HomeMy WebLinkAbout7/11/2012 - STAFF REPORTS - 1.F. C1%
2012 JUL -9 PM 12: 02 OF LUISF�
July 3, 2012 CITY CLERV. �'7 �Q
O
Attn: James Thompson, City Clerk C° Y
City of Palm Springs
3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way
Palm Springs, CA 92262
ESL JUNE 19,1883
Re: Proposed Designation of the Kocher-Samson Building as a Class 1 Historic Site
79 and notice of exemption from CEQA (766 North Canyon Drive)
The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians appreciates your observance of Tribal Cultural
Resources and their preservation in your project. The information provided to us on said
project(s) has been assessed through our Cultural Resource Department, where it was
concluded that although it is outside the existing reservation, the project area does fall
within the bounds of our Tribal Traditional Use Areas. At this time the Soboba Band
does not have any specific concerns regarding this project, but wishes to defer to the
Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians.
[SPECIAL NOTE(for projects other than cell towers):If this project is associated with a city or county specific plan or general plan
action it is subject to the provisions of SB18-Tradtional Tribal Cultural Places(law became effective January 1,2005)and will require
the city or county to participate in formal,government-to-government consultation with the Tribe. If the city or county are your
client,you may wish to make them aware of this requirement. By law,they are required to contact the Tribe.
Sincerely,
Jo eph ntiveros
So a Cultural Resource Department
P.O. Box 487
San Jacinto, CA 92581
Phone (951) 654-5544 ext. 4137
Cell (951) 663-5279
jontiveros@ soboba-nsn.gov
��GGl,to�l ��Irwl
QpALM SA9
.y
V N
x x
4�400RAiE0 ER'e k
R CgOFORIN�P CITY COUNCIL STAFF REPORT
DATE: July 11, 2012 PUBLIC HEARING
SUBJECT: CASE HSPB #79: APPLICATION FOR DESIGNATION OF THE
KOCHER-SAMSON BUILDING AT 766 N. PALM CANYON DRIVE AS A
CLASS 1 HISTORIC SITE
FROM: David H. Ready, City Manager
BY: The Planning Department
SUMMARY
Under Section 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code (Historic Resources), the City
Council may designate properties as "Class 1" historic sites. The City's Historic Site
Preservation Board (HSPB) has recommended such a designation for the entire site,
excluding landscaping, at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-Samson Building"). The
property owner has also expressed support for the designation. The Council will
conduct a public hearing and determine if the site should be designated. Class 1
designation would place the building under the guidance of Municipal Code Section
8.05 "Historic Preservation".
RECOMMENDATION
1. Open the public hearing and accept public testimony.
2. Adopt Resolution No. • "A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF
THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY
LOCATED AT 766 N. PALM CANYON DRIVE ("KOCHER-SAMSON BUILDING")
AS A HISTORIC SITE, CLASS 1 — HSPB 79"
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
The HSPB initiated an investigation to determine if the subject property should be
designated a Class 1 historic site. Such designation would:
1. Place the subject property under the guidance of Municipal Code Section 8.05
2. Require present and subsequent owners to maintain the siie consistent with that
ordinance, and
ITEM NO.,�_
City Council Staff Report July 11,2012
Case: HSPB No.79;766 N. Palm Canyon Drive Page 2 of 7
3. Grant possible property tax reduction opportunities to the owner under the State
of California Mills Act.
A full project description, historic assessment report, findings and recommendations can
be found in the HSPB staff report and other exhibits attached hereto.
PRIOR ACTIONS
In 2004, the Kocher-Samson Building site was identified in the Citywide Historic
Resources Survey as possessing significant historic importance.
On March 13, 2012, the Historic Site Preservation Board initiated an application to
consider if the subject property should be designated a historic structure.
On April 10, 2012, the HSPB voted 5-0-1 (Strahl absent) to recommend that the City
Council designate the site at 766 N. Palm Canyon Road, a Class 1 Historic Site in
accordance with Municipal Code Section 8.05. HSPB Resolution #79 is attached.
DISCUSSION
The property is a 4500 square foot (one-tenth acre) lot located on the east side of North
Palm Canyon, 84 feet south of the intersection with Tamarisk Road. The site is a flat,
rectangular lot having a width of 36 feet and a depth of 125 feet. Surrounding uses
include commercial to the north, south and west, with multi-family residential ("Casa
Palmeras") to the east.
The lot is fully developed with the Kocher-Samson Building (1934-35) and associated
parking, which is accessed from Indian Canyon Drive via an off-site driveway. The
building was originally composed of four cuboid volumes organized to create enclosed
and open spaces, both covered and uncovered. Perimeter walls further define the
outdoor spaces. A metal carport for three vehicles (subsequently demolished) was
constructed in the rear(easterly) portion of the property.
No building permits have been found in the City's records. From a comparison with
historic photographs, the building has experienced several modifications:
- At least two of the four outdoor garden spaces have been enclosed to provide
additional office space;
- Six 4 x 10 wood beams have been installed to connect the north side of the
building to the adjacent building at 760 N. Palm Canyon Drive;
The double-door entry has been replaced with new windows and a single glass
door;
- The metal railing surrounding the upper level terrace has been replaced with a
solid parapet wall; and
- The original carport was demolished.'
'Since the City's permit history generally begins after World War II, these changes were made either in
the building's early years or subsequently without the benefit of permits.
02
City Council Staff Report July 11,2012
Case: HSPB No. 79;766 N. Palm Canyon Drive Page 3 of 7
Additional cosmetic exterior changes have occurred which are summarized in the
attached analysis (Patrick McGrew; 2008, revised 2012).
Vehicle parking has been modified from the original metal carport. Two uncovered
parking spaces are now located behind the building and are accessed by a driveway
from Indian Canyon, along the south side of the Casa Palmeras apartments to common
lot immediately south of the Kocher-Samson building.
There is no evidence that a landscape plan was prepared for the original building,
except to note "garden areas' on the site plan, two or more of which have since been
enclosed. The front area originally shown as "garden" is covered with wood planks.
The rear of the site is landscaped but does not appear to be in any way reflective of the
original condition.
The building was designed by architects Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher (brother
of local pioneer and building owner Jacob John Kocher) while they worked as partners
in New York City. It is probably the second modern building in Palm Springs, following
Lloyd Wright's Oasis Hotel (1923). The building is clearly set within the International
Style, which is defined as:
An influential modernist style in architecture that developed in Europe and
the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized chiefly by regular,
unadorned geometric forms, open interiors, and the use of glass, steel, and
reinforced concrete. (American Heritage Dictionary, 2009)
According to Joseph Rosa's, Albert Frey, Architect2, "In this, his first response to the
climate and environs of the desert, Frey provided a concrete, steel-and-glass design
which strongly asserted the modernist view that a 20th-century building should be a
universal machine":
"Frey's Kocher-Samson Building pointedly illustrates the high priority which
architects and clients have continually placed on imagery. But these
modern, up-to-date appearing machines could cope with the desert and its
climate if used only during the mild winter months, not during the heat of
the late springs, summer or fiall. Only with the gradual introduction in the
1930s of refrigerated air conditioning could these machine—image designs
really be functional, year-round dwellings.
Frey and L. Kocher terminated their partnership in 1935 and Frey made Palm Springs
his home. Future buildings, beginning with his first house (Frey House No. 1, 1940)
demonstrated the flexibility Frey would bring to modernism in the desert. He could
express "a sense of enjoyment, delight and of play more akin to popular science fiction"
2 The information in the following paragraphs is cited from Joseph Rosa's, Albert Frey. Architect(1990;
Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.).
03
City Council Staff Report July 11,2012
Case: HSPB No. 79;766 N. Palm Canyon Drive Page 4 of 7
(Frey No. 1), develop a more "refined modernism" as shown by Finchy Elementary
School (1948-49) or with the Frey House No. 2, (1963-64):
"...look back to the early 1920s experimentations of Lloyd Wright and of
Schindler, and link these concepts with his own version of the machine image,
and then couple these with the simplicity of form associated with the California
ranch house"
Frey's varied responses to the desert environment found their start in the pure cubic
design of the Kocher-Samson Building.
The Kocher-Samson Building was recognized in 1935 by the New York Museum of
Modem Art and is included in James and Katherine Morrow Ford's book, The Modern
House in America (Architectural Book Publishing Co., 1940).
REQUIRED FINDINGS
Section 8.05.160 of the Municipal Code requires that the City Council find that
designation of a site as historic furthers the purpose of the Historic Resources
ordinance:
8.05.010 Purpose and authority. This chapter is adopted pursuant to the
authority of Government Code Section 37361 for the purpose of
preserving areas and specific buildings of the city which reflect elements
of its cultural, social, economic, political, architectural and archaeological
history. This chapter is intended to stabilize and improve buildings,
structures or areas which are considered to be of historical, architectural,
archaeological or ecological value, to foster civic beauty, to strengthen the
local economy and to promote the use of specific buildings for the
education and welfare of the citizens.
The HSPB concluded that the stated purpose and authority of the Historic Resources
ordinance are furthered by this proposed designation. As the sole representation of the
International Style, the Kocher-Samson Building holds a unique place in the City's
architectural history. The designation will help with future stabilization and improvement
of the building as it can promote the restoration of the building to its original
configuration and design. Preservation of the building will foster civic beauty,
strengthen the local economy and improve the citizens' education and welfare as
recognition and restoration of the building adds to the City's reputation as a Mecca of
modem architecture.
As noted above in Background and Setting, Section 8.05.020 of the Municipal Code
provides the definition of a historic site: "An historic site is any real property such as: a
building, a structure, including but not limited to archways, tiled areas and similar
architectural elements, an archaeological excavation or object that is unique or
significant because of its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship or aesthetic
effect". Seven other qualities are listed therein with the Board's recommendation
provided below:
04
City Council Staff Report July 11,2012
Case: HSPB No.79;766 N. Palm Canyon Drive Page 5 of 7
1. The resource is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution
to the nation, state or community.
No specific event of national, state or local history is known to be
associated with the property.
2. The property is associated with lives of persons who made meaningful
contribution to national, state or local history.
The building original owner, Jacob John Kocher, was a leader in the early
years of the community's development, as the first licensed pharmacist,
one of the earliest physicians and President of the Palm Springs Board of
Trade. Dr. Kocher also developed a subdivision in the Movie Colony area
that yielded several substantial Mission Revival style homes.
3. The property reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or
local history.
Desert modern architecture can be argued to have begun with the Kocher-
Samson Building. While Lloyd Wright's Oasis Hotel preceded it by more
than a decade, the undecorated purity of the Kocher-Samson building is a
clearer statement of the machine-age principles of modern architecture
and the first of its kind in Palm Springs. Further, it has been recognized
nationally as an important beginning of desert modernism.
4. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method
of construction.
The building's use of unadorned cuboid shapes to create interior and
exterior spaces sets it squarely within the International Style, which was
one of the more significant expressions of modern architecture in the early
20th century.
5. The property presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect
whose individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value.
The building's architect, Albert Frey (with A. Lawrence Kocher), is
recognized as one of the seminal architects who contributed significantly
to Palm Springs' trove of modern architecture. This building is the first of
Frey's many contributions, yet it stands alone as, a pure ode to the
principles of the international style. The high artistic value of the building,
as originally designed, is found in its simplicity and success in producing
comfortable indoor and outdoor spaces. Subsequent modifications have
compromised the building's integrity of design, but do not appear to pose
a barrier to its restoration.
6. The property represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose
components may lack individual distinction.
A look at the components of the original building may not reveal individual
distinction, yet that is one of the principles of the International Style. By
using simple shapes (cubes and cuboid volumes) and plain materials
05
City Council Staff Report July 11,2012
Case: HSPB No.79;766 N. Palm Canyon Drive Page 6 of 7
(concrete, steel, glass) the architect has fashioned a significant and
distinguishable building.
7. The properly has yielded or may be likely to yield information important to
national, state or local history or prehistory.
No information beyond the building's design and provenance has been
found to support this finding.
The Kocher-Samson Building occupies a unique place as the earliest of Palm Springs'
modem buildings. Further, it can be argued that the building is significant to the modem
movement internationally. It is Albert Frey's first buildings in the desert (with Lawrence
Kocher) and, notwithstanding the changes it has endured, the building remains a
testament to the purity of undecorated modernism.
Subsequent changes to the building have not added to its historic significance, but
neither are they so damaging that they could not be removed in the future and the
building restored to its original shape and finish. The land surrounding the building is
also recommended to be included in the designation to assure future control over
potential development.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
In accordance with Section 15331 (Historical Resources Restoration/Rehabilitation) of
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the proposed designation is
categorically exempt from environmental review as the proposed designation meets the
conditions outlined for preservation of a historic resource.
NOTIFICATION
Pursuant to section 8.05.140 of the Municipal Code of Palm Springs, All property
owners within four hundred (400) feet of the subject property have been notified and
notice was made in a newspaper of general circulation. As of the writing of this report,
staff has not received any inquiries on this matter. The property owner has also been
notified and has previously expressed support for the designation.
Ewing P Thomas J. W' on
r of PI ng Services Assistant Cit Manager, Dev't Svcs
Da d H. Ready
City Manager
06
City Council Staff Report July 11,2012
Case: HSPB No. 79; 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive Page 7 of 7
Attachments:
1. Draft City Council Resolution
2. Vicinity Map
3. Resolution #79 of the HSPB
4. HSPB meeting minutes dated April 10, 2012
5. HSPB staff report dated April 10, 2012
6. E-mail and nomination application from Patrick McGrew / Palm Springs
Preservation Foundation
07
RESOLUTION NO.
OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALM
SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA DESIGNATING THE PROPERTY
LOCATED AT 766 N. PALM CANYON DRIVE ("KOCHER-
SAMSON BUILDING') AS A HISTORIC SITE, CLASS 1 —
HSPB 79
WHEREAS, Chapter 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code allows for the
designation of historic sites; and
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2012, the Historic Site Preservation Board initiated an
investigation to determine if the property at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive should be
designated a historic site; and
WHEREAS, on April 10, 2012, the Historic Site Preservation Board conducted a public
hearing in accordance with applicable law to consider designation of the property at 766
N. Palm Canyon Drive as a historic site; and
WHEREAS, upon completion of said hearing and after considering all materials and
testimony presented on the matter, the HSPB adopted Resolution #79 to recommend to
City Council designation of the property located at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-
Samson Building") as a Historic Site, Class 1; and
WHEREAS, notice of a public hearing of the City Council of the City of Palm Springs to
consider designation of the property located at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-
Samson Building") as a Historic Site, Class 1 was issued in accordance with applicable
law; and
WHEREAS, on July 11, 2012 the City Council conducted a public hearing in
accordance with applicable law to consider designation of the property located at 766
N. Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-Samson Building") as a Historic Site, Class 1; and
WHEREAS, the designation of the property located at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive
("Kocher-Samson Building") as a Historic Site, Class 1 shall further the purpose and
intent of Chapter 8.05 and 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:
WHEREAS, in 1934-35, Albert Frey, with A. Lawrence Kocher, designed and built a
two-story building as offices and a residence at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive; and
08
CC Resolution July 11,2012
HSPB#79 Page 2 of 5
WHEREAS, the Kocher-Samson Building was among the first modern building
constructed in Palm Springs and the first, and possibly only building designed in the
International Style during the 1920's and 1930's, and
WHEREAS, the defining characteristics of this building include:
• A composition of four cuboid volumes organized to create enclosed and open
spaces, both covered and uncovered, with perimeter walls further defining the
outdoor spaces;
• The use of concrete, steel and glass as construction materials;
• The absence of adornment or decoration; and
• Adherence to the principles of the International Style.
THE CITY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE:
SECTION 1: Pursuant to CEQA, the City Council finds that the designation of the
property at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-Samson Building") 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: Pursuant to Section 8.05.020 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code, the
City Council does hereby make the following findings regarding the property at 766 N.
Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-Samson Building") to support designation as a Class One
historic site:
A. The stated purpose and authority of the Historic Resources ordinance are
furthered by this proposed designation; because as the sole representation of
the International Style, the Kocher-Samson Building holds a unique place in the
City's architectural history; and because the designation will help with future
stabilization and improvement of the building as it can promote the restoration of
the building to its original configuration and design; and because preservation of
the building will foster civic beauty, strengthen the local economy and improve
the citizens' education and welfare because recognition and restoration of the
building adds to the City's reputation as a Mecca of modern architecture.
B. The property is associated with lives of persons who made meaningful
contribution to national, state or local history, because the building original
owner, Jacob John Kocher, was a leader in the early years of the community's
development as the first licensed pharmacist, one of the earliest physicians and
president of the Palm Springs Board of Trade; and because Dr. Kocher
developed a subdivision in the Movie Colony area that yielded several
substantial mission revival style homes.
C. The property reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or
local history, because desert modern architecture can be argued to have begun
09
CC Resolution July 11,2012
HSPB#79 Page 3 of 5
with the Kocher-Samson Building; and while Lloyd Wright's Oasis Hotel
preceded it by more than a decade, the undecorated purity of the Kocher-
Samson building is a clearer statement of the machine-age principles associated
with modern architecture and is the first of its kind in Palm Springs; and because
it has been recognized nationally as an important beginning of desert modernism
D. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method
of construction, because the building's use of unadorned cuboid shapes to
create interior and exterior spaces sets it squarely within the International Style,
which was one of the more significant expressions of modern architecture in the
early 20th century.
E. The property presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect
whose individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value,
because the building's architect, Albert Frey (with A. Lawrence Kocher), is
recognized as one of the seminal architects who contributed significantly to Palm
Springs' trove of modern architecture; and this building is the first of Frey's many
contributions, yet it stands alone as a pure ode to the principles of the
International Style; and the high artistic value of the building, as originally
designed, is found in its simplicity and success in producing comfortable indoor
and outdoor spaces; and because subsequent modifications have compromised
the building's integrity of design, but do not appear to pose a barrier to its
restoration.
F. The property represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose
components may lack individual distinction, because, while the components of
the original building may not reveal individual distinction, they represent the
principles of the International Style, because by using simple shapes (cubes and
cuboid volumes) and plain materials (concrete, steel, glass) the architect has
fashioned a significant and distinguishable building.
SECTION 3: Based upon the foregoing, the City Council does hereby designate as a
Class 1 Historic Site the property at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive ("Kocher-Samson
Building"), subject to the following conditions;
1. The property owner shall permit the City to place a historic marker of the City's
choosing at the site. The marker shall be placed in a location visible from the
public right-of-way. The owner shall maintain the marker in the location installed
and pay for the replacement cost if the plaque is lost, stolen, or otherwise
removed from the property.
2. All future modifications of the existing structures, as well as any new buildings
shall require HSPB review pursuant Municipal Code Ordinance 8.05.180. No
HSPB review shall be required for new temporary, detached, non-habitable
structures or modifications to landscaping.
10
CC Resolution July 11,2012
HSPB#79 Page 4 of 5
3. All requirements of the Palm Springs Zoning Code shall be met.
4. That the City Clerk submit the Council Resolution to the County recorder for
recordation within 90 days of the effective date of this resolution.
5. Any alterations or modifications to the exterior approved prior to the designation
of this site by the City Council shall be deemed acceptable.
ADOPTED THIS _th day of July, 2012.
David H. Ready, City Manager
ATTEST:
James Thompson, City Clerk
ZL
CC Resolution July 11,2012
HSPB#79 Page 5 of 5
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. 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
by the following vote:
AYES:
NOES:
ABSENT:
ABSTAIN:
James Thompson, City Clerk
City of Palm Springs, California
12
v�r
ra ``•y N
Department of Planning Services We
Vicinity Map
s
i
i
I
i
TAMARISK RD
z
a
z
a
z
a
4 a
z
0
z
0
a
MERITO PL
J �
e( VIA ALTAh4'IRA
a
z
Legend -100
Site
Q 400 feet
Parcels i
I
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
CASE NO: HSPB 79 DESCRIPTION: To consider a recommendation
by the Historic Site Preservation Board to
APPLICANT: City of Palm Springs designate the property at 766 North Palm Canyon
Drive (The Kocher-Samson Building / APN 505-
286-002) as a Class 1 Historic Site. 1
HSPB RESOLUTION NO. 79
OF THE HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD OF
THE CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA,
RECOMMENDING THAT THE CITY COUNCIL
DESIGNATE THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 766 NORTH
PALM CANYON DRIVE ("KOCHER-SAMSON BUILDING")
AS A HISTORIC SITE, CLASS 1 — HSPB 79.
WHEREAS, in 1934-35, Albert Frey, with A. Lawrence Kocher, designed and built a
two-story building as offices and a residence at 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive; and
WHEREAS, the Kocher-Samson Building was among the first, modern building
constructed in Palm Springs and the first, and possibly only building designed in the
International Style during the 1920's and 1930's, and
WHEREAS, the defining characteristics of this building include:
• A composition of four cuboid volumes organized to create enclosed and open
spaces, both covered and uncovered, with perimeter walls further defining the
outdoor spaces;
• The use of concrete, steel and glass as construction materials;
• The absence of adornment or decoration; and
• Adherence to the principles of the International Style.
WHEREAS, Chapter 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code allows for the
designation of historic sites; and
WHEREAS, on March 13, 2012, the Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB) of the City
of Palm Springs, initiated an application for Historic Site Designation; and
WHEREAS, notice of a public hearing of the Historic Site Preservation Board of the City
of Palm Springs to consider designation of the property, known as the "Kocher-Samson
Building", as a historic site was issued in accordance with applicable law; and
WHEREAS, on April 10, 2012, the Historic Site Preservation Board conducted a public
hearing in accordance with applicable law to consider designation of the Kocher-
Samson Building as a historic site; and
WHEREAS, the Historic Site Preservation Board 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.
THE HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD HEREBY FINDS AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. The stated purpose and authority of the Historic Resources ordinance are
furthered by this proposed designation.
14
a. As the sole representation of the International Style, the Kocher-Samson
Building holds a unique place in the City's architectural history;
b. The designation will help with future stabilization and improvement of the
building as it can promote the restoration of the building to its original
configuration and design; and
c. Preservation of the building will foster civic beauty, strengthen the local
economy and improve the citizens' education and welfare because
recognition and restoration of the building adds to the City's reputation as a
Mecca of modem architecture.
Section 2. The property`is associated with lives of persons who made meaningful
contribution to national, state or local history.
The building original owner, Jacob John Kocher, was a leader in the early years
of the community's development as the first licensed pharmacist, one of the
earliest physicians and president of the Palm Springs Board of Trade. Dr.
Kocher also developed a subdivision in the Movie Colony area that yielded
several substantial mission revival style homes.
Section 3. The property reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national,
state or local history.
Desert modern architecture can be argued to have begun with the Kocher-
Samson Building. While Lloyd Wright's Oasis Hotel preceded it by more than a
decade, the undecorated purity of the Kocher-Samson building is a clearer
statement of the machine-age principles associated with modem architecture
and is the first of its kind in Palm Springs. Further, it has been recognized
nationally as an important beginning of desert modernism.
Section 4. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or
method of construction.
The building's use of unadorned cuboid shapes to create interior and exterior
spaces sets it squarely within the International Style, which was one of the more
significant expressions of modem architecture in the early 20"'century:
Section 5. The property presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or
architect whose individual genius influenced his age, or that possesses
high artistic value.
The building's architect, Albert Frey (with A. Lawrence Kocher), is recognized as
one of the seminal architects who contributed significantly to Palm Springs' trove
of modern architecture. This building is the first of Frey's many contributions, yet
it stands alone as a pure ode to the principles of the International Style. The
high artistic value of the building, as originally designed, is found in its simplicity
and success in producing comfortable indoor and outdoouspaces. Subsequent
modifications have compromised the building's integrity of design, but do not
appear to pose a barrier to its restoration.
Section 6. The property represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose 15
components may lack individual distinction.
A look at the components of the original building may not reveal individual
distinction, yet that is one of the principles of the International Style. By using
simple shapes (cubes and cuboid volumes) and plain materials (concrete, steel,
glass)the architect has fashioned a significant and distinguishable building.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that, based upon the foregoing, the Historic
Site Preservation Board recommends that the City Council designate the entire property
located at 766 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California ("Kocher-Samson
Building") as a Historic Site, Class 1 subject to the following conditions;
1. The property owner shall permit the City to place a historic marker of the City's
choosing at the site. The marker shall be placed in a location visible from the
public right-of-way. The owner shall maintain the marker in the location installed
and pay for the replacement cost if the plaque is lost, stolen, or otherwise
removed from the property.
2. All future modifications of the existing structures, as well as any new buildings
shall require HSPB review pursuant Municipal Code Ordinance 8.05.180.
3. All requirements of the Palm Springs Zoning Code shall be met.
4. That the City Clerk submit the Council Resolution to the County recorder for
recordation within 90 days of the effective date of this resolution.
5. Any alterations or modifications to the exterior approved prior to the designation
of this site by the City Council shall be considered legal, non-conforming only as
to Section 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code.
ADOPTED this 10th day of April 2012.
-AYES: 5, Deleeuw, Ploss, Grattan,Cohen and Chair Gilmer
NOES: None
ABSENT: 1, Strahl
ABSTENTIONS: None
ATTEST: CITY OF PALM SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA
ing, AI
Dir r of Plann" Services
Historic Site Preservation Board Secretary
16
Historic Site Preservation Board Page 2 of 6
Minutes from the April 10, 2012 Meeting
is Menrad, Palm Springs Modern Committee submitted a letter asking the Board
to a he entire Secretary of Interiors Standards for the Treatment of Historic
Properties. Iso reported PS ModCom's support for designation of the Kocher-
Samson building a ite, and described PS ModCom's efforts to preserve the
PSHS administration buil
5. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES: Minute the March 13, 2012 meeting.
Motion by DeLeeuw; second by Ploss; vote 3-0- - hen and Gilmer abstain;
Strahl absent), to approve the minutes of March 13, 20 , .ect to correcting
the vote on Item 8A to indicate Board member Cohen was absen Grattan).
6. PUBLIC HEARINGS
.�� 6.A HSPB 79 - An application by the City of Palm Springs, requesting the Historic
Site Preservation Board recommend to the City Council designation as a Class
1 historic site the "Kocher-Samson Building" located at 766 North Palm Canyon
Drive, Zone C-1, Section 10.
Director Ewing presented the staff report.
Chair Gilmer opened the public hearing. Patrick McGrew spoke in favor of the
nomination including the entire property.
Board members asked questions /sought clarification on:
- The definition and characteristics of the International Style,
- The ceiling materials under the second floor decking,
- The carport materials, and
- The connection and relationship to the Lapham building to the south
Chair Gilmer closed the public hearing
The Board discussed:
- Inclusion of the entire site,
- Ownership of surrounding sites having parking in common.
Motion by DeLeeuw; second by Ploss; vote 5-0-1 (Strahl absent), to adopt the
draft resolution recommending that the City Council designate the Kocher-
Samson building and property as a historic resource, Class 1, subject to
elimination of the last sentence of Section 2 (page 3).
7.A HSPB 07 / Case 3.1074 - ran I and Palm Canyon Theater-
'Z
c
V N
i eoerowreo`<'° �
OF It % Historic Site Preservation Board
Staff Report
Date: April 10, 2012
Case No.: HSPB-79 — "Kocher-Samson Building"
Application Type: Application for Historic Designation
Location: 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive
Applicant: The City of Palm Springs
Zone: C-1 (Retail Business Zone)
General Plan: NCC (Neighborhood Community Commercial)
APN: 505-286-002
From: Craig A. Ewing, AICP, Director of Planning Services
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
An application by the City of Palm Springs, requesting the Historic Site Preservation
Board to recommend to the City Council designation of 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive, the
"Kocher-Samson Building" as a Class 1 historic site. Such designation would:
1. Place the subject property under the guidance of Municipal Code Section 8.05
2. Require present and subsequent owners to maintain the site consistent with that
ordinance,
3. Grant possible property tax reduction opportunities to the owner under the State
of California Mills Act.
RECOMMENDATION
That the Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB) recommend that the City Council
determine that the Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Drive is a historic
18
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 2 of 8
Case HSPB-79—Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
structure and that it be assigned Class 1 historic status. A draft resolution is attached for
consideration.
PRIOR ACTIONS
In 2004, the Kocher-Samson Building site was identified in the Citywide Historic
Resources Survey as possessing significant historic importance.
On March 13, 2012, the Historic Site Preservation Board initiated an application to
consider if the subject property should be designated a historic structure.
BACKGROUND AND SETTING
Definition of an Historic Site.
Section 8.05.020 of the Municipal Code provides the definition of a historic site as
follows;
(a) Historic Site.
An historic site is any real property such as: a building; a structure, including but
not limited to archways, tiled areas and similar architectural elements; an archaeological
excavation or object that is unique or significant because of its location, design, setting,
materials, workmanship or aesthetic effect and:
1. That is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution to the
nation, state or community; or
2. That is associated with lives of persons who made meaningful contribution to
national, state or local history; or
3. That reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or local
history, or
4. That embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of
construction; or
5. That presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect whose
individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value; or
6. That represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may
lack individual distinction; or
7. That has yielded or may be likely to yield information important to national, state
or local history or prehistory.
A Class 1 Historic Site may also qualify for historic designation at the federal, state
and/or county level.
Designation of Historic Sites.
The City Council is authorized to designate Historic Sites.
The Historic Site Preservation Board makes recommendations to the City Council that
certain sites be designated as Historic Sites in accordance with Section 8.05.135 of the
19
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 3 of 8
Case HSPB-79—Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
Municipal Code. The Board may initiate studies, surreys and investigations it deems
necessary to adequately gather information in consideration of a recommendation.
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 Site:
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 the approval
of the City Council.
5. The use may be limited by the City Council to the extent that it may impair the
integrity of the site.
6. A plaque explaining the historic nature of the site will be installed at the site.
7. Compliance with all rules and regulations for Historic Sites and Historic Districts
under Article IV of Chapter 8.05 of the Municipal Code shall be required.
DESCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS
The property is a 4500 square foot (one-tenth acre) lot located on the east side of North
Palm Canyon, 84 feet south of the intersection with Tamarisk Road. The site is a flat,
rectangular lot having a width of 36 feet and a depth of 125 feet. There are no known
special geologic features on the property. Surrounding uses include commercial to the
north, south and west, with multi-family residential ("Casa Palmeras") to the east.
The lot is fully developed with the Kocher-Samson Building (1934-35) and associated
parking, which is accessed from Indian Canyon Drive via an off-site driveway. The
building sits on the front (westerly) two-thirds of the lot; there is no setback along the
north side property line while a 3 to 4-foot setback runs along the south side property
line. A front setback of approximately 6 feet from the Palm Canyon Drive sidewalk right-
of-way is provided. The building was originally composed of four cuboid volumes
organized to create enclosed and open spaces, both covered and uncovered. Perimeter
walls further define the outdoor spaces. A metal carport for three vehicles (subsequently
demolished) was constructed in the rear (easterly) portion of the property.
No building permits have been found in the City's records. From a comparison with
historic photographs, the building has experienced several modifications:
- At least two of the four outdoor garden spaces have been enclosed to provide
additional office space;
- Six 4 x 10 wood beams have been installed to connect the north side of the
building to the adjacent building at 760 N. Palm Canyon Drive;
- The double-door entry has been replaced with new windows and a single glass
door;
20
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 4 of 8
Case HSPB-79-Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
- The metal railing surrounding the upper level terrace has been replaced with a
solid parapet wall; and
- The original carport was demolished.'
Additional cosmetic exterior changes have occurred which are summarized in the
attached analysis (Patrick McGrew; 2008, revised 2012).
In addition, vehicle parking has been modified from that provided by the original metal
carport. Two uncovered parking spaces are now located behind the building next to
slumpstone wall trash enclosures, which are not original. The parking spaces are
accessed by a driveway, which is improved with pavement, curb and gutter, and runs
west from Indian Canyon, along the south side of the Casa Palmeras apartments to the
lot immediately south of the Kocher-Samson building. This driveway provides the only
vehicle access to all three properties and, while no title reports are on file, staff expects
that cross-access easements have likely been exchanged by the owners to support the
common driveway and parking configuration.
There is no evidence that a landscape plan was prepared for the original building, except
to note "garden areas" on the site plan, two or more of which have since been enclosed.
The front area originally shown as "garden" is covered with wood plunks. The rear of the
site is landscaped but does not appear to be in any way reflective of the original
condition.
The building was designed by architects Albert Frey and A. Lawrence Kocher (brother of
local pioneer and building owner Jacob John Kocher) while they worked as partners in
New York City. It is probably the second modern building in Palm Springs, following
Lloyd Wright's Oasis Hotel (1923). The building is clearly set within the International
Style, which is defined as:
An influential modernist style in architecture that developed in Europe and
the United States in the 1920s and 1930s, characterized chiefly by regular,
unadomed geometric forms, open interiors, and the use of glass, steel, and
reinforced concrete. (American Heritage Dictionary, 2009)
According to Joseph Rosa's, Albert Frey. Architectz, "In this, his first response to the
climate and environs of the desert, Frey provided a concrete, steel-and-glass design
which strongly asserted the modernist view that a 20th-cenury building should be a
universal machine":
"Frey's Kocher-Samson Building pointedly illustrates the high priority which
architects and clients have continually placed on imagery. But these
modem, up-to-date appearing machines could cope with the desert and its
'Since the City's permit history generally begins after World War Il, these changes were made either in the
building's early years or subsequently without the benefit of permits.
2 The information in the following paragraphs is cited from Joseph Rosa's, Albert Frey. Architect(1990;
Rizzoli International Publications, Inc.).
21
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 5 of 8
Case HSPB-79—Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
climate if used only during the mild winter months, not during the heat of the
late springs, summer or fiall. Only with the gradual introduction in the 1930s
of refrigerated air conditioning could these machine—image designs really be
functional, year-round dwellings.
Frey and L. Kocher terminated their partnership in 1935 and Frey made Palm Springs his
home. Future buildings, beginning with his first house (Frey House No. 1, 1940)
demonstrated the flexibility Frey would bring to modernism in the desert. He could
express "a sense of enjoyment, delight and of play more akin to popular science fiction"
(Frey No. 1), develop a more "refined modernism" as shown by Finchy Elementary
School (1948-49) or with the Frey House No. 2, (1963-64):
"...look back to the early 1920s experimentations of Lloyd Wright and of
Schindler, and link these concepts with his own version of the machine image,
and then couple these with the simplicity of form associated with the California
ranch house"
Frey's varied responses to the desert environment found their start in the pure cubic
design of the Kocher-Samson Building.
The Kocher-Samson Building was recognized in 1935 by the New York Museum of
Modern Art and is included in James and Katherine Morrow Ford's book, The Modern
House in America (Architectural Book Publishing Co., 1940).
REQUIRED FINDINGS
Section 8.05.160 of the Municipal Code requires that the City Council find that
designation of a site as historic furthers the purpose of the Historic'Resources ordinance:
8.05.010 Purpose and authority. This chapter is adopted pursuant to the
authority of Government Code Section 37361 for the purpose of preserving
areas and specific buildings of the city which reflect elements of its cultural,
social, economic, political, architectural and archaeological history. This
chapter is intended to stabilize and improve buildings, structures or areas
which are considered to be of historical, architectural, archaeological or
ecological value, to foster civic beauty, to strengthen the local economy
and to promote the use of specific buildings for the education and welfare
of the citizens.
Staff has concluded that the stated purpose and authority of the Historic Resources
ordinance are furthered by this proposed designation. As the sole representation of the
International Style, the Kocher-Samson Building holds a unique place in the City's
architectural history. The designation will help with future stabilization and improvement
of the building as it can promote the restoration of the building to its original configuration
and design. Preservation of the building will foster civic beauty, strengthen the local
economy and improve the citizens' education and welfare as recognition and restoration
of the building adds to the City's reputation as a Mecca of modern architecture.
22
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 6 of 8
Case HSPB-79—Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
As noted above in Background and Setting, Section 8.05.020 of the Municipal Code
provides the definition of a historic site: "An historic site is any real property such as: a
building, a structure, including but not limited to archways, tiled areas and similar
architectural elements; an archaeological excavation or object that is unique or
significant because of its location, design, setting, materials, workmanship or aesthetic
effect". Seven other qualities are listed therein with staffs analysis provided below:
1. The resource is associated with events that have made a meaningful contribution
to the nation, state or community.
No specific event of national, state or local history is known to be
associated with the property. Staff does not support this finding.
2. The property is associated with lives of persons who made meaningful
contribution to national, state or local history.
The building original owner, Jacob John Kocher, was a leader in the early
years of the community's development, as the first licensed pharmacist,
one of the earliest physicians and President of the Palm Springs Board of
Trade. Dr. Kocher also developed a subdivision in the Movie Colony area
that yielded several substantial Mission Revival style homes.
3. The property reflects or exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or
local history.
Desert modern architecture can be argued to have begun with the Kocher-
Samson Building. While Lloyd Wright's Oasis Hotel preceded it by more
than a decade, the undecorated purity of the Kocher-Samson building is a
clearer statement of the machine-age principles modern architecture and
the first of its kind in Palm Springs. Further, it has been recognized
nationally as an important beginning of desert modernism.
4. The property embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method
of construction.
The building's use of unadorned cuboid shapes to create interior and
exterior spaces sets it squarely within the International Style, which was
one of the more significant expressions of modern architecture in the early
20t" century.
5. The property presents the work of a master builder, designer, artist, or architect
whose individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value.
The building's architect, Albert Frey (with A. Lawrence Kocher), is
recognized as one of the seminal architects who contributed significantly to
Palm Springs' trove of modern architecture. This building is the first of
Frey's many contributions, yet it stands alone as a pure ode to the
principles of the international style. The high artistic value of the building,
as originally designed, is found in its simplicity and success in producing
comfortable indoor and outdoor spaces. Subsequent modifications have
23
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 7 of 8
Case HSPB-79—Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
compromised the building's integrity of design, but do not appear to pose a
barrier to its restoration. Staff supports this finding.
6. The property represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose
components may lack individual distinction.
A look at the components of the original building may not reveal individual
distinction, yet that is one of the principles of the International Style. By
using simple shapes (cubes and cuboid volumes) and plain materials
(concrete, steel, glass) the architect has fashioned a significant and
distinguishable building. The project meets this finding.
7. The property has yielded or may be likely to yield information important to
national, state or local history or prehistory.
No information beyond the building's design and provenance has been
found to support this finding.
CONCLUSION
The Kocher-Samson Building occupies a unique place as the earliest of Palm Springs'
modern buildings. Further, it can be argued that the building is significant to the modern
movement internationally. It is Albert Frey's first buildings in the desert (with Lawrence
Kocher) and, notwithstanding the changes it has endured, the building remains a
testament to the purity of undecorated modernism.
Subsequent changes to the building have not added to its historic significance, but
neither are they so damaging that they could not be removed in the future and the
building restored to its original shape and finish. That portion of the property immediately
surrounding the building should be considered part of the site's historic character. The
rear third of the lot has been developed with shared parking and is not recommended for
inclusion in the designation.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Board:
1 Determine that the Kocher-Samson Building is eligible for historic
designation.
2 Recommend that the Kocher-Samson Building and site, excluding the
parking area be designated as a Class One historic site and be so
regulated under Chapter 8.05 of the Municipal Code.
A draft resolution is attached for the Board's consideration.
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT
In accordance with Section 15331 (Historical Resources Restoration/Rehabilitation) of
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the proposed designation is
24
Historic Site Preservation Board Staff Report Page 8 of 8
Case HSPB-79—Kocher-Samson Building, 766 N. Palm Canyon Dr. April 10, 2012
categorically exempt from environmental review as the proposed designation meets the
conditions outlined for preservation of a historic resource.
NOTIFICATION
Pursuant to section 8.05.140 of the Municipal Code of Palm Springs, All property owners
within three hundred (300) feet of the subject property have been notified. As of the
writing of this report, staff has not received any inquiries on this matter.
Craig A. Ewing, AICP
Director of Planning Services
ATTACHMENTS
1. Vicinity Map
2. Draft HSPB Resolution #79
3. Historic Site Preservation Board minutes of March 13, 2012
4. Background information
25
w
s r
KOCHER-SAMSON BUILDING »li
766 North Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, California 92264
Nomination Application for
Class 1 Historic Site
v�-
IIII�
T
i
777777
v...; .. ...
n :a
:, a.. ...
C
C 55
Figure 1 View from the North, Image by
Stephen Willard
i
i' 11
s s �
I
i
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
During the process of researching a building, certain phrases and/or
points of view begin to surface. Sometimes exact quotes appear in many
sources, usually uncredited. The research conducted on the Kocher-
Samson Building was no exception: the oft-told story of the building and
Albert Frey's concurrent move to Palm Springs was repeated many times
in various magazines, books and Internet sites that contain information
about the building. And so, it was a fortunate occurrence that, having
saved the best until last, I finally read architect, author, scholar Joseph
Rosa's' authoritative and comprehensive Albert Frey, Architect. Here
finally was the complete story of both Frey and the Kocher-Samson
building, based upon extensive personal interviews that Rosa conducted
with Frey in 1986-1987. It has been a distinct pleasure to prepare an
historic site nomination for this important building because the research
was remarkably complete, seemingly waiting to be rediscovered. The
building should be designated a Palm Springs Class 1 Historic Site, with
public credit to Joseph Rosa.
- Patrick McGrew
Palm Springs, 2012
'Joseph Rosa Joseph Rosa is currently the Director of the University of Michigan Museum of
Art. He is the former John H. Bryan Curatorial Chair of Architecture and Design at the Art
Institute of Chicago, as well as the author of 13 books; his writings have appeared in Praxis,
Architectural Design, Assemblage, Cosabello, The History of Photography Journal, Oculus,
Archifekur& Bouforum, and Progressive Architecture. Rosa has curated over 30 exhibitions
and was formerly the Helen Hilton Raiser Curator of Architecture and Design at the San
Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMAi, the Curator of Architecture of the Heinz
Architectural Center at the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh, PA, the Chief Curator at
the National Building Museum in Washington, DC, and the Director of the Columbia
Architecture Galleries. Rosa has been a Visiting Scholar at The Getty Center for the History of
Art and the Humanities,a recipient of grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and
the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts. He has also taught at
Columbia University, California College of the Arts, Catholic University, the University of
California Berkeley, and SCI-ARC in Los Angeles. Rosa received a B.Arch. in Architecture
from the Pratt Institute, a M.S. in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University's
Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, and was a PhD. candidate in
the Department of Art and Archaeology. He has worked in the architectural firms of
Gwathmey Siegel and Associates,Peter Eisenman,and Agrest&Gandelsonas.
)
27
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY and STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE
The architectural historian David Gebhard2 has called the Kocher-Samson Building "probably the most
pure and at the same time workable example of the International style in Southern California." Others
have said that the Kocher-Samson office building may be Palm Springs' most important building today,
though to some it hardly seems worth a second look, except the countless students and scholars who
make regular pilgrimages to Palm Springs to visit this building. More important American architectural
scholars have written about this building than possibly any other in early Palm Springs history; a partial list is
included in the Bibliography.
DESIGNATION CRITERIA:
Previous evaluations: The Kocher-Samson building was previously evaluated and found to be eligible for
National Register listing at the local level in the Citywide Historic Resources Survey of 2004. The authors of
that survey did not have the time, money, or for that matter, the responsibility to examine all of the
information available on this important early modernist building. The review and analysis contained in this
report, of the additional information available, finds that the building is eligible for listing as a Palm Springs
Class I Historic Site under five of the local ordinance's seven criteria, as well as being eligible for listing on
both the California and National Registries under three of their four criteria? The site has not been
evaluated for archeological significance.
8.05.020 (a) paragraph 1 - Events: The Kocher-Samson Building is an important example of mid-century
commercial development in Palm Springs. The building represents the overall commercial development
of the downtown from the 1930s onward and contributes to the scale and character of the city's main
commercial street. As such, it is associated with a pattern of events that have made a meaningful
contribution to the community, thereby qualifying it as eligible for listing on the local, California and
National Registries. As Palm Springs' first International Style building, the Kocher-Samson Building begins a
chronology of a pattern of events that continues today as variations of the International Style continue to
be built along Palm Canyon Drive. Today, Palm Canyon Drive is known internationally for its collection of
buildings inspired by the International Style, including the Oasis Commercial Building, the Santa Fe Federal
Building, the two Coachella Valley Savings and Loan buildings, and the City National Bank Building, to
name the most prominent, but the Kocher-Samson was the first. The Kocher-Samson Building is eligible for
listing on the Palm Springs Historic Site Registry, as well as the California and National Registries under this
criterion.
8.05.020 (aa) paragraph 2 - Persons: Jacob John Kocher was the first licensed pharmacist and one of the
earliest physicians in Palm Springs. He was a key player in the emerging village's commercial and civic
2Dr. David Gebhard (1928-1996.) Dr. Gebhard was born and raised in Minnesota; he received his Ph.D. at the University of
Minnesota in 1958. He served,for six years,as director of the Roswell Museum and Art Center in New Mexico, before moving to UC
Santa Barbara in 1961. As an historian and professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara, he was well known for his
reference guides to the architecture of California, Los Angeles and San Francisco. He was also the author of numerous volumes on
the architects and architecture of California,and was the founder and curator of the renowned architectural drawing collection at
UCSB,where the Albert Frey Archive is housed. Gebhard was a leading architectural historian, particularly known for his books on
the architecture and architects of California. He was a long-time faculty member at the University of California,Santa Barbara,and
was dedicated to the preservation of Santa Barbara architecture. As a teacher he inspired many students at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to his long teaching career, he served as director of the University Art Museum for
twenty years, building a small gallery into a significant accredited university museum. In this position, he initiated the Architectural
Drawings Collection,now one of the leading West Coast repositories for architectural materials.With Robert Winter he co-authored
guides to architecture in northern and southern California. Gebhard was also active in service to his community,serving for many
years on the Santa Barbara County Architectural Board of Review. He was active in the Society of Architectural Historians, and
served a term as its president in the 1980s.
3 The National Register Criteria served as a model for the criteria established by both the California Register of Historic Resources
and Palm Springs Municipal Code Section 8.05.020 which utilizes six sub-paragraphs (8.05.020(a) paragraphs 1-6 as the criteria used
for local designation. National Register Criterion A, Events finds its counterpart in the California and Palm Springs Registries as
Criterion 1 and paragraph 1 respectively;similarly,the National Register Criterion B,Persons finds its counterpart in the California and
Patin Springs Registries as Criterion 2 and paragraph 2 respectively. National Register Criterion C; Design/Construction is paralleled
8 in the California Register as Criterion 3,whereas,in Palm Springs it becomes paragraphs 3,4,5&6.
t
life, and President of the Palm Springs Board of Trade - roughly the equivalent of Mayor - in the
days L rings' incorporation in 1938. Research about Kocher indicates that the building is
Re ' fl _ this paragraph for its association with Jacob John Kocher, a person of significance
in S
U u
8.0 02 r� 6 s - 3 4 P. 5 Design IConstruction: Because the building embodies the distinctive
cha c pP Springs commercial modernist architecture, and because it is the work of two
`
mast nd because it possesses high artistic values, it qualifies as eligible for listing on the
Palm Spd ifornia and National Registries.
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, CA 92262
Telephone: 760-323-8245 - Fax: 760-322-8360
Public Works & Engineering - 760-323-8253
Fire Department - 760-323-8187
Building &Safety - 760-323-8242
Building Inspections - 760-323-8243
Code Enforcement - 760-778-8434
HISTORIC SITE DESIGNATION
The City of Palm Springs allows for the local designation of historic buildings, sites or districts within
the City (Section 8.05 of the Palm Springs Municipal Code.) This application packet is to be
completed in order to request a historic designation. For additional information, please contact the
Department of Planning Services at 760-323-8245 or planning(aD-palmsgringsca.gov.
APPLICATION
The completed application and required materials may be submitted to the Department of Planning
Services. The submittal will be given a cursory check and will be accepted for filing only if the basic
requirements have been met.
A case planner will be assigned to the project and will be responsible for a detailed review of the
application and all exhibits to ensure that all required information is adequate and accurate.
Incomplete applications due to missing or inadequate information will not be accepted for filing.
Applicants may be asked to attend scheduled meetings pertaining to their project. These will include
the Historic Site Preservation Board (HSPB) and the City Council.
HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD (HSPB)
Once the application has been determined to be complete, the HSPB will review the application to
determine whether the site meets the minimum qualifications for designation pursuant to Chapter 8.05
of the Palm Springs Municipal Code. If such determination is made, a public hearing will be scheduled
for a future meeting.
A public hearing will be held by the HSPB to receive testimony from all interested persons concerning
the Historic Site Designation. The public hearing may be continued from time to time, and upon
complete consideration, the HSPB will make a recommendation to the City Council. Notice will be
provided as indicated below.
CITY COUNCIL
After receiving the recommendation of the Historic Site Preservation Board, a public hearing will be J9
held by the City Council to receive testimony from all interested persons concerning the requested
Historic Site Designation. The public hearing may be continued from time to time, and upon complete
consideration, the City Council will then conditionally approve, deny, or approve the application as
submitted.The City Council's decision on the application is final.
NOTIFICATION
Prior to consideration of the application by the HSPB and the City Council, a notice of public hearing
for a Historic Site Designation request will be mailed to all property owners within 400 feet of the
subject property a minimum of ten (10)days prior to the hearing dates.
30
3
FpNLM s,, Office Use Only
� y
c Date:
V W
Case No.
*^ CwPolPI E9P�e�♦
HSPB No.
Planner:
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
Department of Planning Services
HISTORIC SITE DESIGNATION APPLICATION
TO THE APPLICANT:
Your cooperation in completing this application and supplying the information requested will expedite
City review of your application. Application submitted will not be considered until all submittal
requirements are met. Staff may require additional information depending upon the specific project.
Please submit this completed application and any subsequent material to the Department of Planning
Services.
This form is to be used to nominate individual properties for Class 1 or 2 historic designation, or to
nominate the formation of historic districts. Applicants are encouraged to review two bulletins from the
US Department of Interior for additional information:
"How to Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (National
Register Bulletin 16A/ hffo://www.nps.gov/history/nr/publications/bulletins/nrbl6a/)- and
"How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation" (National Register Bulletin 15;
htto://www.nos.aov/history/n r/publications/bulletins/nrb l 54
Complete each item by marking "x" in the appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If
any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter "N/A" for "not applicable." For
functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and
subcategories from the instructions in the Bulletins.
1. Property Information
Historic name: Kocher- Samson Insurance Company Building
Other names: N/A
Address: 766 North Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, California 92262,
Assessor parcel number: 505286002
Owner's name: Michael Kilroy
Owner's Address: The Kilroy Companies, LLC; 800 South Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 225
City: Redondo Beach State: California Zip: 90227
Telephone: unknown
E-mailaddress: ml@kilroy.com 3
4
2. Classifications
Ownership of Property. Check as many boxes as apply.
■ Private
❑ Public- Local
❑ Public- State
❑ Public - Federal
Category of Property. Check only one box.
■ Building(s)
❑ District
■Site
❑ Structure
❑ Object
Numberof Resources within Property. TOTAL must include at least One (1) in Contributing Column.
Contributing Noncontributing
■ Buildings
■ Sites
Structures
Objects
2 TOTAL
If the building or site is part of a larger group of properties, enter the name of the multiple-property
group; otherwise enter"N/A".
3. Use or Function
Historic Use or Function: Mixed use: Residential above Commercial
Current Use or Function: Residential above Commercial
4. Description
Architect: Kocher& Frey
Construction Date and Source: 1934; Architectural Drawings
Architectural Stylistic Classification: International Style
Construction Materials:
Foundation: Reinforced Concrete Roof: Composition and Tar& Gravel
Walls: Wood Frame with Cement Plaster Other: Metal wall & ceiling panels
32
5
Building Description: The following is a description of the Building including all character defining
features.
Building Description: The Kocher-Samson Building is located on a long, narrow lot on the east side of North Palm
Canyon Drive, the main thoroughfare of Palm Springs. It is included, without reference in the Las Palmas Business
Historic District. Frey realized that the parcels on both sides of the building would be built upon eventually, so he
designed solid walls at the property lines, and opened the offices onto a series of interlocking interior courtyards.
The first floor plan is a large rectangle broken into smaller rectangles and squares based on a Tx& grid. It contains
individual offices, garden and terrace spaces wrapped by a high perimeter wall. A covered passageway acts as a
central circulation spine, giving order to the assembly of alternating squares and voids that was something of a Frey
motif during the early years of his career. At the second floor, the apartment is rotated ninety-degrees to provide a
rooftop deck as an outdoor terrace for the apartment and a cantilevered overhang to shelter the office entrance
below. The apartment is a pure rectangle featuring freestanding or wall mounted built-ins to define the kitchen,
bathroom, and closets. This level is articulated by covering the secondary walls with plywood veneer and the
perimeter walls with white cement plaster.
Construction of the Kocher-Samson Building utilized the latest building technology available. The first floor was a
poured concrete post-and-beam system with concrete block in-fill for the walls. At the second floor, the perimeter
walls were of lightweight pressed steel frames made in sections at a factory in Pennsylvania, trucked to California
and joined together on the site. Four inch metal decking was used for the second floor and the roofs. The metal
was exposed as the ceiling of the first floor and linear light fixtures were placed between the recesses in the ribbing.
The building is a flat-roofed rectangular volume approximately 33 feet wide by about 65 feet deep, and about twenty
feet high, containing approximately 1200 square feet on two levels. The building's design features an upper level in
the form of a large white volume, visually floating above a glassy base that could be seen to recall Le Corbusier's
early modernist masterpiece the Villa Savoye - an early and classic exemplar of the International Style. Le
Corbusier was the architect who first made the world aware that a new style was being born and Frey worked on the
detailing of that pivotal structure. Both buildings appear to hover above the ground plane and both feature strip
windows, a flat roof and a glassy lower level that stands free of the structural system. To Frey's credit, the building
made a bold aesthetic statement in its day, but the plan of the Kocher-Samson Building was determined by
functional rather than aesthetic considerations. Other than the massing, important character-defining features of
the building include the steel-rod lateral bracing, strip glazing, pipe columns and handrails, a metal circular stair, and
the innovative roof deck system and prefabricated wall panels.
5. Criteria (Check all boxes that apply for the criteria qualifying the property for listing.)
Events
■ (1) Property is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad
patterns of our history.
Persons
■ (2) Property is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
Architecture
■ (3) That reflects or exemplifies a particular period of national, State or local history, or
■ (4) Embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or
■ (5) Represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values, or
❑ (6) Represents a significant and distinguishable entity whose components lack individual
distinction.
S3
Archeology
❑ (7) Property has yielded, or is likely to yield information important In prehistory or history.
Criteria Considerations(Check all the boxes that apply.)
Downed by a religious institution or used for religious
❑purposes. removed from its original location.
❑a birthplace or a
❑grave. a cemetery.
❑a reconstructed building, object, or
❑structure. a commemorative property.
❑less than 50 years of age or achieved significance within the past 50 years.
734
6.Statement of Significance
Figure 1 Original model of the KocherSarrson Building.
A compliance evaluation is included in Section 5.
Building Background: Statement of Significance
The Kocher-Samson building was designed for Dr. Jacob John Kocher by his brother Lawrence in partnership with
Albert Frey. Dr. Kocher was an early physician in Palm Springs, California. After other medical professionals
located to the desert, Kocher retired from medicine and required a new building designed to house his real estate
development and insurance office; the building also included a studio apartment on the upper level, and a free-
standing carport with a metal roof(see Figure 1, above). So important was this new building, even in its own time
that photographs of it were shown at New York's Museum of Modern Art exhibition "Modern Architecture in
California" in October, 1935. The exhibition featured the works of architects Kocher I& Frey, Richard Neutra, R. M.
Schindler, and William Wilson Wurster, thereby placing the building and its architects in the forefront of American
modernism. The Kocher-Samson Building was cited as being "typical of the restrained ingenuity of the eastern
experimentalism which in contrast with that of California seems economical and chaste." Kocher and Frey were the
only architects in the exhibition not based solely in California, and theirs was one of the first architectural offices to
build on both coasts. The Kocher-Samson building was also included in James and Katherine Morrow Ford's book,
The Modern House in America which showcased the best examples of the Americanized International Style
Residential Architecture built before 1940. Important architects included in this book other than those already
mentioned included Pietro Belluschi, Marcel Breuer, Walter Gropius, Harwell Hamilton Harris, Le Corbusier,
William Lescaze, Raphael Soriano, Edward Durell Stone, and many others.
At the end of October 1934, Frey left for Palm Springs to detail and supervise the construction of the building. This
was not his first trip across America; he had driven from New York to California in the summer of 1932, but at the
time had not gone as far south as Palm Springs. He then stayed in Los Angeles where he met with and visited the
works of important Los Angeles architects Neutra, Schindler, J. R. Davidson, and Kem Weber. The Kocher-Samson
building was the project last that Kocher and Frey would do together. The dissolution of their partnership was
amicable; there was no work in New York for Frey, and he had grown fond of the desert landscape and mountains.
For Frey, Palm Springs had become the new frontier where he could be an architectural pioneer on a barren
landscape. The Kocher-Samson Insurance Company building was the first International Style building to be built in
8
35
Palm Springs, and with that act presaged a future when the city would become known internationally for its modern
architecture.
Building Style: The International Style became the basis of later Modern architecture throughout the world, a style
that ironically has now become traditional. Henry-Russell Hitchcock', who literally "wrote the book" on the
International Style has said: "The lines that led to the International Style are clearer now to everyone than they could
have been in the in the 30s, and the principles are few and broad...there is, first, a new conception of architecture as
volume rather than mass. Secondly, regularity rather than axial symmetry serves as the chief means of ordering
design. These two principles, together with a third proscribing arbitrary applied decoration, mark the productions of
the International Style." It has been said that only writers and critics are interested in stylistic terminology; fittingly,
Frey found little use for the doctrinaire constraints of the International Style, and in time developed a warmer
regional aesthetic. However, his works often display the stylistic markers that place the work squarely in the late
International Style tradition, of which the Kocher-Samson Building is an excellent and rare example.
Previous Evaluations: The Kocher-Samson Building has been previously listed as an historic site, first on the 1987
Historic Site Preservation Board List and subsequently in the 2004 Citywide Architectural Survey found that the
building appears to meet the level of significance necessary for individual National Register and California Register
eligibility) at the local level under Criteria A / 1(Events) and C / 3 (Construction / Design.) Local Eligibility
Evaluation: Based upon the information contained in the background research developed for this report, the building
also appears for listing in the Palm Springs, California and National Registries under additional criteria as follows:
Significant Event (Complete if Criterion 1 is marked above): The Kocher-Samson Building is an important example
of mid-century commercial development in Palm Springs. The building represents the overall commercial
development of the downtown from the 1930s to today, and contributes to the scale and character of the city's main
commercial street. As such, it is associated with a pattern of events that have made a meaningful contribution to
the community, thereby qualifying it as eligible for listing under events on the Palm Springs, California and National
Registries.
Significant Person (Complete if Criterion 2 is marked above): Dr. Jacob John Kocher
(c.1884-1938) was a California-born, Stanford-educated physician who began his medical
practice in Palm Springs in 1917. In a small adobe building directly across the street from
The Desert Inn, he established a pharmacy called the "Mortar and Pestle. The "desert
doctor," as he became known, served a clientele that included most of the local citizenry,
both Native American and Anglo. His reputation as a doctor spread throughout the valley
and he was called upon to perform surgery, deliver babies, and otherwise attend to the
well-being of the citizenry. During World War I he headed both the local Rations and Price
Control Boards, and when the Palm Springs Board of Trade was formed in 1918, Dr.
Kocher became its first president, a position that translated as roughly equivalent to Mayor
after the city was incorporated in 1938. Near the end of his career, a "Stork Party"
celebration was held for Dr. Kocher and many of the babies he delivered were in
attendance, including the first Anglo infant born in Palm Springs, Ted McKinney, his sister
Figure 2 J.J.Kocher Barbara McKinney, Beatrice Willard, and Elizabeth and Owen Coffman. After Dr. Henry Reid
'Henry-Russell Hitchcock(1903-1987)was the leading American architectural historian of his generation.A long-time professor at
Smith College and New York University,he is best known for writings that helped to define Modern architecture. In the early 1930s,at
the request of Alfred Barr,Hitchcock collaborated with Philip Johnson (and Lewis Mumford) on"Modem Architecture:International
Exhibition"at the Museum of Modern Art(1932),the exhibition that presented the new"International Style"architecture of Europe to
an American audience.Hitchcock and Johnson's co-authored book The International Style:Architecture Since 7922 was published
simultaneously with the New York Museum of Modern Art exhibit. Over the course of Hitchcock's career,he produced more than a
dozen books on architecture.His Architecture:Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (1958) is an exhaustive study of more than 150
years of architecture and was widely used as a textbook in architectural history courses from the 1960s to the 1980s. Ir is still a useful
reference today. Hitchcock focused primarily on the formal aspects of design and he regarded the individual architect as the chief
determinant in architectural history.
2 An unresolved internal contradiction in the Citywide Survey Form also assigns the building a National Register Status Code of 5S3.
The initial number indicates the general status;"5"is defined as Ineligible for the National Registeribut still of local interest."5S3"is
defined as"Not eligible for separate listing or designation under an existing local ordinance but is eligible for special consideration in
local planning."No response has been forthcoming to queries made to ARG regarding this discrepancy.
9
36
came to town Kocher retired from his medical practice to concentrate on his real estate investments. Kocher had
wisely invested in the land that would become downtown Palm Springs.
Along with Pearl McManus, Kocher became one of the earliest civic leaders to promote new architecture. Kocher's
career change required a new building from which to tend to his property investments in Palm Springs. In 1934, he
turned to his architect brother in New York to design a small office building with a studio apartment above on the
north end of town. Kocher's brother, A. Lawrence Kocher was then in partnership with Swiss-born architect Albert
Frey, and also served as the editor of Architectural Record, the leading American architectural publication of its
day. Both architects were devoted to modernism, and Dr. Kocher embraced the radically Modern structure the firm
designed for him. Dr. Kocher can be seen as a person of significance in Palm Springs history and is intimately
associated with the building, thereby qualifying the building as eligible for listing under persons on the Palm Springs,
California and National Registries.
Significant Architecture (Complete for each of Criteria 3, 4, 5 and / or 6 marked above): 3) That reflects or
exemplifies a particular period of the national, state or local history; or (4) that embodies the distinctive
characteristics of a type, period or method of construction; or (5) that presents the work of a master builder,
designer, artist, or architect whose individual genius influenced his age; or that possesses high artistic value; or (6)
that represents a significant and distinguishable entity (such as an Historic District) whose components may lack
individual distinction.
The Kocher-Samson building possesses the distinctive characteristics of Palm Springs commercial buildings of the
modern era. It also represents a construction method of prefabricated steel panels and metal decking, as well as
iconic stylistic features including free-standing columns, nearly transparent first floors and other signature details of
International Style architecture, as previously described. These stylistic markers commonly occur in the important
modern buildings of the period that line Palm Canyon Drive, but the Kocher-Samson was the first building to be built
in this style in Palm Springs. The building contains enough of those characteristics to be considered to exemplify its
particular period in local history. The characteristic described are expressed in specific terms embodied in the form,
proportion, structure, plan, style, and materials and may be seen to represent a type, period and method of
construction
Both A. Lawrence Kocher and Albert Frey are master architects who are generally recognized for greatness in their
field. Their work was significant, even if their practices were small. "Kocher and his partners produced only a
handful of projects, but these rojects epitomize the straightforward, innovative, simple, mechanical logic of the
International Style in America."?Their building may also be said to possess high artistic values as expressed in
design, planning, and engineering. A property is eligible for its high artistic values if it so fully articulates a particular
concept of design that it expresses an aesthetic ideal. The Kocher-Samson Building successfully embodies the
aesthetic ideals of International Style architecture.
Because the building embodies the distinctive characteristics of Palm Springs commercial modern architecture, and
because it is the work of two master architects, and because it possesses high artistic values, it qualifies as eligible
for listing on the Palm Springs, California and National Registries.
Significant Archeologically(Complete if Criterion 7 is marked above)
The site is the location of the first International Style building in Palm Springs. It was not, however, noted as a
Native-American site of significance. No archeological data is available for the site, so based upon the information
currently available, it would not qualify as an historic resource under this criterion.
3 Paragraph b refers to buildings that might not qualify individually,but might be a contributor to a potential historic district;this
section is not applicable to the subject property.
10
37
7. Integrity Analysis
Attach an analysis of the Building / Site / District's integrity based on the criteria in this
section.
In addition to being determined eligible under at least one of the Applicable Criteria listed above,
the building / site / district must also retain its architectural integrity. Integrity is based on
significance: Why, where, and when a property was built is important. Only after
significance is fully established can a determination be made with regard to the issue of integrity.
There are seven aspects or qualities that, in various combinations, define integrity: Location,
Design, Setting, Materials, Workmanship, Feeling and Association. To retain historic
integrity, a property will always possess several, and usually most, of the aspects. The retention
of specific aspects of integrity is paramount for a property to convey its significance.
• Location: The Kocher-Samson Building remains on its original site and therefore retains integrity of
location.
• Design: The character-defining elements of the original design Kocher-Samson building have survived
intact. Some superficial changes have occurred, such as replacing the smooth white stucco on the 2ntl
floor facade with textured stucco, or wrapping the pipe column with stucco. Still, the property retains
integrity of design.
• Setting: Many have written about the changes in the setting of the Kocher-Samson building, but to the
architects' credit, they anticipated future development adjacent to the property, and resolved this
eventuality by erecting windowless walls along the north and south property lines, thus creating a
building that looks inward. An important aspect of the setting was the large planter along the Palm
Canyon property line, which is neglected, but restorable. The property retains integrity of its setting.
• Materials: The original materials palette has survived intact, including the prefabricated steel panels,
metal decking, free-standing columns, most of the first floor glazing and other signature details of
International Style. The property retains integrity of its materials.
Workmanship: Unlike historic buildings of an earlier era, the design of the Kocher-Samson Building relied
on catalog parts and easily assembled prefabricated elements that do not bear the imprint of fine
craftsmanship. Nonetheless, the examples of workmanship that characterize the building have survived
intact, and the property retains integrity of workmanship..
Feeling: This is a property's expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particular time. Although
the significance of the building's place in architectural history may not be immediately apparent, its
"floating" second floor is sufficient to place it within the International Style, and thus, its feeling survives
and the property retains integrity of feeling.
• Association: A property retains its association if it is the place where the event or activity occurred and is
sufficiently intact to convey that relationship to an informed observer. Like feeling, association requires
the presence of physical characteristics that convey the property's historic character. In this case, the
building's stylistic characteristics are sufficiently intact to convey the building's early modernist roots, and
the property therefore retains integrity of association.
Alterations to the Kocher-Samsom building over time have blunted the dazzling effect that the building
must have had upon visitors arriving on North Palm Canyon Drive in the 1930s after the building was
completed. Later alterations caused its perfect pattern of alternating open-air and roofed squares to
meld into one roofed space. Its graceful lines were subtlety altered by a clunky textured stucco
parapet that replaced the slender pipe railings on the roof terrace, and blunted the pristine quality of
tt 38
the projecting second level. Although the interior courts have been roofed over and converted into
enclosed rooms it is still possible to fully understand the character of the original design. Although
these unsympathetic accretions have been applied to the building, it still possesses sufficient integrity
to convey its significance. And while the building has undergone these alterations, virtually all of its
character-defining features survive, insuring that with the guidance of the Historic Site Preservation
Board and the sensitive stewardship of its owner, these less-than-sensitive changes can be reversed.
The building retains all seven aspects of integrity.
8. Bibliography
The following is a list of all books, articles, and other sources cited or used in preparing this application.
Also included are the previous surveys that cite the subject property and any other documentation on file.
Books
Architectural Resources Group, Citywide Historic Resources Survey. San Francisco: 2004.
Bogert, Frank M., Palm Springs, First Hundred Years.. Palm Springs Public Library. Palm Springs: 2003.
---------, View From the Saddle. Characters Who Crossed my Path. ETC Publications, Palm
Springs, 2006.
Bacon, Mardges, Le Corbusier in America: Travels in the Land of the Timid. The MIT Press,
Cambridge,2001.
Betsky, Aaron Three California Houses: The Homes of Max Palevsky; 2002; Rizzoli: New York: 2002
Cunningham, Allen, Modern Movement Heritage, E & FN Spon, London and New York, 1998.
Curtis, William R., Modern Architecture Since 1900. Phiadon Press, 1982.
Cygelman, Adele, Palm Springs Modern, Houses in the California Desert. Rizzoli International
Publications, New York: 1999.
Ford, James and Katherine Morrow Ford, Classic Modern Homes of the Thirties, 64 Designs by
Neutro, Gropius, Breuer, Stone and Others. Architectural Publishing Co., New York, 1940.
Frey, Albert In Search of a Living Architecture; 1939; Monograph;
Gebhard, David and Robert Winter,A Guide to Architecture in Southern California, Los Angeles
County Museum of Art, 1965.
Golub, Jennifer Albert Frey/ Houses 1 + 2; 1999; Monograph; Princeton Architectural Press, New
York: 1999.
Hess, Alan, and Andrew Danish, Palm Springs Weekend: the Architecture and Design of a
Midcentury Oasis. Chronicle Books, San Francisco: 2001.
Hitchcock, Henry-Russell and Phillip Johnson, The International Style, W. W. Norton & Co., New York,
1966.
Jenks, Charles, Le Corbusier and the Continual Revolution in Architecture. The Monacelli Press, New
York,: 2000.
Kahn, Hasan-Uddin, International Style:Modernist Architecture From 1925-1965. Taschen: Koln: 1998.
Loewy, Raymond,Industrial Design. Woodstock Press, Woodstock: 1979.
------------, Never Leave Well Enough Alone. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and
London, 1950.
Longstreth, Richard, The Buildings of Main Street.A Guide to America's Commercial Architecture.
Preservation Press, Washington, D. C.: 1987.
National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15, How to Apply the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation. U. S. Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C.,
Nieman, Greg, Palm Springs Legends: Creation of a Desert Oasis. Sunbelt Publications:San Diego:
2006.
Silberman,Steve, Executive Editor, Desert Memories. The Desert Sun, Palm Springs:2002.
Rosa, Joseph, Albert Frey, Architect; Princeton Architectural Pres, New York: 1990.
Williamson, Roxanne Kuter,American Architects and the Mechanics of Fame. University of Texas
Press, Austin: 1991.
Magazines
"Saint Paul's in the Desert, Palm Springs, Ca."; Architectural Forum; 12/1949, 91, 6
12
3
"Palm Springs Eternal;" Esquire; 3/2001, 3; Serial
"House in the Desert;" Life; 03/24/1947; Serial
"Inside Palm Springs: In the Frey;" New York Times Magazine; Spring 2001, Part 2; Newspaper
Engal,Allison, "Modern Love",Palm Springs Life, February 2007, p. 86-96
-------, "Modern Treasures", Palm Springs Life, November 2005, p. 70-77
Sources Consulted:
Palm Springs Assessor's Office
Palm Springs Historical Society
Palm Springs Public Library
Palm Springs Planning Department
h ff p://www.csupomona.edu
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert-Frey
https://digital.lib.washington.edu
http://www.psmodcom.corn
http://www.volume5.com/albertfrey
http://www.wilsonart.com/design/statement
http://www.modernsandiego.com/AlbertFrey
http://www.findagrave.com
http://Iinks.jstor.org
http://www.archleague.org/index
http://query.nytimes.com
http://www.archi.fr/DOC OMOMO
http://www.paimspri ngslife.com/media/Palm-Spri ngs-Life/February-2007/Modernism-Timeline
http://www.s el I m od e rn.c om/listing-North port+Historic+Mod ern+Masterpiece+o n+Long+ls lan d
http://www.sunset.com/sunset/travel/article
http://www.psmodernhouse.com
9. Geographical Data
Acreage of Property: .229 Acre
Property Boundary Description: Attach a description of the boundaries of the property, or District
Boundary Description: Attach an explanation for the selection of the district boundaries.
10. Prepared By
Name/title: Patrick McGrew
Organization: Palm Springs Preservation Foundation
Address: 674 South Grenfall Road, Palm Springs, California 92264
Telephone: (760) 416-7819; Cell: (760) 567-2978
E-mail address: patrickmcarew2@gmail.com
11.Required Documentation
Submit the following items with the completed application form. Do riot mount any exhibits
on a board.
1. Attachment Sheets. Include all supplemental information based on application form
(above).
13 4 0
2. Maps: For Historic Districts, include a sketch map identifying the proposed districts
boundaries.
3. Photographs: Eight (8) sets of color photographs showing each elevation of the property
and its surroundings.
4. Non-owner's Notarized Signature: If the applicant is not the owner, a notarized affidavit
shall be provided (see following page).
5. Site Plan: One 1/8" to 1/4" scale drawing of the site, and eight reduction copies (8 '/2 x
11 inches) The site plan shall show all of the following: Property boundaries, north arrow
and scale, all existing buildings, structures, mechanical equipment, landscape materials,
fences, walls, sidewalks, driveways, parking areas showing location of parking spaces,
and signs. Indicate the square footage and use of each building and the date(s) of
construction.
6. Public Hearing Labels: Three (3) sets of typed self-adhesive labels of all property
owners, lessees, and sub-lessees of record. The labels shall include the Assessor's
parcel number, owner's name and mailing address of each property with 400 feet from
the exterior limits of the subject property. Additionally, all Assessor Parcel Maps clearly
indicating the 400-foot radius and a certified letter from a title company licensed to
conduct business in Riverside County, California shall be submitted.
Note: If any property on this list is owned by the United States Government in trust for the
Agua Caliente Indian Tribe or individual allottee, copies of notices with postage paid
envelopes will be submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs to notify the individual Indian
land owners of the public hearings.
14
41
NON-OWNER
AFFIDAVIT
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
(COUNTY OF RIVERSIDE) ss
I (We), being duly sworn,
depose and say that I (we) am (are) the person(s) herein named and that the foregoing
statements and answers herein contained and the information herein submitted are in all
respect true and correct to the best of my(our) knowledge and belief.
Name: (Please print)
Mailing address: City, State Zip
Telephone:
Fax:
Signatures: Signatures:
Who proved to me on the basis of satisfactory evidence to be the person(s) whose
name(s) is/are subscribed to the within instrument and acknowledged to me that he/she/they
executed the same in his/hr/their authorized capacity(ies), and that by his/her/their
signature(s) on the instrument the person(s), or the entity upon behalf of which the
person(s)acted, executed the instrument.
I certify under PENALTY OF PERJURY under the laws of the State of California that the
foregoing paragraph is true and correct.
WITNESS my hand and official seal this day of
, 2012
Notary Public in the State of
with principal office in the County of
Place Notary Seal Above
15
42
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
Appendix I: Biography of the firm of Kocher& Frey
Alfred Lawrence Kocher (1885 - 1969) was born in San Jose, California and graduated from Stanford
University in 1909, after which he pursued a graduate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology from 1910-1912. He was an instructor in Architectural History and Design at Pennsylvania
State University where he received an MA degree in 1916; he was promoted to full professor, and
ultimately head of the Architecture Department there until his resignation in 1926. From 1926-1928 he
taught at the University of Virginia before becoming managing editor of the Architectural Record, a
position he held from 1928-1938, during which time he included news of the latest developments in
design in Europe and the United States. From 1940 to 1943 Kocher taught at Black Mountain College, an
experimental school that was internationally known for its modernist advancements in American art and
education. The college faculty and students were leaders of the day and included architect and scholar
Kocher; composer John Cage; Bauhaus artists Josef Albers, Willem DeKooning and Franz Kline. From
1944 to 1954 he worked as an architectural recorder on conservation and restoration projects at
Williamsburg, where he died in 1969.
Albert Frey(1903- 1998) was born in Zurich, Switzerland. Frey received his architectural education from
the Institute of Technology in Winterthur, Switzerland, from which he graduated in 1924. The training he
received there was vocational instruction rather than the architectural design instruction of the sort taught
by the French Ecole des Beaux-Arts. It should be noted that Frey's future employer William Lescaze also
received his architectural education in Zurich. Following his graduation, Frey was drawn to the work of
his countryman, Swiss architect Le Corbusier, who has been called "the most important architect of the
Twentieth Century." In 1928 Frey secured an intern position in Le Corbusier's small Paris office, which
after a few months became a paid position. Although Frey was with Le Corbusier for only ten months, his
tenure coincided with the creation of the seminal modernist residential masterpiece the Villa Savoye of
1929, with which he was involved. In 1930 Frey moved to New York where he worked for William
Lescaze4 (1931-33), and began a small practice with early modernist A. Lawrence Kocher, while
maintaining a correspondence with Le Corbusier for many years. While most architects of the Twentieth
century admit to being influenced by Le Corbusier, very few can claim a connection as direct as that
enjoyed by Frey.
In 1930 in New York, Frey and Kocher established their two-person office that produced the famous
"Aluminaire House," one of the key modernist buildings of the Twentieth century, and one of the few
examples of American modernism to be included in Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Phillip Johnson's5
4 Designed by William Lescaze,the 1932 Philadelphia Savings Fund Society(PSFS) building is today generally considered
the first International Modernist skyscraper,and the first International Style building of wide significance in the United
States.
SPhillip Cortelyou Johnson (1906-2005)was an influential American architect.With his thicke round-framed glasses,
Johnson was the most recognizable figure in American Architecture. In addition to his many large projects,Johnson
produced dozens of such small works over his long career;some of which were built. In 1930,he founded the
Department of Architecture and Design at MOMA. Then in 1928 Johnson met the Bauhaus architect Ludwig Mies van
der Rohe,who was at the time designing the German Pavilion for the Barcelona exhibition!of 1929.The meeting was a
revelation for Johnson and formed the basis for a lifelong relationship of both collaboration and competition. Johnson
returned from Germany as a proselytizer for the new architecture.Touring Europe more comprehensively with his friends
Alfred H.Barr,Jr.and Henry-Russell Hitchcock to examine firsthand recent trends in architecture,the three assembled
16
43
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
seminal tract 1932 on modernism, The International Style. The show was profoundly influential and is
seen as the introduction of modern architecture and architects Le Corbusier, Gropius, and Mies van der
Rohe to the American public. As critic Peter Blake has stated, the importance of this show in shaping
American architecture in the century "cannot be overstated." With this single project, the place of Kocher
and Frey in architectural history was assured. One historian has said that, given this early success, the
surprise was that Frey did not become more important that he did. The brief collaboration of Kocher and
Frey lasted until 1935. Of the few projects completed by the partners, the Kocher-Samson Insurance
Services Building brought Frey to Palm Springs for the first time. Subsequently, it became his home and
the setting for his career, an event that changed the course of Palm Springs history. One of a handful of
important Palm Springs architects, Frey worked and practiced into his nineties, and many of his works are
icons of the City of Palm Springs.
their discoveries as the landmark show'The International Style:Architecture Since 1922"at the Museum of Modem Art,in
1932.
17
44
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
Appendix II: Photographic Documentation:
e
a JS
is
Figure 3 This historic photo illustrates the building's original appearance and underscores how easily the
front facade could be restored.
18
45
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
---------------
'.
I _
're
Figure 4 View from courtyard looking toward Palm Canyon.
19
46
i
r
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
-w
i
Figure 5 Original appearance of the apartment interior.
i
20
47
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
9
r
A, 4/
1 S£
Figure 6 View of Inner Courtyard looking Northeast.
21
48
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
i1
r f
Figure 7 In this 2008 photograph, insensitive alterations conceal the largely intact primary facade of the
building. A sensitive removal of the inappropriate alterations and restoration of the building's original
character-defining spatial concepts could restore the building's original appearance and reconfirm its
importance as Palm Springs first International Style building.
22
49
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
Appendix II: Site Map
IV
'i
BW Q=
0 0
W I-�
W
, 4
a n
Figure 8 Floor Plans: Upper(top) and Lower(bottom).
23
50
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
Appendix III: Assessor's Map
'eqe®riep- a -.�Ne KR.56. 101.4S-RAE i.e Y. mt$1 ......
.
se i
cltt W ws sales W,-w3
,- CD, 293
i
_. .�. WOUN"N VIEW_.. •" - ; _ Y M
�-1 s (_!
s + -ROAD- -
--
I, 1
Ir
4r-7i m x
1,
1 _.. _- I b} - ' B t C•lg11�9flIW Eo. A
dYfr'3 m�R M IWSkI-I1 ♦N.'3 Wf IG 11911
24
51
PALM SPRINGS HISTORIC SITE PRESERVATION BOARD
Historic Site Nomination Continuation Sheet
Appendix IV: Historic Consultant Qualifications
Professional Qualifications Standards: The Code of Federal Regulations, 36 CFR Part 61 defines the
minimum education and experience required to perform historic preservation identification, evaluation,
registration, and treatment activities. The minimum professional qualifications in architecture are a
professional degree in architecture plus at least two years full-time experience in architecture; or a State
license to practice architecture.
Patrick McGrew received his Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Oklahoma in 1965. He has
been actively engaged in the architectural profession, specializing in historic preservation, since then.
McGrew has been a licensed architect in the State of California since 1970, as well as a holder of the
NCARB (national licensing) certificate. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of all procedures and
standards utilized in the identification, evaluation, registration, and treatment of historic properties as
evidenced by his lengthy career known for the depth and breadth of accumulated architectural / historical
knowledge. He places a high value on the objectivity and completeness of his written works. He has
several years' experience in research, writing, practicing and teaching architecture with an academic and
historical agencies and institutions. He has made a substantial contribution through research and
publication of a body of scholarly knowledge in the field of California architectural history. His experience
has included the preparation of numerous historic research reports, National Register nominations, and
San Francisco and Palm Springs historic site nominations, as well as the preparation of plans and
specifications for architectural preservation projects. He regulates his firm through the use of ethics
standards developed by the Society of Architectural Historians.
Patrick McGrew's knowledge and reputation in the field of historic preservation provided the basis his
public service as the long- time President of San Francisco's Landmarks Preservation Advisory Board,
which extended over an eighteen year span beginning in 1978 when he was first appointed by then-
Mayor George Moscone; he served the next ten years under Mayor Dianne (Feinstein. Although he
served less than a year under Mayor Art Agnos, it was Agnos who declared November 17, 1991
"Landmarks of San Francisco Day" to honor the publication of McGrew's first book, Landmarks of San
Francisco (Harry Abrams, New York, 1991). Reappointed in 1992 by Mayor Frank Jordan, McGrew
served four more years on San Francisco's Landmarks Board. McGrew's second book, Landmarks of Los
Angeles was published by Abrams in 1994. His acknowledgment by government and/or regulatory
agencies, combined with Mr. McGrew's impressive list of publications on California's historic architecture,
is a testament to his proficiency as a leading expert in California architectural history. He is a member of
the Society of Architectural Historians, and has received many awards for his work during a distinguished
career. In 1995, his book The Historic Houses of Presidio Terrace, received an award of honor from the
California Heritage Council. Upon the occasion of Mr. McGrew's induction into the City Club of San
Francisco's Wall of Fame, Mayor Willie Brown declared November 30, 2003 as"Patrick McGrew Day' in
San Francisco, and a Commendation from the United States Senate was presented in recognition of
McGrew's 'distinguished career and outstanding contributions to the City of San Francisco.' Patrick
McGrew moved to Palm Springs, California in 2005 and is currently working on a book about Palm
Springs' Architectural History. Palm Springs Class One Historic Site Nominations completed by McGrew
include the Oasis Commercial Building, the Sidney Noles Residence, the Hugh Stephens Residence, the
Frank Sinatra Residence, the Town & Country Center and the Royal Hawaiian Estates Historic District.
McGrew was also the author of National Register nominations for the Thomas O'Donnell Residence and
the Cabot's Old Indian Pueblo Museum and in 2009 completed Donald Wexler, Architect for the Palm
Springs Preservation Foundation. In 2011 McGrew was named Preservationist of the Year by the Palm
Springs Modern Committee.
25
52
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
PUBLIC HEARING NOTIFICATION
O YP
City Council
Meeting Date: July 11, 2012
Subject: Proposed Designation of the Kocher-Samson Building
AFFIDAVIT OF MAILING
I, Kathie Hart, Chief Deputy City Clerk, of the City of Palm Springs, California, do hereby
certify that a copy of the attached Notice of Public Hearing was mailed to each and every
person on the attached list on June 28, 2012, in a sealed envelope, with postage prepaid,
and depositing same in the U.S. Mail at Palm Springs, California. (53 notices)
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Kathie Hart, CMC
Chief Deputy City Clerk
AFFIDAVIT OF PUBLICATION
I, Kathie Hart, Chief Deputy City Clerk, of the City of Palm Springs, California, do hereby
certify that a copy of the attached Notice of Public Hearing was published in the Desert Sun
on June 30, 2012.
1 declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
Kathie Hart, CMC
Chief Deputy City Clerk
AFFIDAVIT OF POSTING
I, Kathie Hart, Chief Deputy City Clerk, of the City of Palm Springs, California, do hereby
certify that a copy of the attached Notice of Public Hearing was posted at City Hall, 3200 E.
Tahquitz Canyon Drive, on the exterior legal notice posting board and in the Office of the
City Clerk on June 28, 2012.
1 declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true and correct.
\L\Aw&
Kathie Hart, CMC
Chief Deputy City Clerk
53
The Desert Sun Certificate of Publication
750 N Gene Autry Trail
Palm Springs, CA 92262
760-778-4578/Fax 760-778-4731
State Of California ss:
County of Riverside
NO 1762
NOTICE OF PUBLIC
CITY COUNCIL
Advertiser: Crnrof PALM,SPRINos
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS/LEGALS PROPOSED BUILDIDESIGNNG
S OF THE HISTORIC
SITE 79 BUILDING AS CLASS 1 HISTORIC
SITE TI AND NOTICE EXE DRI d FROM
BOX 2743 CEOA RTH 788NO VONDRWE
PALM SPRINGS CA 922632 NoftheOCityofPalmSpriinngs,CalliFothat�m' W11hodl
Pubic Heartg at its meehng,of JuN 11, 2012.
The City Council meeting b ins at 6.00 p.m.in
Ithe T uultznCdnY Way Pal 3pn gs!• Y1W Ea&
2000326089 The of the hear to consider a recom-
bylire N's�hc is Reeervetkn Board
to the :Cho- at son Sul Palm Can-
yyoonn Kacher-Samson SuilI��rrpho L APN �
50Ti as:Cho
1 Hhstrmts- (Casei
_ HSP579). i
I am over the age of 18 years old, a citizen of the United
States and not a party to, or have interest in this matter. I
hereby certify that the attached advertisement appeared t
in said newspaper (set in type not smaller than non panel)in each and entire issue of said newspaper and not in any
supplement thereof on the following dates,to wit: am
y
Newspaper: .The Desert Sun €
`7
6/30/2012 `-
ENVIRONMENTAL DDIyETERMINATIOM This re-
q�erertht:israte to
godceli5337 from Resoumr I
Restoratro SnFPehebiiadan the-:Carrkxma Eumd
ronmd rtal �n mes tl�relar> s ce ro-
I acknowledge that am a principal clerk of the printer of of a histarho reaouim. The'applF,
The Desert Sun, printed and published weekly in the City n Is for ppublic revew in the PlarmIrhg
Servkes Deparb0erd. City Nell. 32110 to
of Palm Springs, County of Riverside, State of California. Tahquhz Carryon Way,Pal Springs between the
The Desert Sun was adjudicated a newspaper of general hoursSoo m8Moa.m.Uri ThursdeY. pm o
circulation on March 24, 1988 by the Superior Court of the REVIEW OF PROJECT INFORMATION:The staff
County of Riverside, State of California Case No. rt and other suppomng dobunharhts regaremg
191236. ao moist[are available for oublIo review at Chy
Halt n the hours of 8: a-.m.ro 1I'.00a.m.
and-2:00 p.m. W 8:00 pm., Monday thmuyr
Thu Please contact the Office of theit Cay.
ikelosch
I declare under penalty of perjury that the foregoing is true ule en eppoI a ro�reviyw lhzsed idocuments.ed
and correct. Executed on this 30th day of June, 2012 in COMMENT ON THIS APPGCATION: R utillo
toads mlwe.may be.m a vre the at the
Hearing ardor in wdnng before thelreanng. Writ-
Palm Springs,California. der(1a r delivery)ryj ro by
,lames Thompson.City
l yCllerk
P'eM SPdnga3200 Cast C A Why
Any challenge of.the proposed Pr act in court
PT— - ma be kinked to:rehaing omy those um wised
- atig Publk Hearing desaibed in this Notice or in
DMlarant t net a written correspx%denos delivered to the Crty Clerk
9 . W rtt,or w,the Clalyh Council hearing.(Govepr
LU�' g ;� ` 1 merit Code Section 6 009[W An opportunity
-cc ��to m at heard. Questions;
r gaall interested�
nbe directed so Cau , Ewing,AIL :DlreMl
!AJ< (!') --CJ of Planning Serwoes at(T60)325-245.
LAJ n- i ~�- \\ Si noossita ayuda con sate carte,porravor Items a
ti, Is CNWad de Palm Sprhrgs s grade heblar con
rCa �rU Nadine Ffegarthlefono(7ti0)32392rf5
Qv James Thompson,City Clerk
._ N 1 PuWe@W:~2 h
EZZT-96E-008-T �^tleP®09TS1!+�el�el44�J
sI8gel/W03-IN6-mmm jesel sa:49nbiz�
NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION REPS MR PETE MORUZZI
Case HSPB 79 MODCOM AND
!0chnor-Samson Building HISTORIC SITE REP-0-D PALM SPRINGS MODERN COMMITTEE
PHN for CC Meeting 67.11.12 P.O. BOX 4738
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92263-4738
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS CASE HSPB 79
PLANNING SERVICES DEPARTMENT MRS.JOANNE BRUGGEMANS
VERIFICATION NOTICE-0-0- ATTN SECRETARY/HSPB 79 506 W.SANTA CATALINA ROAD
PO BOX 2743 PALM SPRINGS, CA 92262
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92263-2743
MS MARGARET PARK
AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA AGUA CALIENTE BAND OF CAHUILLA
INDIANS-0-D sJ-0 2v-0 INDIANS
5401 DINAH SHORE DRIVE
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92264
SOBOBA BAND OF LUISENO INDIANS LUEBBEN JOHNSON&BARNHOUSE,
ATTN:JOSEPH ONTIVEROS LLP
INTERESTED PARTIES=o-o-o CULTURAL RESOURCES MANAGER ATTN: RICHARD C.WADE,PARALEGAL
P.O. BOX 487 7424 4TH STREET NW
SAN JACINTO, CA 92581 LOS RANCHOS DE ALBUQUERQUE, NM
87107
'SPONSORS -=o=ci-o D
)-nnTPJo'Q-nnTc'H•nnT.c jedeA0984 , alel l®09TSm��^tlWi" o0
ffJ/a 77 - �� _ J Q�. 7
505283008
505283007 505283 M
SINGER GERALD ILLIAN DBA
SECOND IMPERIAL MANOR KUPERMA BERT
DOUGHERTY NNA LEASIN
10620 SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS PKWY * 277 W ORTAL
LAS VEGAS,NV 89141 PAL FES T, A PAL SPRINGS,CA 92264
PALM SERT,CA 92211
505283017
NICH 011 REC WARDENS&VESTRYMEN OF PAR LEVY,019
NICHOLS,STEPHEN C&MARY ANN E LEVY,STEVEN
901 N PALM CANYON DR 200 ST PAUL 21700 OXNARD ST 2030
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 125 W EL ALAMEDA WOODLAND HILLS,CA 91367
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262
505283020 505283021 505,283022
GRAHAM,JUSTIN SABIN,NEAL F PRESCOTT S GS HOMEOWNERS
5916 SE 20TH ST 1331 W HENDERSON ST ASSN
Pf
MERCER ISLAND,WA 98040 CHICAGO,IL 60657 5520 P CONCOURSE 270
LO ANGELES,CA 90045
505283023 505283024 505284003
CASEY,JAMES M 803 N PALM CANYON BEYER MICHAEL J&BARBARA
117 REEF MALL PO BOX 4794 TRUST
1911 MARINA DEL REY, CA 90292 PALM DESERT,CA 92261 NEE YACHT RESOLUTE
WPORT BEACH,CA 92660
5052840104 505285005 505285006
DEMONTIG DENNIS 850 NORTH PALM CANYON BINKOW,ROBERT&FELICITY
PO BOX 71691 HIGHWAY 111 1999 S CALIENTE DR
LAKE SINORE,CA 92531 RANCHO MIRAGE,CA 92270 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92264
505285008 505285011 505285014
ALEXANDER,LESLIE T&JUDY A WCR HOLDINGS EL PASEO HOLDINGS
3585 WOODSIDE RD 1278 GLENNEYRE ST 154 600 N BROADWAY 200
WOODSIDE,CA 94062 LAGUNA BEACH,CA 92651 MILWAUKEE, WI 53202
505285015 505286001 505286002
EL PASEO HOLDINGS SAN MACEDONIO CO SAN MACEDONIO CO
600 N BROADWAY 200 7130 MAGNOLIA AVE N 7130 MAGNOLIA AVE N
MILWAUKEE,WI 53202 RIVERSIDE,CA 92504 RIVERSIDE,CA 92504
505286003 505286004 505286009
SAN MACEDONIO CO SAN MACEDONIO CO SAN MACEDONIO CO
7130 MAGNOLIA AVE N 7130 MAGNOLIA AVE N 7130 MAGNOLIA AVE N
RIVERSIDE,CA 92504 RIVERSIDE,CA 92504 RIVERSIDE,CA 92504
505286010 505302006 505302011
SAN MACEDONIO CO VOLGARINO,WILLIAM DBA VILLA DESSELLE PROP INC DBA DESERT
7130 MAGNOLIA AVE N SOLEIL LAND DOT COM
RIVERSIDE,CA 92504 630 N BELARDO RD 4 655 N PALM CANYON DR 211
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262
505302012 505302021 505302022
MANN,JO &SANDRA L ETAL KRAUT,JULES&SHIRLEY ANN TRUST MERITO MANOR COMMUNITY
PO BOX 67 411 S ORANGE DR ASSOCIATION INC
SOU PASADENA,CA 91031 R LOS ANGELES,CA 90036 197 W MERITO PL
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262
Laser Labels I& Use 3M Template
Compatible with Avery®5160e Template Feed Paper 3100-A,3100-B,or 3100-C
505302025 505302027 505303002
FOAT,VIRGINIA E DONDAR kLEW,GEORGE
1233 N VIA MONTE VIS 687 N PALM CANYON DR 700 N PALM CANYON DR
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262
505303004 505303012 505303018
ALBERT,RUTH MODERN PROP PACIFICA COLONY PALMS LOFTS
13222 RIVIERA RANCH RD 666 N PALM CANYON DR 700 MAIN ST 6A
LOS ANGELES,CA 90049 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 VENICE,CA 90291
505303029 507161005 507161006
CHEEKY PALMS SPENCE,BETTY A 200 CITRUS TRUST
622 N PALM CANYON DR 811 N AVENIDA OLIVOS 6565 SPENCER ST 102A
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 LAS VEGAS,NV 89119
507161007 507181001 507181002
FORD,BETTY CASTANEDA,FELIPE&LISBET CRETNEY,JACK DOUGLAS
PO BOX 2033 140 E PALM CANYON DR 2616 N WHITEWATER CLUB DR
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92263 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92264 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262
507181009 507181010 507183007
CASTANEDA,FELIPE&LISBET MOVIE COLONY HOTEL PACIFICA L 39 LLC
140 E PALM CANYON DR 726 N INDIAN CANYON DR 1775 HANCOCK ST 200
PALM SPRINGS,CA 92264 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262 SAN DIEGO,CA 92110
505283008 505283010
RETURNED MAIL SINGER,GERALD&LILLIAN KUPERMAN,ROBERT
633 W 5T STREET,FL 29 849 N PALM CANYON DRIVE
LOS ANGELES,CA 90071 PALM SPRINGS,CA 92262
9�+hl4 4++ c.Iemc ee .........QKA......./hl...l.. ABM
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING
CITY COUNCIL
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
PROPOSED DESIGNATION OF THE KOCHER-SAMSON BUILDING
AS CLASS 1 HISTORIC SITE 79 AND NOTICE OF EXEMPTION FROM CEQA
766 NORTH PALM CANYON DRIVE
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the City Council of the City of Palm Springs, California, will hold
a Public Hearing at its meeting of July 11, 2012. The City Council meeting begins at 6:00 p.m. in
the Council Chambers at City Hall, 3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs.
The purpose of the hearing is to consider a recommendation by the Historic Site Preservation
Board to designate the property at 766 North Palm Canyon Drive (The Kocher-Samson Building /
APN 505-286-002) as a Class 1 Historic Site (Case HSPB 79).
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: This request is categorically exempt from review pursuant
to Section 15331 (Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) of the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA), whereas the proposed designation meets the conditions outlined for
preservation of a historic resource. The application is available for public review in the Planning
Services Department, City Hall, 3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs, between the
hours of 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday.
REVIEW OF PROJECT INFORMATION: The staff report and other supporting documents
regarding this project are available for public review at City Hall between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to
11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday. Please contact the Office of the
City Clerk at (760) 323-8204 if you would like to schedule an appointment to review these
documents.
COMMENT ON THIS APPLICATION: Response to this notice may be made verbally at the Public
Hearing and/or in writing before the hearing. Written comments may be made to the City Council
by letter (for mail or hand delivery) to:
James Thompson, City Clerk
3200 East Tahquitz Canyon Way
Palm Springs, CA 92262
Any challenge of the proposed project in court may be limited to raising only those issues raised at
the Public Hearing described in this Notice or in written correspondence delivered to the City Clerk
at, or prior to, the City Council hearing. (Government Code Section 65I009[b][2]). An opportunity
will be given at said hearing for all interested persons to be heard. Questions regarding this case
may be directed to Craig A. Ewing, AICP, Director of Planning Services at (760) 323-8245.
Si necesita ayuda con esta carta, porfavor Ilame a la Ciudad de Palm Springs y puede hablar con
Nadine Fieger telefono (760) 323-8245.
ames Thompson, City Clerk
54
Zo PALM +<+o N
u ~
Department of Planning Services WE
Vicinity Map S
i
E
I
TAMARISK RD
O
t
z
1 O
z
6
0
z
C z
C
z
i I
r
~` MERITO RL � �J
¢ VIA ALTAMIRA
a
z
Legend
Site
Q 400 fe et
Parcels
�4- F-
CITY OF PALM SPRINGS
CASE NO: HSPB 79 DESCRIPTION: To consider a recommendation
by the Historic Site Preservation Board to
APPLICANT: City of Palm Springs designate the property at 766 North Palm Canyon
Drive (The Kocher-Samson Building / APN 505-
286-002) as a Class 1 Historic Site. 55