City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 07/28/2014 Item Number: A-1
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: (1) Consideration of a Recommendation from the
Cultural Affairs Commission Related to a Cultural Resource Designation of the
Culver City Ice Arena Located at 4545 Sepulveda Boulevard; and (2) Accept, Modify
or Disapprove the Cultural Affairs Commission’s Recommendation for Designation
as Deemed Appropriate.
Contact Person/Dept.: B. Christine Byers Phone Number: 310-253-6543
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No []
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [X] No [] Dates: 04/22/2014
Cultural Affairs Commission
Public Notification: Agenda and Meetings – City Council (07/10/14 and 07/24/14);
Agendas and Meetings - Cultural Affairs Commission (07/10/14); Michael Karagozian,
Trustee/Miron Karagozian Trust (07/10/14); Kevin Healy (07/10/14); Eleta Engelbrecht
and Therese Steinlauf (7/10/14); Shannon Takahashi (7/10/14); Culver Ice Foundation
(7/10/14); Culver City Historical Society (7/10/14); Julie Lugo Cerra/Culver City Historian
(7/10/14); Los Angeles Conservancy (7/10/14); and Property Owners, Occupants, and
Businesses within 500’ Radius (to End of Block) (Sent via US Mail on 07/07/14).
Department Approval:
Sol Blumenfeld (07/24/14)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (07/24/14)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (07/24/14)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (07/24/14)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council: (1) consider a recommendation from the Cultural
Affairs Commission related to a Cultural Resource Designation for the Culver City
Ice Arena (Ice Arena) located at 4545 Sepulveda Boulevard; and (2) after
considering what, if any, designation is appropriate for the Ice Arena, accept, modify
or disapprove the Cultural Affairs Commission’s recommendation for designation as
deemed appropriate.
BACKGROUND:
Culver City established a Historic Preservation Program (HPP) by Ordinance in 1991
which is codified as part of the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) as Chapter
15.05 (Historic Preservation Program). A copy of Chapter 15.05 is attached for the
City Council’s reference.
The HPP establishes a process for designating a structure or district in the City as a
Cultural Resource. It identifies three Cultural Resource classification categories for
both individual structures and districts: “Landmark,” “Significant,” and “Recognized.”
The “Landmark” and “Significant” categories have certain protections associated
with them; the “Recognized” category is honorary only. Pursuant to CCMC Section
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Agenda Item Report
15.05.025 (Classification of Structures and Districts), on February 11, 1991, the City
Council adopted Resolution 91-R015 which created a ranking system for
determining which of the three designation levels may apply. A copy of Resolution
91-R015 is attached for the City Council’s reference. The Historic Preservation
Program makes provisions for individual nominations for Cultural Resource
designation under Section 15.05.015. A structure or district may be nominated by a
resident of Culver City, the property owner, the Cultural Affairs Commission, or the
City Council.
On January 31, 2014, a nomination was submitted to the City by Kevin A. Healy, a
resident of Culver City, for the Ice Arena.
Nomination for Cultural Resource Designation – Culver City Ice Arena
Pursuant to the CCMC, the City studied the nomination and retained Architectural
Resources Group, Inc. (ARG) (www.argsf.com) to prepare a full report entitled
“Culver City Ice Arena Historic Resource Evaluation” (HRE Report). Based upon the
recommendations in the HRE Report, the Community Development Director made a
recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission, as to the appropriateness and
qualifications of the application for consideration by the CAC.
At their meeting of April 22, 2014, the CAC considered the material of record and,
after considering such material and comments provided by members of the public,
took the following action:
“MOVED BY COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS, SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR KLEIN
AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS
COMMISSION RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DESIGNATE THE
CULVER (CITY) ICE ARENA A CULTURAL RESOURCE AT THE
“SIGNIFICANT” LEVEL.”
A copy of the CAC Staff Report (including all attachments) and an excerpt from the
Commission-approved minutes for that meeting are attached for the City Council’s
reference. Additionally, a representative from ARG will be at the City Council
meeting to make a short presentation on this subject and answer any questions
posed by the City Council.
DISCUSSION:
The process for designating a structure as a Cultural Resource is set forth in CCMC
Section 15.05.030.B.1 and provides in pertinent part:
“a. Structures recommended for designation by the Cultural Affairs Commission
shall be subject to review and approval by the City Council. All owners of such
structures shall be notified in writing of the proposed designation at least ten (10)
A1-2 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
working days prior to the date of the meeting at which the City Council will make
its decision. Each owner shall be given the opportunity to be heard on the
proposed designation of his or her structure. The City Council shall either
accept, modify or disapprove the Cultural Affairs Commission
recommendations for designation of specific structures. Structures shall be
designated by resolution of the City Council” (emphasis added).
Under subsection (b), any modification or disapproval by the City Council shall
be supported by a finding explaining the basis of such modification or
disapproval.
Effect of Cultural Resource Designation per the CCMC
CCMC Section 15.05.035 provides (in pertinent part):
“A. No person shall demolish, remove or make alternations affecting the exterior
appearance of any designated landmark or significant structure or historic district,
in whole or in part, without first obtaining a Certificate of Appropriateness or a
Certificate of Exemption. The requirement and process for obtaining a Certificate of
Appropriateness shall depend on the category of exterior alteration proposed
(emphasis added).
B. The approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness shall be conditioned upon all
exterior alterations complying with the U.S. Secretary of Interior’s Standards for
Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, as the City
Council, Planning Commission or Community Development Director deems
appropriate, and with the California State Historic Building Code and Cal. Health &
Safety Code §§ 18950 et seq., as amended, as applied to the project by the Building
Official. In addition, before approving a Certificate of Appropriateness, the
Community Development Director, the Planning Commission or the City Council
shall make one or more of the following findings…”
In addition to the above, CCMC Section 15.05.035.C provides for up to a six month
waiting period in the event the Planning Commission or Community Development
Director determines that the proposed alterations would have an adverse impact. If,
at the end of the waiting period, the Planning Commission or Community
Development Director determines that the owner has acted in good faith but no
acceptable way to meet the owner’s goals and preserve the structure has been
found, if the structure is designated significant, the Certificate of Appropriateness
shall be approved; but if the structure is designated landmark, the Certificate of
Appropriateness shall be disapproved.
Certificate of Exemption
CCMC Section 15.05.040 sets forth the process for an owner to file a Certificate of
Exemption “…where, in the owner’s opinion, there has been or will be a deprivation
A1-3 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
of all reasonable use or economic return on the property…” Further, “…where a
Certificate of Exemption is approved, the owner of a landmark structure shall file with
the Community Development Director a photographic or videotape documentary of
the structure prior to making any exterior changes to, or demolition of, the
structure…”
Ultimately, any decisions related to a Certificate of Appropriateness or a Certificate
of Exemption may be appealed to the City Council.
California Environmental Quality Act Considerations
If the property owner of the Ice Arena site submits an application for development of
the property which requires a discretionary action or permit, it is likely that the
proposed project would be subject to environmental review in compliance with the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
CEQA requires that state and local public agencies identify the environmental
impacts of proposed discretionary activities or projects, determine if the impacts will
be significant, and identify alternatives and mitigation measures that will substantially
reduce or eliminate significant impacts to the environment. Historical resources are
considered part of the environment and a project that may cause a substantial
adverse effect on the significance of a historical resource is a project that may have
a significant effect on the environment. With regard to historical resources, generally
if a project conforms with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for
Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, it can be mitigated
to a less than significant level.
Historical resources as defined by CEQA include properties that have been
designated under a local preservation ordinance or that have been identified in a
local historical resources inventory to be eligible for listing in the California Register
of Historical Resources (California Register). The California Register is “an
authoritative listing and guide to be used by state and local agencies, private groups,
and citizens in identifying the existing historical resources of the state and to indicate
which resources deserve to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from
substantial adverse change.”
Based on ARG’s report, it appears there is a preponderance of evidence that the Ice
Arena is eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 1 (association
with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
California's history and cultural heritage). Therefore, for purposes of CEQA, the Ice
Arena would likely be considered a historical resource.
Conclusion
The City Council is requested to (1) consider the recommendation of the CAC to
provide the Ice Arena with the Cultural Resource Designation of “Significant;” and
A1-4 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
(2) after considering what, if any, designation is appropriate, accept, modify or
disapprove the CAC recommendation.
Pursuant to CCMC Section 15.05.030.B.1.b, any modification or disapproval shall be
supported by a finding explaining the basis for such modification or disapproval.
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The Fiscal Impact would vary depending on the decision of the City Council. Should
the City Council determine to designate the Ice Arena as a cultural resource, at a
minimum there would be costs associated with the fabrication and installation of a
plaque (if the designation is at the “Landmark” or “Significant” level). There may also
be additional costs associated with the monitoring and/or review process in the
event the property owner should submit any application to the City to alter or
demolish the structure. The amount of those costs are difficult to accurately
estimate at this time.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Chapter 15.05 of the Culver City Municipal Code (Historic Preservation
Program).
2. Cultural Affairs Commission April 22, 2014 staff report and attachments
(includes Resolution 91-R015).
3. Excerpt of April 22, 2014 CAC Meeting Minutes.
4. Proposed Resolution designating the Culver City Ice Arena as a Cultural
Resource at the “Significant” level.
5. Proposed Resolution designating the Culver City Ice Arena as a Cultural
Resource at the “Recognized” level.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
1. Accept the Cultural Affairs Commission’s recommendation and adopt a resolution
designating the Culver City Ice Arena as a Cultural Resource at the “Significant”
level (Attachment 4);
OR
2. Modify the Cultural Affairs Commission’s recommendation and adopt a
resolution designating the Culver City Ice Arena as a Cultural Resource at the
“Recognized” level (Attachment 5), stating a finding for the basis of the
modification;
A1-5 City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
OR
3. Disapprove the Cultural Affairs Commission’s recommendation, with a finding
explaining the basis for the disapproval, which finding will be recorded in the
official minutes of this meeting.
A1-6
MEETING DATE: July 28, 2014
AGENDA ITEM: (1) Consideration of a Recommendation from the Cultural
Affairs Commission Related to a Cultural Resource
Designation of the Culver City Ice Arena Located at 4545
Sepulveda Boulevard; and (2) Accept, Modify or
Disapprove the Cultural Affairs Commission’s
Recommendation for Designation as Deemed Appropriate.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1. Chapter 15.05 of the Culver City Municipal Code 1 -9
(Historic Preservation Program).
2. Cultural Affairs Commission April 22, 2014 10-66
staff report and attachments (includes Resolution 91-R015).
3. Excerpt of April 22, 2014 CAC Meeting Minutes. 67-69
4. Proposed Resolution designating the Culver City 70-71
Ice Arena as a Cultural Resource at the “Significant” level.
5. Proposed Resolution designating the Culver City 72-73
Ice Arena as a Cultural Resource at the “Recognized” level.
ATT - A1-1ATT - A1-2ATT - A1-3ATT - A1-4ATT - A1-5ATT - A1-6ATT - A1-7ATT - A1-8ATT - A1-9
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Cultural Affairs Commission (CAC): 1) Consider the information, findings
and recommendation for Culver City Cultural Resource designation included in the
Historic Resource Evaluation for the Culver City Ice Arena (the “Ice Arena”)
prepared by Architectural Resources Group; and, 2) Make a recommendation to the
City Council regarding designation of the Ice Arena pursuant to the City’s Historic
Preservation Program.
BACKGROUND:
Culver City established a Historic Preservation Program by Ordinance in 1991 that
identifies three classification categories for both individual structures and districts:
“Landmark”, “Significant” and “Recognized”. The “Landmark” and “Significant”
categories have certain protections associated with them; the “Recognized” category
is honorific only. The City’s Historic Preservation Program is currently included in
the Culver City Municipal Code (“CCMC”) under Section 15.05 et seq. In 1991, the
City Council also adopted Resolution 91-R015 (Attachment No. 3) which outlines a
system for ranking and classifying structures.
To date, all individual structures and districts designated Cultural Resources under
Culver City’s Historic Preservation Program were made in conjunction with a survey
Meeting Date: April 22, 2014 Item Number: A-1
CULTRUAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of a
Nomination for Cultural Resource Designation for the Culver City Ice Arena at 4545
Sepulveda Boulevard and Recommendation to the City Council as Deemed
Appropriate.
Contact Person: B. Christine Byers,
Historic Preservation Coordinator
Phone Number: (310) 253-6543 or
(310) 253-5776
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [] Action Item: [X] Attachments: [X]
Public Notification: Meetings and Agendas - Cultural Affairs Commission (4/8/14 and
4/17/14); Michael Karagozian, Trustee/Miron Karagozian Trust (4/8/14); Kevin Healy
(4/8/14); Therese Steinlauf (4/8/14); Shannon Takahashi (4/8/14); Culver Ice Foundation
(4/8/14); Culver City Historical Society (4/8/14); Julie Lugo Cerra/Culver City Historian
(4/8/14); and, Los Angeles Conservancy (4/8/14).
Department Approval:
Sol Blumenfeld (04/17/14)
ATT - A1-10completed in 1987 by Thirtieth Street Architects, Inc., together with
recommendations included in the 1990 Culver City Historic Preservation Advisory
Committee (“HPAC”) Report. (The HPAC, comprised of representatives of
community organizations and at-large members, was tasked with making
recommendations regarding criteria for designating buildings of historic significance
and ranking structures based on these criteria. The majority of the structures ranked
and recommended for designation by the HPAC were included in the 1987 survey.)
Currently, Culver City’s register of Cultural Resources includes over 120 individual
structures and three historic districts.
The Historic Preservation Program makes provisions for individual nominations for
Cultural Resource designation under Section 15.05.015. A structure or district may
be nominated by a resident of Culver City, the property owner, the Cultural Affairs
Commission, or the City Council. On January 31, 2014, a nomination was submitted
to the City by Kevin A. Healy (Attachment 1), a resident of Culver City, for the Culver
City Ice Arena located at 4545 Sepulveda Boulevard as “a monument to 1960s
architecture …. [and] a symbol of community spirit.”
DISCUSSION:
According to the CCMC, following the submission of a nomination for designation,
the Community Development Director shall prepare an evaluation of the proposed
designation and make a recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission as to
the appropriateness and qualifications of the application for consideration by the
Commission. The City retained Architectural Resources Group, Inc. (ARG)
(www.argsf.com) to prepare the evaluation for the proposed designation, and a full
report was prepared, entitled “Culver City Ice Arena Historic Resource Evaluation”
(the “HRE Report”) (Attachment 2). Based on the contents of the Report, the
Community Development Director has found that the Ice Arena is appropriate and
qualified to be considered by the Commission for designation as a “Significant”
structure.
Pursuant to the CCMC, the Community Development Director needed to make his
recommendation within forty-five (45) working days of submittal of a nomination, by
April 11, 2014. The Cultural Affairs Commission’s regular meeting day is the second
Tuesday of each month. The closest CAC meeting within the 45 day time-frame
was April 8, 2014, the date of the City's 2014 General Municipal Election which
meant the Council Chambers would not be available. Due to the level of public
interest in the Ice Arena, the CAC agreed to hold a Special Meeting on April 22
nd
when the Council Chambers were available, thereby facilitating participation of the
public in this process.
In order to be considered for designation, the structure must meet one of the
following threshold criteria:
ATT - A1-111. The structure(s) is at least fifty (50) years old and the exterior of the structure
is accessible or visible to the public; OR
2. The structure or district has special importance to the City.
The Ice Arena meets the threshold requirement based on the first criterion alone.
Constructed in 1962, the structure is now fifty-two (52) years old and is visible to the
public.
After establishing that at least one of the threshold criteria has been met, a structure
shall be reviewed for compliance with one or more assessment criteria as defined by
Section 15.05.10 of the CCMC:
1. Is the structure(s) of “architectural significance”?
2. Is the structure(s) of “historical or cultural significance?
3. Do the structures in the district collectively meet 1 or 2 above?
[This third criterion does not apply to the Ice Arena.]
The attached HRE Report is a summary of ARG’s analysis and findings, including a
recommendation for designation as a Cultural Resource based on the categories
included in Resolution No. 91-R015. The authors of the report 1) researched and
referred to published and on-line sources, documents included in City files,
documents from the ice rink operator’s files, and ephemera (i.e., catalogues,
pamphlets, ticket stubs and other items intended to last for no more than one day);
and 2) conducted personal interviews for purposes of compiling as much information
about the Ice Arena within the prescribed time-frame. ARG staff also conducted a
site visit to the Ice Arena on January 31, 2014 while it was still in operation.
ARG’s report provides a detailed description of the Ice Arena site and the building’s
exterior and interior at the end of January 2014. In order to make findings according
to the City’s Historic Preservation Program ranking system, it was necessary to
consider the individuals associated with the design and construction of the structure,
the structure’s architectural style and construction materials, the association with
prominent persons, whether there was an association with historical patterns or
significant events, other examples of similar types and styles of structures, and
whether the Ice Arena is well preserved or has been significantly altered. Further, a
larger context for the site was established by discussing the growth of ice skating in
the region, indoor recreation and suburban development, and the site’s association
with figure skating and ice hockey.
In evaluating the Ice Arena pursuant to the criteria included in Culver City’s Historic
Preservation Program, ARG’s report concludes that the structure is Significant for
the following reasons:
ATT - A1-121. Its association with post-war indoor recreation that catered to youth of the
baby boom generation in a developing suburban context; and,
2. Its association with ice skating, both for recreation and as organized and
professional sports in the form of figure skating and hockey, providing a place
to support and cultivate local interest and talent, including individuals who
became national and Olympic champions.
In addition, the Ice Arena is one of five extant rinks over 50 years old in Los Angeles
County and only one of three that has not been altered on the exterior and still reflects
its historical appearance.
Classification ranking as a Cultural Resource is based on the total number of points
assigned in each category. “Landmark” structures have a total point range of 41-60;
“Significant” structures have a total point range of 21-40; and “Recognized”
structures a total point range of 5-20.
The total number of points assigned the Culver City Ice Arena is 25, making it
eligible for designation as a Culver City Cultural Resource at the “Significant” level.
When a structure is recommended for designation, the owner of record as well as
the applicant shall be notified in writing at least ten calendar days prior to the CAC’s
or City Council’s review. Non-residential structures may be designated “Significant”
without owner consent. Once the property is designated, a plaque, provided by the
City, shall be displayed at the site which indicates that the structure is designated
“Significant”.
Even though the Culver City Ice Arena’s ranking places it within the point total for
“Significant” designation, the CAC has the option of recommending designation at
the “Recognized” level or that the nomination for designation be disapproved.
Alterations or Demolition of “Landmark” and “Significant” Designated Structures
Structures designated at the “Landmark” and “Significant” levels require a Certificate
of Appropriateness prior to demolishing, removing or making any alterations
affecting the exterior appearance. Depending on whether the proposed alterations
are major or minor, a Certificate of Appropriateness is reviewed and approved or
disapproved by the Community Development Director or the Planning Commission.
Even if the Community Development Director or Planning Commission determine
that the proposed alteration, demolition or removal would have an adverse impact on
a structure designated as “Significant,” a Certificate of Appropriateness would have
to be issued if the applicant observes a six-month waiting period during which
he/she makes a good faith effort to identify alternatives accomplishing the
applicant’s goals while preserving the structure but is unable to do so. In contrast, a
Certificate of Appropriateness would have to be denied for a structure designated as
a “Landmark” if the applicant is unable to identify alternatives to accomplishing their
ATT - A1-13goals during the six-month waiting period or if the applicant has not made a good
faith effort to identify alternatives during the waiting period.
An owner who has been denied a Certificate of Appropriateness can subsequently
apply for a Certificate of Exemption. Findings made by the Planning Commission in
support of the request include assessment of the feasibility of converting the
structure to a new use; rehabilitation or relocation of the structure; feasibility of all
means involving City-sponsored incentives; or that the disapproval of the Certificate
of Exemption would damage the owner unreasonably in comparison to the benefit
conferred on the community.
Except for the instance outlined above that includes a maximum six-month waiting
period, the approval of a Certificate of Appropriateness is conditioned upon all
exterior alterations conforming with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for
Rehabilitation and Guidelines for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings (“Standards”),
which include the preservation of character-defining features (Attachment 4). In the
case of the Culver City Ice Arena, character-defining features include the entrance
and signage, as well as its overall utilitarian design.
The Standards state that “a property will be used as it was historically or be given a
new use that requires minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces,
and spatial relationships.” While many historically designated properties change use
over time in order to remain economically viable, in a case such as the Ice Arena it is
important to note that the significance rests primarily with patterns of events rather
than the association with a well-known architect or because the structure is a
notable example of any particular style or building type. Therefore, if continued use
as an ice rink is not feasible, then related recreational uses should be explored as an
alternative before considering non-recreational activities.
The City’s Historic Preservation Program also includes provisions for economic
hardship through a Certificate of Exemption for “Landmark” and “Significant”
designated structures. In preparing an application for a Certificate of Exemption, the
property owner has the burden of proof to present evidence supporting the
exemption request. Findings made by the Planning Commission in support of the
request include assessment of the feasibility of converting the structure to a new
use; rehabilitation or relocation of the structure; feasibility of all means involving City-
sponsored incentives; or that the disapproval of the Certificate of Exemption would
damage the owner unreasonably in comparison to the benefit conferred on the
community.
CEQA and The California Register
If the property owner of the Ice Arena site submits an application for development of
the property which requires a discretionary action or permit, it is likely that the
ATT - A1-14proposed project would need to be reviewed for compliance with the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
The California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) requires that state and local
public agencies identify the environmental impacts of proposed discretionary
activities or projects, determine if the impacts will be significant, and identify
alternatives and mitigation measures that will substantially reduce or eliminate
significant impacts to the environment. Historical resources are considered part of
the environment and a project that may cause a substantial adverse effect on the
significance of a historical resource is a project that may have a significant effect on
the environment. With regard to historical resources, generally if a project conforms
with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation and Guidelines
for Rehabilitating Historic Buildings, it can be mitigated to a less than significant
level.
Historical resources as defined by CEQA include properties that have been
designated under a local preservation ordinance or that have been identified in a
local historical resources inventory to be eligible for listing in the California Register
of Historical Resources (California Register). The California Register is “an
authoritative listing and guide to be used by state and local agencies, private groups,
and citizens in identifying the existing historical resources of the state and to indicate
which resources deserve to be protected, to the extent prudent and feasible, from
substantial adverse change.”
Based on ARG’s report, there is a preponderance of evidence that the Ice Arena
appears eligible for listing in the California Register under Criterion 1 (association
with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of
California's history and cultural heritage). Therefore, for purposes of CEQA, the Ice
Arena would be considered a historical resource.
NOTE: In Culver City, demolition is a ministerial action and does not trigger CEQA
review. In the event that the Ice Arena is not designated a Culver City Cultural
Resource at the “Significant” level, if a demolition permit were submitted to the City
for the Ice Arena, the permit would be granted (the “Recognized” category does not
protect the Ice Arena from demolition under the CCMC).
Final Designation as a Cultural Resource
Final designation as a Culver City Cultural Resource will be made by the City
Council. At this time, no specific date has been determined for placing this item on
the City Council’s agenda. The City will provide advance notice once a date has
been scheduled.
ATT - A1-15
FISCAL ANALYSIS:
The future fiscal impacts of this action are unknown at this time. Typically, however,
projects affecting historical resources require additional review and staff time.
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Nomination for Cultural Resource Designation Submitted by Kevin A. Healy;
2. Culver City Ice Arena Historic Resource Evaluation prepared by Architectural
Resources Group, Inc.;
3. Culver City City Council Resolution No. 91-R015; and,
4. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
MOTION:
That the Culver City Cultural Affairs Commission:
1. Recommend the City Council designate the Culver City Ice Arena a Cultural
Resource at the “Significant” level;
OR
2. Recommend the City Council designate the Culver City Ice Arena a Cultural
Resource at the “Recognized” level;
OR
3. Recommend the City Council disapprove the nomination for designation of the
Culver City Ice Arena as a Cultural Resource.
ATT - A1-16
MEETING DATE: April 22, 2014
AGENDA ITEM: Consideration of a Nomination for Cultural Resource
Designation for the Culver City Ice Arena at 4545
Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City and Recommendation
to the City Council as Deemed Appropriate.
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1. Nomination for Cultural Resource Designation 1-2
Submitted by Kevin A. Healy
2. Culver City Ice Arena Historic Resource Evaluation 3-43
prepared by Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
3. Culver City City Council Resolution No. 91-R015 44-48
4. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for 49
Rehabilitation
ATT - A1-17ATT - A1-18ATT - A1-19
Culver City Ice Arena
Historic Resource Evaluation
4545 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, California 90230
prepared for
City of Culver City
9770 Culver Boulevard
Culver City, CA 90232
prepared by
Architectural Resources Group, Inc.
Architects, Planners & Conservators
8 Mills Place. Suite 300
Pasadena, CA 91105
……………………………………………
April 15, 2014
ATT - A1-20Culver City Ice Arena
Historic Resource Evaluation April 15, 2014
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP, INC.
Architects, Planners, & Conservators
Contents
I. Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 1
II. Architectural Description ..................................................................................................................... 1
II.1 Site and Setting Description ........................................................................................................ 1
II.2 Building Description ..................................................................................................................... 2
III. Chronology of Development and Alterations ................................................................................... 12
IV. Background and Historic Contexts ................................................................................................. 18
IV.1 Background: Growth in the Local Popularity of Ice Skating .................................................... 18
IV.2 Historic Contexts for Culver City Ice Arena ............................................................................... 20
IV.3 Comparison with Other Extant Ice Rinks ................................................................................... 24
V. Criteria for Evaluation ....................................................................................................................... 27
V.1 City of Culver City Cultural Resources .................................................................................... 27
V.2 California Register of Historical Resources .............................................................................. 28
V.3 National Register of Historic Places ........................................................................................... 29
VI. Evaluation of Significance ............................................................................................................ 30
VI.1 Culver City Cultural Resource .................................................................................................. 30
VI.2 California Register of Historical Resources .............................................................................. 32
VI.3 National Register of Historic Places ........................................................................................... 34
VI.4 Historic Integrity ......................................................................................................................... 34
VII. Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 35
IIX. Sources .......................................................................................................................................... 36
ATT - A1-21Culver City Ice Arena
Historic Resource Evaluation April 15, 2014 Page 1
ARCHITECTURAL RESOURCES GROUP, INC.
Architects, Planners, & Conservators
I. Introduction
At the request of the City of Culver City, Architectural Resources Group, Inc. (ARG) has prepared this
Historic Resource Evaluation for the Culver City Ice Arena located at 4545 Sepulveda Blvd. in Culver
City. The facility was constructed in 1962 and was first known as the Culver Ice Rink. Recently, intense
community interest has arisen in the Ice Arena’s role as a local recreational resource due to the closure of
the facility resulting from loss of the ground lease.
ARG has prepared this evaluation at the request of the City due to a nomination that was put forward by a
member of the public. The intent of the report is to assess whether the Culver City Ice Arena meets the
criteria for designation at the local level as a Culver City Cultural Resource, or for the California Register
of Historical Resources or National Register of Historic Places.
Completion of this evaluation involved a visit to the rink in the days prior to its closure to the public,
research in the City’s files on the property, and primary and secondary research on the relevant historic
contexts. Several people who have had long-time involvement with the facility were also interviewed to
gain more information. This report was prepared by Jennifer Trotoux, Associate and Architectural
Historian, Andrew Goodrich, Architectural Historian, and Katie Horak, Senior Associate and
Architectural Historian, all of whom meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualifications
Standards in Architectural History and/or History.
This report finds that the Culver City Ice Arena is eligible for local listing as a Culver City Cultural
Resource due to its role in the growth and support of ice skating, which was an important form of sport
and recreation during the period following World War II in Southern California. It is also one of few rinks
left from the period. Due to this significance, the building also appears eligible for the California Register
of Historical Resources. The National Register requires a higher level of analysis and documentation, and
the literature on post-war sport and recreation is not sufficient to support National Register eligibility for
the property.
II. Architectural Description
II.1 Site and Setting Description
The Culver City Ice Arena is located on the west side of Sepulveda Blvd. south of Venice Blvd. near the
10 Freeway to the north and the 405 Freeway to the west. For purposes of description in this report, the
street side will be referred to as the east side, the rear the west side, etc., since Sepulveda Blvd. runs in a
generally north-south direction (see diagram, next page).
The property is approximately 2.74 acres with the rectangular footprint of the building oriented parallel to
the street, close to the sidewalk. A large parking lot lies to the rear with a narrower portion of the parking
lot extending around the north side, and a wide driveway on the south side. The parking lot is surrounded
by a concrete masonry unit (CMU) wall that appears to be an original feature. The perimeter is punctuated
by small, low planters with flagstone facing. The site is fully paved with the exception of the front of the
building and the small planters that are located around the parking lot. The plantings include juniper trees
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on the street façade and the parking lot entrance and a large banana plant at the southeast corner. The
larger specimens appear to be original features since they are of substantial size and the plants are
consistent with varieties that were popular during the time period, along with later, smaller bushes and
groundcover. The planters around the entrance are not in use and the dirt area is covered over with
synthetic fabric, but they remain intact.
Aerial view. The subject property is outlined in red. Aerial image from maps.google.com.
II.2 Building Description
The building is a 30,000-square-foot commercial vernacular structure with a rectangular plan measuring
230 by 120 feet. It is constructed of steel trusses with exterior walls finished mainly in painted concrete
tilt-up slabs.|1010| The slightly vaulted roof has a very low profile so that the roof appears essentially flat from
|1010| The nephew of rink co-founder Gaffron Mueller, George Bavin, relates that his brother recalled the tilt-slab
construction of the building. An undated but early drawing by consulting engineer Mackintosh & Mackintosh in the
City’s permit file confirms that the exterior walls are tilt-up construction.
NORTH
(North for
purposes of
description in
this report.)
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the street. The exterior walls are minimally articulated, with vertical divisions marking the bays and a
broader, horizontal band lining the cornice. These exterior bays are approximately twenty feet in width
and appear to express the width of each tilt-up slab and possibly the locations of the interior trusses.|1010| The
vertical elements, which read as simplified pilasters, are wider on the sides of the building and narrower
on the street and rear facades. An additional horizontal band on the north side marks the approximate
floor line of a mezzanine inserted within the volume. The building’s exterior is generally windowless with
the exception of the north side and a small cluster of windows on the south side. An entrance porch with
an extended, flat canopy marks the northeast corner of the building.
The building’s most distinctive features are its entrance and its signage. A freestanding pole sign at the
sidewalk near the pedestrian and parking entrances consists of two parallel vertical poles capped by a
trapezoidal box sign with flared corners. The two poles extend beyond the top of the box sign, which
reads “ICE SKATING” in white lettering punctuated by small, orange starbursts. A snowflake-like
feature, in the shape of a starburst consisting of small white spheres, sits between the poles directly
beneath the box sign. A rectangular backlit marquee with changeable lettering is mounted on the lower
portion. A thin, white metal conduit connects the bottom of the snowflake with the top of the marquee
sign. Complementing this sign is a slightly larger than life-size figure skater perched on the edge of the
entrance roof canopy. The figure, with its outstretched arms and lifted knee, appears to be made of
painted fiberglass. Although it has become a fixture associated with the building, it was not placed here
until the 1980s. Both of these signage elements are highly visible in the low-rise Sepulveda Blvd.
corridor.
The entrance, on the north end of the street side of the building, is marked by a flat canopy supported on
thin metal posts that extends from the northeast corner. Wall cladding of thin “Roman” brick, laid to
emphasize the horizontal line, wraps the corner below the canopy. The column terminates in a flagstone-
clad planter; the same flagstone also forms a low base at the corner. These entrance features are a product
of the local vernacular of the time period, generally modernist in style, and readily identify the building
with its time period. The five-bay, aluminum-frame entrance contains a door in the central bay, while the
northern two bays hold the ticket office and the southern two bays are fixed. A horizontal, rectangular
office window with a bezel surround is also located north of the doors on the outside brick wall.
The refrigeration plant and Zamboni bay are located at the south end of the rear, parking lot side of the
building. A number of small utility additions and enclosures line much of the remainder of the rear of the
building. The south side, like the north side, has wide vertical pilasters dividing the façade into bays.
|1010| Original plans for the building were not located in time for this report, but may be available in the future from the
collection of the daughter of the rink’s designer, Carl W. Engelbrecht (see sources).
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View west of east (main) façade and signage. Google Street View, accessed March 2014.
View southwest of main pedestrian and parking entrance. ARG,
1/31/14.
View northwest of signage. ARG, 1/31/14.
Added exterior entrance to pro shop in center of main (east)
façade. ARG, 1/31/14.
View northwest of south façade with planters at corner. ARG,
1/31/14.
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Utility area at south end of the rear of the building. ARG,
1/31/14.
View southeast of parking lot and rear and north facades. ARG,
1/31/14.
North facade of building and a portion of rear façade. ARG,
1/31/14.
View southwest of entrance. ARG, 1/31/14.
View northwest of entrance. ARG, 1/31/14. View southwest within entrance porch. ARG, 1/31/14.
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Interior Description
The building’s interior consists mostly of a large, clear-span space to house the skating rink, with other
functions occupying the two-story (mezzanine) spaces on the north and east sides.
To the north (right) upon entrance are located the skate rental desk, a locker area, and a warming room.
The skate rental area has shelves for equipment and an example, at its east end, of what may have been
the building’s original lockers. Other lockers throughout the public areas appear to have been replaced.
The warming room, formerly a snack bar, contains vending machines and table seating and has a bank of
windows that provide a view of the ice rink. The finishes of these spaces include a decorative laminate
wall board with an irregular stone pattern, wood tongue and grove paneling, and plain wall board panels.
The tongue and groove panels appear to be original features.
The stone-patterned laminate panels are apparently an original feature of the front of the skate rental
counter. The warming room and snack bar were open areas when the rink first began operation, but they
were enclosed soon after, in the early 1960s, and the stone-patterned panels were continued across those
new walls.|1010|
A mezzanine level is stacked above these spaces on the north side, accessed by stairways at its east and
west ends that lead to a circulation gallery overlooking the ice. Small functions such as a first aid station
are located beneath the stairs. Offices are located at the east end of the north side, and two large rooms for
gatherings and classes are located at the center and west end. These function rooms have large, sliding
aluminum-frame windows on the exterior as well as on the gallery side for visual communication with the
main space. The floors in the function rooms are nonoriginal laminate with a wood look. The ceilings in
all second-floor spaces are open with exposed wood rafters and insulating Tectum panels as throughout
the building.
On the east side of the building, a pro shop is located on the first floor with an office and restrooms, with
men’s and women’s locker rooms above in a second floor that were added in 1983. The exterior entrance
to the pro shop was added in 1993.
The main interior space is occupied by the ice rink. The space is defined by the series of steel trusses that
span the building. Built-in bleachers with spectator seating for about 1,200 are located along the long east
and west sides of the rink with circulation areas between the rink walls and the risers. A low wall with a
continuous wood cap surrounds the rink; this is supplemented with clear plastic panels and netting at the
north end to protect those off the ice during hockey play. The ceiling finishes are the exposed structure of
the steel trusses, painted wood purlins, and insulating Tectum panels facing the spaces between the
structural elements.
Light fixtures in the main interior are of three types: over the ice surface there are cylindrical shades with
a metal cap in a flattened cone shape. A secondary system of industrial-type lights over the ice surface has
large, metal, dome-shaped shades with a cage beneath; these were apparently installed by the late 1960s.
|1010| Per Richie Takahashi, telephone conversation, March 20, 2014.
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An early photo of the rink shows the cylindrical fixtures with their original metal finish, which was
corroding and later painted over in white (mostly obscuring the decorative perforations seen in the early
image).|1010| A third type is located off the rink itself, where adjustable metal cone shade fixtures illuminate
stairways and other smaller areas. All three of these types of lighting fixtures are early enough to be
considered features that contribute to the character of the building. Additional lighting is from flush-
mounted box fluorescent fixtures.
View southeast of entrance (left) and stairs to north mezzanine.
ARG, 1/31/14.
View northeast of box office and entrance (right). ARG,
1/31/14.
View north through box office. ARG, 1/31/14. View east toward entrance. ARG, 1/31/14.
|1010| Per Richie Takahashi, telephone conversation, March 20, 2014.
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North side of rink, view west, with skate rental counter at right.
ARG, 1/31/14.
Skate rental area behind counter (right), view east. ARG,
1/31/14.
View northwest of locker area (foreground, right) and enclosed
changing room. ARG, 1/31/14.
Interior of changing room, view northwest. ARG, 1/31/14.
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View east of north edge of rink (right) and warming room (left).
ARG, 1/31/14.
Interior of snack bar, view northwest. ARG, 1/31/14.
Steel trusses and spectator seating on east side of rink, view
south. ARG, 1/31/14.
View south of rink from north mezzanine gallery.
Steel trusses and spectator seating on west side of rink, view
south. ARG, 1/31/14.
View northeast of rink with mezzanine and gallery at north end.
ARG, 1/31/14.
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Built-in bench and display cases at northwest corner of interior,
near warming room. ARG, 1/31/14.
West stairs to gallery/north mezzanine, view north.
View west of gallery/mezzanine. ARG, 1/31/14. View east of gallery/mezzanine. ARG, 1/31/14.
Office in north mezzanine, view northwest. ARG, 1/31/14. Function room in north mezzanine, view west. ARG, 1/31/14.
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View north of Pro Shop. Christine Byers, 2/7/14. View south of Pro Shop counter and office. Christine Byers,
2/7/14.
Stairs to east mezzanine lockers (1983). Christine Byers,2/7/14. West locker room (1983). Christine Byers, 2/7/14.
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III. Chronology of Development and Alterations
The Culver Ice Rink, as it was first known, was developed in the early 1960s. The rink was established by
a group of partners who commissioned, sponsored, and administered the rink for its first 25 years of
existence. Business license and other City records list the original partners as Cloyd W. Green, Jerome
Burr, Samuel H. Porter, and Gaffron D. Mueller.|1010| Mueller had experience with ice skating facilities and
Jerome Burr was the owner and operator of the Mar Vista Bowl and managed the nearby El Rancho
Family Billiard Club. The first manager of the rink was Jerry Page. Burr was identified in the City records
and correspondence as the President and Mueller as the Vice President of Culver Ice Rink, Inc.
Gaffron Mueller had roots in Los Angeles going back to the 1920s, when he moved west from Butte,
Montana. Starting out in bus driving and the engineering and construction of retaining walls in the new
development of Hollywoodland, he later worked as a deputy sheriff for 15 years. Mueller was from a
highly mechanically-inclined family that included generations of surveyors, mathematicians, and
architects. Mueller also loved the mountains, and when he was able to do so, he purchased approximately
100 acres in Lake Arrowhead.
Mueller sought out ways to mix his personal and business interests. He held patents granted in 1955 for
ski bindings and fasteners. As a part of his Lake Arrowhead investments, he purchased the skating rink at
Blue Jay. The Blue Jay rink began in the 1930s as a small, rustic facility with a canvas roof, but was later
expanded to an open-air facility covered by a steel-frame roof, a music room with an organ for
entertaining the skaters, and a coffee shop.|1010| Mueller himself designed, constructed and maintained the ice
maintenance machinery, and he and his wife Dorothy, who travelled the world to attend skating
competitions, were involved in the day-to-day administration of the rink. With this experience, Mueller
and his partners in Culver City embarked on the task of establishing a new rink on the West Side of Los
Angeles.
The owners of the prospective ice rink applied in May of 1960 for a zoning variance to establish the rink
on the property. The front portion of the property, adjoining Sepulveda Blvd., had commercial (C-3)
zoning, while the rear portion had residential (R-1) zoning and was adjacent to single-family residences
and apartment buildings on surrounding streets. The variance was necessary due to the latter condition.
The neighbors voiced objections to the rink out of particular dread of the parking lot conditions at night:
“The noise situation which would arise, with great numbers of teen-age filled cars emptying through this
road [a secondary access road] between Sepulveda and at late night hours would clearly be intolerable,
and would immediately degrade living values and property values throughout the area,” asserted a
|1010| ARG was in contact with a nephew of Gaffron Mueller. Further research may result in contact with family
members of Green, Burr, or Porter who may have information from their perspectives, but such research was outside
of the scope of this report. |1010| The Blue Jay rink (as well as the later-established training facility on Burnt Mill Road, the Ice Palace) was more
recently owned by Carol and Walter Probst. The San Bernardino Sun in a 1978 article identified Gaffron and
Dorothy Mueller as the owners of the rink since 1956. The Muellers’ nephew also recalls that their involvement in
the Blue Jay rink preceded their establishment of the Culver Ice Rink. He reports that the family sold the rink in the
early 1980s, which corresponds to the date (1983) that the Probsts are said to have built a house at Lake Arrowhead.
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petition signed by 14 neighbors urging the City to deny the variance. Despite this, the variance was
approved unanimously by the Planning Commission on June 15, 1960.
In 1961 Jerome Burr requested and was granted two 180-day extensions of the variance from the Planning
Commission. As he explained in his second request, “We are experiencing a little difficulty at this time in
arranging the necessary financing, as it is necessary for us to put up cash for the building.” Burr was in
the process of selling the Mar Vista Bowl in order to finance the construction of the ice rink, and was
experiencing delays in the closing of the transaction.|1010|
The eventual designer of the building is discussed below, but prior to the project settling on the structural
and civil engineering company George J. Fosdyke and Associates, the design had taken an interesting
detour. According to plans in the City’s possession, architect Carl Maston, a well-regarded Los Angeles
modernist, was involved in the early design of the rink. Maston had collaborated with engineer Richard
Bradshaw on the design of the Tarzana Ice Rink, which opened in 1960 (the building is pictured on page
26).|1010| The significant aspect of this building was the pre-cast concrete “toroid shell” that formed the main
structure, a bold and unusual structural system with an elegant simplicity to it, a quality which made the
Tarzana Ice Rink architecturally forward-looking and visually distinctive.
The earliest plans on file for the Culver City Ice Arena, dated June 13 and 15, 1960, show the building
planned as a toroid shell, with the ribs of the shell reflected in the wavy profile of the exterior walls.|10 10|
Although these 1960 plans do not appear to have come from Marston’s office, other plans showing the
same structure do, in fact, have Marston’s title block. Since these plans are undated, it is not known when
the Marston office became involved in the commission. However, by early 1962 Fosdyke and Assoc. had
obtained the commission to go forward with the building’s design (according to their drawings, one of
which is pictured below right) and applied for the building permit in March of that year.
Marston’s other drawings on file with the City show alternatives for the placement of the building. Since
the building’s placement was an issue for the neighbors in the process of granting the zoning variance, it
seems most likely that Marston’s undated drawings show the alternatives that were considered prior to the
June, 1960 granting of the variance.
|1010| Jerome Burr to Culver City Planning Commission, 16 October 1961; Motion carried to extend variance by
Planning Commission on Nov. 8, 1961. |1010| Maston also had a project at the same time for an ice rink in Encino which may not have been built. Carl Maston
Papers, Finding Aid, USC Libraries. |10 10| The zoning variance for the property was granted on June 15, 1960 and these plans were probably used as exhibits
in that decision.
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Site plan by Carl Maston, Architect; undated, but appears to be
prior to June, 1960. City of Culver City.
Site Plan by George Fosdyke and Associates, February 14, 1962.
City of Culver City.
The change of architect meant a major change in the appearance of the building. It is possible, on the
basis of the delays noted, that the “difficulty” with financing affected not only the timing of the rink’s
construction but that it also may have dissuaded the partners from pursuing a more structurally and
architecturally daring design.
The building for the Culver City Ice Arena was designed by Carl W. Engelbrecht (1913-1990), an
architect with George J. Fosdyke and Assoc. The oldest of seven children, he was sent to Loyola for
college but took it upon himself to transfer to architecture school. Engelbrecht became a draftsman during
World War II and worked at Douglas Aircraft in the design of airplanes. Following the war, he worked
for the General Engineering Service Company in Los Angeles. Since many careers in architecture had
been curtailed by the war, those who worked in the field but had not become licensed were eventually
able to apply for credit for their work experience and given the opportunity to take the State licensing
exams. Engelbrecht, who had harbored a life-long devotion to architecture, took advantage of this
opportunity, passed the exams, and eventually joined the AIA. He spent much of his architectural career
with George J. Fosdyke and Associates, and it was with this firm that he obtained the commission to
design the Culver Ice Rink.
According to his daughter, Engelbrecht was highly meticulous and well-versed in building codes and
architectural details. The design of the Culver City Ice Arena seems to have been among the highlights of
his career. Unfortunately, some of the features he envisioned for the building, which may have given it a
stronger identification with the sports practiced within, were not executed due to further budgetary
constraints. He had designed a series of cut-out metal panels with silhouettes of people engaged in skating
that would have articulated the primary façade along Sepulveda Blvd. An echo of this idea is found in the
figures that are painted on the building’s exterior.
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The building’s freestanding sign was fabricated by Heath and Company. Since Heath supplied a color
rendering of the sign, it appears that they also designed it. The rendering shows, in addition to the features
that one sees today, a sketch-like figure of a skater in red mounted between the box sign and the marquee.
The material that was proposed for this delicate feature is not known, but it may have been metal or even
neon. In any case, it was not executed, nor was a second snowflake shown in the rendering above the
main box sign to correspond to the one below. In other words, a somewhat simplified version of the
signage design was permitted in August of 1962, several months after the original permit for the building
itself. City records indicate that the height of the sign was allowed at 45 feet.
The original ground lease for the property had a term of 49 years, from 1960 to 2009.
10
After that point it
was extended with short-term leases. The same family has remained the property owner from the
inception of the rink. The original lease notes Sam and Julia Karagozian as the property owners; the
current owner is Michael Karagozian. The owner of the business is listed as the owner in the permit
records as noted below.
The building permit was issued in March of 1962, and the rink opened to the public that November. The
All Year Figure Skating Club moved to the facility that year from the Polar Palace in Hollywood (which
was soon lost to fire). In the program for its first annual skating review, in June, 1963, several dozen
skaters performed, some as young as 3 years old. Future Olympic champion Peggy Fleming, then 14
years old, was among the soloists.
A small number of rinks in the Los Angeles area hosted champion skaters as coaches and trainers. The
Pasadena Winter Garden, Pickwick Ice, and Culver Ice Rink were among the larger rinks equipped as
training facilities. The Polar Palace in Hollywood had recently been destroyed by fire (May of 1963), so
the establishment of a large, new rink in a central location on the West Side was a boon to the skating
community.
One of the better-known teachers at Culver Ice Rink was Mabel Fairbanks. Despite her evident skills and
accomplishments, she was barred from competition due to discrimination since she was African
American. As a result, she decided to forge her own career performing in ice shows and, later, in
coaching. In the 1940s she moved to Los Angeles and performed with travelling shows such as the Ice
Capades and Ice Follies. She continued coaching until the age of 79, and was inducted into the U. S.
Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1997, the first African American skater to receive such recognition. In her
obituary, the Guardian newspaper noted:
As she grew older, Fairbanks turned increasingly to coaching, and is credited with helping the
careers of US and world champions such as Scott Hamilton, Atoy Wilson, Tiffany Chin, and
1970s champions Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, whom she put together as a skating pair. She
also coached Kristi Yamaguchi, the 1992 Olympic gold medallist, in her early days, and also first
paired the Japanese American with champion Rudy Galindo, Hispanic.
10
Ground lease executed between Sam and Julia Karagozian and Samuel H. Porter, Jerome Burr, Gaffron D.
Mueller, and Cloyd W. Green, recorded April 20, 1962 with the County of Los Angeles. Culver City planning files.
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Atoy Wilson, now 50, became the first African-American to win the US national championship,
and first met Fairbanks when he was eight at an LA skating rink. She forced LA's Culver City
skating club to become the first such institution to admit an African American in 1965.
11
It appears, then, that from a very early time in its history, Culver City Ice Arena became known as a place
where people from all parts of the community were welcome to skate. This was likely due in large part to
the presence of Mabel Fairbanks and its location, which was accessible to many modest neighborhoods of
the West Side. Adam Dyer, a skating enthusiast who is African American, recently wrote:
The other thing that spoke to me (about the Culver City Ice Arena) was how many kids of color
were on the ice. It was the first time in all of my years of following figure skating that I had seen
that many kids of color on the ice. One of the first people I met was Catherine Machado, US
National Bronze medalist (1955, 1956) as well as the first Latina national champion (Junior,
1954)…. I remember her telling me that one reason she loved this rink was that, although she
loved all her students, Culver City attracted the kids who looked and sounded like her and it was
important for them to see a role model.
12
Many of the best-known American figure skaters have been associated with Culver City Ice Arena
through their time spent training there, among them Scott Hamilton, Dorothy Hamill, and Michelle Kwan
in addition to those named above.
Aside from its strong associations with figure skating, the Culver City Ice Arena has a long history with
ice hockey. The Los Angeles Kings were established locally as a professional franchise by Jack Kent
Cooke in 1966 and began to compete in the 1967-1968 season. They played their games at the Forum in
Inglewood, a facility that Cooke had built, and adopted Culver City Ice Arena as their first practice
facility. The rink was reportedly enlarged by fifteen feet in order to be of regulation size to accommodate
their practice.
13
During the period the Kings practiced at Culver City Ice Arena, they gained fame through
luminaries such as Wayne Gretzky, who had the highest profile among the many players who trained at
the facility. The Kings retained their presence at Culver City Ice Arena for around 25 years. Despite the
rink’s convenient location and its place in the Kings’ lore and history, the team had long accepted that the
ice was notoriously uneven and the locker and training rooms very small and limited.
14
These factors
prompted them to leave Culver City in 1994 for a facility more in line with professional standards.
11
Christopher Reed, “Mabel Fairbanks – Figure skater kept out of the Olympics by Racism” (obituary).
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2001/oct/08/guardianobituaries. Accessed March 10, 2014.
12
Dyer, Adam, “A Lesson in Figure Skating and Black Men.” Weblog entry. Spirituwellness. 2 February 2014.
Accessed March 12, 2014.
13
Per George Bavin, nephew of Gaffron Mueller. Permits for the expansion were not located in the City’s building
permit files.
14
Gann Matsuda, http://frozenroyalty.net/2014/01/16/ice-at-culver-city-ice-arena-was-just-half-of-the-story-for-the-
la-kings/; http://frozenroyalty.net/2014/01/15/los-angeles-kings-reminisce-about-their-days-at-culver-city-ice-arena/.
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In 1979, Jack Kent Cooke sold the Kings and the Los Angeles Lakers (along with other holdings,
including the Forum) to Jerry Buss.
15
Buss also acquired the Culver City Ice Arena (date unknown) and
remained its owner through much of the 1980s. The next owner, until the rink’s recent closure, was John
Jackson, who had close associations with sports in Los Angeles. Jackson had been the assistant to Jerry
Buss after a career as a football coach for numerous university teams, and was also the owner and
promoter of Forum Boxing.
16
In recent lease negotiations, the L. A. Kings were second in line to obtain the lease for the building and
had hoped to invest in the refurbishment of the facility as an ice rink. The Kings support or operate a
number of rinks in the Los Angeles area as a way to maintain interest in hockey at the grass-roots level
and give children an opportunity to learn the game.
17
Record of Building Permits and Alterations
Date Event Owner on Record
1960 (May) Variance granted by City Council to establish an
ice rink.
Samuel Porter and Jerome Burr
1962 (Mar) Original building permit for ice skating rink
(Baingo Bros. contractor)
Culver Ice Rink, Inc. (Jerome
Burr)
1962 (Aug) Construction of new post sign (Heath and Co.,
contractor)
Culver City Ice Rink
1962 (Aug) Installation of air conditioner platform Culver Ice Arena, Inc.
1962 (Aug) Construction of storage room on west elevation Culver Ice Rink
1962 (Oct) Temporary occupancy permit issued by City staff Culver Ice Rink, Inc. (Jerome
Burr)
1962 (Oct) Application for a business license for the Snack
Bar
Green/Burr/Porter/Mueller
1962 (Nov) Installation of interior scoreboard and clock Culver Ice Rink
1962 (Nov) (Rink opened to the public)
1969 (Aug) Construction of interior dressing room Culver Ice Rink, Inc.
1971 (Jul) Construction of interior partition to enclose
changing area between skate counter and coffee
shop/snack bar.
Culver Ice Rink
1973 (Jun) “Remodel Ice Rink” – no supporting documents
note the scope or valuation of these alterations.
Aubrey Hellofs
1983 (Jun) “Remodeling and addition of bath and dressing
rooms” (valuation of $15,000)
MBA Assoc.
15
"Lakers owner Jerry Buss dies at 80." Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2013/feb/18/sports/la-sp-ln-
lakers-jerry-buss-obit-20130214 Accessed March 11, 2014.
16
“Society to Feature John Jackson, Owner-Manager of the Culver Ice Arena,”
http://culvercityhistoricalsociety.org/?p=1009 Accessed Feb. and March 2014. The Culver City Historical Society
notes that John Jackson had been the owner and manager of the Culver City Ice Arena since 1982, but building
permits from 1983 and 1989 note Jerry Buss as the owner. Time did not permit us to set the record straight once this
discrepancy was discovered, but John Jackson himself would be able to do so. We regret that we were unable to
contact him directly once the rink closed, but this has no direct bearing on the findings of this report.
17
“LA Kings Royal Rinks,” http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=57036. Accessed March 2014.
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1983 (Jun) Addition of locker room showers and toilets Jerry Buss
1989 (Sep) Construction of new interior partition wall for
dressing room
Jerry Buss
1989 (Dec) Roof repairs (none listed)
1993 (Feb) Construction of opening for new door on east
elevation
Culver Ice Rink, Inc.
1996 (Jun) Construction of new cooling tower for
improvements to ice conditions.
Culver City Ice Arena
Rendering of the design for the building by the office of George J.
Fosdyke and Assoc . Courtesy of Culver City Ice Arena.
Early view of of skaters on the ice, unknown date. Courtesy of Culver
City Ice Arena.
Concept drawing by Heath and Co. for the freestanding
sign. It appears that the skater and second snowflake
were not executed. Courtesy of Culver City Ice Arena.
IV. Background and Historic Contexts
IV.1 Background: Growth in the Local Popularity of Ice Skating
Ice skating as a form of public recreation came to Los Angeles as early as 1925 with the opening of the
Palais de Glace, located on Melrose Avenue at Vermont Avenue, near the present site of Los Angeles
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City College. Shortly after, in 1928, the Glacier Palace (later Polar Palace) opened in Hollywood.
Additional rinks appeared after the Great Depression in the late 1930s, as Los Angeles was showing
strong signs of recovery from economic crisis. Pasadena’s Winter Garden, with a large rink and extensive
lounging areas, opened in a Streamline Moderne style building in 1938. In Westwood, adjacent to the
UCLA campus, the Tropical Ice Gardens opened in 1938, first as an outdoor rink and exhibition center
but soon after converted to an indoor facility.
The Tropical Ice Gardens was associated with Sonja Henie, the Norwegian skater who also had a film
career that brought skating to a far wider public audience than could be reached through local or
travelling exhibitions. The local impact of such “star” skaters was described in the Los Angeles Times in
a 1987 article:
The real breakthrough in popularity for Southland skating came in 1936 in the form of a
glamorous Norwegian named Sonja Henie. A 10-time world champion skater and three-time
Olympic gold medal winner, Henie decided she wanted to do her future skating across the silver
screen.
"Sonja Henie turned us around," says Josephine Lawless, [Los Angeles Figure Skating] club
historian. "It was the first time local skaters had seen a world champion in the flesh and realized
what could be accomplished. It changed everybody's ideas about skating. Sonja Henie was the
mother of modern skating. She didn't just turn people around in this club, but in the whole
world.”
18
A major component of the early rinks was seating for thousands of spectators. The Palais de Glace seated
4,500 people; Polar Palace held 6,500; and Tropical Ice Gardens had seating for 12,000 spectators. The
Pan Pacific Auditorium also housed a skating rink where the Ice Follies and Ice Capades shows took
place in the vast facility. After 1961, the new Los Angeles Sports Arena at Exposition Park hosted such
shows.
19
These early rinks did not survive far into the era of the Culver City Ice Arena, if at all. In 1950, the
Tropical Ice Gardens was torn down so that UCLA could expand onto the land. In 1963, the Polar Palace
in Hollywood burned down. The Pasadena Winter Garden closed in 1966, though skating later moved to
another location in the convention center.
Skating first came to Culver City as a part of a small suburban shopping center on land formerly used as a
small airport near Jefferson and Sepulveda Blvds. Operating for about ten years, the rink run by Harlan
and Margaret Parker was less than 2,500 square feet in size (for comparison, the ice at the Polar Palace
18
Steve Springer, “The Coolest Club: Skating Elite Make Pickwick Ice Arena in Burbank their Base.”
http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-25/sports/sp-20974_1_skaters. Los Angeles Times 25 December 1987.
19
Polar Palace: A brief history of lost California Ice Rinks.” http://www.squareone.org/PolarPalace/ Accessed
February and March, 2014.
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covered 22,000 square feet).
20
Culver City had ample industrial and recreational land in the southern
portion of the city, where land-intensive uses such as a municipal golf course, a drive-in movie theater,
and the above-mentioned airport were located.
The development of skating rinks depended on advances in structural engineering as well as in the
creation and maintenance of an appropriate ice surface for skating. One of the earliest rinks, the Polar
Palace in Hollywood, had a lamella dome, a technology that also served movie houses, dance halls, and
other such indoor clear-span needs. By 1949, the Zamboni machine, developed at Paramount Ice Palace in
the San Fernando Valley, was in the working prototype stage after seven years of experimentation.
The popularity of ice skating and the success of American skaters in the Winter Olympic Games appears
to have supported the growth of ice skating as a popular form of recreation. In 1960, the Olympic Winter
Games were held in Squaw Valley, California. American women were awarded the gold and bronze
medals in singles competition. The relatively close proximity of a major international event dedicated to
winter sports presumably contributed to the popularity of ice skating in California. After this high point,
the sport suffered a major blow in 1961, when 34 American skaters, coaches, and family members were
killed in a plane crash en route to Brussels, Belgium. The American team was not competitive in the 1964
Olympics due to the losses of life in 1961. The sport rebounded with the gold medal win in 1968 of Peggy
Fleming, who became a well-known public figure and brought additional attention to the sport.
By 1980, a Los Angeles Times article noted sixteen dedicated locations for ice skating available to area
skaters. After this high point, however, the number of rinks soon began to decline. In 1986 the Times
noted that many rinks were closing due to the steeply rising cost of liability insurance, noting one rink in
Santa Rosa that saw its premiums increase ten-fold to $150,000 in a single year. The popularity of skating
seems to have rebounded in the past 25 years, as new rinks have opened. Los Angeles County currently
hosts 13 rinks.
IV.2 Historic Contexts for Culver City Ice Arena
Particular historic contexts that help us to understand the potential significance of a building must be
identified for the evaluation of resources within most designation programs. The National Register
guidelines are used as an authoritative guide to be applied for the evaluation of historic resources in any
designation program, whether at the Federal, State, or local level. National Register Bulletin 15, How to
Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation, notes the following for understanding a property’s
historic context:
The significance of a historic property can be judged and explained only when it is evaluated
within its historic context. Historic contexts are those patterns or trends in history by which a
specific occurrence, property, or site is understood and its meaning (and ultimately its
significance) within history or prehistory is made clear. Historians, architectural historians,
folklorists, archeologists, and anthropologists use different words to describe this phenomenon
such as trend, pattern, theme, or cultural affiliation, but ultimately the concept is the same….
20
Steve Rose, Culver City Chamber of Commerce, interview March 11, 2014.
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(The) core premise of historic contexts is that resources, properties, or happenings in history do
not occur in a vacuum but rather are part of larger trends or patterns.
In order to decide whether a property is significant within its historic context, the following five
things must be determined:
? The facet of prehistory or history of the local area, State, or the nation that the property
represents;
? Whether that facet of prehistory or history is significant;
? Whether it is a type of property that has relevance and importance in illustrating the historic
context;
? How the property illustrates that history; and finally
? Whether the property possesses the physical features necessary to convey the aspect of prehistory
or history with which it is associated.
21
Even when evaluating a property for a local nomination, a similar process is useful. The first three points
above are explored in the following pages. The last two are discussed in the course of evaluation
according to the criteria in Section VI. The property represents the development of the sport and
recreation of ice skating, particularly figure skating, in Los Angeles. The property also represents the
development of indoor recreation -- such as ice skating, bowling, billiards, or roller skating – which was a
pronounced social and cultural phenomenon in the quickly-developing Los Angeles region in the decades
following World War II.
Indoor Recreation and Suburban Development
Southern California in the period following the end of World War II saw tremendous growth through the
movement of people to the region from throughout the United States. The availability of jobs in the
aircraft and aerospace industries, which were the peacetime fruits of wartime production increases,
brought changes to the region that would dictate its shape as we see it today. As widespread car
ownership, the construction of freeways, and the development of housing tracts caused an attenuated
spread of population across innumerable acres of former agricultural and otherwise undeveloped land, the
urban development patterns adapted to these new models. With less dependence on a single, compact
downtown to serve a region, smaller downtowns throughout the cities and towns of Los Angeles
developed to serve local populations.
In the post-war period, the next wave of development was generally in the form of strip development
along long-established rural roads, which in many cases were transformed into the commercial
thoroughfares that served burgeoning post-war residential neighborhoods. The patterns of development in
Los Angeles and Orange Counties in the post-war period were fairly consistent region-wide. Large tracts
of land that had been under agricultural use or simply undeveloped were sold for housing construction as
21
National Park Service, National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.
Washington, DC: U. S. Dept. of the Interior, 1990; revised 1997, p. 7.
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residential construction increased dramatically after World War II with increased demand and the advent
of aggressive government incentives to new homebuilding. Through the course of the 1950s, these major
boulevards came into being featuring commercial/retail, institutional, and other uses, which often
included family-oriented indoor recreation centers.
The newly-developing retail strips adjacent to suburban developments often included large, sometimes
shed-like buildings for recreational activities such as bowling, roller skating, and ice skating. The land
pressures were low enough that a facility like the Culver City Ice Arena could be built with nearly two-
thirds of the property dedicated to a generous amount of off-street parking.
22
In 1972, architects Robert Venturi, Denise Scott-Brown, and Robert Izenour published a book entitled
“Learning from Las Vegas” which resulted from their study of roadside commercial strip architecture. In
studying the most extreme example of this type of environment (i.e., Las Vegas), they were able to glean
the principles that governed much commercial vernacular architecture throughout the 1950s and 1960s.
For example, in describing signage typical of a commercial strip they note:
Signs inflect toward the highway (i.e., the commercial strip) more than buildings. The big sign –
independent of the building and more or less sculptural or pictorial – inflects by its position,
perpendicular to and at the edge of the highway, by its scale, and sometimes its shape.
23
In their “Physiognomy of a typical casino sign” they noted that the taller portion of the sign is meant to
identify the building or use from a long distance, from cars moving through the space of the commercial
strip, while the lower portion provides the more specific and/or changeable information.
24
This pattern is
evident in the Culver City Ice Arena signage as well. While the architectural program for the building’s
exterior was apparently scaled back due to budgetary pressures, the sign essentially made up for whatever
the building exterior was unable to communicate.
Ice skating venues were sometimes grouped with other forms of indoor recreation and entertainment, in
addition to commercial uses, including restaurants, banks, and large-scale retail. Bowling alleys and
theaters were among the most popular of the attractions with which ice skating could be grouped.
Sometimes these resources were grouped together near major new housing developments, where the new
population and the commercial and recreational offerings would depend upon and complement each
other. Examples of this are the Pickwick Center in Burbank (1961), adjacent to the Rancho district, and
the Hastings Center in East Pasadena, adjacent to Upper and Lower Hastings Ranch. New housing
developments in Culver City, and throughout the West Side, proliferated in the late 1940s through the
1950s, and the commercial strips like Sepulveda Blvd. supported the new neighborhoods with a wide
variety of services.
22
In this case, the large parking lot with the building pushed to the street also allowed the parking lot to serve as a
buffer to the single family residences behind it. See zoning variance discussion above.
23
Robert Venturi, Denise Scott-Brown, and Steven Izenour, Learning from Las Vegas (Cambridge: MIT Press,
1972, rev. 1977) 51.
24
Venturi et al. 67.
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Advertisements for and articles about ice skating venues in the 1950s through the 1970s make frequent
mention of children’s and youth programs. The need for family recreation in the Baby Boom era appears
to have been a significant impetus for the development of all of the types of indoor recreation that fall into
this category. In 1971, for example, 2,000 boys were said to be participating in hockey leagues at six rinks
in Southern California.
The importance of these facilities was made clear, as an example, by a law in Santa Monica that,
according to the mayor, “require(d) any developer removing a recreational facility to either replace it on
site or pay for the costs of replacing it somewhere else in the city.”
25
Although the ice rinks were all
private facilities, they were considered a component of, or at least an important complement to, the public
recreational infrastructure. Ice skating rinks were valued as safe havens for children and youth that
provided exercise, social time, and important lessons in dedication and teamwork for those involved in
figure skating lessons and competition or hockey teams. An advertisement for a local hardware store in
the program of Culver City’s 1
st
Annual Ice Review states, “Best Wishes to Culver Ice Arena for their
contribution of wholesome entertainment for the youth of our community.” The rink continues to be
valued in the same way today as a community resource. Over time, rising land values and population
density have caused increasing pressure on the type of inexpensive, community-oriented recreation that
an ice rink represents.
Ice Rinks and Competitive Sport
In addition to its association with community recreation, the Culver City Ice Area also has a long history
with the development of figure skating and hockey. These contexts are described above in the section on
the history of the rink. The system of the figure skating clubs and their coaches and competitors
represents the grass-roots level of skating that allows for organization and sponsorship of higher levels of
competition at regional and national levels. A major rink serves as a local, or even regional, resource to
sustain and support the ongoing development of the sport.
26
The various rinks in the region relied on the presence of well-known skaters and skating coaches who
were associated with each facility. These people were often a draw for patrons who would follow their
coaches to other rinks as facilities closed throughout the 1980s.
The All-Year Figure Skating Club (AYFSC) is a major organization of figure skaters from around
Southern California. It was founded in 1939 and moved to the newly-opened Culver City Ice Arena in
1962, where it remained until 2012. Although the club once hosted the U.S. National Figure Skating
Championships, in 2002, the event itself did not take place in Culver City but in a larger venue in
downtown Los Angeles.
25
Kenneth J. Fanucchi, “On Thin Ice: Planned Meltdown of Skating Rink Frosts Users, City Officials,” Los Angeles
Times, 5 Sept. 1982 WS1. Accessed via ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times (1881-1990).
26
Statement read from Rachael Flatt, Olympic figure skater, at the City Council hearing on 2/10/14.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O6-ckaasUg. Accessed March 2014.
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Local hockey leagues also rely on the rinks as gathering and organizing places, particularly in a climate
where skating is not a “natural” seasonal recreation available to everyone as a part of the culture of each
generation. The competitive and professional levels of both sports are in symbiosis with the recreational
and amateur skaters, among whom talent is cultivated and interest is sustained. In Southern California,
this culture clearly depends on the infrastructure of indoor rinks for sustenance. As with figure skating,
amateur hockey has been complemented at Culver City Ice Arena by the facility’s role at various times as
a practice rink for the Los Angeles Kings, USC, and UCLA.
27
IV.3 Comparison with Other Extant Ice Rinks
Today, there are five ice rinks operating in Los Angeles County that are over fifty years of age. Four of
these date from a short time period, 1957 to 1961, and one is an earlier, 1939 rink. The 1939 rink is
Paramount Iceland in the San Fernando Valley, which was the site of the invention of the Zamboni
machine, a critical development in the maintenance of ice rinks.
Paramount Iceland 8041 Jackson St. Paramount 1939
Van Nuys Iceland 14318 Calvert St. Los Angeles (Van Nuys) 1959
Pickwick Ice 1001 W Riverside Dr. Burbank 1961
Culver Ice Arena 4545 Sepulveda Blvd. Culver City 1962
Skating Edge Ice Arena 23770 S Western Ave. Los Angeles (Harbor City) 1962
Three of the rinks on this list still reflect their historical appearance: Culver City Ice Arena, Skating Edge
Ice Arena, and Pickwick Ice. Although Pickwick Ice has lost its distinctive signage, the building, with its
patterned concrete block exterior, appears to be somewhat intact. Skating Edge Ice Arena has a large,
open gabled porch on the front, stone cladding, and large amounts of glass and does seem to reflect its
original appearance as well. The other two rinks on the above list appear to have been altered. Paramount
Iceland was remodeled on the exterior, with new materials and openings and a completely altered corner
entrance. Van Nuys Iceland is a small rink in an extremely modest, shed-like building; it is unclear
whether it has been altered, but its appearance is in no way distinctive.
Some of the now-demolished skating rinks were architecturally distinctive. Some examples are given here
for comparison to the Culver City Ice Arena to show the architectural context for the rink. These rinks
show that by comparison, Culver City Ice Arena was a fairly utilitarian design and did not incorporate
elements of a themed environment or innovative structural engineering, which were qualities that
distinguished some other rinks. Had the rinks pictured below survived intact, they are examples that may
have been considered significant for their architectural qualities. The earlier, post-depression-era skating
rinks from the 1930s through 1940 were often Streamline Moderne in style and featured interior spaces
and amenities geared toward the comfort of those on or off the ice. The c. 1960 facilities were identified
with skating through distinctive, eye-catching buildings whose sweeping structural qualities evoked the
27
Darryl Evans, former Los Angeles Kings player, commenting at the City Council hearing on 2/10/14.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O6-ckaasUg Accessed March 2014.
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speed and grace associated with skating. In some cases, as at Anaheim’s Glacier Falls, the street side and
overall form of the building was dominated by the Googie style of architecture, which is usually
associated with coffee shops as well as recreational facilities (in particular, bowling alleys) from this era
in the commercial strip environment. Coffee shops were sometimes among the amenities at larger skating
rinks as well.
Some of the now-demolished rinks were also associated with prominent architects. The Pasadena Winter
Garden was the work of Cyril Bennett, a significant Pasadena architect who had designed the nearby
Civic Auditorium. The Tarzana Ice Rink (known originally as Valley Skating Center) was designed by
Carl Maston, a well-regarded Modernist architect in Los Angeles, in collaboration with an engineer,
Richard Bradshaw.
Tropical Ice Gardens in Westwood (1938), associated with
skater Sonja Henie after 1940, was destroyed by fire in 1949.
The exterior, above, had a strong theme with its references to
northern European architecture. Collection of Los Angeles
Public Library.
Tropical Ice Gardens under construction. This was an open-air
rink with extensive spectator seating, seen in foreground.
Collection of Los Angeles Public Library.
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Pasadena Winter Garden (1940), Streamline Moderne in style
and designed by architect Cyril Bennett. Image:
http://www.squareone.org/PolarPalace/pasadena.html
Pasadena Winter Garden, ample interior lounge area with
featured fireplace. Image:
http://www.squareone.org/PolarPalace/pasadena.html
Berkeley Iceland (1940) is in Northern California, but represents
a major skating facility that was determined eligible for the
National Register. Vintage postcard image.
Interior of Berkeley Iceland. Vintage postcard image.
Tarzana Ice Rink (1960), designed by Richard Bradshaw
(engineer) and Carl Maston (architect). Image by Julius Shulman
from Modernism Rediscovered p. 287.
28
Interior of Tarzana Ice Rink. Image by Julius Shulman from
Modernism Rediscovered p. 288.
28
Pierluigi Serraino and Julius Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered (Tashchen, 2000) 287.
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Anaheim: Glacier Falls (1960). Collection of Willie Kalls.
29
Anaheim: Glacier Falls interior showing ceiling structure and
mural. Collection of Willie Kalls.
V. Criteria for Evaluation
V.1 City of Culver City Cultural Resources
The City of Culver City’s criteria for designation of historical resources are generally based on those of
the National Register. The process for consideration and the criteria are defined in the Municipal Code as
follows:
A. Threshold criteria. To be considered for designation, the structure(s) must meet one of
the following criteria:
1. The structure(s) is at least fifty (50) years old and the exterior of the structure is
accessible or visible to the public; or
2. The structure or district has special importance to the City.
B. Assessment criteria. After satisfying the threshold criteria, a structure or district shall be
reviewed for compliance with one or more of the following criteria, as defined under
§ 15.05.010 of this Chapter [see directly below]:
1. Is the structure(s) of “architectural significance”?
2. Is the structure(s) of “historical or cultural significance”?
3. Do the structures in the district collectively meet 1. or 2. above?
30
29
“Glacier Falls, Photo Collection” http://socalspeedskating.org/GlacierFalls/PhotoCollections.html. Accessed
March 2014.
30
Culver City Municipal Code, Section 15.05.020, Cultural Resource Criteria.
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A property with “architectural significance” is defined as an “outstanding or surviving example of
period, style, detail, unique craftsmanship or method of construction; or [one that] represents the
work of a locally, statewide or nationally significant architect, designer, or builder.”
A property with “historical or cultural significance” is defined as “a structure or district in which
events occurred that made a significant contribution to City, State or national history or culture;
or that involved a close association with the lives of people who made a significant contribution
to the history and development of the City, State or nation.”
31
These definitions essentially mirror those of the National Register and the California Register. Three tiers
of designation are offered:
Landmark structure: A structure designated as an exceptional example of the highest architectural,
historical, or cultural significance to the community.
Significant structure: A structure designated as being of substantial architectural, historical, or cultural
significance to the community.
Recognized structure: A structure designated as being of architectural, historical, or cultural interest.
32
A point system was instituted to evaluate properties that meet the threshold criteria to determine where
they would fall within these three categories.
33
This system is applied to the subject property in the
Evaluation of Significance section below.
V.2 California Register of Historical Resources
The California Register of Historical Resources is a listing of State of California resources that are
significant within the context of California’s history. The California Register criteria are modeled after
National Register criteria. However, the California Register focuses more closely on resources that have
contributed to the development of California.
All resources listed in or formally determined (by the State Office of Historic Preservation) eligible for
the National Register are automatically listed in the California Register. In addition, properties designated
as historic landmarks under municipal or county ordinances are also eligible for listing in the California
Register. The property must be significant at the local, state, or national level under one or more of the
following criteria:
Criterion 1: it is associated with events or patterns of events that have made a significant contribution
to the broad patterns of local or regional history and cultural heritage of California or the
United States.
Criterion 2: it is associated with the lives of persons important to the nation or to California’s past.
31
Culver City Municipal Code, Section 15.05.010, Definitions.
32
Culver City Municipal Code, Section 15.05.010, Definitions.
33
Resolution of the Culver City City Council (91-R015 and Exhibit A), adopted February 11, 1991.
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Criterion 3: it embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of
construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values.
Criterion 4: it has yielded, or has the potential to yield, information important to the prehistory or
history of the state or the nation.
To be eligible for listing in the California Register, a resource must be eligible under one or more of the
four criteria above and must retain sufficient integrity to convey its significance. There is not a codified
age limit for the California Register, but enough time must have passed since the property gained
significance to evaluate it as a historical resource with the appropriate amount of distance in time. In
practice, this period is usually in the range of thirty to forty years before the present.
V.3 National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (National Register) is the nation's master inventory of known
historic resources. The National Register is administered by the National Park Service (NPS) and
includes listings of buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts that possess historic, architectural,
engineering, archaeological, or cultural significance at the national, state or local level. The National
Register criteria and associated definitions are outlined in National Register Bulletin Number 15: How to
Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. The following is a summary from Bulletin 15:
Resources (structures, sites, buildings, districts, and objects) over 50 years of age can be listed on
the National Register. However, properties under 50 years of age that are of exceptional
importance or are contributors to a district can also be included on the National Register.
There are four criteria under which a structure, site, building, district, or object can be considered
significant for listing on the National Register. A potential resource must meet one or more of the
following criteria for designation:
Criterion A: Properties that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the
broad patterns of history;
Criterion B: Properties that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past;
Criterion C: Properties that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of
construction, or that represent the work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or
that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack
individual distinction (i.e., a historic district);
Criterion D: Properties that have yielded or may likely yield information important in prehistory or
history.
The National Register has a fifty-year threshold for evaluation of a property. In some cases, a property
itself may be over fifty years old, but some of the events or patterns of events with which it is associated
may have taken place within the past fifty years. In such cases, properties that have “achieved
significance within the past fifty years” must document “exceptional significance.” A historical
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evaluation must focus on events or patterns of events or associations for which there is enough critical
distance to evaluate them from a historical perspective.
VI. Evaluation of Significance
VI.1 Culver City Cultural Resource
The Culver City Ice Arena meets the criteria for listing as a Culver City Cultural Resource, as outlined
below. The property is significant under two historic contexts noted above. The first of these is the
context of post-war indoor recreation that catered to the youth of the Baby Boom generation in a
developing suburban context. The second context is that of ice skating, both for recreation and as
organized sports in the form of figure skating and hockey.
Threshold Criteria:
The property meets the first “threshold criteri(on)” requiring that a property be at least fifty years old and
accessible to or visible to the public. The second threshold criterion requires that the property have
“special importance to the City.”
34
A property must only meet one of these two criteria. The threshold
criteria are in place to determine whether a property should proceed with an evaluation against the
remaining criteria. Once this threshold is met, a property must be measured against the definitions of
significance included in the assessment criteria.
Assessment Criteria:
The assessment criteria (noted in Section V) are applied as follows:
1) Quality of Architecture
a. Does the structure represent the work of a city/state/nationally significant
architect/designer/builder? (8 points) [0]
CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING:
35
b. Is the structure in question the best example of its kind in Culver City? (20 points)
c. Is the structure a good example but there are better? (10 points)
d. Does the structure retain some of the original construction/style/materials but there have
been significant alterations? (5 points)
34
Culver City Municipal Code, Section 15.05.020, Cultural Resource Criteria.
35
Being a subheading under “Quality of Architecture,” this section appears to apply only to those structures that
receive points under 1)a. Heading 3)c. below appears to be the measure of historic integrity for all other structures.
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Subtotal, Architectural Significance: - 0 -
2) Historical/Cultural Significance
a. Is the structure associated with a prominent person(s) of importance to the incorporation,
growth, or development of Culver City (State or Nation)? (15 points) [0]
b. Is the structure associated with an historical pattern or significant event related to
incorporation, growth or development of Culver City (State or Nation)? (10 points)
[10]
Subtotal, Historical/Cultural Significance: 10
3) Other
a. Is the structure the oldest example of its type/style in Culver City? (5 points) [5]
b. Is the structure accessible and/or visible to the public? (5 points) [5]
c. Has the structure been well preserved? (5 points) [5]
Subtotal, Other: 15
TOTAL POINTS: 25
The Culver City Ice Arena meets the City’s threshold criteria and assessment criteria, which indicates its
eligibility for designation as a cultural resource. The total score of 25 indicates that the building is eligible
for designation as a “significant structure,” a category for properties within the range of 21-40 points. A
significant structure is “designated as being of substantial architectural, historical, or cultural significance
to the community.”
36
Significant structures that are not residential properties may be designated by the
City Council without the consent of the property owner. Properties in this second tier are required to
display a plaque indicating their status.
37
The property is not eligible under Item 1a. above, which reads, “Does the structure represent the work of
a city/state/nationally significant architect/designer/builder?” The building is not the work of a well-
known architect, and its architectural or artistic qualities are not such that it is a notable example of any
particular style or building type. The analysis of the property in Section IV2. describes why the property
appears the way it does and notes that it is a typical product of its era and its location in Culver City, but
this does not indicate that it is significant under this criterion.
36
Culver City Municipal Code, Section 15.05.010, Definitions.
37
Culver City Municipal Code, Section 15.05.030, Process for Designating, Changing, or Removing Designation.
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The property is not eligible under Item 2a. above, which reads, “Is the building associated with a
prominent person(s) of importance to the incorporation, growth, or development of Culver City (State or
Nation)?” Although the facility has been utilized by many luminaries in the skating world, there is no
single historically significant person whose productive life is embodied by the property as described in
the criteria.
VI.2 California Register of Historical Resources
The Culver City Ice Arena appears eligible for the California Register. The local criteria for Culver City
are generally aligned with the California Register criteria, which note that a property must be “associated
with events or patterns of events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of local or
regional history and cultural heritage of California…”
California Register Criterion 1:
The Culver City Ice Arena exemplifies the growing popularity of ice skating as a popular
recreational pastime, which is a clear pattern of events in Southern California in the period after
World War II. The property’s association with this context is strong enough to merit a finding of
significance under this criterion. Further, the property is one of only three rinks identified in Los
Angeles County from the post-war period that appears to retain historic integrity, making it a
relatively rare resource to represent this context.
The Culver City Ice Arena is also significant under Criterion 1 for its association with the
development of competitive and professional figure skating and hockey. In figure skating, the
rink has been associated with the development of talent in the sport for several decades,
beginning with its early years.
As the official practice facility of the L. A. Kings during the period when the team was first
established, and continuing for nearly thirty years, the facility provided support to the
development of regional professional sports. As noted, arenas such as Culver City’s provide not
only secondary rinks for the training and practice of professional teams, but also support the sport
by sustaining grass-roots interest in hockey through the development of youth and amateur
leagues.
While baseball, football, and soccer can be cultivated in any community with a playing field,
hockey and figure skating (in Southern California) both depend entirely on a regional
infrastructure of dedicated facilities. Culver City Ice Arena has been an important part of that
network since its inception (particularly with the loss of older rinks around that time), and it has
become more so as a skating community has continued to build and to produce national and
Olympic champions.
California Register Criterion 2:
Many significant people in the worlds of figure skating and hockey have been associated with the
Culver City Ice Arena. However, significance under this criterion generally relies on association
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with a single historical person, not a pattern of association with a number of significant people.
The property is not significant under this criterion because it does not exemplify the productive
life of a particular, historically significant individual.
California Register Criterion 3:
Although the property is typical of the architectural type of a skating rink, with its simple,
rectangular form, freestanding sign, and steel truss, clear-span interior, the building is not a
significant example of an architectural type. It does not represent any significant aspect of
regional architecture. While it is typical of its period, the building is not an architecturally
expressive example, but rather incorporates enough minor features of the commercial vernacular
in its exterior treatment to be recognizable as an early 1960s building. These features are confined
to a small portion of the building and do not extend to the interior, which, like most of the
exterior, is utilitarian in its appearance. Features found in other skating rinks that would indicate
significance in this category could include more distinctive architectural treatment of the exterior
(even if confined to a small area such as the entrance, which would be consistent with
commercial vernacular buildings of this era), thematic treatment in the features or décor that
would enhance and express the theme of ice skating, or spaces dedicated to fireplaces, lounges,
etc. as were often seen in such facilities. Please refer to examples illustrated in Section IV.3.
It should be noted, however, that a lack of architectural significance does not mean that the
building itself is expendable. If it is heavily altered, it will not be recognized for its significance
under other criteria either (even if still used as an ice rink).
California Register Criterion 4:
This criterion is outside of the scope of this evaluation and applies mainly to archaeological resources.
The California Register and CEQA
For purposes of review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), a property may be
considered a historical resource according to the following:
Any object, building, structure, site, area, place, record, or manuscript which a lead agency
determines to be historically significant or significant in the architectural, engineering, scientific,
economic, agricultural, educational, social, political, military, or cultural annals of California may
be considered to be an historical resource, provided the lead agency's determination is supported
by substantial evidence in light of the whole record. Generally, a resource shall be considered by
the lead agency to be "historically significant" if the resource meets the criteria for listing on the
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California Register of Historical Resources (Pub. Res. Code SS5024.1, Title 14 CCR, Section
4852).
38
Since this report has determined that the Culver City Ice Arena appears significant under Criterion 1 of
the California Register, the property is considered a historic resource for purposes of CEQA.
VI.3 National Register of Historic Places
The property does not at this time appear to meet the criteria for evaluation of the National Register.
Currently, there is little in the way of literature and research available that would support such an
evaluation at the higher level of documentation that is required for the National Register. There is not
sufficient scholarship on the context of the development of the sporting or recreational development of ice
skating to provide a strong enough argument for significance under the National Register criteria.
The building has also only recently reached fifty years of age, yet the public perception of its significance
is based in large part on a pattern of events that has continued well beyond the fifty-year threshold of
1964. This lack of historical perspective, combined with the lack of available literature on the contexts of
post-war recreation and of ice skating, would make a successful National Register nomination challenging
at this point in time. It is likely, however, that in the future, once more time has passed and more of the
patterns established to be associated with the property have passed the fifty-year mark, the property may
be considered eligible. The National Register is designed to allow events of contemporary interest or
importance to pass into a historical period before they are commemorated.
VI.4 Historic Integrity
The National Register guidelines are used not only to determine which properties are eligible for listing
under that program, but also to guide preservation policy and interpretation for many programs at the
State and local level. The concept of historic integrity is one of the most useful of these (along with, for
example, historic contexts, which are discussed above). Historic integrity is defined as “the ability of a
property to convey its significance” and is based on the continuing presence of features that date to the
property’s significant historical period. The importance of retaining each aspect varies according to the
reasons for the property’s significance. The seven aspects of historic integrity are discussed below.
1. Location: The property retains integrity of location since it has not been moved.
2. Setting: The property retains integrity of setting. The setting of the building is consistent with the
historic conditions. The commercial strip environment of this portion of Sepulveda Blvd. is intact,
even if many of the individual buildings have changed.
3. Design: The property retains integrity of design. Per the building permit records and visual
observation at a site visit, the spaces, finishes, and most of functions of the building have changed
38
CEQA Guidelines, Section 15064.5, “Determining the Significance of Impacts to Archeological and Historical
Resources.”
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very little over time. The 1983 addition of a mezzanine level on the east side did not significantly
alter the building’s integrity of design.
4. Materials: The property retains integrity of materials, although the materials of the building are
not an important factor in its significance. They have changed very little from the building’s early
appearance.
5. Workmanship: The property retains integrity of workmanship, although it is not an important
factor in its significance.
6. Feeling: The property retains integrity of historic feeling because of the retention of all the other
aspects of integrity combined, in particular, with its continued use as an ice rink and all of the
functions and equipment associated with that use. There have been few changes in the form of
remodeling that would affect the long-time user’s recognition of the building.
7. Association: The historic association of the building with the sport of ice skating, particularly as
a form of public recreation, is an important factor in the building’s integrity. The property retains
integrity of association. The decommissioning of the ice, which has occurred during the writing
of this report, does not significantly affect the property’s integrity of association.
It should be noted that any replacement of mechanical systems, including cooling systems or the system
by which the ice surface is maintained, is unlikely to have an impact on the building’s integrity. The
impacts of visible changes and alterations to the public or main spaces or to the building’s exterior are
more important to consider. If retention of historic integrity is a goal of the project, any alterations or
upgrades to the property should follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation for
guidance.
39
VII. Conclusion
This study has determined that the Culver City Ice Arena, originally known as Culver Ice Rink, is eligible
for listing as a Culver City Cultural Resource at the “significant” level. It also appears to be eligible for
the California Register of Historical Resources. The property does not, however, appear eligible for the
National Register of Historic Places at this time.
In order to evaluate the property’s impact on skating and its place in Southern California’s skating
history, ARG referred to many unusual sources with the support of the City and the local community. We
relied on contemporary writings in the form of web log (blog) posts and informal interviews with local
people connected with the Ice Arena to furnish a history that is otherwise not documented. Web sites that
are kept by skating history enthusiasts (supplemented by newspaper features on skating) provide the most
coherent record of the rise and fall of numerous skating facilities of Southern California throughout the
past ninety years. These sources allowed us to gather diverse stories about the facility in order to discern
39
The Standards and Guidelines may be found at the following URL:
http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/standguide/rehab/rehab_standards.htm
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what the relevant patterns and themes were, as well as to place it in context with other such facilities that
have existed in the region.
Through these sources, the cultural impact of the rink as a local institution became clear and demonstrated
that the property is a good candidate for local historical designation and for California Register eligibility.
The Culver City Ice Arena provided a place of indoor recreation for children, adults, and families that
shaped local culture on the West Side. The property continued in operation and grew in importance as
many other nearby rinks closed. Without such a facility, the growth of figure skating and ice hockey in
Culver City and its surrounding communities could not have been sustained. Today, in all of Los Angeles
County, Culver City Ice Arena is one of only five rinks that are over fifty years old, most dating to the
period following World War II, and one of only three of these that are unaltered on the exterior and still
reflect their historical appearance. The property has become a rarity in its representation of the post-war
popularity of recreational ice skating.
As explored in this report, the property is also closely associated with the development and support of
competitive and professional practice of figure skating and hockey. A property such as the Culver City
Ice Arena demonstrates the importance of such facilities that serve as a link between recreational and
professional sports, providing a place to support and cultivate local interest and talent.
At its inception, Culver City Ice Arena was poised to play an important role in the skating culture of
Southern California as older rinks were closing and the popularity of ice skating was growing. This
growth was evidenced in the establishment of the Los Angeles Kings, who were closely associated with
Culver City Ice Arena early on, and in the success of American skaters as Olympic champions in the
same period, including some future champions who were skating at Culver City during their formative
years in the 1960s. The distinctive culture of each rink is shaped by the trainers and the skaters who are
based at the rink. These stories build upon each other with successive generations.
Due to its association with these contexts, the Culver City Ice Arena is a significant property that shaped
local culture and appears eligible for designation as a City of Culver City Cultural Resource.
IIX. Sources
Published Sources
National Park Service. National Register Bulletin 15: How to Apply the National Register Criteria for
Evaluation. Washington, DC: U. S. Dept. of the Interior, 1990; revised 1997.
Jackson, Kenneth T. Crabgrass Frontier: The Suburbanization of the United States. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1985.
Venturi, Robert, Denise Scott-Brown, and Steven Izenour. Learning from Las Vegas. Cambridge: MIT
Press, 1972, rev. 1977.
Serraino, Pierluigi and Julius Shulman, Modernism Rediscovered. Taschen, 2000.
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On-Line Sources
All-Year Figure Skating Club. “History.” http://allyearfsc.com/history/ Accessed March 2014.
Culver City City Council Meeting on Culver City Ice Arena 2/10/14.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O6-ckaasUg
Davis, David. “Catherine Machado: LA Ice Queen Talks Olympics.” Weblog entry. L. A. Observed. 21
February, 2014. http://www.laobserved.com/intell/2014/02/catherine_machado_ice_queen_kn.php
Accessed March 12, 2014.
Dyer, Adam. “A Lesson in Figure Skating and Black Men.” Weblog entry. Spirituwellness. 2 February
2014. Accessed March 12, 2014.
Friends of Glacier Falls Ice Arena, “Photo Collection.”
http://socalspeedskating.org/GlacierFalls/PhotoCollections.html. Accessed March 2014.
“Former Ice Arenas of Southern California.” http://users.mo-net.com/nixit/scalrin1.html. Accessed March
2014.
Hersch, Philip. “History of U.S. Figure Skating at the Olympics.” Chicago Tribune. 6 Feb. 2014.
http://apps.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-us-olympics-figure-skating-results-
20140206/story/chi-us-womens-olympics-figure-skating-results-20140206. Accessed 7 March 2014.
Historic Aerials, aerial photographs: 1948, 1953, 1972, 1980, 2003, 2004, 2005.
http://www.historicaerials.com. Accessed February and March, 2014.
“History of the Los Angeles Kings.” http://kings.nhl.com/club/page.htm?bcid=4183#sixties Accessed
March 2014.
“Ice Follies.” San Bernardino County Sun. 1 Feb. 1978 1.
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/60121260/ Accessed March 14, 2014.
Lawless, Josephine. “History of the Los Angeles Figure Skating Club.” http://lafsc.org/about/club-
history/ Accessed March 2014.
Los Angeles County Office of the Assessor. “Parcel Viewer.”
http://maps.assessor.lacounty.gov/mapping/viewer.asp Accessed February and March 2014.
Masters, Nathan. “Culver City: From Barley Fields to the Heart of Screenland.” Weblog entry. SoCal
Focus, KCET. 6 June 2012. Accessed March 14, 2014.
Mueller, Gaffron. Patents for ski bindings and fasteners. http://www.freepatentsonline.com/2867447.html.
Accessed March 2014.
[No headline given. Article on Blue Jay Ice Rink.] San Bernardino County Sun. 27 June 1975 14.
http://www.newspapers.com/newspage/57397734/ Accessed March 14, 2014.
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Springer, Steve. “The Coolest Club: Skating Elite Make Pickwick Ice Arena in Burbank their Base.”
http://articles.latimes.com/1987-12-25/sports/sp-20974_1_skaters. Los Angeles Times 25 December 1987.
Accessed March 12, 2014.
Square One. “A Brief History of Lost California Ice Rinks.”
http://www.squareone.org/PolarPalace/index.html Accessed February and March 2014.
Swann, Jennifer. “Memories of Culver Ice Arena, which closed after 52 Years. Will it rise again?”
Weblog entry. LA Weekly Blogs. 10 February 2014.
http://www.laweekly.com/publicspectacle/2014/02/10/memories-of-culver-ice-arena-which-closed-after-
52-years-will-it-rise-again Accessed March 12, 2014.
Tiggs, Marcus G. “Mayor Cooper on Ice Rink: We Won’t Gamble on People’s Safety.” Culver City
Observer. 27 February 2014. http://www.culvercityobserver.com/story/2014/02/27/news/mayor-cooper-
on-ice-rink-we-wont-gamble-on-peoples-safety/3551.html. Accessed 7 March 2014.
--- “Shut'er Down: Facing Fines Owner Plans to Turn off Compressors.” Culver City Observer. 6 March
2014. http://www.culvercityobserver.com/story/2014/03/06/news/shuter-down/3609.html. Accessed 7
March 2014.
Culver City Municipal Code, Chapter 15.05, Historic Preservation Program.
http://www.amlegal.com/nxt/gateway.dll/California/culver/themunicipalcodeofthecityofculvercitycal?f=te
mplates$fn=default.htm$3.0$vid=amlegal:culvercity_ca Accessed February and March 2014.
Ephemera and Reports
“Culver Ice Arena and All Year Figure Skating Club Presents its 1
st
Annual Ice Review,” official
program, June 10 and 11, 1963.
Page + Turnbull for Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher. “Berkeley Iceland Historic Resources Evaluation.” Nov.
24, 2010.
USC Libraries, Finding Aid for the Carl Maston Papers.
http://www.usc.edu/libraries/finding_aids/records/finding_aid.php?fa=4002#id903656 Accessed March
19, 2014.
Personal Interviews and Consultations
Babilonia, Tai. Figure skating champion and performer, contact was made by e-mail but interview did not
occur as hoped.
Bavin, George. Nephew of rink founder Gaffron Mueller, telephone interview and follow-up, March 12
and 13, 2014.
Cerra, Julie Lugo. City Historian for Culver City, telephone interview, March 6, 2014.
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Rose, Steve. Culver City Chamber of Commerce, telephone interview, March 10, 2014.
Steinlauf, Therese. Daughter of rink architect Carl W. Engelbrecht, telephone interview, March 13, 2014.
Takahashi, Richie. Long-time rink employee, telephone conversation, March 20, 2014.
Takahashi, Shannon. Long-time rink employee, e-mail correspondence, March 2014.
White, Bill. Culver Ice Foundation, telephone and e-mail correspondence, March 12, 2014.
ATT - A1-60ATT - A1-61ATT - A1-62ATT - A1-63ATT - A1-64ATT - A1-651. A property will be used as it was historically or be given a new use that requires
minimal change to its distinctive materials, features, spaces, and spatial
relationships.
2. The historic character of a property will be retained and preserved. The removal of
distinctive materials or alteration of features, spaces, and spatial relationships that
characterize a property will be avoided.
3. Each property will be recognized as a physical record of its time, place, and use.
Changes that create a false sense of historical development, such as adding
conjectural features or elements from other historic properties, will not be
undertaken.
4. Changes to a property that have acquired historic significance in their own right
will be retained and preserved.
5. Distinctive materials, features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples
of craftsmanship that characterize a property will be preserved.
6. Deteriorated historic features will be repaired rather than replaced. Where the
severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature
will match the old in design, color, texture, and, where possible, materials.
Replacement of missing features will be substantiated by documentary and physical
evidence.
7. Chemical or physical treatments, if appropriate, will be undertaken using the
gentlest means possible. Treatments that cause damage to historic materials will not
be used.
8. Archeological resources will be protected and preserved in place. If such resources
must be disturbed, mitigation measures will be undertaken.
9. New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction will not destroy
historic materials, features, and spatial relationships that characterize the property.
The new work shall be differentiated from the old and will be compatible with the
historic materials, features, size, scale and proportion, and massing to protect the
integrity of the property and its environment.
10. New additions and adjacent or related new construction will be undertaken in a
such a manner that, if removed in the future, the essential form and integrity of the
historic property and its environment would be unimpaired.
Guidelines for Rehabilitation-->
-GUIDELINES-
The Approach
Exterior Materials
Masonry
Wood
Architectural Metals
Exterior Features
Roofs
Windows
Entrances + Porches
Storefronts
Interior Features
Structural System
Spaces/Features/Finishes
Mechanical Systems
Site
Setting
Special Requirements
Energy Efficiency
New Additions
Accessibility
Health + Safety
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW - PRESERVING - rehabilitating - RESTORING - RECONSTRUCTING main - credits - email
Page 1 of 1
4/16/2014 http://www.nps.gov/history/hps/tps/standguide/rehab/rehab_standards.htm
ATT - A1-66 Cultural Affairs
Commission
April 22, 2014
Page 2 of 6
Consent Calendar
Item C-1
Meeting Minutes
Commissioner Williams asked that his comments on the words
“Thank You ” be reflected in the minutes for item A-1.
Christine Byers, Public Art and Historic Preservation
Coordinator, indicated that this would be added to the
minutes.
MOVED BY COMMISSIONER BERNARDIN, SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR KLEIN
AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION
APPROVE MINUTES FOR THE REGULAR MEETING OF MARCH 25, 2014.
o0o
Action Items
Item A-1
Consideration of a Nomination for Cultural Resource
Designation for the Culver City Ice Arena at 4545 Sepulveda
Boulevard and Recommendation to the City Council as Deemed
Appropriate
Chair Koosed observed that the meeting was taking place on
Earth Day and that historic preservation is about
sustainability.
Chair Koosed invited public input.
The following members of the audience addressed the
Commission:
Tamara Coffin expressed support for Cultural Resource
Designation for the Culver City Ice Arena.
Ann Oliver expressed support for Cultural Resource
Designation for the Culver City Ice Arena.
Marcello Vavala, Los Angeles Conservancy, discussed the
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April 22, 2014
Page 3 of 6
Cultural Resource designation process; the City ’s Historic
Preservation Ordinance; the historic significance of the
Culver City Ice Arena; the City ’s independent preservation
consultant; and he expressed support for designation as a
Cultural Resource.
Brooke Powell discussed her experience at the Culver City Ice
Arena and wanted to see it come back in some form or another.
Therese Steinlauf discussed the work of her father who
designed the Culver City Ice Arena, and she thanked Kevin
Healy who nominated the Ice Arena for Cultural Resource
designation, staff for working on the item, the people of
Culver City, and Bill White and Tai Babilonia from the Culver
Ice Foundation.
Shannon Takahashi reported working at the Ice Arena for 20
years; discussed the importance of the Ice Arena; and asked
that it be recognized with a Cultural Resource designation.
Sol Blumenfeld, Community Development Director, provided a
summary of the material of record.
Jennifer Trotoux, Architectural Resources Group, provided
background on her firm; reported that they had visited the
Ice Arena before operations ceased; discussed levels of
historic designation at the local, state and federal levels;
criteria; the need for dedicated buildings for ice skating in
Southern California in the post-war era; character defining
features of the building and she provided an overview of the
context for ice rinks in Los Angeles County and the criteria
that make the Culver City Ice Arena significant at the local
and state levels.
Discussion ensued between staff, Commissioners, and the
speakers regarding implications of a National Register
listing; local vs. federal jurisdiction; clarification
regarding “Significant ” vs. “Recognized ” status as pertains to
Culver City ’s Cultural Resources; issues attached to new uses
for the space; the use variance; the discretionary approval
process; the need for a zone change for a new use;
protections associated with the different designation levels;
the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); the standard
ATT - A1-68 Cultural Affairs
Commission
April 22, 2014
Page 4 of 6
for review of a proposed development project; Certificate of
Appropriateness; Certificate of Exemption; soundness of the
structure; the California and Historical Building Codes;
letters from the Culver Ice Foundation and from the property
owner; additional hours spent on the project by staff;
limitations on the use of the building; loopholes; the
“Recognized ” designation category; CEQA vs. the City ’s
Historic Preservation Ordinance; the need to update the 1987
survey; the history of the Ice Arena; economic hardship;
exceptions; the current owner; the communal aspect of the Ice
Arena; implications to business owners in the City; and
clarification on the task of the Commission to determine
whether the building meets the designation criteria as
included in ARG ’s report and findings.
MOVED BY COMMISSIONER WILLIAMS, SECONDED BY VICE CHAIR KLEIN
AND UNANIMOUSLY CARRIED, THAT THE CULTURAL AFFAIRS COMMISSION
RECOMMEND THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DESIGNATE THE CULVER CITY ICE
ARENA A CULTURAL RESOURCE AT THE “SIGNIFICANT ” LEVEL.
Chair Koosed encouraged anyone interested in historic
preservation to sign up with the Culver City Historical
Society and the Los Angeles Conservancy.
o0o
Public Comment – Items Not On the Agenda
Chair Koosed invited public input.
The following member of the audience addressed the
Commission:
Mim Shapiro discussed her involvement in Cultural Affairs in
Culver City over the years; the growth of Cultural Affairs in
the City; involvement of the schools; budget shortfalls; she
expressed concern with the lack of City support of programs;
discussed the report on the creative economy; and she urged
everyone to write letters in support of Cultural Affairs in
the City.
o0o
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RESOLUTION NO. 2014 – R_____
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING THE CULVER
CITY ICE ARENA, LOCATED AT 4545 SEPULVEDA
BOULEVARD, A “SIGNIFICANT” CULTURAL RESOURCE
PURSUANT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Culver City established a Historic
Preservation Program by Ordinance in 1991, which, in part, provides for the designation
and preservation of structures within the City as Cultural Resources, because of their
architectural, historical and/or cultural importance to the City; and
WHEREAS, Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Section 15.05.015 provides
that any structure or district can be nominated for designation as a Cultural Resource by a
resident of the City, by the property owner, by the Cultural Affairs Commission or by the
City Council; and
WHEREAS, on January 31, 2014, a nomination for designation as a Cultural
Resource for the Culver City Ice Arena was submitted by Kevin Healy, a resident of Culver
City; and,
WHEREAS, based on recommendations contained in the report entitled
“Culver City Ice Arena Historic Resource Evaluation” prepared by Architectural Resources
Group, Inc., the Community Development Director prepared an evaluation of the proposed
designation and made a recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission, as to the
appropriateness and qualifications of the application; and
WHEREAS, at its meeting of April 22, 2014, the Cultural Affairs Commission
considered the materials of record and, after considering such materials and comments
provided by members of the public, made a recommendation to the City Council that the
Culver City Ice Arena be designated a “Significant” Cultural Resource; and
ATT - A1-70
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WHEREAS, on July 28, 2014, at a duly noticed public meeting, the City
Council considered the recommendation of the Cultural Affairs Commission, including all
materials of record and public comment.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Culver City, California,
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE as follows:
The Culver City Ice Arena, located at 4545 Sepulveda Boulevard, Culver City,
is hereby designated a “Significant” Cultural Resource.
APPROVED and ADOPTED this _____ day of July 2014.
_____________________________________
MEGHAN SAHLI-WELLS, MAYOR
City of Culver City, California
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________ _____________________________
MARTIN R. COLE, City Clerk CAROL A. SCHWAB, City Attorney
ATT - A1-71
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RESOLUTION NO. 2014 – R_____
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
CULVER CITY, CALIFORNIA, DESIGNATING THE CULVER
CITY ICE ARENA, LOCATED AT 4545 SEPULVEDA
BOULEVARD, A “RECOGNIZED” CULTURAL RESOURCE
PURSUANT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROGRAM.
WHEREAS, the City Council of the City of Culver City established a Historic
Preservation Program by Ordinance in 1991, which, in part, provides for the designation
and preservation of structures within the City as Cultural Resources, because of their
architectural, historical and/or cultural importance to the City; and
WHEREAS, Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Section 15.05.015 provides
that any structure or district can be nominated for designation as a Cultural Resource by a
resident of the City, by the property owner, by the Cultural Affairs Commission or by the
City Council; and
WHEREAS, on January 31, 2014, a nomination for designation as a Cultural
Resource for the Culver City Ice Arena was submitted by Kevin Healy, a resident of Culver
City; and,
WHEREAS, based on recommendations contained in the report entitled
“Culver City Ice Arena Historic Resource Evaluation” prepared by Architectural Resources
Group, Inc., the Community Development Director prepared an evaluation of the proposed
designation and made a recommendation to the Cultural Affairs Commission, as to the
appropriateness and qualifications of the application; and
WHEREAS, at its meeting of April 22, 2014, the Cultural Affairs Commission
considered the materials of record and, after considering such materials and comments
provided by members of the public, made a recommendation to the City Council that the
Culver City Ice Arena be designated a “Significant” Cultural Resource; and
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WHEREAS, on July 28, 2014, at a duly noticed public meeting, the City
Council considered the recommendation of the Cultural Affairs Commission, including all
materials of record and public comment.
NOW, THEREFORE, the City Council of the City of Culver City, California,
DOES HEREBY RESOLVE as follows:
1. The City Council hereby finds that the recommendation of the Cultural
Affairs Commission should be modified on the basis that
.
2. Based on the finding set forth in Section 1, the Culver City Ice Arena,
located at 4545 Sepulveda Boulevard, Culver City, is hereby designated a “Recognized”
Cultural Resource.
APPROVED and ADOPTED this _____ day of July 2014.
_____________________________________
MEGHAN SAHLI-WELLS, MAYOR
City of Culver City, California
ATTEST: APPROVED AS TO FORM:
________________________ _____________________________
MARTIN R. COLE, City Clerk CAROL A. SCHWAB, City Attorney
ATT - A1-73