Compass Rose does not appear to satisfy this criterion.
(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 Compass Rose is located adjacent to a runway and based on its siting on the property, is not readily accessible to the public or visible from the public right-of-way. - 7 -
Therefore, it has not become an established or familiar visual feature of a neighborhood, community, or the City. Therefore, the subject Compass Rose does not appear to satisfy this criterion.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Commission designate the Compass Rose located at 3223 Donald Douglas Loop as a City Landmark, described as a circular-shaped, twelve-point Compass Rose with a diameter of approximately 50 feet and a circumference of approximately 160 feet, based on the draft findings of designation Criteria 1 contained herein.
The character-defining features associated with the Compass Rose include the following:
Location near or adjacent to the airfield, runway, taxiway, or other airport associated feature (its current location is non-original and therefore not historic);
Large size and distinct shape as an 12-point Compass Rose; Material (paint) and color pattern and hue (blue and white); Block font type of “99” logo and arrangement as two interlocking number “9”s of varying size and shape.
Pursuant to SMMC 9.36.180, the Landmarks Commission’s determination regarding this application may be appealed to the City Council if the appeal is filed with the City Planning Division within ten (10) consecutive days commencing from the date that the decision is made by the Landmarks Commission.
Attachments:
A. Public Notice
B. Applicant Materials
C. Landmark Assessment Report, Ostashay & Associates, September 2019 D. Santa Monica Airport Rotating Beacon Tower (STOA LC-35-033) E. Public Correspondence