Landmark Status Granted for Santa Monica's ‘Airplane Bungalow' Against Owners Wishes
SANTA MONICA - Santa Monica's City Council granted landmark status to a rare 1913 bungalow in the Pico neighborhood over its owner's objections. The 5-0 vote protected the vacant house on 20th St., according to the Santa Monica Daily Press . Councilmember Barry Snell recused himself because he lives nearby, and Mayor Pro Tem Jesse Zwick was absent.Owner Lydia King bought the property this year hoping to redevelop it. She told councilmembers she had hoped to build affordable housing or a senior center, describing holes in the roof and floor, a strong mold smell, and break-ins, SMDP reported."We cannot live like 100 years ago," King said.The Santa Monica Conservancy's case for preservation emphasized the home's surviving architecture and neighborhood history.Known as an airplane bungalow, the house has a small, window-filled upper story resembling an airplane cockpit. The Conservancy's property history identifies its sleeping porch and exposed beams extending over the driveway among the distinctive features still in place.The group says the house is the last surviving structure built by Simon and Anna Unfried, early residents of Fairview Heights, now the Pico neighborhood.The designation followed conflicting assessments of the home's significance.Historic Resources Group, the city's consultant, found the house eligible under
