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Home My WebLink About22468 - RESOLUTIONS - 5/6/2009 RESOLUTION NO. 22468 A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA DESIGNATING THE BUILDING AND THE ENTIRE SITE AT 300 SOUTH PALM CANYON DRIVE, "THE SANTA FIE FEDERAL SAVINGS AND LOAN BUILDING' A CLASS ONE HISTORIC SITE (NO. 54). WHEREAS, Chapter 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code allows for the designation of historic sites; and WHEREAS, on January 9, 2007, the Historic Site Preservation Board initiated an application for historic site designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive; and WHEREAS, notice of a public hearing of the Historic Site Preservation Board of the City of Palm Springs to consider designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive as a Class 1 historic site was issued in accordance with applicable law; and WHEREAS, on March 13, 2007, the Historic Site Preservation Board conducted a public hearing in accordance with applicable law to consider designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive as a Class 1 historic site; and WHEREAS, at said hearing, the HSPB adopted Resolution #54 to recommend to City Council designation of the building and the entire site as open space at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive as a Class 1 historic site; and WHEREAS, notice of a public hearing of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs to consider designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive, as a Class 1 historic site was issued in accordance with applicable law; and WHEREAS, on April 4, 2007 the City Council conducted a public hearing in accordance with applicable law to consider designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive as a Class 1 historic site; and WHEREAS, at said hearing the City Council continued the public hearing to a date uncertain such that this matter could be heard concurrently with a public hearing on Case 5.1137 PDD 335, 3.3028 MAJ and TTM 35230; a project known as "Baristo Lofts", and WHEREAS, notice of a public hearing of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs to consider designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive, as a Class 1 historic site was issued in accordance with applicable law-, and WHEREAS, on May 6, 2009 the City Council conducted a public hearing In accordance with applicable law to consider designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive as a Class 1 historic site; and Resolution No. 22468 Page 2 WHEREAS, the designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive shall further the purpose and intent of Chapter 8.05; and WHEREAS, the designation of 300 South Palm Canyon Drive promotes the sensitive preservation of said site; and WHEREAS, in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the designation of a historic site is categorically exempt from environmental review pursuant to Section 15331 for the preservation of historical resources; and WHEREAS, the City Council has carefully reviewed and considered all of the evidence in connection with the designation, including but not limited to the staff report, application and historical research, all written and oral testimony presented and notes the following: 1. In 1957, The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank commissioned prominent local Architect E. Stewart Williams to design a branch bank at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive in Palm Springs. 2. The defining characteristics of this building are its mid-century modern architecture, use of long expanses of glass, thin steel structural columns, sliding aluminum sun screens, its clean un-decorated and un-ornamented surfaces, its strong linear facades, cantilevered 'floating' concrete base, wide overhanging cantilevered roof planes, rigorous dimensional module defining its size and proportion. 3. The building stands as a very good example of the revolutionary thinking in commercial banking of its time, in which the typical heavy, temple-like traditional styles of banks was supplanted by a light and airy, human-scaled glass pavilion. THE CITY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE: SECTION 1: Pursuant to CEQA, the City Council finds that the designation of the building at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive as a Class 1 historic site is categorically exempt from environmental review pursuant to Section 15331 whereby this designation is for the preservation of a historical resource. SECTION 2: The Council does hereby make the following findings; A. The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or local history; The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank is an excellent example of mid-century modern architecture as applied to a commercial bank building and embodies the new optimism in technology and the future that was prevalent in the country during the period following World War ll. The capability of modern technology and architecture to solve all the complexities of contemporary life and the visionary idea that a structure for Resolution No. 22468 Page 3 banking could be a light, glass and steel structure in a very human scale instead of the usual heavy classical architectural forms that typified bank buildings in previous eras are embodied in this structure. Innovative new concepts such as 'motor banking' which was a conceptual idea in the fifties and sixties were incorporated in the building via a drive-in bank teller window. It is an important member of a collection of buildings in this vicinity that developed as the Palm Springs "financial district'; including the City National Bank (Bank of America), Coachella Valley Savings Bank (Washington Mutual), Coachella Savings & Loan (Prudential), Union Bank of California, Guaranty Bank, and Wells Fargo. This collection of financial institutions are all located on or near Palm Canyon Drive which was, at the time, the hub of commercial activity in the Coachella Valley. Each bank sought to capture customers by creating a significant presence through the use of outstanding architecture. This notion of 'advertising through architecture' is clearly evident in this collection of buildings, including the Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank. S. The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction; 1. The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank typifies the Mid-century Modern period of architecture because a. It makes use of a rigorously defined dimensional module (five foot) around which all aspects of the building are scaled- b. It is reflective of its own time, not a copy of earlier styles or cultures. C. It is devoid of applied decoration or ornamentation. d. It makes sophisticated use of technologically new materials (aluminum and large panel glass). e. Its columns and the walls are disengaged from each other, allowing the wall plane to 'continue past' in an uninterrupted manner from the structural columns. f. It possesses the following defining characteristics or elements: • The sliding aluminum brise soliel, or sunscreens, The long, uninterrupted Cantilevered roof structure on the west and north facades, The linear, uninterrupted cantilevered concrete base or 'floating' floor slab on the west and north facades, • The free-standing slender steel columns which narrow at the top and bottom and are disengaged from the window-wall along the north and west facades, The long continuous expanse of floor to ceiling windows on the north and west elevations, Resolution No. 22468 Page 4 • The pure box-like volume of the building in which the only 'cutouts' occur at the two corner entry's, • The drive-through teller window. The open space on all sides of the building. 2. The inspiration for its proportion and form can clearly be traced to important historic structures in the modern movement, especially the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe of 1929. 3. Its drive-up teller window represented `state-of-the-art" banking services at a time when "motor banking" was in its infancy. C. The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect whose individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value; The Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank was designed by prominent local architect E. Stewart Williams, who was recognized nationally for his contribution to modern architecture. SECTION 3: Based upon the foregoing, the City Council does hereby designate the Santa Fe Federal Savings Bank Building and all open space surrounding it at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California as a Class 1 Historic Site subject to the following conditions: 1. The property own shall permit the City to demark the Santa Fe Bank Building as a historic site with a historic marker to the City's choosing. The historic marker shall be placed in a location visible from the public right-of-way. The owner shall maintain the marker in the location installed an pay for the replacement cost if it is lost, stolen, or otherwise removed from the property. 2. All future exterior modifications including but not limited to building, site, landscaping, lighting, walls, and fences shall be subject to Section 94.04.00 of the Palm Springs zoning Code (Architectural Review) and Article IV of Chapter 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code (Rules and Regulations for Historic Sites) 3. No permit for the alteration of the exterior of any existing structure, including any and all of the defining elements and characteristics, shall be issued without prior review and approval pursuant Article IV of Chapter 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code (Rules and Regulations for Historic Sites). 4. All restoration shall follow the requirements of the Secretary of Interior Standards. Resolution No. 22468 Page 5 5. The City Clerk shall submit the Council Resolution to the County Recorder for recordation within 90 days of the effective date of this Resolution. 6. All existing or previously approved alterations shall be considered acceptable. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, based upon the foregoing, the City Council hereby designates the building and the entire site on the parcel at 300 South Palm Canyon Drive a Class 1 historic site. ADOPTED THIS 6TH DAY OF MAY, 2009- 2,I David H. Ready gee ATTEST: ?mes Thompson, City Clerk CERTIFICATION STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss. CITY OF PALM SPRINGS ) I, JAMES THOMPSON, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that Resolution No- 22468 is a full, true and correct copy, and was duly adopted at a regular meeting of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs on May 6, 2009, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmember Foat, Councilmember Hutcheson, and Mayor Pougnet- NOES: Mayor Pro Tem Mills and Councilmember Weigel. ABSENT: None. ABSTAIN: None. am es Thompson, City Clerk zsSfZb�Za City of Palm Springs, California /