Updated Monday, March 17: I have to say it’s pretty disappointing for a town that prides itself on such high standards in most every way to continue to get an “F” in historical preservation year after year.
Scott Hettrick
Especially in a 111-year-old city so rich in history with the 80-year-old Santa Anita Park, First Avenue Middle School that long ago celebrated its centennial, and being the home of Lucky Baldwin who bought and initially owned most of the land that is now Arcadia and part of many of the neighboring cities including Pasadena and Monrovia and South Pasadena that consistently receive “A” grades as they did again this week from the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Preservation Report Card.
Arcadia received a whopping score of “5” out of a possible score of 250.
Zero for the City not having an Historic Preservation Ordinance.
Zero for the City not having an Honorary Ordinance.
Zero for the City not having a dedicated Historic Preservation Commission (we have a Commission for homes with pretty lawns and holiday decorations, but no historic preservation commission?)
Zero for the City not having a dedicated Preservation Staff
Zero for the City not having the ability to designate Historic Districts
The list goes on and on. The lone category for which Arcadia scores any points (5) is “Historic Preservation Element or Plan,” though its not clear where these points were gained — perhaps the independent non-profit Arcadia Historical Society and its efforts to raise awareness of local history?
Anita Baldwin’s Anoakia mansion in 1915 which was demolished last decade to allow for a high-priced gated community of new homes.
This subject has come up in the past with current City Council Members, some of which have said they don’t want to have the City dictate or restrict what property owners do with their own property, which is what led to the destruction of the iconic Anoakia School for Girls in the 2000s, originally built as the 50-room mansion of Baldwin’s daughter Anita. It was demolished to make room for a gated housing development.
I understand this viewpoint to a degree — certainly no property owner like Santa Anita Park wants to have to get approval from multiple bureaucratic local, state, and federal agencies every time they want to change a window in the building or modernize the place in order to remain financially viable. But it’s the city’s job to be pro-active and create a commission and someone on City staff to ensure that reasonable efforts are made to preserve important elements of the City’s heritage. Things like this and creating a welcoming atmosphere for public art is what helps distinguish a really good community.
It should be noted that the City has always been very supportive of the efforts of local organizations like the Society in assisting with approvals and installation and sometimes even landscaping around the Society’s Historical Markers (10 so far), for which I am very grateful since I am chairman of the Society committee that creates those History Lives Here markers. City staff and Council Members have also always been receptive to and usually supportive of historical efforts such as the installation of a statue of Lucky Baldwin and moving the Hugo Reid statue from the County’s Arcadia Park to the lawn in front of the City’s Glib Museum of Arcadia Heritage. In fact the City agreed more than a decade ago to build and manage the historical museum when it became too expensive for the Historical Society, which created the original museum. And the City also agreed last year to contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars to complete fundraising needed to build the Museum’s new Education Center between the museum and the City’s Community Center. Council Member Gary Kovacic, a former member of the Historical Society board (where he recruited me to launch the historical marker project that was raised as a concept during the City’s centennial in 2003) and editor of two books featuring essays from the community about Arcadia’s past and present, voted against allowing the destruction of Anoakia and the 1990s addition of the two elevators on the facade of the grandstands at Santa Anita Park, and also spearheaded approval of re-exposing and retaining the tile art mural at the entrance to City Hall last year.
“I have always been a strong supporter of preserving Arcadia’s history and the city has dedicated significant resources on important projects that honor our history,” Kovacic told Arcadia’s Best on Saturday. “We can always do more as a city, but, over the years, the city council has not been able to reach a consensus on additional regulations and programs.” Referring to this week’s Preservation Report Card he added, “That’s a tough curve they are grading on if Arcadia joins other beautiful communities like San Marino and La Canada Flintridge with Fs.” (More detailed listing of grades of neighboring cities listed below.)
Of course, the beauty of Arcadia is not in question and has no correlation to preserving history. Beverly Hills, Pasadena, and South Pasadena are also beautiful communities and they received “A” grades.
None of the five candidates for the current City Council election campaign has mentioned anything to do with historical preservation to my knowledge. Arcadia’s Best e-mailed all current Council Members and candidates for Council about the Conservancy’s latest grade. By Monday, March 17, three have offered a public comment on the news.
In his candidate blog here at ArcadiasBest.com, Sho Tay, who has spent many years serving and raising funds for multiple Arcadia historical organizations, expressed disappointment in the city’s “F” grade, saying, “History is very important to us and for our future generations; it tells us where we were and how we have progressed to what we are as a City.” But he noted that while he understands that “…preserving Arcadia history takes money, manpower and passion,” he will “…continue to contribute my effort in this arena and hope many of you would join us to get the job done.”
“I believe that we need to preserve the rich history of Arcadia,” Council candidate Burton Brink said Sunday. “I will work at looking into seeing what we need to do to preserve it.”
“I’m embarrassed by our grade and will work to change our “F” to an “A” by the next time the ratings are given,” Council candidate Thomas Beck said Monday. We absolutely should protect our historical elements.”
With the exception of Kovacic, the other City Councilmen did not respond Saturday, and the City Manager is unavailable for comment but we will revise this blog post to include any additional responses if and when they come in.
In addition to photos of Santa Anita Park and First Avenue Middle School, both of which feature historical markers by the Arcadia Historical Society, the Conservancy’s web site also features a photo of Denny’s restaurant at the corner of Huntington Drive and Santa Anita Avenue, the former Van de Kamp’s, with a somewhat snarky caption: “The lone surviving hallmark of an L.A. institution lives on in part because of a public outcry and a chain of greasy spoon diners.” (Denny’s has been there for years and is in no way a greasy spoon diner.)
The following is a copy of the summary of the Conservancy’s report for several neighboring cities who scored well, which might trigger some ideas for what Arcada could do to improve its ranking:
Monrovia (A-) The city established its historic preservation ordinance in 1995 and has since designated numerous landmarks, including the iconic Aztec Hotel on historic Route 66, as well as one historic district—the Wildrose Tract. Monrovia offers the popular Mills Act property tax abatement program. Other incentives for owners of historic properties include reduced permit fees, parking requirement waivers, setback flexibility for one story additions, and a bed and breakfast provision for greater flexibility with historic properties operating as such. Monrovia’s historic preservation commission also reviews demolition requests for all pre-1940 structures and can place a 180-day hold on issuance of demolition permits to aid in finding preservation alternatives.
Pasadena (A+) Pasadena has a strong historic preservation ordinance and has designated over 100 local landmarks and several historic districts. The city does not require owner consent to designate landmarks. In addition to designated landmarks, the city extends preservation protections and review to local resources listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Incentives include the popular Mills Acts property tax abatement program, as well as parking requirement waivers and variances for historic resources aimed at facilitating their adaptive reuse. Pasadena has created several context statements and related surveys for various areas and building types throughout the city.
South Pasadena (A+) South Pasadena actively promotes and protects its architectural and cultural heritage. The city has been a Certified Local Government since 2001. It is in the process of updating its historic preservation ordinance, first adopted in 1992. The city also plans to prepare a citywide historic context statement as well as future updates to its citywide historic resource survey. South Pasadena has designated more than fifty local landmarks and five historic districts. Incentives include the popular Mills Acts property tax abatement program, as well as waiving parking requirements to encourage the adaptive reuse of commercial buildings in the city’s Mission District.
San Gabriel (B) San Gabriel established its historic preservation ordinance in 1965, making it one of the earliest cities in the county after Los Angeles to do so. The city has designated both local landmarks and one historic district, the Mission District. San Gabriel offers preservation incentives along its preservation protections, including the popular Mills Act property tax abatement program and fee reductions for qualified historic preservation projects. Historic resource surveys have been completed for four portions of the city, ranging from the Mission District to commercial architecture along Valley Boulevard. To foster and recognize local efforts in historic preservation, San Gabriel offers the annual Martin E. Weil Award to honor notable preservation projects, organizations, or individuals. Martin Eli Weil (1940 – 2009), a renowned local preservationist, was a founding member and past president of the Los Angeles Conservancy.
Other nearby cities scoring higher than Arcadia:
Pomona (A)
Whittier (A)
Glendora (B)
La Verne (C+)
Azusa (C)
Sierra Madre (C)
Bradbury (C)
West Covina (C)
Baldwin Park (C-)
Irwindale (D+)
South El Monte (D+)
Covina (D+)
Other nearby cities scoring an F:
Alhambra
Duarte
El Monte
La Cañada Flintridge
Rosemead
San Marino
Temple City
— By Scott Hettrick