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Landmark Commission Meeting: July 14, 2025
Agenda Item: 6A
To: Landmark Commission
From: Stephanie Reich, Landmark Commission Secretary
Permit(s): 25ENT-0069
Address(s): 1125 18th Street
Applicant: Santa Monica Conservancy
Subject
Public Hearing to consider the designation application 25ENT-0069 for the property located at 1125 18th Street to determine whether the residential structure in whole or in part, should be designated as a Structure of Merit. The Landmarks Commission will consider the application based on whether the application, research and public testimony demonstrates that the building meets one or more of the required criteria for Structure of Merit designation pursuant to SMMC Section 9.56.080. Consideration of compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), including an exemption under CEQA Guideline 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption).
Recommended
Action
1) Staff recommends the Commission deny the designation of the residence at 1125 18th Street, as a Santa Monica
Structure of Merit. The staff analysis concludes that the structure does not appear eligible for listing as a Structure of Merit under any of the designation criteria as the property is a typical example of a common property type.
2) Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15270, CEQA does not apply to projects that a public agency disapproves. Based on the recommended action, CEQA would not be applicable.
Alternatively, if the project were to be approved, the
Commission would adopt a finding of no possibility of
significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines.
Introduction & Background
The property owner has filed a demolition permit application. The Santa Monica Conservancy filed an application to designate the main structure on the property as a Structure of Merit. The property, a modest example of a Craftsman bungalow, is a single-family residence built in 1923.
The structure was identified in the Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) in 2018 as a potential Structure of Merit. The structure had not previously identified on the City’s HRI.
Page & Turnbull has been retained by the City of Santa Monica (City) to prepare a Historic Resource Assessment (HRA) to determine if the property is eligible for designation, and if so, under which criteria.
Page & Turnbull evaluated the property under the Structure of Merit Criteria in SMMC 9.56.080. and assessed its physical integrity. As a result of this analysis, Page & Turnbull concludes that 2 the property does not meet any of Criterion, as it is a modest example of a Craftsman bungalow, a type that is relatively common in the neighborhood and Santa Monica. Given its relatively simple design and the continued presence of similar properties in the area, 1125 18th Street does not represent a rare or unique example of its type. 1125 18th Street does not appear to meet any of the criteria for designation as a City of Santa Monica Structure of Merit and therefore does not appear to be eligible for this level of designation. Preservation staff has reviewed the report and agrees with the Page & Turnbull recommendation.
This report summarizes the HRA by Page & Turnbull and provides a contrast with the applicant’s historic analysis. For more detailed information, please refer to the Historic Resource Assessment and Applicant’s Materials attached to this report.
Aerial view of 1125 18thStreet (outlined in red). Source: Google Earth, 2023, edited by Page & Turnbull.
West (front) elevation viewed from 18th Street (current) 3 Historic Resources Inventory Status
As noted above, 1125 18th Street was evaluated as part of the Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) survey and found to be potentially eligible for listing as a Santa Monica Structure of Merit.
The findings of the 2018 HRI update are quoted below:
1125 18th Street appears eligible for local listing as a Santa Monica Structure of Merit. The property conveys patterns of residential development that shaped the Wilshire Montana/Mid City neighborhoods of Santa Monica in the early decades of the twentieth century. Constructed in 1923, it is an example of a residential building from this formative period of neighborhood growth. The building does not rise to the level of significance needed to be eligible as a Landmark, but it appears eligible as a Structure of Merit.
The property was not included in a previous HRI.
Parcel map, showing the subject property, shaded in red. Source: Los Angeles County Assessor, edited by Page & Turnbull, 2025 Surrounding Neighborhood
The subject property is located in a residential neighborhood one block from Wilshire Boulevard, a major east-west commercial thoroughfare that runs the length of the city. The parcels surrounding the subject property are characterized by a mix of multi-family properties and single-family residences ranging from the early 20th century to the present. 4 Single-family residence at 1133 18th Street,
looking northeast.
Property at 1127 18th Street, looking north.
Multi-family housing on the east side of 18th Street,
looking north.
Apartment complex on the south side of 18th Street,
looking west.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS
Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15270, CEQA does not apply to projects that a public agency disapproves. Based on the recommended action, CEQA would not be applicable.
Alternatively, if the project were to be approved, the Commission would adopt a finding of no possibility of significant effect pursuant to Section 15061(b)(3) (Common Sense Exemption) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines. Pursuant to CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3) it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that approving an application and designating the property as a Landmark will result in any significant effect on the environment. This determination is based on the record as a whole, which includes, but is not limited to, evidence that the designation of the property as a Landmark will promote the retention and preservation of historic resources, the designation would not result in any physical change to the property, and any future physical changes would be subject to subsequent CEQA review.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION
5 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 attached to this report.
ANALYSIS
Property Information and Architectural Description
The subject property is located on a 160-by-50-foot rectangular lot on the east side of 18th Street.
The building on the property is a 952 square foot rectangular one-story, single-family wood-frame residence with a low pitched front gable roof with an intersecting side gable projection. The roof is clad with asphalt shingles and features wide overhanging eaves with exposed rafter tails and triangular cross-hatched wood vents at the gable ends. The building is clad in painted narrow wood clapboard. Typical windows are wood double-hung windows with flat wood surrounds located on all façades. The upper sash of the windows on the primary (west) façade features simplified prairiestyle muntins.
The subject property is considerably set back from the street behind a front yard with a lawn, a mature tree, and landscape plantings along the primary façade. A concrete paved ribbon driveway with grass down the center runs along the south side of the parcel and terminates at the rear wood fence.
Front yard, looking north Image from Google Maps, current There is a detailed description of the existing structure and the site included in the Page & Turnbull HRA (attached) beginning on Page 7.
Architectural Style: Craftsman Bungalow
Craftsman bungalows are typically characterized by low-pitched gabled roofs with wide, unenclosed eave overhangs; decorative beams or braces; exposed rafter tails; tapered square columns or pedestals; and extending porch elements. Small-scale, wood-framed Craftsman bungalows could be constructed easily and affordably and were often available as kit houses, or built from plans in pattern books, through 1910s. Neighborhoods of Craftsman houses developed into the 1920s as streetcar suburbs.
Elaborate and unique homes of the wealthy, such as the Gamble House in Pasadena, represent high style examples while rows of more modest bungalows are found throughout California. 6 The Gamble House designed by Greene & Greene
in Pasadena is a high-style example of the
Craftsman style. Source: Page & Turnbull,
2011.
The 1908 “Ye Planry” is an example of a Craftsman
bungalow kit house. Source: First Edition Catalog
of Bungalow Plans, Los Angeles,
1908-1913 via Antiquehome.org.
Based on a review of the 2018 Historic Context Statement survey results, 178 properties in Santa Monica were identified by the survey as “Craftsman” style. Of these, 30 individually significant properties were identified in the Wilshire Montana neighborhood, 18 as potential Landmarks and 12 as potential Structures of Merit. Like 1125 18th Street, all 30 properties were identified as being significant, at least in part, for conveying the “patterns of residential development” in the Wilshire Montana area in the “early decades of the twentieth century”. Twenty of the Craftsman style properties identified as significant in the Wilshire Montana neighborhood represent relatively modest bungalow-style homes, which display a variety of different Craftsman design elements and types, as well as levels of integrity.
847 10th Street. Built 1919, identified by the 2018
survey as eligible for designation as a Landmark.
918 19th Street. Built in 1924, identified by the 2018
survey as eligible for designation as a Structure of
Merit.
7 811 5
th Street. Built in 1912, identified by the 2018
survey as eligible for designation as a Structure of
Merit Source: Google Maps.
908 California Avenue. Built in 1922, identified by the 2018 survey as eligible for designation as a Landmark.
Source: Google Maps.
Builder: M. L. Fuller
M. L. Fuller is listed on the original building permit dated March 3, 1923; however, little is known about his life or professional work. City directories from that year list Fuller as residing at 1253 18th Street, just one block south of the subject property. During this period, many Craftsman bungalows in Los Angeles were constructed using pattern books that supplied standardized plans and elevations, and as a result, designs were often attributed to builders rather than formally trained architects. Developers and contractors frequently hired young architects who had not yet established their own practices or relied on builders with no formal architectural education. Such practices likely contributed to the lack of documentation surrounding Fuller’s career.
Integrity Analysis
With the exception of an ADA ramp on the south side, property appears to have had very few exterior modifications since it was originally constructed.
Location
The 1125 18th Street primary residence retains integrity of location. The subject building has remained situated at its location of original construction since 1923. Since the construction of the main residence, a secondary structure and fence have been installed at the rear of the property. This does not appear to impact the integrity of location.
Setting
1125 18th Street retains integrity of setting. The residence continues to be located where it was originally instructed. The parcel on which the house is located has changed with the addition of a secondary residence at the rear of the property. However, it retains its general landscape setting, driveway and view from the street.
If eligible, the appropriate period of significance for the building would be 1923, the year of its construction. It is in reference to the design and appearance of the building and its setting in this year that the integrity discussion is based.
8 Design, Materials, Workmanship, Feeling and Association As the property at 1125 18th Street has not been significantly altered and remains in its original location since its construction in 1923, it maintains integrity of Design, Materials, Workmanship, Feeling and Association.
Evaluation for Designation as a Structure of Merit
Per SMMC 9.56.080 of the Santa Monica Landmarks and Historic Districts Section, a property merits consideration as a Structure of Merit if it satisfies one or more of the following criteria. 1125 18th Street does not appear eligible under any of the following criteria. Below each criterion is discussed in detail:
SMMC 9.56.080(a). The structure has been identified in the City’s Historic Resources Inventory.
As the subject property is identified in the City of Santa Monica’s 2018 Historic Resources Inventory (HRI) update as a potentially eligible resource for local listing, it technically meets the wording of this criterion. However, Page & Turnbull and City Preservation staff opinion is that identification as a potential resource in Santa Monica’s Historic Resources Inventory does not alone provide sufficient basis for the individual designation of a property as a Structure of Merit.
This criterion recognizes the findings of previous evaluations conducted in support of the inventory and update. It appears to presume that if a property is “identified” in the inventory, it has already been evaluated according to and found significant under at least one of the categories of SMMC 9.56.1080(b) (see below). While the subject property has been identified in the most recent iteration of the HRI, the residence appears ineligible under this criterion. Upon further research and evaluation, the subject residence is a modest Craftsman bungalow that represents a restrained interpretation or partial application of the Craftsman style rather than a particularly distinguished or unique example. Furthermore, the modest Craftsman bungalow remains a relatively common building type that remains prevalent within the neighborhood. As such, the subject residence does not appear to warrant its current listing on the City’s Historic Resource Inventory and appears ineligible under this criterion.
SMMC 9.56.080(b). The structure is a minimum of 50 years of age and meets one of the following criteria:
The subject property was built in 1923 and, therefore, satisfies the 50-year age criterion.
SMMC 9.56.080(b)(1). The structure is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail or historical type.
1125 18th Street is a relatively intact example of a modest Craftsman bungalow built during Santa Monica’s real estate boom of the 1920s. The Craftsman bungalow was a common singlefamily residential style in the Wilshire Montana neighborhood at the time, as the neighborhood was being developed in response to improved transit access. These small- scale, wood-framed homes were popular due to their ease and affordability of construction. The building possesses some key characteristics of this housing type, including its one-story height, low-pitched gable roof with overhanging eaves, wood siding, and multi-lite wood frame windows. However, it lacks more distinctive architectural elements typical of Craftsman homes, such as prominent front porches with tapered stone, brick, or stucco columns or decorative beams. Rather than being a 9 unique interpretation of Craftsman style, the idiosyncratic entrance at 1125 18th Street, which consists of a relatively small front porch facing the driveway rather than the public right of way, is a departure from the wide front entry porches which define the character of Craftsman bungalows. As such, 1125 18th Street represents a restrained interpretation, or partial application of the Craftsman style rather than a particularly distinguished or unique example.
The extant Craftsman bungalows and other single-family residences built in the first three decades of the 20th century in the Wilshire Montana neighborhood are not remnants of originally homogenous single-family neighborhoods. Rather, residences like 1125 18th Street represent a middle stage of neighborhood development. Though established in the late 19th and early 20th century, development in these areas progressed slowly and in a patchy fashion until construction of single-family homes accelerated during the 1920s. During and after this period of growth, low-scale apartment complexes and bungalow courts in various Revival styles were constructed alongside single family homes. This pattern created the neighborhood’s varied residential character, an architectural mix which reflects decades-long development patterns in the Green Acres Tract and Wilshire Montana neighborhood.
According to the 2018 Historic Resources Inventory update, 178 Craftsman-style buildings were deemed individually eligible citywide, with 30 of these located in Wilshire Montana. Of those, roughly 20 are comparable in scale and character to 1125 18th Street. Although some have been removed for site redevelopment and others altered to the degree that they have lost integrity, the modest Craftsman bungalow remains a relatively common building type within the neighborhood. Given its modest design and the continued presence of similar properties in the area, 1125 18th Street does not appear to represent a rare or unique example of its type.
Therefore, the subject property does not appear to be eligible for listing as a Structure of Merit under this criterion.
SMMC 9.56.080(b)(2). The structure is representative of a style in the City that is no longer prevalent.
1125 18th Street is an example of a modest Craftsman bungalow, which was a building type prevalent in the City of Santa Monica through the first three decades of the 20th century. 1125 18th Street is one of many remaining Craftsman residences in the Wilshire Montana neighborhood and the City of Santa Monica as a whole. According to the 2018 Historic Resources Inventory update, 178 Craftsman-style buildings were deemed individually eligible citywide, with 30 of these located in Wilshire Montana. Of those, roughly 20 are comparable in scale and character to 1125 18thStreet.
Although some have been removed for site redevelopment and others altered to the degree that they have lost integrity, the modest Craftsman bungalow remains a relatively common building type that remains prevalent within the neighborhood. Therefore, the subject property does not appear to be eligible for listing as a Structure of Merit under this criterion.
SMMC 9.56.080(b)(3). The structure contributes to a potential Historic District.
The subject property has not been identified as a contributor to a potential Historic District.
Therefore, it does appear to be eligible for listing as a Structure of Merit under this criterion.
CONCLUSION & STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
1125 18th Street is a modest example of a Craftsman bungalow, a type which remains relatively 10 common within the neighborhood and across the city as a whole. 1125 18th Street does not represent a rare or unique example of its type, and is not an example of a no-longer prevalent style. Based on research and analysis, Page & Turnbull has found, and staff agrees, that 1125 18th Street does not meet any of the criteria for designation as a City of Santa Monica Structure of Merit.
Attachments
Public Notice
Designation Nomination Application
Historic Resource Assessment (HRA)Report, Page & Turnbull, July 2025