BEVERLY HILLS ~ City of Beverly Hills Planning Division 455 N. Rexford Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210 TEL (310) 485-1141 FAX. (310) 858-5966 Cultural Heritage Commission Report Meeting Date: Subject: Recommendation: October 9, 2013 Initiation of Nomination Proceedings for inclusion onto Local Register of Historic Resources of the Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant at 331 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills. Forward the Initiation of the Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant at 3315. La Cienega Boulevard to the Director for a report and recommendation. REPORT SUMMARY At the request of the Landmark Nomination Advisory Committee the Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant No.1 at 331 S. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills is being brought to the Commission as a potential nominee for inclusion onto the Local Register of Historic Resources. If the Commission believes this property warrants initiation of local landmark designation procedures, the property will return to the Commission with a thorough historic analysis for formal consideration as a potential local landmark. The procedure includes notification of the property owner of any initiation by the Commission. 1927 Spanish Romanesque Water Treatment Plant at 331 S. La Cienege Blvd., Beverly Hills by architect Arthur Taylor. ~: :5,.. I... The original 1927, Spanish-Romanesque Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant No. 1, was the first plant on the Pacific Coast to provide municipally softened water for City residents. It was also the first plant to be master planned to include recreational facilities including tennis courts and other amenities. The Attachment(s): DPR Form and Continuation Sheet Report Author and Contact lnformat)on: William Crouch, AlA, AICP Urban Designer (310) 285-1116 wcrouch@bever)yhills.org
Cultural Heritage Commission Report: October 9, 2013 Landmark Initiation for 331 S. La Cienega Boulevard. Page 2 of 3 The original 1927, Spanish-Romanesque Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant No. 1, was the first plant on the Pacific Coast to provide municipally softened water for City residents. It was also the first plant to be master planned to include recreational facilities including tennis courts and other amenities. The outstanding church-like aesthetic disguised the building s real purpose. Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant No. 1 was abandoned in 1976 when Beverly Hills began to purchase its water from the Los Angeles Metropolitan Water District. In March of 1988, the City of Beverly Hills accepted a proposal by the Academy that the Beverly Hills Water Treatment Plant No. 1 be adaptively re-used as the Fairbanks Center for Motion Picture Study, the home of the Margaret Herrick Library and its world-renowned collection of motion picture-related materials. Work on the 40,000 square-foot building was completed over the next two years, and the Center for Motion Picture Study opened in January 1991. It marked the first time that the holdings of the Library and the Film Archive were under the same roof. The Academy launched a fundraising campaign to create a $15 million endowment to support the facility. Although the structure has undergone changes over the years it has not lost its essential integrity and remains eligible for listing on the National Register through survey evaluation. As one of the City s early and prominent commercial structures it captures an important time in our evolution as a world class City. PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF LANDMARK CRITERION Preliminarily, it appears that the property may meet necessary criterion under 10-3-3212 as follow: Criteria Al. Criteria A3. Criteria A4. Is identified with important events in the main currents of national, state and local history; Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a style, type, period, or method of construction; Represents a notable work of a person included on the city s list of master architects or possesses high artistic or aesthetic value. Criteria B. The property retains integrity from its period of significance. The proposed landmark retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, and association. Integrity shall be judged with reference to the particular criteria specified in subsection A of this section. Criteria C. The property has historic value. The proposed landmark is of significant architectural value to the community, beyond its simple market value, and its designation as a landmark is reasonable, appropriate, and necessary to promote, protect, and further the goals and purposes of this article. Report Reviewed William R. Crouch AlA, AICP Urban Designer
ATTACHMENT 1
State of California The Resource~~.Agency 3 DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RF )ATION 0 UTM ~_ Q I / C- NR _ SHL HISTORIC RESOURCES INVENTORY ~ Lat Lon Era Sig - Adm T2 T3 Cat HABS.HAER Fed IDENTI Fl CATION ~ 11/372940/3.769500 -- 1. Common name: LA CIENEGA WATER TBEAT~NT PLitN~ ~ / 2. Historic name, if known: La Cienega Water Treatment Pl~uit 3. Street or rural address 331 South La Ciene~a Bovlevard City: Beverly HiUs ZIP: 9021.1. County: _Los Angeles 4. Present owner, if known: City of Beverly Hills Address: 450 North Crescent Di~i~rc City: Beverly Hills ZIP: 90212 Ownership is:. Public. Private L 5. Present Use: ttater ~Ofteni~1J~/filtl~ a.- Original.Use: tr~iter ~nf1~rii ~ tion. plant P~- -fl~ Other past uses: DESCRIPTION. 6. Briefly describe the present physical appearance of the site or~tructure and describe any major alterations from its origina condition: The water treatment plant is a buff colored concrete structure with a red-tile roofs Its design was supposedly tai~en fr~. the plan of a groat Mexican hacienda, with attached church and. grensxy. (though thc cnmpanile seems more Itaflan). In the building~ s center isa canpanhic with wal1è~.- up arcades, topped by a rovxid cupola. Immediately adjacent is a section resembling a church ~ acade cc~nplete t~iith. rose windbw.(~illcd. in) and arched, recessed. doorway1 On the facadets south side is an arcad within an arcade; these have either been walled up or replaced by alvn-. mimi doors, Teamis courts are on top of the reservoirs in the roar. Beverly Hills Water Department advises that recent carthq~uakes have soverly damaged the structure. 7. Locational sketch map (draw and label site and surrounding streets, roads, and prominent landmarks): A NORTH 8. Approximate property size: Lot size (in feet) Frontage or approx. acreage Depth 9. Condition: (check one) a. Excellent El Ii. Good [] c. Fair d. Deteriorated El. e.. No longer in existence El 10. Is the feature a. Altered? b. Unaltered? El 11. Surroundings: (Check more than one. if necessary) a. Open land El b. Scattered buildings El c. Densely built.up El d. Residential D e. Commercial f. Industrial El g. Other 12. Threats to site: a. None known El b. Private development El c. Zoning [~ d. PublicWorksproject [~J e. Vandalism [El ~.. Other. [El DPR52.3 (Rev, 7(75) ~ fl~ ~~ ~ ~ i ~o1ncirnph ~
NOTE: The following (Items 14-19) are iz)tructures only. 14.. Primary exterior building material: a. Stone El b. Brick [1 c. Stucco El d. Adobe e. Wood. f. Other E~ reinforced concrete... 1~. Isthéstructure: a. On its original site?~ b. Moved? c. Unknown? fl 16. Year of initial construction 192~? This date is: a. Factual El b. Estimated 17. Architect (if known): t3.ithu1~ Taylor 18. 8uilder (If known): Car1D~.:flter Brothers 19. Related features: a. Barn Li b. Carriage house El c. Outhouse Li d. Shed(s) [] e. Formal garden(s) Li Windmill El g. Waterto~er/tankhouse [] h. Other [~_fjitration ~,odis~. I. None El IGNIFICANCE 20. Briefly state historical and/or architectural importance (include dates, events, and persons associated with the site when known): The La Cienega Water Treatment Plant was the first plaatb on the Pacific Coast to provide municipally softened water, but this function has largely been su~planted by the increased use. of Color~4o River water. The architecture of the structure j~ its outstanding feature... Built. almost fifty years ago, it was the first T)laflt to be built with re cr.eatio~l and aesthetic considerations in mind. Tennis. c.ourts. and other recreationa~. features were planned tri~h it, and the~ main struc ture s real purpose disguised by a. church-like dewign. The plant has been recognized for both its architectural and scientific values by the American Society of Civil Engineers, Los J~n~eles Section, who have designated it Landmark Number 31... Current plans cal]. for the demolition of the building because it is no longer functional and earthquakes have dama~çed the structure. 21. Main theme of the historic resource: (Check only one): a. Architecture liel b. Arts& Leisure c. Economic/Industrial. El d. Exploration/Settlement El e. Government El f. Military El g. Religion El h. Social/Education El 2Z Sources: List books. documents,-surveys. personal.interv iews~ and their dates: ton, Fred. Beverl~rHi].ls: Portrait of a F bled City. Los Angeles.: Douglas- West Publishers, 1975. Benedict, ~ierce, edito~[~fi~2~ of Beverly Hills. Causton-Nejer Publishers, 1931h Sloss, Donald. A~cE ~ Report on La Cienega Water Treatment Plant.tt Los Angeles: ASCE,. Los P:.ngeles Section 23. Date form prepared:1ql1976 B i (name): DO~fl~5 SrnjthTom Sitt~ Ma~ 1-973, Address: 900 E~ositiofl DOV1CV~ City. Los Angeles ZIP: 90007 Phone:(2l3) 746 0410 x2~1. Organization: Natural Histo~r Mu~ot~i. (State Use Only)
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) State of California The Resources Agency DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION CONTINUATION SHEET gage I of I Resource Name or # L.a Cienega Wtr TrtmntlAcad. of MPA&S LI Continuation i~i Update P2. Location: 333 South La Cienega Blvd. Primary # HRI # Trinomial. NRHP Status Code: :3S 810 Significance: Since the completion of the previous survey in 1985-86, the La Cienega Water Treatment Plant has been adaptively reused as the new headquarters of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Following its adaptive reuse, the building appears in good condition and remains eligible for individual listing in the National Register, California Register, and for local llsting or designation. PSb Descriptiori!Date of Photo: East elevation, looking west/may 2004.5 PB. Recorded by: Jan Ostashay, Peter Moruzzi, PCR Services, One Venture, Suite 150, Irvine, CA 92618 P9. Date Recorded: Tuesday, June 01, 2004 ) OPR 5231. (1195) PCR Services Corporation