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HomeMy WebLinkAbout24723 RESOLUTION NO. 24723 A RESOLUTION OF THE-CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING "THE SHEA RESIDENCE" LOCATED AT 1690 RIDGEMORE DRIVE, A CLASS 1 HISTORIC RESOURCE, HSPB #130, SUBJECT TO CONDITIONS. (APN 686-411-024). THE PALM SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL FINDS AND DETERMINES AS FOLLOWS: WHEREAS, chapter 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code allows for the designation of historic sites and districts; and WHEREAS, on November 26, 2019, Daniel Krog and Adam Bonnett, owners and applicant, filed an application with the City pursuant to Article III, Section 8.05.070 (Procedure for Designation of Historic Sites and Historic Districts) of the Palm Springs Municipal Code requesting Class 1 historic resource designation for the parcel located at 1690 Ridgemore Drive. The application included a historic resources_report ("the report") prepared by the Melissa Riche, dated November, 2019; and WHEREAS, in January, 2020, members of the Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB) conducted site inspections of the proposed historic resource, accompanied by City staff; and WHEREAS, on January 14, 2020, a noticed public hearing of the Palm Springs Historic Site Preservation Board ("HSPB") to consider Case HSPB #130 was held in accordance with applicable law; and WHEREAS, the HSPB carefully reviewed and considered all of the evidence presented in connection with the hearing on the project, including, but not limited to, the staff report and all written and oral testimony presented and voted unanimously to recommend that the City Council designate the Shea Residence as a Class 1 historic site; and WHEREAS, on February 13, 2020, a noticed public hearing of the Palm Springs City Council to consider Case HSPB #130 was held in accordance with applicable law; and WHEREAS, at said hearing the City Council carefully reviewed and considered all the evidence presented in connection with the hearing on the project, including but not limited to, the staff report and all written and oral testimony. Resolution No. 24723 Page 2 THE PALM SPRINGS CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS RESOLVES: SECTION 1: FINDINGS — PART "A", CRITERIA FOR HISTORIC RESOURCES. Evaluation of the Application. Pursuant to Municipal Code Section 8.05.070 (C), in considering a recommendation to designate the site as a Class 1 or 2 historic resource the City Council shall evaluate the application and make findings for conformance with the following criteria: Criteria for the Designation of Class 1 Historic Resources. A site, structure, building or object may be designated as a Class 1 historic resource, provided both of the following findings are met. a. The site, structure, building or object exhibits exceptional historic significance and meets one or more of the criteria listed below: The Shea residence may be considered historically significant as an example of the late Modern architectural style. (Criterion 1) The resource is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution to the nation, state or community; The report does not identify any events associated with the site, thus the site does not qualify under Criterion 1. (Criterion 2) The resource is associated with the lives of persons who made a meaningful contribution to national, state or local history; The report does not identify any persons of significance associated with the site who made a meaningful contribution to local, state or national history, thus it does not qualify as a historic resource under Criterion 2. (Criterion 3) The resource reflects or exemplifies a particular period of national, state or local history, The Shea residence exemplifies the Late Modern period in architecture and development in Palm Springs. Late Modern architecture is rooted in the mid-century Modern period in terms of its minimal use of ornament, use of new material technologies and the exposed expression of the structure of the home in its detailing. Shea however differs from the more modestly scaled homes of the fifties and sixties in its larger scale spaces and volumes, a feeling of luxury, and a more exuberant use of materials. The Shea residence utilizes the post and beam structural system found in,earlier mid-century Modern homes, Resolution No. 24723 Page 3 however it too takes on an exaggerated scale using large wood "glu-lam"I posts and beams in contrast to the dimensional 'A by 4" lumber posts commonly used on homes from the fifties and sixties. The larger scale structure and resultant interior volumes distinguish the Shea residence from earlier examples of Modern architecture, making it a noteworthy example of the "Late Modern" architectural period. As such the house qualifies as a historic site under Criterion 3. (Criterion 4) The resource embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction; The Shea residence is considered significant because of its unique use of "tilt-up" concrete panels in its construction. The technology of tilt-up concrete construction was first utilized in the United States in 1905 when Robert Akin patented the"tilt-slab"concrete construction method. Its first use in residential construction came in 1922 with the construction of the Rudolph M. Schindler House in West Hollywood. The Shea residence utilized forty-two (42) reinforced concrete panels of differing sizes all cast in place on site and "tilted-up" in place with the use of cranes. The concrete panels provided the structure, the enclosure and delineation of space as well as the finishes and aesthetic within the home. As noted earlier, at the Shea residence post and beam technology is used, however at a much larger scale that commonly found in post and beam structures in Palm Springs from the mid-century Modern period. The glu-lam post and beam structural system establishes a grand and luxurious scale to the Shea residence and the concrete panels give texture and visual strength to the home. For these reasons, the report asserts the Shea residence qualifies under Criterion 4 because of its unique method of construction. An addition designed in the 1980's by master architect Albert Frey was added over the guest room wing. Due to weight considerations, the addition did not make use of the tilt- up concrete panels. It did, however integrate the glu-lam post and beam structural system, thereby creating a somewhat harmonious integration of the addition with the structural system of the original home. (Criterion 5) The resource presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect whose individual genius influenced his age, or that possesses high artistic value; The Shea residence was designed in 1974 by local architect John G Walling, Jr. with an addition by master architect Albert Frey in 1988. Although Walling had many large luxury ' Glued laminated timber, abbreviated "glu-lam", are structural engineered wood products constituted of layers of dimensional lumber called"laminations or laminating stock"that are bonded together with durable, moisture-resistant adhesives. Glu-lam wood members provide the strength and versatility of large wood members without relying on the old-growth dependent solid sawn timbers. This results in its ability to be used in longer spans, carry heavier loads, and to be formed into more complex shapes than reinforced concrete or steel structural members. The earliest extant use of glu-lam structural members dates to the mid 1850's in Europe. (Source: The Engineered Wood Association). Resolution No. 24723 Page 4 home commissions in the 1970's throughout the Coachella Valley, the lack of evaluation of his body of work makes it difficult to categorize him as a"master architect whose genius influenced his age". The report asserts on page 20, however that Walling's design for the Shea residence exhibits high artistic value; recognizing the manner in which he makes use of an ordinary material such as concrete in a decorative way and establishes scale and a rhythmic order to the home with the use of the large glu-lam posts and beams. The report quotes a 1981 Architectural Digest article that describes the Shea residence as "...patterns of interlocking cubes reminiscent of Rietveld, Mondrian and DeStijl." Thus the report asserts that the Shea residence qualifies as a historic site under Criterion 5 as having high artistic value. (Criterion 6) The resource represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction, as used in evaluating applications for designation of historic districts, for parcels on which more than one entity exists, or The report does not assert that the Shea residence qualifies under Criterion 6. (Criterion 7) The resource has yielded or maybe likely to yield information important to national, state or local history or prehistory. No information has been provided in the historic resources report on any pre-historic significance of the site. SECTION 2: FINDINGS — PART "B"—ANALYSIS OF INTEGRITY. b. The site, structure, building or object retains one or more of the following aspects of integrity, as established in the Secretary of the Interior's Standards: integrity of design, materials, workmanship, location, setting, feeling, or association. The application includes an evaluation of the residence relative to the seven aspects or qualities of integrity, as recognized by the National Register of Historic Places. The seven aspects or qualities include location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling, and association. The application concludes that the residence retains a high degree of integrity despite some modifications. The HSPB made the following findings of the site's historic Integrity: 9. Location: The Shea residence remains in the same location in which it was constructed, thus it retains integrity of location. 2. Design: Aside from some minor additions the home possesses a high degree of design integrity and has been well maintained. Resolution No. 24723 Page 5 3. Setting: The setting of the Shea residence, on a hillside lot within a tract of large luxury homes with mid-century Modern design characteristics, remains as it was from the time of its construction; it thus retains integrity of Setting. 4. Materials: The Shea residence has had very few modifications or alterations. Its post-and-beam wood construction and tilt-up exposed concrete panels are still evident and unaltered. Thus the home exhibits a high degree of material integrity. 5. Workmanship: The Shea residence is a structure built of high-quality materials and craftsmanship and thus retains integrity of workmanship. 6. Feeling: The casual informal living style expressed in the Shea residence with its large expanses of glass that creates a strong visual connection between the inside and outside of the home is still intact as is the open floor plan. The home continues to exude a grand-scaled sense of elegance and luxury and thus retains integrity of feeling. 7. Association: The strong association between architect John Walling and John Shea has been documented in the historic resources report and thus integrity of Association remains. SECTION 3: DEFINING HISTORIC CHARACTERISTICS AND NON- CONTRIBUTING FEATURES. In considering a recommendation for historic resource designation it is important to distinguish those physical elements that are original or from the period of significance that contribute to the resource's historic significance from alterations, additions or features that were added at a later time that may be sympathetic to the original character, but which may create a false sense of historicity. Distinguishing original character-defining features from non-original elements aids the HSPB when it is tasked with evaluating future alterations to the historic resource. The physical character-defining historic-features of this resource include the following: The physical character-defining historic features of this resource include the following: 1. Concrete aggregate panels 2. Bronze tinted glass Resolution No. 24723 Page 6 3. Entry porch and adjacent full height glass, doors and hardware. 4. Glu-Lam post and beams 5. Full height windows and sliding doors. 6. Flat roof, fascia eaves, around the entire house. 7. Outdoor modern can lights 8. Original exterior quartzite walkways and terraces.2 9. The swimming pool 10.Sand finish stucco walls 11.The guest house 12.The carport The non-contributing features include the following: 1. The landscaping 2. Mechanical equipment. SECTION 4: ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT The proposed historic resource designation is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical changes to the environment, directly or indirectly. SECTION 5: CONDITIONS THAT APPLY TO CLASS 1 HISTORIC SITES. According to Section 8.05 of the Municipal Code, the following shall apply to a Class 1 Historic Resource: 1. It shall meet the definition of a historic site as outlined in Municipal Code Section 8.05.020. 2. An archival file shall be maintained on the property by the City. 3. It may be qualified as 'historic' at the federal, state, and/or county level. 4. The structure/site may not be modified nor objects removed without following the procedures outlined in Municipal Code Section 8.05.110 "Demolition or Alteration of Class 1 and Class 2 Historic Resources — Certificate of Appropriateness". 5. A marker explaining the historic nature of the site may be installed at the site in a location viewable from the public way. 6. Compliance with all rules and regulations for Historic Sites and Historic Districts under Chapter 8.05 of the Municipal Code shall be required. 7. The site shall not be further subdivided. 2 The current owner increased the area of quartzite paving around the exterior of the home; this has been documented in an"as-built' site plan to distinguish original paving from that which was recently added. Resolution No. 24723 Page 7 8. The City Clerk shall submit the Council Resolution to the County recorder for recordation within 90 days of the effective date of the Council's resolution. Based upon the foregoing, the City Council hereby designates "The Shea Residence" located at 1690 South Ridgemore Drive, a Class 1 Historic Resource (Case HSPB #130). ADOPTED THIS 13th DAY OF FEBRUARY, 2020. David H. Ready, City M r A ST: hony J. e�� City Clerk CERTIFICATION STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE ) ss. CITY OF PALM SPRINGS ) I, ANTHONY J. MEJIA, City Clerk of the City of Palm Springs, hereby certify that Resolution No. 24723 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 the 13th day of February, 2020, by the following vote: AYES: Councilmembers Garner, Middleton, Woods, Mayor Pro Tern Holstege, and Mayor Kors NOES: None ABSENT: None ABSTAIN: None IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and affixed the official seal of the City of Palm Springs, California, this 'Sf" day of /�oja -cv► , 20� nthony J. e ' , City Clerk