PRESERVATION ALERTS

1239 N Everett  

A contributor to the pending Bellehurst Historic District, 1239 N Everett, was illegally demolished in October 2023. It was a 1925 Spanish Colonial Revival bungalow and one of the earliest homes built in Bellehurst.

On May 14, 2019, City Council adopted Ordinance No. 5931 to provide robust penalties intended to deter unpermitted demolition of historic resources. This is the first case where those penalties could be utilized.

They include:

• Three-year construction moratorium

• Mandate that property be kept in a clean and orderly manner during this period

• Any new construction after this period must either match the demolished property or be within the same footprint, height, and square footage as the house that was demolished

City Council may also apply the following penalties:

• The City Attorney’s Office may file misdemeanor charges against the violator pursuant to GMC 1.20.010. (GMC §15.20.090(A)), or

• The City Attorney’s Office may request authorization to commence civil litigation and seek issuance of civil penalties, costs of investigation, and/or a temporary or permanent injunction through a civil action. (GMC §15.20.090(B)(1-3))

TGHS believes it is critical that City Council apply the enhanced penalties in this case. It is important that a message be sent that the City of Glendale will not tolerate the willful demolition of historic resources. Our neighbors work tirelessly to establish historic districts and not assessing enhanced penalties for illegal demolition puts our districts at risk.

Please: Attend or call in on April 16 to let Council know how important it is to apply the enhanced penalties. The call-in number is 818-937-8100.

View the meeting at YouTube.com/myglendale so you will know when to place your call. It begins at 6:00 but this item will be later in the agenda, so come on down!

If you can’t attend, please email City Council members and ask they apply all of the enhanced penalties passed on May 14, 2019.

easatryan@glendaleca.gov
dbrotman@glendaleca.gov
electvartan@gmail.com
akassakhian@glendaleca.gov
anajarian@glendaleca.gov
CC the City Clerk: sabajian@glendaleca.gov

Attempt to Increase the Historic District Signature Threshold Defeated!

Councilmember Elen Asatryan’s effort to increase the historic district signature threshold to 67% was defeated by a 3-2 City Council vote on Tuesday evening (October 10).

Had this measure passed, it would have had a significant negative impact on the creation of historic districts (including two in the pipeline) by making the process even more cumbersome than it currently is.

TGHS thanks Councilmembers Paula Devine, Ardy Kassakhian, and Mayor Dan Brotman for supporting a neighborhood’s ability to come together to start the historic district process and get a hearing in front of City Council.

Thanks to all who called in and wrote letters of support. Your input really makes a difference!

In the upcoming weeks, we will update our Glendale Preservation Score (GPS) for City Councilmembers and share the results with membership and the broader Glendale community.

Help Protect Historic Districts in Glendale on October 10

President’s Message dated October 2, 2023

TGHS needs your help. Historic districts are under attack. Councilmember Elen Asatryan is trying to make it significantly harder to establish them, even though she professed strong support prior to the last city election. See her comments here.

Tuesday, October 10, two versions of a revised historic district ordinance return to Council for a final vote. 

One version, which TGHS strongly supports, would streamline the historic district application process—to avoid redundancies that have increased the time from district application to approval in Glendale to as long as five years. 

In addition to the beneficial streamlining measures, the second version, supported by Elen Asatryan and Ara Najarian, would also increase the number of owner signatures now required from a majority (50% plus 1) to a supermajority (67%), before district proponents could just bring the nomination for a hearing at Council. 

Please: plan to attend or call in on the 10th to let Council know how important historic districts are. This is an attack on historic districts, even though owner objections to historic districts have been minimal, and the vast majority of proposed projects in them are approved at staff level. The goal of these changes is to limit the community’s ability to preserve the character of their neighborhoods. We need to work to ensure these special places continue to thrive. Tell Council to leave the signature threshold alone. 

With the creation of two recent districts and three in the pipeline, it is obvious that Glendalians see their value and are willing to start the already difficult approval process. 

There is a significant amount of misinformation being spread about historic districts and I want to clear the air and state the facts. 

You can’t make any changes to your house in a historic district. False.

 -   Homeowners can add to their residence and build ADUs in historic districts. Historic districts do not freeze a neighborhood in time. They do help residents maintain the character of the homes and neighborhood that drew them there in the first place. 

Historic districts drive up housing costs. False. 

-    Historic districts do not contribute to higher property prices in Glendale. A home in a historic district in Glendale, on average, is not higher than a similar home in a surrounding area (price per sq foot). However, studies have shown that historic districts tend to stabilize property values during market downturns. 

Renovating homes in historic districts is prohibitively expensive. False. 

-   Historic district guidelines apply only to the exterior portion of the house that is visible from the street. When necessary, city staff proactively work with homeowners and provide options for materials that will maintain the integrity of their historic home and, in the case of window replacements, will last longer and be more cost efficient in the long run. 

Historic districts add an additional layer of bureaucracy. False. 

-   Substantial exterior changes require design review whether the property is located in a historic district or not. Projects go to the Historic Preservation Commission or the Design Review Board, not both. 

Elen Asatryan warned on Sept. 12 that under the current historic district approval process, property owners could just “wake up one morning” and find out they now live in a historic district with additional restrictions on their property. False. 

-   The historic district process ensures that ALL property owners are aware of the effort to create a historic district AND there are opportunities for them to engage in the process—to ask questions, express opinions, and finally to either oppose or approve. Neighbors are contacted via canvassing efforts from historic district proponents. There are also multiple public meetings with city staff, the Historic Preservation Commission, Planning Commission, and City Council that are noticed, including mailed letters to property owners. The argument that homeowners are taken by surprise shows no knowledge of the current process and the enormous work involved precisely to alert residents and secure support. 

Finally, historic district residents have found that the process of establishing a historic district is a rewarding experience. Block parties and informational sessions at neighbors’ homes to discuss the process are a great way for neighbors to meet and help bring the community together. 

You can also send your comments supporting the streamlining ordinance with the existing signature threshold to City Council at the following email addresses: 

• easatryan@glendaleca.gov

• dbrotman@glendaleca.gov

• pdevine@glendaleca.gov

• akassakhian@glendaleca.gov

• anajarian@glendaleca.gov

• Please cc the City Clerk sabajian@glendaleca.gov 

Thank you for your continued support of TGHS.

Council Votes 3-2 to Demolish Rare Historic Craftsman in South Glendale

On Tuesday, Council members Elen Asatryan, Ardy Kassakhian, and Ara Najarian voted to consign a Glendale Register-eligible “excellent example of the Craftsman style” and “an increasingly rare example of early residential development in Tropico” to landfill and approve a new five-story, 31-unit housing development on the site. In so doing, they ignored CEQA’s (the California Environmental Quality Act’s) substantive mandate to select a feasible project alternative if it would reduce environmental impacts and meet most of the project goals. Here the alternatives were not only feasible but met all project goals. 

TGHS is grateful to Mayor Dan Brotman and Council member Paula Devine, who voted to preserve the Craftsman and supported an alternative that would add housing, including an affordable unit, to the site while preserving the historic Craftsman. They spoke eloquently that our need for housing does not mean that we should tear down the tiny fraction of historic buildings (under 4 percent) that remain in South Glendale. 

The most notable feature of the hearing was Ara Najarian's continued rampage against historic resources and TGHS. Apparently, any comment or expert analysis that comes from TGHS is to be not only ignored but denounced as biased. But he assumes consultants hired by developers to find a property not to be historic are trustworthy, as though economic self-interest is a purer motive than service as a volunteer to a cause one believes in and a city one cares about. 

Also remarkable: Elen Asatryan’s comment, one of the few she made before voting for demolition, that she hoped another Tropico Craftsman could be saved and turned into a museum of Tropico. This is a vision of the future that TGHS will not support: in which Glendale’s historic resources can be demolished so long as one remains to exhibit photographs of the rest. 

Ardy Kassakhian stated that he would like to see a proposal for how to preserve Glendale’s historic buildings. That would be great; let us hope not allowing demolition when there are feasible alternatives would be part of it. 

Look out for more information in our Summer newsletter. Thank you to the many residents who wrote to Council to make your objections to this project known.

Oppose Demolition of Historic Glendale Craftsman at 1642 S. Central Ave.

On Tuesday, April 11, after 6 pm, the City Council will hear an appeal of a unanimous Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) decision not to allow demolition of one of the few remaining historic Craftsman bungalows in the Tropico neighborhood of South Glendale.In 2019, TGHS successfully advocated for the City to recognize the 1913 Craftsman as a historic resource. The owner proposes to demolish it and build a 31-unit apartment building with 3 affordable units.

The HPC voted for a project alternative, analyzed in the Environmental Impact Report (EIR), that would allow the historic Craftsman to remain in place and add new housing units including one affordable unit. The applicant immediately appealed to Council.

TGHS supports both keeping the historic Craftsman and adding additional housing. Indeed, the future of preservation in California is likely to involve compromises of this sort. But we need to advocate to preserve the only 4 percent of properties built before 1979 that the City considers eligible for the Glendale Register in South Glendale.

You can read more about the project in the Spring 2023 newsletter https://glendalehistorical.org/newsletters

Please be prepared to attend or call in to the April 11 Council meeting and to write Council members to ensure they preserve this resource. We will send another email with more information when the Staff Report is available, probably on Friday, April 7.

Thank you for your help!

Status update for 1766 Cielito Dr

Thanks to all who wrote to the Design Review Board (DRB) asking them to oppose demolition of the Historic Bistagne House.

Unfortunately, the DRB voted  3-2 at the February 9 meeting to approve demolition. Board members Welch and Lockareff voted NOT to demolish but to refer it to the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) for further historic review. 

This project is almost certain to be appealed to Council because of neighborhood concerns that it violates the City’s Hillside Development Review Policy, which requires compatibility of size, architecture, massing, and scale with the surrounding area. 

We will keep you posted if there is an opportunity for further comment on preserving this impressive hillside Ranch home.

1642 S. Central

This 1913 Craftsman-style home and property were found to be historically significant in the City-prepared South Glendale Historical Resources Survey.  A developer plans to demolish the main house and others on the lot with the garage to build a 31-unit, five-story apartment building with subterranean parking. 

TGHS understands the immediate need for more housing in Glendale, but only a handful of Craftsman-style residences remain in the City.  Craftsman residences are still more rare in Tropico, the proposed project area , a city that became part of Glendale more than a century ago. 

A final EIR for this project concluded that preserving the residence at 1642 S. Central Avenue, thereby allowing for a slightly smaller housing development, is the most feasible option.  

We ask you to contact the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) by Thursday (January 19) noon, and urge them to support the Reduced Density, Relocation On-Site Alternative (Alternative 2) that would preserve the residence, as described in the DEIR. 

You can read more about Alternative 2 by accessing the DEIR at the link below (page 1-6):
https://glendaleca-redesign.prod.govaccess.org/home/showdocument?id=66346 

Please send your emails to historicpreservationcommission@glendaleca.gov.

Please Ask the City to Prevent Demolition of Bistagne House (1766 Cielito Dr.)

Council Members Support Rehabilitation of Art Deco Sears Building in Housing Development

On December 6, the Glendale City Council considered whether to approve Phase 1 Preliminary Design Review for a 682-unit housing project with 15 percent of units reserved for very low-income residents.

TGHS strongly supports housing at the site and urged Council to recommend adaptive reuse, rather than demolition, of the existing Sears building. A housing project anchored by this local landmark would create a development worthy of downtown and one that residents and the Council could be proud of. This is not part of the developer’s plan.

We are grateful to Council Members Elen Asatryan, Dan Brotman, and Paula Devine for urging the City and developer to proceed immediately with investigating the condition of the Art Deco facade, which was covered over in the 1970s. With the plywood and stucco removed, this building would be a wonderful candidate for adaptive reuse. Incorporating the Sears building would go a long way to remedy the unrelenting monotony of the massing of the proposed project. Council members voiced many other concerns with the design of the project.

Unfortunately, the Council members' good intentions were somewhat short-circuited by the Chief Assistant City Attorney, who stated, despite Council’s obvious desire to tackle this issue now, that investigation of the Sears facade would be handled later during the EIR process.

This is not correct. The function of the EIR is to disclose project impacts and to mitigate or avoid impacts if feasible. The Sears Building would very likely not qualify as a historic resource in its present condition because of the 1970s alterations. The developer has already hired a consultant who has found that the Sears building is not historic. The EIR would find that it is not historic, and that therefore there would be no impact to historic resources if it were demolished. An EIR does not peel off stucco and plywood to uncover what is beneath.

Council members did state a clear preference for adaptive reuse, and TGHS will continue to press for this prior to the EIR process. Please keep an eye out for how you can help.

Kenwood Lawsuit Win

On October 31 Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Joel Lofton entered a final decision in The Glendale Historical Society versus The City of Glendale lawsuit, finding that the City “had abused its discretion” by failing to prepare an Environmental Impact Report (EIR). As a result the court will issue a writ ordering that the City void the project approval and require an EIR before reconsidering. A copy of the ruling is attached. 

TGHS argued that the City had violated CEQA when it failed to acknowledge evidence that the size, scale, and proximity of the proposed three-story multi-family project, which would have wrapped around and dwarfed one of the few historic Aeroplane Craftsman residences left in South Glendale, along with demolition of some character-defining features, may have a substantial adverse impact on the historic resource. 

The city’s legal strategy was to attempt to discredit the expert, fact-based opinion of qualified architectural historian Francesca Smith. The Court ruled that the city “misrepresented” legal principles in an attempt to discredit her. The Court also rejected the city's claims that Ms. Smith’s “expert testimony should be discounted” because she is an advocate for preservation, finding them without merit and without legal authority. 

Please read the full story of TGHS’s victory in the upcoming newsletter. While the Court’s ruling is subject to appeal, our attorney believes it is unlikely because our case and Judge Lofton’s ruling are strong and based on well-established law. Click here for the ruling.

We thank our members for their support of our lawsuit and for objecting in emails and verbal comments to the project at various stages of the process. All of these efforts made a tremendous difference and we’ve achieved a great outcome.

620 N Brand

TGHS asks you to please write to City Council today to tell them: It is NOT racist to support preservation of Glendale’s historic properties. Please require an EIR for the project at 620 N. Brand. Click here to read the June 9, 2022 TGHS Letter.

City staff are trying a new tactic to avoid proper environmental review for projects involving historic resources. At the January 22nd meeting of the Historic Preservation Commission, Assistant Director of Community Development Bradley Calvert accused TGHS—and anyone who objects to a project that would build a 24-story apartment building with affordable housing on the site of a historic six-story Mid-Century office building—of “weaponizing” historic preservation and “perpetuating” the “exclusionary practices” of Glendale’s racist past.

Imagine our surprise when we learned that the project has no affordable housing. The developers are simply going to pay a fee. Glendale embarrasses itself if it champions a luxury project that is closed to low-income residents as a way to “mitigate” and “correct” its history of redlining.

The HPC recommended against the project, because its size, mass and scale are incompatible with the existing historic building, and it found that the matching, architect-designed, Neo-Formalist garage, proposed for demolition, needs to be treated as part of the historic resource.

TGHS does not oppose new housing on the site, but it needs to be compatible, and the appropriate process should be followed. For this project, an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) needs to be completed. The developer’s own consultant found the property eligible for the National and California Registers as well as the Glendale Register.

If Mr. Calvert’s line of attack persists, it could be used in other preservation efforts we care deeply about.

To see the exchange between the Historic Preservation Commission and Bradley Calvert, please click on this link below and go to 2:53:08 mark for Bradley Calvert’s comments and the 3:23:50 mark for a reply from HPC member Cathy Jurca.

TGHS Files Suit against the City of Glendale over Project at 534 N. Kenwood

Update

Click here for the TGHS brief filed in the lawsuit against the City over 534 N. Kenwood.

(June 14, 2021) As many of you know, the Glendale City Council denied TGHS's appeal of the project approval at 534 - 538 N. Kenwood on a 3-1 vote. The 12-unit market-rate project involves the demolition of much of the property surrounding the 108-year-old historic Aeroplane Craftsman at 534 N. Kenwood and construction of a wildly out-of-scale three-story building.

TGHS contended that the City failed to perform an adequate environmental review before approving the project and thus did not consider its impacts on the historic resource. TGHS submitted a detailed, fact-based, expert opinion explaining the project impacts that legally triggers an environmental impact report (EIR). An EIR provides not only adequate analysis of project impacts but consideration and adoption of feasible project alternatives to reduce significant impacts.

The Board has decided to file suit to force the City to comply with California environmental law. We have hired California's foremost environmental attorney for historic resources to handle the litigation.

This lawsuit is obviously a major step for TGHS. We know members will have questions about why we decided to litigate this project, what the litigation entails, what a successful outcome looks like, and how you can help.

Historic Preservation Ordinance to Return to Council Tuesday, May 12, at 6 pm!

Please write to City Council to adopt the updated Ordinance, which:

• adds significant protections for historic districts and historic resources

• brings Glendale’s policies into better conformity with the California Environmental Quality Act

• provides more clarity to property owners about the approval and design review process

• gives the Historic Preservation Commission more authority while streamlining the review process

• deters demolition by neglect

We also ask that you request one important revision. Under the updated Ordinance, “major alterations” to historic district contributors could be handled by the Director of Community Development or by the Historic Preservation Commission, at the Director’s discretion. Major alterations include (but are not limited to): additions of more than 200-square feet that are visible from the street; addition of a story to an existing building or structure; changes to the architectural style, roof form, wall cladding and/or windows; and any alteration that is incompatible with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.

Major alterations should be handled by the Historic Preservation Commission at a public meeting. This is a more transparent process, with greater opportunity for questions and concerns from the public to be addressed and feedback considered. Only minor alterations should be approved by staff.

We suggest that you write to thank Council for their commitment to preservation, express your support for the updated Ordinance, and request that it be revised so that major alterations go to the Historic Preservation Commission. Please do not forward this email to them or cut and paste—Council wants to see something in your own words.

You also might want to write about the value of historic preservation for you. How do historic buildings and districts contribute to the quality of your life and neighborhood? What do they contribute to Glendale? If you live in a historic district (or would like to!) it might be good to mention that. The message can be very brief.

It is not possible to attend the Council meeting in person, but you can phone if you wish to express support at 818 937-8100. The meeting is broadcast on Charter Cable Channel 6 or AT&T U-verse Channel 99. Given the limitations of virtual meetings, we are suggesting members might prefer to email rather than phone. If you have questions please send them to tghs@glendalehistorical.org

You can read the staff report here.

Council members are receiving an unusual number of emails due to Covid 19-related issues. Please understand if they are unable to respond personally to your message.

• Mayor Vrej Agajanian <vagajanian@glendaleca.gov>

• Dan Brotman <dbrotman@glendaleca.gov>

• Paula Devine <pdevine@glendaleca.gov>

• Ardy Kassakhian <akassakhian@glendaleca.gov>

• Ara Najarianan <ajarian@glendaleca.gov>

This Ordinance is a hugely important step forward for preservation in Glendale. Your support is critical. Thank you!

Please Oppose Demolition of Historic 1913 Craftsman House at 1642 S. Central Ave.

This property was found to be historically significant in the South Glendale Historical Resources Survey. Staff rejected the owner’s application to demolish it; that decision has been appealed to Council. Please ask Council to opposed demolition. In addition to distinctive Craftsman features such as the Arroyo stone piers and chimney and an extra-wide front door with sidelights, the house has rarer elements, such as heavy outrigger beams at the porch and decorative beam ends at the gables. In addition, there is a second Craftsman unit built in 1922. Glendale’s Craftsman heritage has disappeared before our eyes; the City should stand behind its Survey and the opinions of several qualified experts that this property is a historic resource.

Click here for a copy of the letter TGHS sent to Glendale City Council on June 10, 2019

1642 S. Central Ave: Proposed Demolition

Craftsman duplex circa 1911. This is a rare resource type in Glendale. Owner has filed an application to demolish. The property was identified as 5S3 (appears eligible for the Glendale Register) in the City-adopted South Glendale Historic Resources Survey (2018). It is located within the Tropico Transit-Oriented-Development area, which Council approved for upzoning as described in the South Glendale Community Plan. No project for the site has been announced, although it is for sale as a “development opportunity.”