By Niki Cervantes
Staff Writer

December 17, 2015 -- Santa Monica’s iconic stretch of San Vicente Boulevard between Ocean Avenue and 7th Street will soon be designated the San Vicente Boulevard Courtyard Apartments Historic District.

The Santa Monica City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to give the neighborhood historic status, the third section of the city to be so designated.

Appearing before the Council, residents and others who had campaigned for the historic label described the neighborhood as a charming example of post-World War II courtyard housing -- a style unique to Southern California, one speaker said.

“I’ve never seen it in Pittsburgh, Chicago or Dallas,” said Diane Miller, co-chair of the Historic San Vicente Coalition, which enjoyed broad support from neighborhood groups and others throughout Santa Monica.

San Vicente is “truly unique and magnificent, a treasure trove,” she said.

One resident who has lived on San Vicente for 25 years quoted "Big Yellow Taxi," a 1970's song by Joni Mitchell to describe his sentiments.

“You don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone,” he told the Council. “Well, I don’t want to lose anything on San Vicente. I want to see it preserved.”

The area -- which was transformed from single homes and duplexes into the modest courtyard apartments that now characterize it -- represents architecture from the 1930s through the early 1950s and includes 40 properties, according to a City staff report.

The buildings are primarily two and three stories, centered around landscaped open space and represent architectural styles that include Streamline Moderne, American Colonial Revival and Mid-Century Modern, officials said.

Adopting the ordinance “would protect this chapter of the City’s history and
create the City’s third and largest historic district,” the report said.

About 65 percent of the buildings have some sort of historic significance, staff said.

“Although a variety of architectural styles of this era are evident, almost all incorporate a landscaped courtyard open space in their design and setting, giving this area a unique identity that exemplifies the City’s
residential history during the boom years of the pre- and post-World War II era,” the report said.

The Landmarks Commission will now draft an official ordinance, with the Council expected to act on it in the next 30 days.

The Council’s vote was the first time it has used an ordinance adopted in December of 2014 to create a historic district. Before then, if 50 percent plus one of the owners within a proposed district’s boundaries opposed it, the designation was automatically nullified.