City Planning Division (310) 458-8341
Planning and Community Development Department www.smgov.net 09/18
CITY OF SANTA MONICA – CITY PLANNING DIVISION
DESIGNATION APPLICATION
Landmark Structure of Merit
Applications must be submitted by appointment at the City Planning public counter, Room 111 at City Hall, located at 1685 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90401. To schedule an appointment or if you have any questions completing this application please call City Planning at (310) 458-8341. GENERAL INFORMATION PROJECT ADDRESS:
Land Use Element District: Zoning District:
Assessor Parcel: - - Lot Size:
APPLICANT
Name:
Address: Zip:
Phone: Fax:
Email:
CONTACT PERSON (if different) (Note: All correspondence will be sent to the applicant) Name:
Address: Zip:
Phone: Fax:
Email:
Relation to Applicant:
PROPERTY OWNER
Name:
Address: Zip:
Phone: Fax:
Subject improvement is generally known as:
Existing use(s) of site:
Rent control status:
Status: Occupied Unoccupied
Recognized in the Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory: Yes No Condition: Excellent Good Fair Deteriorated Ruins Unexposed Threats: None Private Development Vandalism
Public Works Project Zoning Other:
This part to be completed by City staff
Received By: Amount Paid: $
Date Submitted: Check No.:
NOTES TO
APPLICANT
Please complete all
applicable sections
of this application
and submit all
required materials.
Incomplete
applications will not
be accepted for
filing.
Landmarks
Commission meets
on the second
Monday of each
month.
The applicant,
representative, or
legal owner familiar
with the project must
be present at the
Landmarks
Commission
meeting.
A decision on
designation is
rendered at the
hearing. All
decisions by the
Landmarks
Commission are
subject to a 10-day
appeal period. An
official appeal form
and fee schedule is
available at the City
Planning Division
Public Counter.
Appealed projects
will be scheduled for
a hearing before the
City Council.
26ENT-0089
~ Please Note ~
The following property and historical information identified below must be provided in order for your application to be determined complete by the City Planning Division.
You may provide information on additional sheets of paper.
PROPERTY INFORMATION
Description of site or structure, note any major alterations & dates of alterations:
Statement of architectural significance:
Statement of historic importance:
NOTES TO
APPLICANT
For more information
on designation
procedures, refer to
SMMC Section 9.56.
Person(s) of historic importance:
Local State National
Statement of other significance:
Documents and publications that relate directly to proposed improvement (bibliography):
FOR STRUCTURES ONLY:
Date of construction: Factual Estimated
Source:
Architect/Designer/Engineer:
Contractor/ Other builder:
Architectural Style:
Historic Use of Structure(s):
Present Use of Structure(s):
Is/Are structure(s) on original site: Yes No Unknown
Is/Are structure(s) threatened with destruction: Yes No Unknown If yes, state reason:
______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 1
1921 20th Street – Unfried House
The residence at 1921 20th Street qualifies for Landmark designation as an excellent and remarkably intact example of a Craftsman Style Airplane Bungalow. It is also historically significant as a pioneering structure in a rural neighborhood transitioning to a more urban character. It is additionally significant for its association with the Unfried family that foresaw the transition of the neighborhood and built the subject property as well as other early structures and businesses in the area that were the seeds of a thriving, complete neighborhood. Finally, the subject property has a significant association with events impacting Simon and Anna Unfried that demonstrate the universal ills of systemic racism and the resilience of Santa Monica’s African American community, which nonetheless flourished. 1921 20th Street is listed in the 2018 Santa Monica Historic Resources Inventory with the status code 5S3 and the following comment:
1921 20th Street appears eligible for listing as a Santa Monica Landmark. The property is an excellent example of Craftsman architecture as applied to a single-family residence. It exhibits distinctive characteristics that are associated with the style as expressed by its form, massing, composition, and architectural details. It is also significant for representing early patterns of residential development that shaped the Pico neighborhood of Santa Monica in the early decades of the twentieth century.
Constructed in 1913, it is one of relatively few extant residential buildings from this formative period of neighborhood growth.
1921 20th Street Building Description
The residence at 1921 20th Street, an excellent example of a Craftsman Style Airplane Bungalow, was built by Simon Unfried who was issued a building permit for it on December 17, 1912. The home was ready for occupancy a few months later, in 1913. No other building permits for the subject property were filed with the City of Santa Monica until nine were issued in 1948. Most of them related to the construction, plumbing, and wiring of an 18 x 34-foot accessory building at the rear of the parcel. Not all the permits indicate which structure they relate to, but it appears that the main house received new bathroom and electrical fixtures and new gas service during construction of the back house. A new garage was added to the rear of the parcel in 1951. Neither of the rear structures are contributing buildings because they were built outside the 1913 period of significance for 1921 20th Street. Over the next few decades, hot water heaters were replaced in both units. In 1994, as a result of the Northridge Earthquake, the only damage sustained to the subject property was to the posts supporting the front porch. The posts were repaired but the brick piers at their base and a railing were ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 2
removed. No other alterations to the subject property were recorded or observed. The subject property has a very high degree of architectural integrity.1 Typical of the Craftsman Style of architecture, this two-story wooden residence clad in lapped siding that flares slightly at its base. It has a plan consisting of a central rectangular core with volumes of various proportions projecting from each elevation to create a varied form. Typical windows on the structure are double hung, single-light wooden sash types, found singly or in pairs, in various sizes. Wooden exterior window surrounds feature a deeply extended, squared top rail. The complex roof of the structure spans its many irregular volumes with low-pitched peaks, multiple gables, wide eaves, heavy extended beams and extended and exposed rafter tails. All but one of the gables (on the second floor, facing the rear) are finished with decorative, open structured vertical and horizontal lattice. The core ground floor volume of the structure is a shallow rectangle with a side-gabled roof as described above. The southwest-facing front porch protrudes from the main volume with a forward-facing gable roof. The porch spans about two-thirds of the front elevation, leaving the south-eastern-most third unshaded. Within the porch area is the main entry door and a wide double-hung window of the type described above.
The front door of solid wood is obscured by a white metal security gate. The beams that support the porch roof extend beyond the structure at the northwest end of the porch across a driveway to the side parcel line and are capped with widely spaced perpendicular members to form a pergola-like porte-cochere at the side of the house. A driveway passes underneath the porte-cochere and leads to a garage at the rear of the parcel. The posts supporting the porte-cochere at the property line are reinforced at their base with brick piers linked to each other by a low brick planter box. The porch floor is concrete supported by a low brick foundation visible at the front edge and is accessed at either end by two concrete steps with rounded corners. A historic photo indicates that a single wide board extending between the posts formed a porch railing. The railing is no longer extant. It appears that there were once brick piers supporting the porch posts, likely matching those supporting the porte-cochere at the property line. The bricks are covered in many coats of paint but appear to have a decorative ruff-textured finish. A pair of windows in a single unit punctuates the portion of the front façade not protected by the porch. A non-original metal awning has been installed above this window.
The secondary southeast elevation of the ground floor is punctuated by a pair of windows in a single unit and is fronted by a concrete pathway that leads to a kitchen door set into a protruding volume the envelops the east corner of the structure. The single light door has three panels below the light and appears to be original to the structure. Access to the door is via two concrete steps leading to a small landing enclosed by a siding-clad half-height wall protecting the outer edge. This elevation continues along the wall of the protruding volume which is punctuated by a typical window and concludes with a utility room consisting of a solid half wall and inoperable glass panes filling the upper portion.
1 City of Santa Monica Permit Document Archives, publicdsocs.smgov.net ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 3
The rear elevation is split between the main volume of the structure and the rear face of the protruding corner volume. The corner volume has a rear-facing gable roof typical to the structure. The glassy utility room continues around the corner and incorporates a door before the wall becomes solid again, punctuated by a typical window. One of the utility room windows has been boarded up. The utility room windows are protected from the elements by non-original metal awnings, and the room is accessed from a single step that leads to a landing centered under the peak of its roof. A non-original metal security gate has replaced or conceals an original door. Tucked in the corner between the protruding volume and the main volume of the structure is a basement stair inside a bulkhead with missing doors. A small basement gives access to a full crawl space. The portion of the main volume visible along the rear elevation of the structure is punctuated by three typical windows of various sizes.
The secondary northwest elevation is fronted by a concrete driveway. The rear half of this elevation features a small volume that protrudes about 18 inches from the core volume. It has a shed roof with typical eaves, and features a typical window in its center. Originally this volume did not extend all the way to the rear (north) corner, but it appears that the rectangular notch was filled in to enlarge to room inside at an early date because a seam is apparent but there is no change in materials. The front (southwest) half of this elevation is dominated by the back of a brick fireplace and its chimney extending above, flanked on either side by typical windows.
The second story of the subject property is comprised of a rectangular core volume capped with a typical side-gabled roof. It has similar proportions but a much smaller footprint than the core ground floor volume atop which it is centered. The gable end facades of the second story (northwest and southeast) are each dominated by typical windows in pairs combined in single units. The rear elevation of the second floor is punctuated by a typical window at either end between which a small volume protrudes, capped with a rear facing gable filled to the eaves with lapped siding. This volume is punctuated by two typical windows. On the primary elevation of the second story, there are pairs of typical windows at either end. From the rails separating the paired windows, an enclosed porch protrudes, resulting in a window within the porch and another opening directly to the outside. This porch is capped by a shed roof with typical eaves and rafter tails. It is glassed-in with a band of original wooden six-light horizontal sash windows that wrap around the sides. The overall form of the second story is an irregular cross-shape.
Though the interior features of a private residential structure are not within the purview of the Landmarks Ordinance, the interior of the subject property, like the exterior has a very high degree of physical integrity, which is unusual for such an old structure in Santa Monica. All of the original windows, trims, baseboards, crown moldings, and doors appear to be extant.
Alterations include the addition of linoleum flooring from various eras in several rooms, and plumbing fixtures that were replaced in the bathrooms. The main entrance from the front ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 4
porch gives access directly to the living room which features a brick fireplace with a wooden mantle. The living room is separated from the dining room by a large lathe and plaster archway with decorative flourishes near the curved corners. In the dining room, a large built-in credenza dominates the interior wall. An open surface between the upper and lower cabinets retains its mirrored backing and is framed by a notched arch very like the larger one between the rooms.
Off the dining room is a large kitchen with original cabinetry and an original built-in breakfast nook with a non-original booth. Beyond the kitchen is the glassy utility room with beadboard half-height wainscoting and lathe and plaster walls above. From the living room, a doorway in the interior wall gives access to a bedroom. This is the room that was expanded slightly when the notch at the north corner of the structure was filled in. A seam in the plaster and the baseboards confirms the alteration and also confirms its date to an early period when all the original materials were still available. A door from the back of this room leads to a narrow hallway that connects through the back of the house to the kitchen. On the exterior side of the hallway is a full bathroom, and on the interior side is a large, original built in linen closet with drawers and cupboards. From the mid-point of the hallway, a narrow, enclosed staircase leads to a small landing on the second floor, across which is the sleeping porch at the front of the house. Either side of the landing gives access to a bedroom, each with a closet and a small lavatory.
Craftsman Style – Airplane Bungalows
Inspired by the work of Charles Sumner Greene and Henry Mather Greene of Pasadena, California, the Craftsman Style was popular from 1905-1930. Designed to suit the southern California climate and ethos, Craftsman bungalows were constructed of wood, and featured low-pitched roofs, reducing their profile so they didn’t disrupt the surrounding landscape. Deep porches and wide eaves provided relief from the hot California sun, and exposed rafters and heavy, exposed support beams under the gables, celebrated the structural integrity of the carpenter-built structures. Partial-width front porches supported by heavy squared or tapered posts were often accented with heavy piers of stone or brick further grounding them in the landscape.2
The subject property exemplifies the Craftsman Style Airplane Bungalow. Its irregular plan evolves from a core volume strategically embellished with additional volumes that provide practical amenities on the inside and visual interest on the outside. For example, the large volume at the east corner enlarges the kitchen and adds space for a utility porch and bathroom on the ground floor. The much smaller pop-out on the northwest elevation may have been designed to accommodate a murphy bed in the first-floor bedroom, which the builder decided soon after the building was constructed to omit. On the second floor, the rear pop out 2 A Field Guide to American Houses, by Virginia & Lee McAlester, Alfred A Knopf Inc., 1984 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 5
accommodates closets and lavatories for each bedroom, and the front pop out provides a sleeping porch. Sleeping porches with an abundant flow of fresh air, were widely popular as a result of a surge of interest in sanitary living in the early 20th Century and were a typical feature of the Craftsman Style. Also typical of the style, the bedrooms on the second floor, though small, have large windows on all three exterior walls. The resulting glassy appearance of small second story bedrooms and sleeping porches on many Craftsman Bungalows in the early 20th Century led the homes to be referred to as Airplane Bungalows for a resemblance to the cockpit of airplanes. Aviation, fast developing from novelty to an industry, was a topic of extreme interest during that period. The manner in which the exposed support beams above the front porch extend to form a trellised port-cochere with a built-in planter box is another classic feature of the Craftsman Style designed to harmonize the structure with the landscape.
The use of brick for the porch face, piers, fireplace, and chimney was chosen over stone as a common local material, locally fired for use in construction. The subject property is an exemplary example of a Craftsman Style Airplane Bungalow.
Neighborhood Context: Fairview Heights
Santa Monica was founded by Robert Baker and John Percival Jones in 1875. By 1900, most of their joint holdings were partitioned so they could go their separate ways in business. Jones sold a large parcel from his portfolio between the railroad tracks and the southern boundary of the San Vicente Rancho to Robert C. Gillis in 1901. It extended from Fourteenth to Stewart Street, but only the portion west of 17th Street was within the city limits. In 1902, Gillis resold the land to the Erkenbrecher Syndicate, a group of wealthy Los Angeles investors, who established a large subdivision there in 1904.3 Realtor W.A. Irwin marketed the parcels, giving the district the name, “Irwin Heights.” Just across the railroad tracks, the Sunset Brick and Tile Company was established in 1903, and soon sold to the Los Angeles Pressed Brick Company. In 1904, five large blocks at the northeast corner of the Erkenbrecher Tract became the Simons Brick Company, and soon after that another block became the Hayes Tile and Pottery Company.
The three brick yards and the Southern Pacific Railroad yards, which they abutted, established a major industrial presence in the area. With this in mind, Irwin Heights sales targeted working class residents, many employed by the brick companies, who couldn’t afford the tonier neighborhoods springing up simultaneously on the north side of Santa Monica and in Brentwood. By the end of 1904, Irwin reported that eighteen houses had been erected on the 600-acre tract he managed. A little less than half of the tract had been subdivided into standard 50 x 150-foot parcels. The rest, east of 20th Street and from Michigan Avenue to Pico Boulevard was sold in approximately 5-acre farm lots. In May 1905, the Santa Monica City Trustees called 3 Los Angeles County Deed Records, Jones to Gillis, Book 1433-216, February 14, 1901, Gillis to Pacific Land Company, Book 1496-149, August 5, 1901, Pacific Land Company to Bundy, Book 1630-84, August 19, 1902, Bundy to Woolacott (Erkenbrecher Syndicate), Book 1260-275, August 19, 1902, www.familysearch.com, Map of Erkenbrecher Syndicate Santa Monica Tract, TR0006-026a, recorded October 17, 1904, Los Angeles County Assessor, https://dpw.lacounty.gov/
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 6
an election to annex a large area to the city that included the portion of the Erkenbrecher Tract that had been in the unincorporated outskirts. In response to the new official status, Irwin organized a major event featuring a barbeque, a band concert, and a land auction on June 10.4 The auction apparently went so well that he held another a few weeks later. Anna Gross bought 3 acres in lot 1, block 24 of the Erkenbrecher Syndicate Tract, recording her deed on July 6th that year; she married Simon Unfried a few months later. Being only 22-years old, it is possible the parcel was an engagement gift. After that flurry of sales, Irwin began divesting himself of his Santa Monica holdings and soon left town altogether.
In May 1907, the rural population of Irwin Heights decided to organize. They met at the home of F.W. Richards at 23rd Street and Towner (Delaware) Avenue to form the Irwin Heights Improvement Association which adopted a constitution and bylaws and met on a regular schedule. The members were living primarily on the semi-rural acreage tracts in the east section of the subdivision.5 Attendance at the Improvement Association meetings was robust considering how sparsely populated the district was. There were often as many as twenty-five people present at the twice-monthly gatherings where they conducted neighborhood business and socialized. After meeting for six months, they decided to take real ownership of their neighborhood. Upon their request, three streets were renamed by Santa Monica City Council.
Towner Avenue became Delaware Avenue; Irwin Avenue became Virginia Avenue; and Olive Avenue became Kansas Avenue. They didn’t stop there. By their own decree, the name Irwin Heights for the area was abolished, and Fairview Heights took its place. The Fairview Heights Improvement Association members kept each other up to date with a newsletter called Cyclone, which was distributed and also read aloud at meetings. The Fairview Heights Improvement Association was Santa Monica’s first formal neighborhood group. Their success in assuring they got their fair share of city services and municipal investment was notable, winning trees, streetlamps, improved water service, fire plugs, a fire station, and eventually, paved streets. They weighed in on every political question that came up and were forceful, and in the long run successful, in having the brickyards shut down.6 During the 1920s, a significant wave of Black migrants to Santa Monica settled between 14th and 20th Streets, and between Colorado and Santa Monica Boulevards. When the First C.M.E.
Church was built at 19th Street and Michigan Avenue in 1927, migration began to trickle towards the vicinity of the church. In 1936, the Calvary Baptist Church moved into the area, adding to its appeal to African Americans. In 1937, Dr. and Mrs. Marcus and Essie Tucker pioneered a rapid phase of nearby housing development when they commissioned renowned Black architect Paul R. Williams to build them a home at 1958 20th Street. By this time Fairview 4 Auction Sale and Barbeque, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, May 25, 1905 5 For Improvement of Irwin Heights, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, May 18, 1907, Meeting of Santa Monica Council, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, June 27, 1907, City Council Had a Fairly Busy Meeting, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, July 2, 1907
6 In Society, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, June 17, 1910 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 7
Heights’ original small farm owners were retiring or passing away, their parcels were changing hands, and transformation from a rural character of the area was complete. Apartment buildings and single unit homes developed by middle-class African Americans surrounded the subject property on 20th Street, a district that quickly spread west to 18th Street and east to 22nd Street. Several prominent African American community members built their homes in the immediate vicinity of the subject property including Santa Monica’s first Black Mayor, Hillard Lawson, businessman and activist Silas C. White, Santa Monica College’s first Black Professor Alfred Quinn, and many others. Study of this area as a potential historic district should be considered in the future.
1921 20th Street, Simon and Anna Unfried
On July 6, 1905, Anna Lyllian Gross, a young lady of 22 years, purchased three acres which comprised the north 366 feet of the 625-foot-wide lot 1 in block 24 of the Erkenbrecher Santa Monica Tract, directly from the subdividers for an undisclosed amount. The parcel was 305- feet-deep, extending from 20th to 21st Street at the east corner of Delaware Avenue.7 On October 11, 1905, Miss Gross, born in Iowa to German immigrants, married carpenter Simeon “Simon” “Sam” Unfried, a 27-year-old native of Germany who emigrated to the United States with his family at the age of five. During the first year of their marriage, the Unfried’s lived with Simon’s parents in Los Angeles. By 1907, they were living in Santa Monica on Anna’s parcel on 20th Street near Towner (Delaware) Avenue. No records were found to indicate the physical nature of their first dwelling. In 1908, when the city embarked on a citywide address re-numbering project in order to facilitate mail delivery, the Unfried home was given the address 1921 20th Street, the location of the subject property. The Unfried’s appeared in Fillmore, Ventura County in 1910, by which time they had added Calvin Unfried (1907-1922) and Edward Simon Hap Unfried (1909-1967) to their ranks. Simon, still a carpenter, was working for a building contractor. They returned Santa Monica in September 1911, but whatever manner of cottage they had been living in at 1921 20th Street was no longer suitable. Instead, they found quarters on 23rd Street where a meeting of 35 members of the Fairview Heights Improvement Association doubled as a housewarming party to welcome the Unfried’s back to the neighborhood. Fourteen months later, on December 17, 1912, Simon Unfried pulled a permit to build a residence and garage at 20th and Delaware Avenue at a cost of $2000, and several months after that, the Unfried’s were happily ensconced there, at 1921 20th Street, the subject property, and third son Frederick Harold Unfried (1913-2003) was born.8 They advertised for a renter or buyer for 1921 20th Street in 1916 but didn’t find one until 1918. That year, the 7 Woollacott to Gross, Los Angeles County Deed Records, Book 2553-165, July 6, 1905, www.familysearch.com 8 Unfried-Gross, Los Angeles Herald, October 12, 1905, Simeon Unfried, Los Angeles City Directory, 1906, www.ancestry.com, Simon Sam Unfried, Santa Monica City Directory, 1907, Santa Monica Public Library, Santa Monica Collection, Sam Unfried, Index to Register of Voters, Santa Monica California, 1908, www.ancestry.com, Simon Unfried, United States Census, Fillmore Township, Ventura County, California, 1910 www.ancestry.com, Fairview People Hold a Meeting, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, September 8, 1911 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 8
Unfried’s lived at 1905 Pico Boulevard, the home of Anna’s parents, and J.B. Brannagan occupied 1921 20th Street. The Unfried’s returned to the subject property in 1919 in time for fourth son Chester Leonard Unfried (1919-1984) to be born. In 1920, it appears they sold 1921 20th Street to Dr. Edward B. Jones, a new arrival to Santa Monica from Oroville, California.
Jones lived there for two years, during which time he planned and built a home in Brentwood.9 Jones sold the subject property at 1921 20th Street to H.L. Baird in 1923.
Unfried Hall
In August 1920, the Unfried’s became retailers, holding a grand opening of a grocery at 1928 22nd near Virginia Avenue, where they also lived temporarily while they built a shop and residence on their property at the corner of Delaware and 20th Street, adjacent to the subject property. In 1922 the Unfried’s moved the store and their home to their new structures at 1901 20th Street and 2018 Delaware, respectively. Simon went back to work as a carpenter and Anna took charge of the market.10 In 1927, things were going well and the Unfried’s pulled a permit to construct a 100- by 60-foot, two-story brick commercial building at a cost of $15,000. It held four retail spaces on the ground floor, and the upstairs was comprised of an apartment, and a banquet hall. Simon Unfried was listed as the architect and the contractor. Their fifth and final son, Alvin Unfried (1928-2002) was born during this busy period. The nearest brick commercial building to Unfried Hall was one W.I. Irwin had built on 14th Street in 1904, so the people of Fairview Heights enthusiastically welcomed this new addition to the area which was soon tenanted by a grocery, dry-goods store, and a butcher. The meeting space a became known as Unfried Hall and became a lively hub of community activity. The Fairview Heights Improvement Association, long wishing for a clubhouse, was the first group to use the hall which they declared would be their headquarters for meetings and social events. In November a grand opening reception, with music and dancing was held. The Unfried’s soon moved into the apartment upstairs next to the hall and rented out the house on Delaware. Their bread and butter, the diversely used hall, was rented for fundraising events and charitable causes, it hosted candidates’ forums, Douglas Aircraft employee dances, veterans’ reunions, community Christmas parties, and regular events of the Fairview Heights Association. But in 1931, with the pressures of the Great Depression bearing down, the Unfried’s bottom line was in the red. Two of their four shops were vacant and the other two were a dry goods store and a 9 J.B. Brannagan, Santa Monica Directory, 1918, www.ancestry.com, Simon Unfried, Draft Card, 1918, www.ancestry.com, Simon Unfried, Santa Monica Directory, 1919, www.ancestry.com, Unfried to Jones, Los Angeles County Deed Records, (untitled), Oroville Daily Register, Oroville, California, October 22, 1920, Costly Residences Being Built in Westgate, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California August 14, 1922 10 Opening New Unfried Store Saturday Evening, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, August 2, 1920, Building Permit B9086 (3), 1901 20th Street, Store and Garage, City of Santa Monica Permit Data Archive, May 19, 1922, Building Permit B9677, 1903 20th Street, Store and Garage, City of Santa Monica Permit Data Archive, August 22, 1922, Building Permit B313 (4), 2018 Delaware Avenue, Dwelling and Garage, City of Santa Monica Permit Data Archive, November 17, 1922 ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 9
grocery now operated by Anna’s sister Lena Gross. In the hall, the Fairview Heights Full Gospel Church was their only client. By 1932, they were in foreclosure.11 It came to light that the public dances hosted there were not permitted according to a city ordinance that restricted where in the city dance halls were allowed to operate. In 1931, the police shut them down. In 1922, the City of Santa Monica had supported efforts of the racist Santa Monica Protective League to shut down a successful Black-owned jazz club on 3rd Street in the Belmar Neighborhood. They did it by passing a law that allowed dancing only in downtown Santa Monica west of 2nd Street, an area where realtors in cahoots with the Protective League would not allow any property to be rented, sold or occupied by any non-Caucasian. A decade later, the arbitrary rule that prevented community members from gathering in their own neighborhoods, proved to be harmful to business owners of all stripes.
Lucia Gatti who owned Gatti Hall at 17th Street and Olympic Boulevard and another hall at 20th and Olympic, and Merl DeCoux who operated the Nity-Nite Club on Pico Boulevard near Main Street joined Anna Unfried in a plea to City Council to amend the restrictive ordinance.
The issue dragged on for a year or more. In 1933, Unfried Hall was still dark except for the Gospel Church on Sundays. Anna continued to push for repeal of the restrictive dancing ordinance. The Unfried’s had already foreclosed on the property, but in 1933, they had one final chance to redeem it from receivership if they could just reopen Unfried Hall. She had a positive recommendation from the Planning Commission in hand. But only City Council could repeal it. City Council was unswayed. After years of careful planning, leveraging of a small piece of land, and lots of hard work, Simon and Anna Unfried were able to benefit from a commercial hub she and her husband built in Fairview Heights as it transitioned from a rural district of farms and orchards to a vibrant residential neighborhood. The ill-intentioned no-dancing provision did not anticipate that harming the economic well-being of some harms the economic well-being of all. The Unfried’s moved or Oroville, California to begin again.12 Simon and Anna Unfried were pioneering figures in the growth and development of the Fairview Heights section of Santa Monica. The subject property is the only one of their structures that remains extant, representing the contribution the Unfried’s made to the development of Fairview Heights and other events significant to the history of Santa Monica. 11 Building Permit B2357 (3), 2018 Delaware Avenue, Dwelling and Garage, City of Santa Monica Permit Data Archive, April 6, 1927, Rabbit Dinner Will Be Served in Unfried Hall, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, November 21, 1927, ˆ Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, November 28, 1931, Notice of Trustee’s Sale, T.O. No.18558-VO, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, August 26, 1932
12 Dance Hall Permit Case Referred Back to Mayor, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, November 14, 1932, Repeal Asked on Dance Ban, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, September 9, 1933, Reopening of Dance Hall Urged by Planning Board, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, September 13, 1933, Resident will Protest Dancing in Unfried Hall, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, September 16, 1933
______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 10
Calvary Baptist Church
Ironically, the racist ordinance designed to curtail Black entrepreneurship and social gatherings created an opportunity for the Calvary Baptist Church. Santa Monica’s Calvary Baptist Church was organized in the home of a community member in July 1920 and held its first service on August 8, 1920, at 1531 6th Street, an old wooden church that had most recently been home to a Seventh Day Adventist congregation. The location, between Broadway and Colorado Avenue in Santa Monica’s downtown, was convenient to Santa Monica’s earliest Black neighborhood.
The church purchased the property for $4000, and immediately began fundraising to retire the debt. On Sunday August 26, 1923, the mortgage was paid off and a full day of events in celebration was well attended. It was an auspicious start for the new organization.13 On March 10, 1933, the Long Beach Earthquake shook Southern California to its core and the 6th Street church, one of its many casualties, was no longer safe. While repairs were underway, the congregation participated in numerous large events in partnership with other Black churches in rented venues including the Municipal Auditorium, the Criterion Theater, other churches, the hall at 20th and Olympic Boulevard, and Unfried Hall. The 6th Street structure was repaired but by this time the congregation had outgrown it. More importantly, there was a growing Black community in Santa Monica on the east side of town, and a Baptist Church was needed there.
Beginning in 1933, just as Anna Unfried lost the fight to keep her building, numerous Black clubs and social organizations began using Unfried Hall on a regular basis. It’s unclear who was managing the property during this period. On May 5, 1936, a small, boxed advertisement in the Santa Monica Outlook announced that Calvary Baptist Church was now located at 20th and Delaware. They had certainly purchased the building by then and may have controlled it since 1933.14 The church gutted the second floor, removing the apartments, in order to enlarge the hall to contain its fast-growing congregation. The ground floor commercial spaces were rented, helping to support the church and pay the mortgage. In July 1939, Reverend Welford P. Carter was installed as pastor. A gifted fundraiser, Carter was able to pay off the mortgage two years later in 1941, and raise funds to purchase several more parcels at the corner of 20th Street and Broadway, where a much larger church was built in 1947 for the still-growing congregation.
Calvary Baptist Church retained ownership of the 6th Street site as well as the former Unfried Hall as income property.15
The 1950 census shows that more than 60% of residents in Fairview Heights between 18th and 22nd Streets and Michigan Avenue and Pico Boulevard were Black, and over 70% on 20th Street 13 Calvary Baptist Church of Santa Monica, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, August 7, 1920, Negro Church Needs Money – Starts Debt Clearing Campaign, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, October 26, 1920, Will Hold Dedication Services, California Eagle, Los Angeles, California, August 24, 1923
14 Women Will Give Program, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, October 28, 1933, Calvary Baptist Church, advertisement, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, May 5, 1936
15 101 Years, 08.2021, Our History, by Robert L. Leake, and updated by the Calvary Baptist Church Centennial Committee, downloaded January 19, 2022, www.calvarysm.org
______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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in particular. In the 1960s, when the Santa Monica Freeway was constructed through the center of the city displacing hundreds of homes occupied largely by Mexicans and Black people, on and off ramps were planned for 20th Street. In 1963 and 1964, every parcel on 20th Street between Michigan and Pico Boulevard was required through condemnation to sell 8 feet from their front yards to the city in order to add lanes to that stretch of roadway. In 1964, when the city purchased frontage from Calvary Baptist Church’s parcel occupied by the brick commercial block built by Simon Unfried, it was determined that the building could not be moved so it had to be demolished in order to clear those eight feet for the widening of 20th Street, leaving the church with a vacant lot. In 1966, a portable building to host a Head Start Program was placed where Unfried Hall once stood. A childcare center operates there to the present day.16 Harvey Lewis Baird, 1921 20th Street
Harvey L. Baird (1887-1963) purchased the subject property in 1923. Baird was born in Evansville, Indiana to Emma Harvey and Lewis Baird. Lewis passed away when Harvey was just two years old. He was raised as an only child by his widowed mother in the home of an uncle in Indiana. In 1904, mother and son moved to 2551 Third Street in Santa Monica, near the home of Emma’s sister.17 In 1917, Baird served with the National Guard’s California Coast Artillery at Fort MacArthur, which exempted him from the draft during WWI. His day job was as an auditor for the Nevada Motion Picture Company in Pasadena. At that time, he and his mother were living in Los Angeles. He married Mary R. Smith in 1919. Their first home together was in Hermosa Beach, but they soon moved to 2628 Third Street in Santa Monica. They purchased the subject property the following year, and raised two children, Barbara and William. Baird now worked as a bank cashier.18 During the Great Depression, Harvey Baird ran a community depot that distributed the products of a New Deal Civil Works Administration (CWA) canning kitchen and sewing room. He was also Commander of the Veteran’s Service League, an advocacy group for veterans that raised money and collected canned goods for the needy.
Under his leadership, they established a clubhouse at 1415 14th Street. By 1940, Harvey and Mary Baird had separated and were ultimately divorced. At first, Mary remained at 1921 20th Street, and Harvey decamped to Topanga, though he still worked in Santa Monica at Douglas Aircraft. In 1942, the subject property at 1921 20th Street was sold to Mrs. Handsome 16 Santa Monica’s Calvary To Burn Mortgage Sunday, California Eagle, Los Angeles, California, November 5, 1964, Application for Conditional Use Permit F89189, 1901 20th Street, Santa Monica Building Permit Archives, November 3, 1966 17 Death Claims Emma Baird, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, May 18, 1933, Harvey L. Baird, Index to Register of Voters, Santa Monica, California, 1908, www.ancestry.com 18 Harvey L. Baird, Draft Card, WWI, June 1917, www.ancestry.com, Harvey L. Baird and Mary R. Smith, Los Angeles County Marriage Records, March 17, 1919, www.ancestry.com, Harvey L. Baird, United States Census, Hermosa Beach, California 1920, www.ancestry.com, Prize Winners, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, November 22, 1922, Harvey L. Baird, United States Census, Santa Monica, California 1930, www.ancestry.com, Announcements, Evening Vanguard, Venice, California, May 18, 1933, ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Anderson. By 1950, Harvey Baird had retired and was living at 711 Hill Street. He passed away in 1963.19 Harvey Lewis Baird does not appear to be a person of historic significance.
Handsome Anderson, 1921 20th Street
Handsome Anderson (1903-1988) born in Mossville, Louisiana was one of the eight children of Elerson and Lonia Perkins. In 1924, she married Harry Harris and had a son, Robert Emery Harris (1925-1999). In 1927, she married Hezekiah Anderson in Jefferson, Texas, and had Maebelle (1930-2011), and Jerry (born 1939). Hezekiah had a child, Herman (1919-1945), from a previous marriage. Hezekiah Anderson died of heart disease in 1941.20 Handsome packed up the children and went to stay with her older sister Frances Celestin in Venice, California and began looking for a home for her family. She soon found the subject property at 1921 20th Street for sale and purchased it from Harvey Baird for $2100. Her sister moved to 1948 20th Street around the same time.21 In 1947, Handsome married William L. Otis, a Mississippi native, who joined the family living at 1921 20th Street. Soon after Otis moved in a number of improvements were made to the property, including plumbing and electrical repairs to the main house, and the addition of a garage and accessory dwelling unit in the backyard.
Handsome’s daughter Maebelle married Bertrand Staggers and moved into the backhouse for a short time. Handsome Anderson died in 1988 and was buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Handsome Anderson does not appear to be a person of historic significance.
In 1989, Anderson’s estate cleared probate and 1921 20th Street was offered for sale for $425,000. It was purchased by Joaquin Conigundo Lagos and Lydia Tapie Lagos for an unknown amount. They lived there until they had both passed, the former in 1999 and the latter in 2016.
The Lagos estate sold the property in 2024.
19 Depot Well Stocked, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, March 31, 1934, Vet’s League in New Home, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, March 31, 1934, Dance Ends in Pitched Fight, Santa Monica Outlook, Santa Monica, California, September 3, 1935 M.R. Baird, Santa Monica City Directory, 1940, www.ancestry.com, Harvey L. Baird, Draft Card, WWII, April 1942, www.ancestry.com 20 Elison Perkins, United States Census, Calcasieu County, Louisiana, 1910, www.ancestry.com, Elison Perkins, United States Census, Calcasieu County, Louisiana, 1920, www.ancestry.com, Hezekiah Anderson, United States Census, Calcasieu County, Louisiana, 1930, www.ancestry.com, Hezekiah Anderson, United States Census, Beaumont Texas, 1940, www.ancestry.com, Hezekiah Anderson, Death Certificate, Jefferson County, Texas, June 26, 1941, www.ancestry.com
21 (untitled), California Eagle, Los Angeles, California, August 28, 1941, Bruce Staggers, grandson of Handsome Anderson, Email Correspondence, January 9, 2024, Robert Emery Harris, Draft Card, WWII, April 1942, www.ancestry.com, (untitled), California Eagle, Los Angeles, California, September 13, 1945,
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Integrity Analysis
Location
Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred. The subject property has not moved from its present location since it was constructed. Therefore, it has a high degree of integrity of location.
Design
Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property. As a result of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake, the posts supporting the front porch roof were repaired but the brick piers at their base were removed. An original board railing that is no longer extant may also have been removed at this time. No other alterations to the exterior of the subject property were recorded or observed. The subject property has a very high degree of integrity of design.
Setting
Setting is the physical environment of a historic property. 1921 20th Street was the first house on its block when it was built in 1913, so inevitably its setting is altered by the appearance of the built-out environment surrounding it. However, it was not designed to be surrounded by open land as adjacent development was anticipated, some of it realized by the builder himself.
At the time of its construction, the subject property enjoyed eight additional feet of front yard area, which was taken away by the city through condemnation in order to widen 20th Street.
While these changes are part of the historic context of the property and contribute to our understanding of its significance relative to the history of the City of Santa Monica, they are nonetheless alterations. Therefore, the subject property has a moderate degree of integrity of setting.
Materials
Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during a particular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form a historic property. No materials on the exterior of the subject property have been replaced with non-original materials. The subject property has a very high degree of integrity of materials.
Workmanship
Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or people during any given period in history or prehistory. As noted, the subject property has seen very little alteration of any kind since the time of its construction leaving all the original workmanship intact. Therefore, 1921 20th Street has a high degree of integrity of workmanship. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Feeling
Feeling is a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular period of time. The subject property retains nearly all of its original physical features and materials that, taken together, convey the property's historic character. Therefore, 1921 20th Street has a high degree of integrity of feeling.
Association
Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and a historic property. Because of the unaltered condition of the subject property, its design, materials, and workmanship effectively convey its original appearance as Simon Unfried conceived it.
Therefore, 1921 20th Street has a high degree of integrity of association.
Summary of Significance
The residence at 1921 20th Street qualifies for Landmark designation as an exemplary example of a Craftsman Style Airplane Bungalow with a very high degree of architectural integrity that manifests many key features of the type, including a complex, low-pitched roof, flared wood cladding, windows, and doors, an irregular plan based on a core volume strategically embellished with additional volumes, a sleeping porch, a small glassy second story reminiscent of an airplane’s cockpit, exposed support beams above the front porch that extend to form a trellised port-cochere with a built-in planter box, and brick accents on the porch face, piers, fireplace, and chimney.
1921 20th Street is also significant for events associated with its builders, Simon and Anna Unfried who were pioneer residents of Fairview Heights. Of the three structures the Unfried’s left behind in Santa Monica, only the subject property at 1921 20th Street remains extant as a representation of their hard work, excellent planning, quality workmanship, and unfortunate departure from the City of Santa Monica. They completed the subject property in 1913 and moved in with their family. Seven years later, they sold it to start a dry goods store nearby. In 1927, the Unfried’s built a 2-story brick business block at a cost of $15,000, which included 4 ground floor shops, and on the second floor a banquet room called Unfried Hall and an apartment, a pioneering commercial block in Fairview Heights.
In 1932, the police unexpectedly shut down the hall because it was revealed that its use was a violation of the city’s zoning ordinance which didn’t allow dance halls in that part of the city. In 1922, the City of Santa Monica had supported efforts of the racist Santa Monica Protective League to shut down a successful Black-owned jazz club by passing a restrictive no-dancing law.
The ill-intentioned provision did not anticipate that harming the economic well-being of some harms the economic well-being of all. Anna Unfried led a group of other neighborhood-based 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 15
banquet room owners in a 2-year battle with the city to save her hall from foreclosure. These events in the lives of the Unfried’s that began with the construction of the subject property, are significant in the history of Santa Monica as a tangible manifestation of the far-reaching negative impacts of systemic racism. Unfried Hall was ultimately purchased by the Calvary Baptist Church, which conducted its Sunday services upstairs and rented the ground floor retail spaces to black-owned businesses, which thrived for thirty years. Unfried Hall’s final chapter occurred when the City of Santa Monica demolished it to complete a freeway-related roadway project.
Application of Santa Monica Landmark Designation Findings
1. It exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social, economic, political or architectural history of the City.
The subject property qualifies for landmark designation under this criterion. 1921 20th Street is significant for events associated with its builders, Simon and Anna Unfried who were pioneer residents of Fairview Heights (the Erkenbrecher Syndicate Santa Monica Tract between 18th and 22nd Streets). Of the three structures the Unfried’s left behind in Santa Monica, only the subject property at 1921 20th Street remains extant as a representation of their hard work, planning, quality workmanship, and unfortunate departure from the City of Santa Monica. Simon and Anna Unfried invested in high quality structures that were at the physical center of life in Fairview Heights, and were charter members of the Fairview Heights Improvement Association, which was Santa Monica’s first neighborhood organization. They completed the subject property in 1913 and moved in with their family. Seven years later, they sold it to start a dry goods store nearby while they built a store on their own property at 1901 20th Street, and a residence at 2018 Delaware Avenue, which were completed in 1922. In 1927, the Unfried’s replaced their small store with a 2-story brick business block at a cost of $15,000, which included 4 ground floor shops, and on the second floor a banquet room called Unfried Hall and an apartment. It was a pioneering commercial block in Fairview Heights.
In 1932, the police unexpectedly shut down the hall because it was revealed that its use was a violation of the city’s zoning ordinance which didn’t allow dance halls. In 1922, the City of Santa Monica had supported efforts of the racist Santa Monica Protective League to shut down a successful Black-owned jazz club by passing a restrictive no-dancing law. The ill-intentioned provision did not anticipate that harming the economic well-being of some harms the economic well-being of all. Anna Unfried led a group of other neighborhood-based banquet room owners in a 2-year battle with the city to save her hall from foreclosure. She failed to achieve her goal.
These events in the lives of the Unfried’s that began with the construction of the subject property, are significant in the history of Santa Monica as a tangible manifestation of the far-reaching negative impacts of systemic racism. Ultimately, Unfried Hall was purchased by the Calvary Baptist Church, which conducted its Sunday services upstairs and rented the ground ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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floor retail spaces to black-owned businesses, which, once the Great Depression passed, thrived for thirty years. A vibrant middle-class African American neighborhood grew up around the former Unfried Hall, a triumph for the resilient community that was able to rise above a system designed to hold it back. Unfried Hall’s final chapter occurred when the City of Santa Monica demolished it to complete a freeway-related roadway project.
2. It has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value. The subject property does not appear to qualify for designation under this criterion.
3. It is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state or national history.
The subject property does not appear to qualify for landmark designation under 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 subject property qualifies for landmarks designation under this criterion for Landmark designation as an exemplary example of a Craftsman Style Airplane Bungalow. Its irregular plan, based on a core volume strategically embellished with additional volumes that provide practical amenities on the inside and visual interest and articulation on the outside, is a typical feature of the style. Sleeping porches such as the one at 1921 20th Street, that provide an abundant flow of fresh air through numerous operable windows, were widely popular in Craftsman bungalows as a result in a surge of interest in sanitary living in the early 20th Century. The glassy appearance of small second stories on Craftsman Bungalows such as the second story on the subject property, led the homes to be referred to as Airplane Bungalows referencing their similarity to cockpits of airplanes. Aviation, fast developing from a novelty to an industry, was a topic of extreme interest in the early 20th century. The manner in which the exposed support beams above the front porch extend to form a trellised port-cochere with a built-in planter box is another well executed example of a classic feature of the Craftsman style designed to harmonize the structure with the landscape. The use of textured brick for the porch face, piers, fireplace, and chimney was chosen over stone as a local material, locally fired for use in construction. The character defining features of 1921 20th Street include its irregular massing that flares slightly at the base, low-pitched roof forms with lattice filled gables, exposed rafter tails and support beams, wood lapped siding, wooden windows and doors, and brick fireplace and chimney. The second floor sleeping porch as well as the main entry porch on the first level with concrete floor and curved steps, its brick face, and pergola-like porte-cochere with brick piers and connecting planter are also character defining features of the subject property. The parcel itself is significant to the character and context of the structure, but the accessory ______________________________________________________________________________ 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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structures in the rear were later additions that do not contribute to the architectural or cultural significance of 1921 20th Street.
5. It is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer or architect.
The subject property does not appear to qualify for designation under 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 subject property does not appear to qualify for designation under this criterion.
Research by
Nina Fresco
January 2024
N.B. The images on the following pages do not include Sanborn Maps because they were never created for the area of the city east of 20th Street, which includes the location of the subject property on the east side of the street at 1921 20th Street. 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, August 1, 1927. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. There is still significant undeveloped land in the area more than a decade after the subject property was contructed. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-113_28a) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, January 1, 1928. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-300_j-262) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 20
Aerial view, March 31, 1937. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. Development in the area is beginning to fill the open land. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-5084-6)
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 21
Aerial view, October 6, 1940. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-6630_5) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, May 6, 1941. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-7083_7419) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, December 31, 1946. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight gs-em_6-2) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, August 2, 1947. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. These is still significant areas of undeveloped land in the east half of Fairview Heights but infill is intensifing. The brick yards in the upper left still linger. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight gs-em_6-2) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, November 3, 1952. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. Large apartment buildings are appearing in east Fairview Heights, and the brick yards in the upper left are now developed with industrial buildings. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight axj-1952_3k-130) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, July 1, 1956. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. One last orchard lingers on 23rd Street. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-22555_16-16)
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 27
Aerial view, May 12, 1960. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is in the lower left-hand corner of the blue rectangle. The last of the orchards east of 23rd Street has disappeared. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight c-23870_1293)
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 28
Aerial view, September 23, 1968. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. Unfried Hall is no longer extant, the Santa Monica Freeway has caused the demolition of hudreds of homes and 20th Street is now widened, reducing the front setbacks of all the parcels along it. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight tg-2400_5-71) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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Aerial view, April 1, 1971. Subject property in magenta, original 3-acre parcel in blue. (Image: University of California Santa Barbara Air Photo Collection, flight ctg-2755_16-6)
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 30
December 17, 1912, a building permit for the subject proerty (outlined in magenta) was issued to owner/contractor Simon Unfried for a $2000 residence and garage at 20th and Delaware, lot 1, block 24 Erkenbrecher Syndicate Santa Monica Tract. (Source: City of Santa Monica Building Permit Ledger)
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 31
In 1948, permits were issued for a construction of a rear accesory dwelling, repair of the garage, and plumbing a electrical work in the new structure as well as the subject property. (Source: City of Santa Monica Public Portal) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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In 1951, a new garage was constructed at the rear of the parcel. (Source: City of Santa Monica Public Portal) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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The only other permits on record for 1921 20th Street were for plumbing repairs. A 1994 assessment after the Northridge Earthquake found the structure of the subject property sound except for the porch posts, which were leaning. (Source: City of Santa Monica Public Portal) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1920, the Unfried family stand on the front porch of 1921 20th Street. Left to right is Aunt Mary, Simon, Edward, Calvin, Frederick, Anna, and Chester, in arms. In this image, The integrity of the proch is confirmed and the the original railing and missing brick piers lost to the 1994 Northridge Earthquake are well documented. (Photo Courtesy of Laura Unfried Ross, great Granddaughter of Simon and Anna Unfried) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - primary facade, street views, looking southeast (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - primary facade, street view including sidewalk, looking east (photo: NF, winter 2023-2024) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - primary facade, porch steps, a gap in the concrete steps at the foot of each porch post indicates the location and size of the lost brick piers. top: looking north, bottom: looking east. (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - views of pergola-style porte-cochere and brick planter box, (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - views of southeast elevation, top: kitchen door with half-wall and steps, bottom left: pathway to kitchen door, bottom right,: windows of utility porch just visible through fencing. (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - views of rear (northeast) elevation, looking southwest. (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024) 1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
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1921 20th Street - views of northwest elevation, top left: looking southwest down driveway towards street, top right: looking south, seams where rear (north) corner was filled are visible, bottom left: rear portion of northwest facade looking southeast, a shed roof over the projecting volume is tucked under the eaves of the main roof, a sliver of the fireplace is visible at right, bottom right: view of fireplace and chimney looking east. (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024)
1921 20th Street – Unfried House January 2024
Landmark Designation Application page 42
1921 20th Street - top: interior view dining room and living room looking northwest, front door at left, bottom: view of street from inside second floor sleeping porch looking southwest. (photos: NF, winter 2023-2024)