2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica, CA
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2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica, CA Historic Assessment Report Prepared for: City of Santa Monica Planning and Community Development Department 1685 Main Street, Room 212 Santa Monica, CA 90401 Prepared by: Architectural Resources Group, Inc. 360 E. 2nd Street, Suite 225 Los Angeles, CA 90012 May 3, 2021
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 2 1.1. Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................ 2 1.2. Preparer Qualifications ...................................................................................................................... 3 2. Architectural Description................................................................................................................. 4 2.1. General Setting .................................................................................................................................. 4 2.2. Building Exterior ................................................................................................................................. 4 2.3. Site and Landscape Features.............................................................................................................. 5 3. Development Chronology and Alterations ....................................................................................... 7 3.1. History of the Subject Property ......................................................................................................... 7 3.2. Development Chronology .................................................................................................................. 7 4. Historic Contexts ............................................................................................................................ 10 4.1. Residential Development in Sunset Park ......................................................................................... 10 4.2. Design and Construction .................................................................................................................. 12 5. Evaluation of Significance............................................................................................................... 15 5.1. Previous Surveys and Evaluations .................................................................................................... 15 5.3. Evaluation of Local Significance ....................................................................................................... 16 5.3. Evaluation of Integrity ...................................................................................................................... 20 6. Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................... 23 7. Bibliogaphy .................................................................................................................................... 24 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 1
1. Introduction
1.1. Executive Summary
At the request of the City of Santa Monica’s Planning and Community Development Department (the
City), Architectural Resources Group, Inc. (ARG) has prepared this Historic Assessment Report for the
property located at 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica. The property contains a one‐story, Minimal
Traditional style single‐family house and detached garage, both of which were constructed in 1938.1 The
buildings were designed by architect Maurice J. Wright and constructed by contractor Albert L. Dorrance
for the family of Frank P. Hamilton, who was employed as a machinist for the Douglas Aircraft Company.
The property has been identified in two updates of the City of Santa Monica’s Historic Resources
Inventory (HRI), both times as a contributor to a potential historic district. In 2010, the property was
identified as a contributor to the potential 2300‐2400 Blocks of 22nd Street Minimal Traditional District.
In 2018, it was identified as a contributor to the potential Sunset Park Historic District.2 The property has
not been identified as individually eligible, either as a potential Landmark or Structure of Merit, in the
most recent version of the HRI or in any of the City’s previous historic resource survey efforts.
In December 2020, an application nominating the property as a Santa Monica Structure of Merit was
submitted to City staff. ARG was asked to complete an assessment of the property to determine if it
meets the City’s designation criteria related to Landmark and Structures of Merit eligibility. Preparation
of this report included the following tasks related to research, documentation, and analysis:
Site visit in March 2021 to document existing conditions with digital photographs;
Review of pertinent federal and state technical bulletins, local ordinances, and other reference
materials related to the evaluation of historical resources;
Review of applicable background materials including historical building permits and the State of
California’s Built Environment Resource Directory (BERD) database;
Supplemental research about the property’s development history, design, occupancy, and
potential historical significance;
Identification of applicable historic contexts and themes;
Evaluation of the property against Santa Monica Landmark and Structure of Merit eligibility
criteria; and
Evaluation of the property’s integrity.
1Original construction date gleaned from the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor.
2The potential Sunset Park Historic District is an amalgamation of four smaller potential historic districts that had previously
been identified in the previous (2010) iteration of the HRI.
2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 2
The scope of this assessment pertains specifically to the individual eligibility of the property. It does not
include an analysis of the potential Sunset Park Residential Historic District as a whole.
Research materials were obtained from the following sources:
Online collections of the Los Angeles Public Library and the Santa Monica Public Library;
Archives of the Los Angeles Times, the Santa Monica Outlook, and other local periodicals;
Building permit records obtained from the City of Santa Monica Planning and Community
Development Department;
Technical assistance bulletins published by the National Park Service (NPS) and the California
Office of Historic Preservation (OHP);
Online repositories including Ancestry.com and Newspapers.com; and
ARG’s in‐house collection of architectural books and reference materials.
To conform with public health directives and safety protocols associated with the COVID‐19 pandemic,
most research was conducted remotely using online repositories. A complete list of sources is included
in Section 7: Bibliography of this report.
In summary, ARG arrives at the following conclusions:
The property does not satisfy any of the City’s Landmark criteria
The property appears to satisfy one of the City’s Structure of Merit Criteria (Criterion B.3)
The following sections provide a description of the property and its history, and a discussion of how the
above‐listed determinations were made.
1.2. Preparer Qualifications
This report was prepared by Andrew Goodrich, AICP, Senior Associate, with oversight by Katie E. Horak,
Principal, both Architectural Historians and Preservation Planners who meet the Secretary of the
Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards, 36 CFR Part 61, in the discipline of Architectural History.
2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 3
2. Architectural Description 2.1. General Setting 2401 22nd Street is located in the southeast section of Santa Monica, in the neighborhood known as Sunset Park. This neighborhood is predominantly residential and defined by its low‐scale, modest single‐ family and multi‐family residential buildings, most of which were constructed between the 1920s and 1940s. The topography in this area of the city is generally flat. Streets are paved in asphalt and are oriented to the skewed rectilinear grid that is etched across most of Santa Monica. Development in the vicinity of the subject property consists of modest one‐story single‐family houses, most of which are similar in size, scale, and appearance to the subject house. These houses occupy uniformly‐sized lots and are sited along long, uninterrupted residential blocks. Each block is paralleled by a narrow rear alley. The subject property is located on the east side of 22nd Street between Pearl Street (north) and Ocean Park Boulevard (south). The property is rectangular in shape, is deeper than it is wide, and measures 6,750 square feet. It abuts adjacent residential lots to the north and south, and a rear alley to the east. 2.2. Building Exterior Near the center of the parcel is a 1,287‐square‐foot single‐family residence that was constructed in 1938.3 This building is one story tall and roughly rectangular in plan. It sits on a poured concrete foundation and is constructed of wood frame. Architecturally, the house is designed in the Minimal Traditional style, a characteristically restrained idiom that was often applied to modest middle‐income dwellings constructed between the mid‐1930s and 1950s.4 The house is capped by a moderately‐pitched gabled and hipped roof. The roof is sheathed in composition shingles and features slight eaves and curved soffits. A contemporary stucco chimney projects from the roof. Exterior walls are clad in a combination of materials including textured stucco and wood channel siding. Brick is also used as accent material on the primary elevation. The wood siding in the front‐facing (west) gable end is oriented vertically and features a scalloped edge. The primary elevation faces southwest, toward 22nd Street. Features on this elevation are asymmetrically composed. At the south end of this elevation is a partial‐width recessed porch that is accessed by flagstone steps (oriented to the south) and contemporary concrete steps (oriented to the west). The porch is articulated by a brick base, is finished in flagstone, and features paired wood post supports and a low wood rail. A portion of this rail has been truncated to accommodate the contemporary concrete steps. Ingress is provided via a single paneled wood door that is oriented to the south. A metal sconce is affixed to the stucco wall next to the door. 3 Original construction date obtained from the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor. 4 More information about the Minimal Traditional style is included in Section 4 (Historic Contexts) of this report. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 4
At the north end of the primary elevation is a projecting gabled volume. This volume features a canted bay window system comprising three fixed wood windows with single‐paned glazing, a brick sill course and wainscot, and a bell‐cast metal hood. Elsewhere on the primary elevation, fenestration consists of wood double‐hung windows with wood sills and lugs. Other elevations are less articulated. The south elevation, which faces the driveway, features a partial brick wainscot, wood double‐hung windows, and a side entrance. This entrance consists of a single paneled wood door with partial glazing. It is accessed by a single concrete step and surmounted by a small hood with scalloped trim. The gable end on this elevation is clad in wood channel siding and features three gable vents. Features on the north elevation include wood double‐hung windows. The window nearest the primary (west) elevation features diamond paned leaded glass. The rear (east) elevation is visible from the rear alley. It includes a rear entrance comprising a single paneled wood door with partial glazing; and another single paneled wood door that appears to lead to a closet or utility room. Fenestration includes a wood double‐hung window, a contemporary vinyl terrarium window, and contemporary sliding vinyl windows with faux muntins. The east gables feature louvered vents. Utility boxes and ductwork are affixed to the exterior stucco walls. 2.3. Site and Landscape Features The front setback is landscaped with a grass lawn and semi‐mature shrubs. At the front lot line is a parkway that creates a modest buffer between the sidewalk and the street. The parkway is planted with a mature Indian laurel fig (ficus macrocarpa) tree. Hardscape features include brick garden walls, brick planters, and a gently sloping concrete driveway with a latticed wood gate. The driveway leads to a one‐story detached garage structure that is located to the rear (south and east) of the main house and was also built in 1938. The garage is a utilitarian structure that is rendered in no discernible architectural style. The structure is rectangular in plan, is capped by a gabled roof with composition shingles and slight eaves, and is clad in stucco. It features a metal roll‐up vehicular door, a secondary entrance comprising a single wood door, and double‐hung wood windows. There are three other ancillary structures in the rear yard: a wood storage shed, a metal storage shed, and a wood‐framed structure that appears to be used as a children’s playhouse. The latter loosely mimics the architecture of the main house and has a gabled roof, vertical wood siding, a brick wainscot, and wood windows. None of these ancillary structures appears to be original to the property.5 5 The construction of these three additional ancillary structures is not noted in the permit record for the property. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 5
Primary (west) and south elevations, view northeast Primary (west) and north elevations, view southeast (ARG, 2021) (ARG, 2021) Primary (west) and south elevations, detail of porch, South elevation, view northeast (ARG, 2021) view northeast. Note detached garage at rear (ARG, 2020) 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 6
3. Development Chronology and Alterations
3.1. History of the Subject Property
The subject property is located within Tract No. 6330. Subdivided in June 1923, Tract No. 6330
comprises a swath of land between Pico Boulevard (north), Central Avenue (now Ocean Park Boulevard,
south), 19th Street (west), and 23rd Street (east). The tract consisted of 488 residential lots of roughly
equal size. Most of the houses within the tract appear to have been built individually for private owners,
as opposed to all being designed and constructed by a single developer or builder. Thus, many of the
houses share some common architectural characteristics but are not mirror images of one another.
The subject house was built in 1938 as the family residence of Frank P. Hamilton (1876‐1938). Little is
known about the early life of Hamilton. Born in New Jersey, Hamilton married Hildegard (Hilda) English
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1903 where they had two sons: Frances and Walter. The couple then
moved to Albany and had a third son, Carl. By 1930, the Hamilton family was residing in Santa Monica,
where Frank worked as a machinist for the Douglas Aircraft Company, an aerospace company and
prominent local employer. Frank Hamilton died in 1938, the same year that his house was completed.
The house remained in the Hamilton family for the next seven decades. Frank’s widow, Hilda Hamilton
(1879‐1956) and son, Carl Ralph Hamilton (1913‐2010) continued to live at the house following Frank’s
death. Little is known about Hilda aside from that she was born in Ireland and immigrated to the United
States in 1912.6 Carl was employed as an airplane mechanic for the Douglas Aircraft Company. He
married Mary Alice Vail (1921‐1970) and appears to have occupied the house until his death in 2010.7
3.2. Development Chronology
This section summarizes key events in the property’s developmental history between its original
construction and the present day. The information was compiled primarily from historic building permit
records obtained from the City of Santa Monica Community Development Department. It was
augmented by additional sources including historic aerial images, Sanborn fire insurance maps, parcel
data obtained from the Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor, and other pertinent source materials.
1937 Permit issued to construct a one‐story frame‐and‐stucco house with a shingle roof. M.J.
Wright is listed as the architect; Albert L. Dorrance is listed as the builder; Frank P. Hamilton
is listed as the owner (Permit No. B641).
Permit issued to construct a frame‐and‐stucco garage with a shingle roof, to the rear of the
main house. M.J. Wright is listed as the architect; Albert L. Dorrance is listed as the builder;
Frank P. Hamilton is listed as the owner (Permit No. B642).
6 Ancestry.com (various databases), accessed Apr. 2021.
7 Ibid.
2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 71938 Construction of the house and garage completed (LA County Assessor).
1956 Permit issued to convert a closet into a half bath, and add a water heater closet. Carl R.
Hamilton is listed as the builder and owner (Permit No. B19539).
1994 Permit issued to replace damaged fireplace and chimney with a metal flue, wood frame and
stucco, in the same place and size as original. Krumm Construction, Inc. is listed as the
builder; Carl R. Hamilton is listed as the owner (Permit No. EQR0292).
3.3. Alterations
The following alterations were noted during a site visit conducted by ARG staff in March 2021, and by
comparing current and prior photos of the subject property. For alterations that are documented in the
permit record and/or other source materials, the year that the alteration took place is listed
parenthetically. However, some alterations are not noted in the permit record and/or other sources.
A small addition was appended to the rear (east) elevation
Original diamond‐paned leaded glazing in the front (west)‐facing windows was replaced with
single‐paned glazing (ca. 2021)
Decorative wood latticework on the porch supports was removed (ca. 2021)
Decorative shutters were removed from several windows on the primary elevation (ca. 2021)
A portion of the porch rail was removed to accommodate new concrete steps (ca. 2017)
The original chimney (presumably brick) on the north elevation was removed and replaced with
a contemporary stucco chimney (1994)
Wood rail fencing was removed from the brick retaining wall at the front lot line (ca. 2017)
Ancillary structures including two sheds and a children’s playhouse were added to the rear yard
Included herein are photographs of the primary elevation that were taken as part of the HRI update
(2016), were submitted with the Structure of Merit nomination (December 2020), and were taken
during ARG’s site visit (March 2021). Comparison of these photos indicates that many of the above‐
listed alterations occurred between 2016 and 2021. Many of the alterations – replacement of diamond‐
paned glazing with single‐paned glazing, removal of the latticework on the porch supports, and removal
of decorative windows shutters – appear to have occurred sometime after December 2020.
2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 8Comparison of subject property in 2016 (top left), 2020 (top right), and 2021 (bottom). Note removal of diamond paned glazing, removal of latticework on porch supports, removal of window shutters, and modification of the porch rail (ARG, City of Santa Monica) 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 9
4. Historic Contexts 4.1. Residential Development in Sunset Park 2401 22nd Street is located in the area of Santa Monica known as Sunset Park, a predominantly residential neighborhood in the southeast section of the city. According to the Santa Monica Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Survey Report (2018), Sunset Park is “generally bounded by Pico Boulevard on the north, Centinela Avenue on the east, the Santa Monica Municipal Airport and Dewey Street on the south, and Lincoln Boulevard on the west.”8 Santa Monica is the third‐oldest city in Los Angeles County, having been incorporated in 1886.9 However, most early development was concentrated in the north and west sections of the city, nearer the ocean and in proximity to the railroad and streetcar lines that connected Santa Monica with Los Angeles. It was there that the early city began to take form. In contrast, what is now Sunset Park was located on the periphery of Santa Monica. It remained sparsely developed and consisted largely of agricultural uses in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Though some of what is now Sunset Park had been subdivided in the very early twentieth century, Sanborn maps from 1918 show a dearth of development in the area south of Pico Boulevard and east of about 8th Street (now Lincoln Boulevard). The area that would later become Sunset Park was briefly marketed as a potentially lucrative oil drilling site in the early 1920s. In 1923, the Pedley and Cavanaugh Company “offered the 100‐acre area bordered by Pico and Ocean Park Boulevards and 19th and 24th streets as Sunset Hill of Santa Monica – a tract of oil speculation lots ‘in the heart of the Oil Zone.’”10 The Southland Petroleum Company drilled a test well on the undeveloped land and entered into agreement wherein lot purchases would share in royalties if any oil was indeed found.11 The origins of residential development in the Sunset Park area are inextricably tied to the development of Clover Field (now the Santa Monica Municipal Airport). Airplane pilots first began using the Clover Field site as a landing strip circa 1919; in 1922, the Douglas Aircraft Company arrived in Santa Monica and used the site to produce and test its aircraft; and in 1929, Douglas Aircraft consolidated all of its operations at the airport.12 As the airport materialized and Douglas Aircraft became an increasingly important local employer, there was an emergent demand for new middle‐income housing near the site to house the assembly workers and others who were employed by the company. Sunset Park’s “direct proximity to the relocation and expansion of Douglas Aircraft made it a logical place for residential 8 Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, City of Santa Monica, Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Survey Report, Jul. 23, 2018, 20‐21. 9 Santa Monica Conservancy, “History of Santa Monica,” online, accessed Mar. 2021. 10 Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, City of Santa Monica, Historic Resources Inventory Update Historic Context Statement, Mar. 2018, 78. 11 Ibid; “More Northern California Operators Come South,” Oil Trade Journal, Jan. 1923, 72. 12 Santa Monica Municipal Airport, “Rich in Aviation History and Heritage, online, accessed Mar. 2021. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 10
development.”13 The area’s swaths of flat, undeveloped land were also well‐suited to prevailing models of residential development at this time, which favored orthogonal streets and rational rectilinear blocks. Development within these new subdivisions began in the 1920s. Analysis of permit records, historic aerial photos, and Sanborn fire insurance maps indicate that development initially took place on a steady, yet tempered pace, with new houses being incrementally erected on an individual basis for individual buyers (as opposed to all at once by a single developer). An aerial photo dated 1938 – the same year that the subject property was constructed – shows that by this time, roughly half of the available parcels within Tract No. 6330 had been developed, and that there remained ample room for new construction.14 Similar patterns could be seen in adjacent subdivisions. Development consisted primarily of single‐family houses and low‐scale multi‐family dwellings whose modest scale and architectural restraint rendered them affordable and appealed to the whims of middle‐income buyers. Those built in the 1920s tended to be designed in modest dialects of the Period Revival styles that were popular at that time; those built in the 1930s and beyond typically embodied the chaste, efficient, and affordable Minimal Traditional style that was favored by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). Originally, the name “Sunset Park” referred to a specific subdivision by that name that was recorded in 1936 and was located slightly to the west of the subject property. The Sunset Park tract was conceived by real estate developer Louis M. Halper of the Halper‐Robbins Corporation. Fueled by demand for middle‐income housing from workers at the nearby Douglas Aircraft plant, Sunset Park comprised hundreds of home sites and ascribed to a model of residential development wherein “developers built and sold speculative residences, not only land.”15 Several demonstration houses were built in the tract to bolster sales, some of which were designed by noted architects Plummer, Wurdeman and Becket.16 With time, the name “Sunset Park” was applied more broadly to describe the residential neighborhood that was taking form in the vicinity of the airport and the Douglas Aircraft facility. The United States’ entry into World War II in 1941 had a profound impact on the built environment of Santa Monica generally, and Sunset Park specifically. In the years leading up to the war, thousands of newcomers came to Santa Monica to work at Douglas Aircraft and other local defense plants, exacerbating Southern California’s already‐acute housing shortage. At the apogee of the war, Douglas Aircraft employed a total of 44,000 workers.17 To accommodate the droves of new arrivals, parcels in Tract No. 6330 and other subdivisions in the Sunset Park neighborhood that remained undeveloped were swiftly built out, rounding out development patterns and resulting in the continuous streetscapes that characterize this area of the city in the present day. Consistent with prevailing architectural trends of that era, most of the new houses that were constructed within the Sunset Park neighborhood at the peak of the wartime housing boom were designed in the Minimal Traditional style. 13 Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, City of Santa Monica, Historic Resources Inventory Update Historic Context Statement, Mar. 2018, 78. 14 Aerial photo obtained from the University of California, Santa Barbara Library, online, accessed Mar. 2021. 15Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, City of Santa Monica, Historic Resources Inventory Update Historic Context Statement, Mar. 2018, 84. 16 Ibid, 85. 17 Ibid, 108. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 11
The subject property was one of many new houses that were constructed in the Sunset Park neighborhood in the period leading up to World War II. Built in 1938, it was erected at the cusp of the transition between early neighborhood development and the frenetic wave of new construction associated with the influx of defense workers in the wartime years. Its scale, style, and general appearance are consistent with the type of housing that was built in this area of the city at this time. 4.2. Design and Construction Minimal Traditional Architecture 2401 22nd Street is designed in the Minimal Traditional style. Minimal Traditional architecture emerged in the mid‐1930s as a response to the need for inexpensive, efficient houses that satisfied the requirements of the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) and other New Deal era assistance programs.18 The style remained popular through the 1950s. Visually, the style was a paring down of the various Period Revival idioms that were popular in the 1920s and early ‘30s. The typical Minimal Traditional style house applied the basic form and massing of the traditional American house, but stripped it of excess ornament and unnecessary details.19 When ornament was applied, it was done so judiciously, and referenced traditional motifs to appeal to the conservative ethos of the average homebuyer and assuage the mortgage companies underwriting the loans. Modern construction methods and inexpensive, mass‐produced materials were also often used to keep costs at a minimum. When the Great Depression essentially shut down the home‐building industry, architects turned their attention to the design of efficient and economical small houses that qualified for FHA financing. At the time, the FHA “limited the maximum sales price of homes they would insure so that the average home size and cost remained within the reach of a broad market.”20 In response, architects focused on designing houses that were as efficient as possible, since every added square foot of living space and all unnecessary details drove up costs and thus made it harder to qualify for the much‐coveted FHA loan.21 The Minimal Traditional style enjoyed great popularity in Southern California where, as a result of a robust regional economy, the demand for housing remained alive and well during the Great Depression and World War II. Because of its efficiency and economy, the style proved well suited to mass production and was applied to the scores of new, large‐scale subdivisions that were developed across Southern California during the late 1930s and early ‘40s. The Minimal Traditional style remained popular into the early postwar era. Developers and merchant builders were able to take the pre‐approved FHA designs associated with the style and quickly construct large developments of new single‐family houses, in response to the heightened demand for middle‐income housing that arose at this time. The Minimal Traditional style is almost always expressed in the context of residential architecture, and was applied to both single‐family and multi‐family dwellings. The style is typically associated with the 18 Virginia Savage McAlester, A Field Guide to American Houses (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013), 588‐589. 19 Ibid. 20 Ibid. 21 Ibid. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 12
architecture of mass‐produced neighborhoods of the 1930s, ’40s, and early ‘50s, and is most often expressed in the form of small, detached houses comprising tract neighborhoods that developed in earnest at this time. The Minimal Traditional style was eclipsed by the Mid‐Century Modern and Ranch styles, both of which became dominant modes of residential architecture further into the postwar era. The Minimal Traditional style is very common in Santa Monica, as the city experienced a wave of sustained residential development at the same time that the style peaked in popularity between the mid‐1930s and 1950s. In addition to the subject property, hundreds of examples of Minimal Traditional style houses were identified in the 2018 HRI, almost always as contributors to potential historic districts, and numerous other examples of the style exist within the city’s established residential neighborhoods. Common characteristics associated with the Minimal Traditional style generally include one‐story heights; simple forms and plans; low or medium‐pitched roofs with shallow eaves; stucco wall cladding with accents of wood, brick. or stone veneer; shallow porches; wood windows with shutters; and a lack of decorative details.22 Houses designed in the style were very much intended to blend in, not stand out, and because of this Minimal Traditional style buildings often contribute to the character of neighborhoods or historic districts but are rarely vaunted on their own for their high aesthetic qualities. Design and Integrity of 2401 22nd Street 2401 22nd Street exhibits some of the above‐listed characteristics of the Minimal Traditional style. However, most Traditional style buildings in Santa Monica are similar with respect to scale, form, and general appearance by virtue of the style’s simplicity and penchant for thrift and economy. As such, the subject house reads as a typical example of this style. No evidence was found to indicate that this house served a s an important design prototype or that it otherwise influenced the development and proliferation of this style of architecture, either in this neighborhood or elsewhere in Santa Monica. Its design does appear to have been publicized in architectural periodicals or trade journals of the period. As indicated in Section 3.3: Alterations of this report, a number of architectural details linking the subject house to the Minimal Traditional style have been either modified or removed. This includes replacement of decorative diamond‐paned glazing with single‐paned glazing, removal of wood latticework from the porch rails, removal of wood shutters, and modification of the porch rail. Therefore, some aspects of the building’s integrity, particularly those related to material integrity, have been compromised. A detailed assessment of integrity is included in Section 5.3: Evaluation of Integrity of this report. Maurice J. Wright, Designer Original (1937) building permits for the subject property identify M.J. Wright as the architect, about whom little is known. Maurice Joseph Wright (1894‐1944) was born in New Brunswick, Canada. He immigrated to the United States in 1912 and initially lived in Massachusetts.23 From city directories it is 22 Adapted from the City of Santa Monica, Citywide Historic Resources Inventory Update Survey Report, Jul. 23, 2018. 23 Ancestry.com (various collections), online, accessed Mar. 2021. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 13
known that Wright was residing in Santa Monica by the mid‐1920s, where he would spend the rest of his life. City directories and census data from subsequent years list his vocation as carpenter and construction foreman. Though Wright is listed as the subject house’s “architect” on original permit records, no evidence was found indicating that he received education, training, or licensure in architecture. Rather, he appears to have been a contractor who was commissioned to design the house. Wright became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1937; he died in 1944.24 There are no other known examples of buildings that Wright designed or built, either in Santa Monica or elsewhere. Albert L. Dorrance, Builder Original permits for the subject property identify the builder as Albert L. Dorrance. Little information is available about the life and career of Dorrance. Albert Leroy Dorrance (1899‐1981) was born in Michigan. Sometime in his youth he moved to Exeter, California, a small agricultural community in California’s Central Valley.25 He worked as a laborer on his family’s fruit farm before moving to Santa Monica circa 1921.26 City directories and census data indicate that Dorrance was employed as a carpenter and building contractor. He does not appear to have been especially prolific. Dorrance eventually moved to St. Louis, Missouri, and retired from practice in 1980. He died in 1981.27 Dorrance appears to have constructed small, modestly appointed residences during his tenure in Santa Monica. In addition to the subject property, there are two other known examples of buildings in Santa Monica that Dorrance constructed: a Spanish Colonial Revival style duplex at 1620 California Avenue (1925), and a Spanish Colonial Revival style single‐family house at 363 18th Street (1938). 24 Ibid. 25 Ibid. 26 Census data indicate that Dorrance was residing in Exeter in 1920; city directories indicate that he was residing in Santa Monica in 1921. 27 Ancestry.com (various collections), online, accessed Mar. 2021. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 14
5. Evaluation of Significance
5.1. Previous Surveys and Evaluations
2401 22nd Street has been identified in two updates of the City of Santa Monica’s Historic Resources
Inventory: first in 2010, and again in 2018. In both instances, the property was identified as a
contributor to a potential historic district.
The 2010 HRI identified a potential historic district on the 2300 and 2400 blocks of 22nd Street. The
potential district, called the “2300‐2400 Blocks of 22nd Street Minimal Traditional District,” comprised a
cohesive grouping of modest, single‐family Minimal Traditional style houses whose contributors “share
similar scale, massing, setbacks, and period of significance and exhibit a high level of physical
integrity.”28 The subject property was identified as a contributor to that district and was assigned the
corresponding California Historical Resource Status Code of 5D3 (“appears to be a contributor to a multi‐
component resource that appears eligible for local listing or designation”). It was not identified as
individually eligible for listing, either as a Santa Monica Landmark or Structure of Merit.
The 2018 HRI identified a potential historic district called the “Sunset Park Residential Historic District.”
This district was an amalgamation of four smaller districts that had been identified in the 2010 HRI: the
aforementioned 2300‐2400 Blocks of 22nd Street district and the following three potential districts:
2000 Block of 21st/22nd Streets
2200‐2300 Blocks of 26th/27th Streets
2200 Block of Cloverfield Boulevard
These four smaller potential districts were combined into one larger potential district “because they are
geographically contiguous, share many of the same essential aesthetic, architectural, and contextual
qualities, and were constructed at the same time and relate to the same contexts and themes
enumerated in the Historic Context Statement.”29 In addition, “several other, adjacent blocks that were
not identified in the 2010 HRI were also included in this new district for the reasons listed above.”30 The
Sunset Park Historic District was found to be significant for conveying broad patterns of residential
development in the southeast section of Santa Monica, with a period of significance of 1925‐1959.31
The subject property was identified as a contributor to the potential Sunset Park Residential Historic
District in the 2018 HRI, and was assigned the status code of 5D3. Therefore, the property is currently
listed in the HRI with the status code 5D3. Again it was not identified as individually eligible for listing,
either as a Santa Monica Landmark or Structure of Merit.
28 Gleaned from the DPR form for 2401 22nd Street, prepared as part of the 2010 HRI. A copy of this DPR form is included as an
attachment to this report.
29 Architectural Resources Group and Historic Resources Group, City of Santa Monica, Citywide Historic Resources Inventory
Update Survey Report, Jul. 23, 2018, 80
30 Ibid.
31 Ibid, 80‐81.
2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 155.2. Local Registration Programs
The City of Santa Monica administers two programs for the local designation of historic resources, each
of which has its own eligibility criteria: Landmarks/Historic Districts and Structures of Merit.
Criteria related to the designation of Landmarks and Historic Districts are listed in Chapter 9.56.100
(Landmark or Historic District Designation Criteria) of the Santa Monica Municipal Code. Landmarks “are
considered to have the highest level of individual historical or architectural significance” and must
satisfy at least one of six criteria (listed in the following section) to be eligible for listing.32 Historic
Districts are generally evaluated against the same eligibility criteria that are used to evaluate Landmarks.
Criteria related to the designation of Structures of Merit are listed in Chapter 9.56.080 (Structure of
Merit Criteria) of the Santa Monica Municipal Code. Structures of Merit are “historic resources with a
more limited degree of individual significance” than Landmarks, and must satisfy at least one of four
criteria (listed in the following section) to be eligible for listing.33
5.3. Evaluation of Local Significance
ARG evaluated 2401 22nd Street against each of the City of Santa Monica’s eligibility criteria for
Landmarks and Structures of Merit. In summary, ARG arrives at the following conclusions:
The property does not satisfy any of the City’s Landmark criteria
The property appears to satisfy one of the City’s Structure of Merit Criteria (Criterion B.3)
Following is an explanation of how these determinations were made.
Landmark Criteria
9.56.100(A)(1). [The resource] exemplifies, symbolizes, or manifests elements of the cultural, social,
economic, political, or architectural history of the City.
The subject property is loosely associated with broad patterns of history that lent impetus to the
development of the Sunset Park neighborhood in the World War I period. Built in 1938, the house was
erected as the neighborhood was taking shape as a residential enclave comprising modest, middle‐
income houses to accommodate those who worked at the nearby Douglas Aircraft Company plant and
other local employers. However, these qualities are not unique to the subject house. Within the
potential Sunset Park Historic District are 238 contributing properties, all of which were built during the
same general period and convey the same broad patterns of history. The same can be said for the
numerous other modest houses of this vintage that fall outside the boundaries of the proposed district.
There is nothing particularly unusual or noteworthy about the subject house that is not equally
expressed by hundreds of other houses in the vicinity – it was not the first house in the subdivision, nor
32 City of Santa Monica, “Historic Preservation in Santa Monica,” accessed Mar. 2021.
33 Ibid.
2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 16is there evidence to indicate that it influenced the trajectory of development in this part of the city. When viewed in isolation, instead of through the broader lens of a district, the property reads as a representative, but ordinary example of residential development that prevailed in the city at this time. For these reasons, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Landmark Criterion 1. 9.56.100(A)(2). [The resource] has aesthetic or artistic interest or value, or other noteworthy interest or value. The subject property reads as a typical example of a Minimal Traditional style single‐family dwelling. An immensely common residential architectural style, there are numerous other examples of Minimal Traditional houses in this area of the city, almost all of which are similar to the subject house with respect to size, scale, massing, and general appearance. There are no characteristics associated with this particular house that render it distinctive from other houses in the immediate vicinity. The features and materials that define this house were commonly applied to middle‐income houses of this vintage and do not appear to express any important aesthetic or artistic qualities in the spirit of this criterion. For these reasons, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Landmark Criterion 2. 9.56.100(A)(3). [The resource] is identified with historic personages or with important events in local, state, or national history. There is insufficient evidence indicating that any of the owners or occupants of the subject property made significant contributions to history. Original owner and occupant Frank P. Hamilton worked as a mechanic for Douglas Aircraft when the house was constructed in 1938, and was one of many thousands of workers in the company’s employ. Research did not uncover any further information about Hamilton’s life, career, or association with the company. He also died in 1938, shortly after the house was completed. Hilda Hamilton, Carl Hamilton, and Mary Hamilton resided at the house in subsequent years, but there is no evidence to demonstrate that any one of them made any contributions that would render them historically significant. Rather, the scant information that is available about the Hamiltons suggests that they were a typical middle‐income family employed in typical vocations. There is insufficient evidence demonstrating that the house is meaningfully associated with historic personages. There is also insufficient evidence to indicate that the property is associated with important events in local, state, or national history in the spirit of this criterion. It appears to have functioned as nothing more than a typical single‐family residence between its original (1938) construction and the present day. For these reasons, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Landmark Criterion 3. 9.56.100(A)(4). [The resource] 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 is designed in the Minimal Traditional style, which was commonly applied to residential architecture between the mid‐1930s and 1950s. Characteristics of the Minimal Traditional 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 17
style that are expressed in the design of this house include its one‐story height, moderately‐pitched roof with shallow eaves, stucco wall cladding with wood and brick accents, wood double‐hung windows, canted bay window system, partial‐width porch with wood post supports, and lack of ornament and decorative details. The Minimal Traditional style derives its character from its inherent restraint. It is not a style that, on its own, is typically recognized for its distinctive architectural qualities. Individual buildings that are rendered in this style do not typically reflect high artistic values or innovation of design. There is insufficient evidence indicating that the house was intended to be a bold architectural statement or was received as such. It is not mentioned in any architectural trade journals or periodicals, and is not noted in the Citywide Historic Context Statement or other literature pertaining to the architectural heritage of Santa Monica. Rather, the Minimal Traditional style was likely chosen for this house because it was popular at the time, aesthetically compatible with its environs, and relatively cheap to execute. The house is not notable on account of its craftsmanship or method of construction. As a typical frame‐ and‐stucco house, there is nothing unusual or noteworthy about the manner in which it was built. There is insufficient evidence indicating that the subject house is a unique or rare example of its respective design, detail, or type. On the contrary, it reads as ordinary and ubiquitous. This house reads as a typical example of the Minimal Traditional style and its application to low‐cost and middle‐income housing. The above‐listed features linking the house to the style are also found in hundreds of other houses in Santa Monica that were constructed contemporaneously and exhibit many, if not all of the same features. In the potential Sunset Park Residential Historic District, there were 169 examples of Minimal Traditional houses when the most recent HRI update was completed in 2018; hundreds of other examples of the styles were identified as contributing features of other potential historic districts identified in the HRI, and there are numerous other examples of the style interspersed across the city. For these reasons, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Landmark Criterion 4. 9.56.100(A)(5). [The resource] is a significant or a representative example of the work or product of a notable builder, designer, or architect. Original building permits indicate that the subject property was designed by Maurice J. Wright and constructed by Albert L. Dorrance. Research produced scant information about the lives, careers, and contributions of Wright and Dorrance. Both appear to have worked as carpenters and building contractors. As noted, Wright is listed as the “architect” on the original permit, but there is no evidence that he received any formal education, training, or licensure in architecture. Rather, he appears to have been a building contractor who was also commissioned to design this house. It does not appear that either Wright or Dorrance were particularly prolific. There are no other known buildings that were designed or constructed by Wright; Dorrance constructed two other buildings that were identified in the 2018 HRI. There is insufficient evidence to indicate that either practitioner made contributions to the design and construction industry in a way that would render them notable in the spirit of this criterion. For these reasons, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Landmark Criterion 5. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 18
9.56.100(A)(6). [The resource] 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 possess any singular feature or physical characteristic that stands out as particularly memorable or noteworthy. It is one of many low‐scale, modestly‐appointed single‐family residences that are located along this block of 22nd Street and elsewhere in the Sunset Park neighborhood. Its massing, bulk, scale, and architectural vocabulary are consistent with the numerous other houses in the vicinity. There is nothing to indicate that it is an established or familiar visual feature of the neighborhood, community, or City in the spirit of this criterion. For this reason, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Landmark Criterion 6. Structure of Merit Criteria 9.56.080(A). The structure has been identified in the City’s Historic Resources Inventory. While the subject property is included in the most recent (2018) iteration of the City’s Historic Resources Inventory (HRI), the resource that was identified in the HRI was the Sunset Park Residential Historic District in its entirety, not this particular property. This house is located within the boundaries of a potential district and was evaluated for its association with that district, but was not identified individually. When the house is removed from the context of the district and evaluated on its own merits, it does not, in and of itself, tell a compelling story or convey the history or significance of Sunset Park. Since it was the district – and not this property – that was identified in the HRI, and Structure of Merit criteria are used to evaluate the individual eligibility of a resource, this criterion does not appear to be met. ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Structure of Merit Criterion A. 9.56.080(B)(1). The structure is a minimum of 50 years of age, and is a unique or rare example of an architectural design, detail, or historical type. Constructed in 1938, the subject property is more than 50 years of age. However, as discussed in the evaluation against Landmark Criterion 4, it reads as a typical example of its architectural style, type, and period, and represents a very common mode of residential design in this part of Santa Monica. Survey data from the 2018 HRI suggest that this house is ordinary ubiquitous – not unique or rare. For these same reasons, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Structure of Merit Criterion B.1. 9.56.080(B)(2). The structure is a minimum of 50 years of age, and is representative of a style in the City that is no longer prevalent. As discussed in the evaluation against Landmark Criterion 4, there are numerous other extant examples of the Minimal Traditional style, both within the potential Sunset Park Residential Historic District and throughout the City of Santa Monica. These other examples of the Minimal Traditional style convey the 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 19
same general characteristics as the subject house. Because of the relative ubiquity of this style of architecture, particularly in this area of the city, the subject house does not appear to be representative of a style in the City that is no longer prevalent. Therefore, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street does not meet Structure of Merit Criterion B.2. 9.56.080(B)(3). The structure is a minimum of 50 years of age, and contributes to a potential Historic District. The subject property was identified as a contributor to the potential Sunset Park Residential Historic District in the 2018 HRI. It bears mention that several publicly visible features of the house have been modified or removed in the period since the HRI was completed – specifically, diamond‐paned leaded glazing has been removed from the front (west)‐facing windows, wood latticework has been removed from the porch rails, wood shutters have been removed from windows, and the porch rail has been truncated to accommodate a set of contemporary concrete steps. These alterations have resulted in some modest changes to the appearance of the house; however, they have not changed the appearance so drastically that the house would now be seen as a non‐contributor. The house, in its present state, appears to still contribute to the district, albeit in a somewhat compromised manner, and is greater than 50 years of age. For this reason, ARG concludes that 2401 22nd Street appears to meet Structure of Merit Criterion B.3. 5.3. Evaluation of Integrity Integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance, and is defined by the National Park Service (NPS) as the “authenticity of a property’s historic identity, evidenced by the survival of physical characteristics that existed during the property’s prehistoric or historic period.”34 NPS identifies seven aspects of integrity: location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. Following is an assessment of 2401 22nd Street against each aspect of integrity. Location Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place where the historic event occurred. The subject building has not been moved from its original location. It retains integrity of location. Design Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure, and style of a property. 34 U.S. Department of the Interior, National Register Bulletin 16A: How to Complete the National Register Registration Form (Washington D.C.: National Park Service, 1997), 4. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 20
Some alterations have been carried out at the subject property that have resulted in modest, yet discernible changes to its appearance as viewed from the street. These alterations include removal of original diamond paned leaded glazing in the front‐facing windows, removal of original wood latticework on the porch supports, and modification of the original porch rail and perimeter fence. A small addition has also been appended to the rear (east) elevation, though it is not publicly visible. Weighed together, these alterations have resulted in some changes to the original design intent of the house. Specifically, the modest decorative details that provided the otherwise‐modest building with a degree of architectural interest have largely been removed or modified. However, the essential form, plan, space, and structure of the building remain legible and sufficiently intact. Therefore, the property retains integrity of design, though this aspect of integrity has been compromised. Setting Setting is the physical environment of a historic property constituting topographical features, vegetation, manmade features, and relationships between buildings and open space. Sanborn maps and historic aerial images indicate that the immediate setting of the subject property has not substantially changed since its construction in 1938. Though this neighborhood was only partially built out at the time of this house’s construction, subsequent development in the vicinity ascribed to the same basic template for the surrounding area, in which lots were developed with low‐scale single‐family houses. The subject property was historically, and continues to be, sited on a lightly trafficked residential street and surrounded by modest single‐family houses, most of which are architecturally restrained and embody traditional models of residential design. The property retains 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. As noted, some original materials – including diamond‐paned leaded glazing, wood latticework, wood shutters, and wood porch rails and fencing – have been removed. However, many of the original materials associated with the exterior of the subject building appear to be intact. Specifically, the building retains its stucco and wood wall cladding, wood porch supports and porch rail, its original wood door, and most of its original wood‐framed windows. When these factors are weighed together, the house is missing some of its original materials, but retains a majority of materials associated with its original construction. Thus, the property retains integrity of materials, though this aspect of integrity has been compromised. Workmanship Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture, people or artisan during any given period in history or pre‐history. 2401 22nd Street, Santa Monica | Historic Assessment Report May 3, 2021 ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP 21
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