The Mother Road; Past, Present and Future

If you have been around as long as we have, you might remember the phrase “You don’t know where you are going until you know where you have been.” -  or -  “Remembering the past helps create a purposeful future.”  

Ok, so we may have made that second quote up, but it sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Either way, we can’t think of a better example of this idea than how it relates to our very own Monrovia segment of Route 66.

Did you know that Route 66, also known as “The Mother Road,” originally travelled along East Huntington Drive, then veered northbound on South Shamrock Avenue, and then went west again on Foothill Boulevard? 

Yep, this is a true fact! It wasn’t until the 1930’s that Route 66 was realigned to exclusively run along Huntington Drive.  But that realignment left us with some great classic buildings associated with the former Monrovia Route 66 corridor. Two buildings in particular are the Old Monrovia Market at 525 South Shamrock Avenue and the Flying A Gasoline Station at 721 South Shamrock Avenue.

Our long time readers know we're a fan of quotes so to quote Ferris Buller “Life moves pretty fast…If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”

525 South Shamrock Avenue

721 South Shamrock Avenue

In their younger years, these roadside buildings served the community vibrantly. 525 South Shamrock was a number of uses back in the day, however most notably it became locally known as the Monrovia Market, where residents could get simple groceries as well as get a get a quick bite from the deli pick up window. 

721 S Shamrock Avenue was…wait for it…a gas station. Although at the time of writing this blog, you may not see the original pumps as they are currently being restored! However, these properties sadly became vacant, fell close into disrepair, and ultimately yearned for new life.

Fortunately, Monrovians love and value their history and the your planners do too!  So knowing this, we had to be a little more creative as we tackled these buildings on Shamrock.  The plan needed something more than just “a lot of Oil of Olay” to resuscitate, reinvigorate, and rejuvenate these gems. Why?  Well because they are right smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood. Finding a balanced solution to encourage preservation, economic viability and neighborhood compatibility was imperative.

So what did we do? Well...working with all our partners, the preservation community, Commissioners, neighbors, property owners and the City Council, the ultimate proposal was something far greater than any wrinkle cream or face mask…a nifty new land use designation, with an apropos moniker, Planned Development – Area 66 (PD-66) fully geared toward bringing new life into these historic gems!

The PD-66 standards were adopted by the City Council in October 2019.

Anyway… PD-66 provides land use standards designed to embrace the past as well as provide a “road” (see what we did there?) to the future for these remnant Route 66 roadside commercial properties.

Wouldn’t you know that these land use standards worked better than any wrinkle cream. Soon after the standards were adopted, a really cool adaptive reuse project idea for the Old Monrovia Market was submitted that would preserve the history of this building and its relationship to the former Route 66 corridor. The project will preserve the classic exterior brick, reuse the existing commercial building for a Special Event Venue (Auto-themed) and add two loft apartments above the ground floor commercial space. Check out the progress below and stay tuned:

Coming Soon!

525 South Shamrock Avenue Rendering

Concrete pillars to support the new second story

Garage Framing

It's Almost That Time Again!

Things have been looking scarier and scarier out there... 

No, we're not talking about the Halloween ghosts and ghouls. With all the fires...and COVID-19 and...well, it's been a year like no other...we're actually looking forward to fighting off vampires and werewolves in a few days! Not to mention, the election is just around the corner... EEK! (If you haven't already, VOTE!)

But the scariest thing of all is that National Community Planning Month is almost over! 

That's right, this past month of Planning insights will be coming to an end. (We can practically hear the screams, "NOOOOO!" echoing off the foothills.) But fear not! We at the City will bravely continue to keep you informed of new and exciting things to come.

As a way to send you off and celebrate the last days of National Planning Month, we want to sing you a merry song, ready? 1...2...3...

We wish you a Merry Christmas, we wish... 

Oh, too soon? Did the reminder that Christmas is right around the corner scare you even more? Not to mention Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and the Winter Solstice...Ok, ok. We can skip the song...for now.

Instead, let's look back on some of the spotlights of this month and recap what we are planning for the future! First, we highlighted some different ways COVID and the fires have inspired us to communicate with each other. Sometimes using futuristic technologies like Zoom, while other times using more classic methods like painted rocks, chalk drawings, and signs. We have really come together as a community to keep connected in more ways than ever!

Then we gave you a sneak peak into the new Environmental Justice Element for the General Plan. This new chapter, *ahem* Element, will feature new goals the City will be working towards for a more equitable Monrovia. Stay tuned for upcoming community meetings... this will be a great opportunity for you and your friends to put on a Planner's cap and make a big impact for the City! You didn't know Planners were known for their hats? Well, they are! Just check out this picture of the "Father of Urban Planning," Daniel Burnham. 

Get a load of his sweet haberdashery fashion sense! (For a refresher on the General Plan update, you can click here.)

We then gave some shout outs (or is it shouts out? we can never figure that one out) to new developments going up throughout the City. These are exciting new projects that took a lot of work and collaboration from City staff and applicants, the Planning Commission and City Council and most importantly from you (collectively and affectionately known as our community!)  We are so excited to see them come to life. You can keep an eye out for these and other projects at the City's Development Spotlight Page.

Finally we couldn't forget about a truly important part of Monrovia, its historic landmarks! Specifically, the two new landmarks at 742 E. Lime Avenue and 512 W. Maple Avenue. These are two period revival (remember those words?) homes that have a lot of character. Having so many landmarks (153 to be exact) helps make Monrovia the Gem of the Foothills. The City's Historic Preservation Commission also celebrated its 25 year jubilee! A big part of planning for resilience is the protection of historic resources by landmarking structures and designating historic districts. With your help we can continue to protect the historic gems of Monrovia for future enjoyment.

We've really enjoyed celebrating National Community Planning Month with you, dear Reader, and we hope that you've enjoyed it too. Now go out, take a look at the built environment with (hopefully) new appreciation and don't forget the next time you see a Planner - complement them on their hat!

Planning to Keep Revivals Remembered

Hello Dear Reader,

We hope you are all enjoying this October... we heard recently that most Americans call this "Spooky Season." (BTW - When did that become a thing?) Anyhoo... as much as we enjoy a good spook (unlike the Cowardly Lion), by now you can probably tell that we like National Community Planning Month even better!

When last we spoke (or wrote, in this case), we told you all about the new and exciting projects that you can see all over town. Did you miss it? Don't worry, you can find it right here. And as much as we love these new projects, Monrovia would not be what it is today without it's history. So, today we will be focusing on our Historic Preservation Program. 

Does historic preservation relate to our theme of "Planning is Essential for Recovery?" Why, yes, yes it does... Historic preservation is a cost effective, environmentally sound, and culturally sensitive strategy. It is used to preserve affordable housing, allow new commercial and mixed use opportunities through adaptive reuse of historic buildings, and anchor the compatibility of established neighborhoods. Yes, Monrovia's Historic Preservation Program does all of that... That's some pretty heavy lifting!

And the cherry on top of that sundae is that this year, 2020 is the Historic Preservation Commission's Jubilee! Yes, it's a regular cherries jubilee! But, seriously. The Historic Preservation Commission was established in 1995 and is now 25 years old. In that time, the Commission has designated 153 Historic Landmarks and 2 Historic Districts, and has helped earn the City an A- rating from the Los Angeles Conservancy. That's a lot of accomplishments in just 25 years! If you want more specifics of the amazing progress of the past 25 years, here is a great overview.

And just this week, two more houses were added to the landmark rolls! This first one is an American Colonial Revival home. 

So, what makes it a revival? 

We're so glad you asked. Since it was built in 1925, it missed the first movement of American Colonial architecture, which occurred in...well, Colonial times (you probably guessed that). But, during the early 20th century, the style made a comeback! Notice that prominent arch? Those columns? The symmetry of of the front façade? Those are just some of the tenants exemplifying the American Colonial Revival Style. You can read all about this home here.

This second brand new landmark is an English Tutor Revival - Storybook Cottage. We dare you to say that five times fast.

There's that word again... revival. Pop quiz time! Based on what you read above about revival architecture, what can you deduce about this house? That's right! It harkens back to the architecture typically found in the famous Storybook Cottage time period. You can practically see the Keebler Elves baking some cookies in the tree! (Please note:  "Storybook Cottage" is not a universally accepted time period. But, it sounds nice, doesn't it?). If that's piqued your interest... check out some more fun facts about the house here.

Ok, we've gone on and on about our Historic Preservation Program, so we'll let you get back to your regularly scheduled reading. Keep enjoying your October... to paraphrase the Cowardly Lion... 

"We do believe in National Community Planning Month. We do, we do, we do, we do, we do believe in National Community Planning Month."

2016 Year In Review

You know one of our guilty pleasures around here? No, it's not Keeping Up with the Kardashians... We're slightly addicted to those year-end web articles that show up around this time rehashing the big events of the past 12 months. December is one of those times when we take stock and look at what we've accomplished, what we can do better, and what we are pursuing for the next 12 months. After our extensive year-end assessment of 2016 (which consisted of looking at our previous blog posts), we can reach only one conclusion - it has been quite a year! So, in that spirit, we'd like to proudly present to you Community Development's top ten list of 2016 achievements:

10. 5th & Huntington and MODA Break Ground - Have noticed something a little different at the western gateway of the City and at Station Square? Maybe some buildings under construction? If you have seen them and you're wondering what they are, wonder no more! Two large residential projects broke ground this year - a 154 unit building at 5th Avenue and Huntington Drive and a 261 unit building at Station Square. These big projects have been in the works for a few years now, and we are excited to finally see the results. Now, there's only one enduring mystery to solve - what does MODA mean? Is it an acronym for Monrovia Offers Definite Awesomeness? Is it a reference to Depeche Mode? Your guess is as good as ours. Actually, considering our guesses above, your guess is probably better than ours.

9. Monrovia Celebrates a Once-in-a-Century Event - As we ZIP up this year, we fondly reflect upon Monrovia ZIP day (9/10/16), which was an event 100 years in the making. Monrovians celebrated this special day as we do many big moments in town, with a big ol' party in Library Park. We had such a good time that we can't wait for the next Monrovia ZIP day party! See you all on September 10, 2116!  One question, will the Post Office still be around?

8. The Stars Come Out - You know how your out-of-state friends and family always ask if you've met anyone famous? Well, now you can add your very own hometown to the fame list! Monrovia hosted quite a few filming productions in 2016. Car commercials, student films, and even a music video captured our beautiful downtown, historic homes, and gorgeous open space. Television shows including CSI Cyber, Maron, and American Crime all chose Monrovia as the backdrop for an episode or two. And the movie The House with Amy Poehler and Will Ferrell spent a few days filming in Old Town. Look out, Hollywood, Monrovia's giving you a run for your money - we already have our own hillside sign!

7. Shopping Center Gets a New Lease on Life... and Several New Leases - Picture this... a Home Goods, a TJ Maxx, and an ALDI right here in Monrovia. That's right, those big names will soon appear at the shopping center at 725 East Huntington Drive! Additionally, the center itself will have a new look and a new name...goodbye "Huntington Shamrock Shopping Center", hello "Monrovia Landing." We think the new name is perfect - Monrovia once again landed at the top of our list of great San Gabriel Valley cities.


6. The Depot Embarks on a New Journey - 2016 was huge for one of our very special historic buildings! Not only did the Santa Fe Depot at Station Square receive local historic landmark status, but it was also approved to be the site of a new restaurant and will undergo an extensive rehabilitation to restore its former splendor. It's wonderful to see this historic train station start a journey of its own!

5. The New Building Code is Approved - The adoption of the tri-annual California Building Code update is a massive achievement for our Building Division. That's no joke! In fact, the new code is so unfunny that our Building Division Manager decided to retire! We thank him for his years of dedicated service - he will be missed!

4. Neighborhood Services Wins National Recognition - We just have to brag about the amazing work our Neighborhood Services team does! And 2016 was the year that the rest of the nation noticed how our little city inspires community, revitalizes neighborhoods, and encourages civic participation. In fact, our very own Monrovia Area Partnership (MAP) program won three awards at the 2016 Neighborhoods USA annual conference. We claimed 1st place for our MAP Neighborhood Newsletter, and 2nd place for both our Care for your Neighbor Program and MAP Youth Leadership Academy! Neighborhood Services really knows how clean up - in every sense!

3. Public Art Abounds - The Art in Public Places program was just like butter this year - it was really on a roll! Get it? Butter on a roll? But, really, this year, Monrovia became even more beautiful through this program. Mechanical boxes were given a fresh coat, a new kinetic art piece was placed in front of City Hall, and a three piece bronze sculpture found a home in front of the Krikorian Theater. And did you see the awesome new book mural in the Library? But it doesn't stop there - 2017 promises to be another big year for #artinmonrovia (which just happens to be our Instagram handle)!

2. Monrovia Enters a "Golden" Era - Ok, Ok, we can't take full credit for this one. This multi-decade project was the product of every City Department, elected official, and concerned resident's work. In March, the METRO Goldline extension opened, along with Monrovia Station Square! People around here were VERY excited to ride the rails and take advantage of free trips that day. Trains were so packed with people, that we now understand how clowns feel getting in and out of those little cars.

1. New Demolition Review and Neighborhood Compatibility Ordinances Take Effect - We talked about compatibility so much this year, you'd think we ran an online dating service! But, all of that chatter resulted in two new ordinances that will serve to preserve historic architecture and ensure that new development fits with the existing character of our Monrovia neighborhoods.

Well, what can we say? It's all in a year's work. We are looking forward to continuing to serve this amazing city in 2017 and beyond. Until then, Happy Holidays from the entire Community Development team!

Double espresso anyone?

Can we tell you about the week we've had? It's been a doozy! 

A three agendas, two late night meetings, one tired Planning Division kind of week! We LOVE those kinds of weeks around here! We're jazzed!  Does anyone still say that?

Call us crazy if you want, but we get excited to see applications come forward for review. And we love it when we see good projects get approved. And we really really love it when we get to be involved in projects that are going to make Monrovia residents proud of their city!

Monday night, a special meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission was held, and a project that is near and dear to the hearts of many Monrovians was reviewed and approved. It's a pretty special project that we think will be another jewel in the crown of the Gem City. We've placed and extremely subtle and subliminal hint about what that mystery item might be right here in this blog post.  

Keep looking...OK, here's a hint: "Riding on the Atchison, Topeka and the...

So, now that we've piqued your interest, we are going to encourage you to click here to get more details about the special meeting.

This week, we also had a Development Review Committee meeting/Planning Commission meeting double header on Wednesday. So now we totally understand what professional athletes feel like when they play two games in one day! Planning is a contact sport! For more information about the DRC meeting, click here and for more information about the Planning Commission meeting, click here. Hopefully you'll excuse the brevity of this post...we're going to go take a nap.

Landmarks are Awesome

We have a brand new historic landmark to brag about here in Monrovia! Wait... can something be both new and historic at the same time?  We think so, and we think it's a pretty big deal! Seriously, this is the one you've all been waiting for! That's right, the Monrovia Santa Fe Depot officially received landmark designation at the April 19, 2016 City Council meeting!

I bet some of you out there are thinking, "How has the Depot not been designated before?" That is a valid question. Though residents, officials and City staff have long looked at the iconic structure as an important and historically significant building, there have been a few hurdles to overcome in getting it landmarked. One big hurdle is that the City didn't actually own the building for quite a while. It was actually under the ownership of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, or Metro, if you know the lingo. Luckily, in 2013, in conjunction with the Gold Line Extension construction negotiations, Monrovia received ownership of the property.

The timing of this landmark is also pretty fantastic. Not only has the Gold Line recently opened, along with several amenities at Station Square, but that area is also going to be the location of several more developments. And the Depot is a big part of that plan. Picture it... a year from know, you could jump off the train (please wait until the ride comes to a full and complete stop), and stroll into the beautifully restored Santa Fe Depot to enjoy tasty treats and libations. We are very excited to see this plan come to fruition and for one of our most treasured buildings to be restored to it's former glory, while also becoming a prime destination in Monrovia! 

There is quite a long history to the Depot, and you can read all about it here in the staff report that was prepared for the City Council meeting. We hope that you are as excited as we are about this new landmark. Stay tuned for future updates about the progress of the restoration.

Here's to the next score or two!

Historic Landmark No. 1
231 North Primrose Avenue

It's hard to believe, but the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) is celebrating it's 20th anniversary. 

On the evening of September 26, 1995 in the City Manager's Conference Room at City Hall, HPC convened it's first meeting.  The agenda included a discussion of meeting procedures, the upcoming work program and the always exciting Brown Act!  

OK, so the Brown Act is not all that exciting, but it is a very important law that every appointed and elected official must be well versed in to ensure transparency in conducting City business. 

That night, the Commission's first order of business was to select a chair and vice-chair for the Commission.  Scott Thomas, and Steve Baker, respectively were unanimously elected.

In 20 years, the Historic Preservation Commission has made very important contributions to the preservation of Monrovia's built environment.  So today we want to thank and acknowledge each of our current and former Historic Preservation Commissioners...all 21 of them.

Steve Baker                           1995-2005                

Donna Baker                          1995-2000, 2002-2015        

Kent Cornwall                         1995-2000

Anne McIntosh                       1995-2004

John Petrovich                        1995-2001

Tim Shea                               1995-2015

Scott Thomas                         1995-2001

Jimi Hendrix                           2001-                          

Coulter Winn                          2001-2008                            

Peter Fisk                               2002-2005                     

Penny Zuk                              2004-                           

Hany Malak                            2005-2007    

Marianne Lee                          2005-                                      

Scott Austin                            2007-2011              

Javier Gonzalez-Camarillo        2008-2014                     

David Palomares                     2011-2013

Sergio Jimenez                       2013-                                

Karen Bullis                            2014-                               

Nancy Burke                           2015-                                      

Mark Houston                         2015-   

Dan Ryan                               2015-  

                

Books and Bears and Depots and Neighborhoods...and Traffic

One of the plethora of things that we love about working for a small city is that we get to wear many hats.  Not ones to be pigeonholed, this mix of assignments keeps us on our toes and contrary to the belief of our big-city counterparts, small cities can be just as complex as the big ones.

The diversity of the work of the Planning Division was on full display at the August 4 City Council meeting.  Yes, we're a little late and we thought about skipping it, but we thought you'd like to know...So, without further ado, here's the what we had going on:

2015 is the year of the Monrovia Neighborhood Study.  Based on concerns of Monrovians, the City took a step to slow things down and "take a breath" so the community could have a conversation about what Monrovia's neighborhoods should look...and even more important, what they should feel like.  Over the past six months, City Staff has facilitated a conversation with the community to figure that out.  We've done a lot of listening and what was presented to the City Council was what we heard and some potential policy considerations.  The City Council reviewed this information at a Study Session in July, with a follow up on August 4th.  The Council provided policy direction which is being forwarded to the Planning Commission and the Historic Preservation Commission.  (Editor's note: If you are one of our loyal and diligent readers, this is old news to you.)

One of Mick Stilkey's creations

The City Council also approved a new piece of public art to be installed in the Monrovia Library.  The Library Book Mural will be designed, constructed an drawn by Sierra Madre artist, Mick Stilkey.  The mural will be installed in the Youth Services corridor.  Library patrons know this as the wall that's screaming "put art here."  Well, maybe not screaming...it is a library after all...a loud whisper perhaps.

The mural's centerpiece will be one of Samson's relatives Penny-farthing through a field along with some of his native species friends...headed to the Youth Services room, of course!  Based on the recommendation of the Art in Public Places Committee, the City Council enthusiastically approved the commission of the mural.  Read all about it in the Staff Report.

The approved design for the mural

Another chapeau that the Planners proudly wear is our Historic Preservation hat. The City's Historic Preservation program includes the review and designation of Monrovia's historic landmarks.  Currently, there are 135 designated landmarks! Based on the direction of the City Council, City Staff will start the process to designate Monrovia's Santa Fe Depot as a local landmark.  

Monrovia Depot in better days (1961)

Lots of folks are surprised that it's not already designated.  It's a long story, but the bottom line is that until recently, the Depot was owned by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, AKA Metro.  As part of the talks regarding the Gold Line, the City negotiated taking ownership of the Depot which means that we now control the destiny of this important part of Monrovia's transportation history which will ultimately be the centerpiece of Monrovia's Station Square.  One of the first steps will be to designate it as a historic landmark which will facilitate it's restoration and preservation.  There's some plans in the works, so stay tuned for some exciting news soon.

In the meantime, take a look at the City Council report for more info.

...and last, but not least, the Council adopted a resolution confirming that Monrovia is in conformance with the County's Congestion Management Program Program or as we affectionately call it--CMP.  We could go on and on about the CMP, but it was a late meeting...If you're so inclined, you can read all about it in the Staff Report.     

Yet another DRC recap!

It's time, once again, for a Development Review Committee recap!  It seems like we're always doing this, right?  Well, yes, we are, because DRC meets every other week.  That may not seem like a lot, but DRC decides over 150 decisions every year.  Which doesn't even take into account those applications that are decided by the Planning Commission or the Historic Preservation Commission.  Or those projects that do not even require review because they meet the code.  Which is all to say that things are pretty busy around here!

Yesterday, the Monrovia Development Review Committee reviewed four items.  Here's a quick replay:

728 East Greystone Avenue

-  Two Minor Exceptions for 728 East Greystone Avenue.  This historic home is proposing to add square footage to the back of the house.  Because this home is one of our Historic Landmarks, this addition has to be approved by the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) through their Certificate of Appropriateness process.  The HPC will hear this item at their meeting next week on July 29th at 7:30 p.m.  But, in the mean time, the DRC can do their part of the job...Minor Exceptions!  There were two reasons Minor Exceptions are needed for this one.  First, the existing house is only 3'6" from the side property line (the code requires 5'), so, in order to continue that line, an exception must be granted.  Second, the addition will reduce the amount of space for cars to back-up from the driveway.  The code requires 25' of back-up, but this will provide 24'-1".  The DRC granted both Minor Exceptions contingent upon the Historic Preservation Commissions approval of the Certificate of Appropriateness.  Now that's what we call teamwork!

-  A Minor Exception for 166 Stedman Place.  This is a very similar situation.  The existing house is setback only 3'-3" from the side property line and the homeowner would like to add some square footage to the back of the house, continuing the existing setback.  It was also noted during the meeting that this house has only 35' of frontage - that is a pretty skinny lot!  Or is svelte a nicer way to say that?  Slender?  Well, you know what we mean...Anyhoo, the DRC saw fit to grant this Minor Exception as well.

-  A Design Review for a new 600 square foot granny flat at 237 East Walnut Avenue.  You might be asking yourself how, exactly, a "granny flat" is defined?  Does a grandmother actually have to live there?  Well, no, not really.  Originally, granny flats were built as full second units for elderly folks or for caretakers of the elderly.  These days, though, a granny flat is a smaller version of a full second unit.  But, there are certain other requirements of granny flats.  Among other things, they have to share the same utility meters as the main house, the owner of the property is required to live on the property if a granny flat is constructed, and a granny flat does not get a separate address.  In this case, the DRC approved the granny flat, and had some feedback on the design to help tie it with the existing residence.  Quality... that's what we're about here in Monrovia!

-  A Sign Review for 801 Royal Oaks Drive (Ducommun).  Yes, DRC approved Ducommun to update their signs and we would just like to take a moment to thank all of those businesses in Monrovia that maintain their locations with new signs, fresh paint, and clean landscape.  All of that helps to create the character of Monrovia of which we are all so proud!  So, thanks, businesses, we think you're pretty great!  And, thank you, DRC for guiding the process!

A good night for preservation

So...What do a Craftsman Bungalow, a brick storefront commercial building and a groovy Mid-century Modern residence have in common?  

On the recommendation of the Historic Preservation Commission, all three were anointed by the City Council as Monrovia's three newest historic landmarks on May 19.

While the City doesn't elevate properties to "historic" status all the time, it's not necessarily unusual.  But what is notable is the architectural diversity that this trio represents.  It's very Monrovia.  This range of style is one of the aspects of what makes our streets and neighborhoods interesting.  

248 East Colorado Boulevard

Historic Landmark 132 is located at 248 East Colorado Boulevard, right on the corner of Colorado and Canyon...the southwest corner.

Built in 1912, this is a terrific example of a Craftsman Bungalow.  
The house has some great details including a unique shingle pattern and the original front door with a four glass panel design.

Want to know more?  Check out the

Staff Report

Great front door!

 

Now for many Monrovians, the mention of Wildrose Avenue brings to mind bucolic images of a neighborhood of pristine Craftsman houses.  There's a good reason: one of the best collection of Craftsman Bungalows in Monrovia are in the 300 block of Wildrose Avenue.  This neighborhood is commemorated as Monrovia Historic District No. 1 (and so far the only historic district).  Back in...oh wait, getting sidetracked here. We'll save that story for another day.

833 Wildrose Avenue

Keep heading east on Wildrose and you'll reach newly designated Historic Landmark No. 134 at 833 Wildrose Avenue.  This is the Monrovia's first Mid-Century Modern historic landmark...and certainly one of our best examples.  

A terrific design on the outside, the interior is just as cool.  For us, it was like stepping on to the set of Mad Men. We heard the same from others who experienced it on this year's Mother's Day Tour put on by the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group.

Not only is it interesting architecturally, but this house has a really great personal history too. Intrigued?  Read the synopsis of an interview with the original (and only) owner of the house. 

It's attached to the staff report.

And finally, landmark number 3...or we should say Historic Landmark HL-135.  

Located at 114 East Lemon Avenue in the heart of Old Town Monrovia, this is only the third commercial building to be designated by the City.  Can you name the other two?

Not because there aren't many other deserving commercial buildings, but Monrovia's Historic Preservation Ordinance is voluntary, meaning that the property owner has start the process, or at least consent to it.

For the past three decades, its been best known as the "Historic Lighting building", after the long time occupant of the building.  The building style is classified as "federally inspired".  This is predominantly seen at the entry.  

Built in 1922, this building was designed by very prominent Angeleno architects Walker & Eisen.  This building came very early in their career, but we're sure it put them on the map, so to speak.

Originally built for the Southern Counties Gas Company as their district headquarters, it is an important piece of Old Town Monrovia's history.  

Typically, interior features are not included as part of the designation, however, in this case Historic Preservation Commissioner Jimi Hendrix noted that the interior fireplace was an original part of the building and was put there to promote the use of gas fireplaces...still a fairly new concept in the Roaring 20's.  Based on its ability to help convey the history of the building, the preservation of the fireplace became part of the designation.  Read all about it in the staff report, it's a gas...ba da bump.

114 East Lemon Avenue

So there you have it, three new landmarks and its apropos that this all happened on the same night that the City Council proclaimed May as Monrovia Historic Preservation Month.

Oh, yes.  The other two commercial buildings designated as historic landmarks? 101 West Foothill Boulevard (northwest corner of Foothill and Myrtle) and the Aztec Hotel at 311 West Foothill Boulevard which is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

Neighborhood Study Update

As you may have heard, several months ago, the Monrovia City Council adopted two temporary moratoria (apparently "moratoriums" is grammatically incorrect). One, prohibiting the demolition of houses built before 1940, and the other restricting second story construction for most single family zoned properties.  The purpose is to “take a breath” and give the community an opportunity to discuss and provide input on current development and its impact on Monrovia’s neighborhoods (and also on whether "moratoria" is actually a word). 

The City has begun a comprehensive review of existing development regulations in an effort to better achieve a balance between property rights and government oversight of development activities. Our goal is to protect the architectural character and unique personality of Monrovia  as new buildings are built and older buildings restored – without needlessly applying burdensome restrictions on new construction.

Over the past few months, City Staff (that's us) has been meeting with the community (that's you) to listen to Monrovians talk about the issues regarding current development in our neighborhoods.  The next meeting is scheduled for:

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

7:00 PM

Knights of Columbus

130 West Pomona Avenue, Monrovia, CA

If you are unable to make this meeting, there will be other opportunities throughout the process to participate and we'll use this blog to keep you up to date... so stay tuned, loyal readers!

More information about the process, the issues and the moratoria are available on the City’s website.  You can also sign up there to receive updates on the process.

http://www.cityofmonrovia.org/communitydevelopment/webform/monrovia-neighborhood-study

Share your thoughts with us by taking the citywide neighborhood compatibility and historic preservation project survey using the link below.  The survey will be available through the end of May.  We've received some great feedback so far... but we still need to decide this whole "moratoria" versus "moratoriums" issue.

 

City of Monrovia Neighborhood Compatibility/Historic Preservation Project Survey

Two new landmarks on the way!

The Historic Preservation Commission had a full agenda for their meeting of July 23, 2014.  In addition to welcoming new Commissioner Karen Bullis, the highlights of the meeting were the review of applications for two new historic landmarks.  

624 East Foothill Boulevard

First up was 624 East Foothill Boulevard.  In area that has an abundance of really impressive Craftsman Bungalows, sometimes we've overlooked a few gems and this is definitely one of them.  

The porch at 624 East Foothill Boulevard

This is a house that exemplifies the saying "it's all in the details".  At first glance, our thought was...nice Craftsman.  But look close, there's lots of stuff going on here.  Yes, its a Craftsman Bungalow but it's the Colonial Revival accents that make it unique.  There are few other Craftsman/Colonial mash-ups in town, but we'd have to say, that this one is probably one of the best.  The designers and builders of the house...the Tifal Brothers who are at the top of the list of the Who's Who of Monrovia Craftsmen.  

The Commission voted to recommend approval of Historic Landmark No. 131 to the City Council.

The next house for consideration is located at 240 West Hillcrest Boulevard.  Unlike the house on Foothill, this one has been on our radar for a long time.  Built in 1887, it is one of the oldest houses in Monrovia.  In fact it was built the same year Monrovia became a city. The house is a wonderful example of a dwelling from the Victorian era...also with some Colonial Revival components.  When the house was built, it was on the corner of Banana and Magnolia Avenues.  That's right, Hillcrest used to be called Banana.  In the early 1900's, the house was moved to the east to its current location.  It was then that the Colonial porch elements were added, as well as the granite foundation.

240 West Hillcrest Boulevard

In addition to the architecture, the house has some connections to William Monroe, one of Monrovia's founders.  The house was built for George Dumbell, who who was Monroe's bookkeeper.  

At the close of the hearing, the Commission also recommended approval to the City Council of Historic Landmark No. 132.

If you want to read more about either house, check out the staff reports: 

• 240 West Hillcrest Boulevard 
• 624 East Foothill Boulevard

Couldn't have timed it better if we tried

You may recall, a couple of weeks ago we told you that the Historic Preservation Commission considered an application for historic landmark designation for the house 227 North Ivy Avenue. 

Don't remember?  Read about it here.

Well, now we are here to report--it's official!  On May 6, 2014, the City Council unanimously designated this property as Historic Landmark No. 130.  You can read the staff report here.

This followed an action earlier in the evening when the Council proclaimed the month of May as Historic Preservation Month which coincides with National and California Historic Preservation Months.

And speaking of preservation month, don't forget that Sunday, May 11 is the 32nd annual Mother's Day Home Tour put on by our friends at the Monrovia Historic Preservation Group.

We're still marveling at the serendipitous way this all worked out.