Resource Name: Palo Alto Savings & Loan Building
Location: Dolores St. & 7th Av., S.E. Corner 

The following appeal is the third appeal to the City Council regarding an appellant’s appeal of a Historic Resources Board’s decision to deny removal of an appellant’s resource from the City’s Inventory of Historic Resources.

Selected excerpts from City documents follow:

MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL MEETING
CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
June 6, 2006

PUBLIC HEARINGS

Consideration of an appeal of a decision of the Historic Resources Board placing a comercial structure, known as the Palo Alto Svings and Loan building, on the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources. The building is located on the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Dolores Street. The property owner is the Pacific Grove Land Company. The appellant and project designer is John Mandurrago.

Brian Roseth, Principal Planner, presented the staff report.

Council Member ROSE moved to grant the appeal and remove the commercial structure, known as the Palo Alto Savings and Loan building, from the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources, seconded by Council Member CUNNINGHAM and carried by the following roll call:

AYES: BETHEL, CUNNINGHAM & ROSE
NOES: HAZDOVAC & McCLOUD



Meeting Date: 6 June 2006
Prepared by: Elizabeth Caraker, Contract Planner
City Council
Agenda Item Summary

Name: Consideration of an appeal of a decision of the Historic Resources Board placing a commercial structure, known as the Palo Alto Savings and Loan building, on the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources. The building is located on the southeast corner of Seventh Avenue and Dolores Street in the Service Commercial (SC) District (Blk 91, Lots 2, 4, 6, & 8, APN: 010-145-020). The property owner is the Pacific Grove Land Company. The appellant and project designer is John Mandurrago.

Description: The appellant is requesting the grant of an appeal of the Historic Resources Board placing the Palo Alto Savings and Loan building on the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources.

Staff Recommendation: Deny the appeal and uphold the Board’s decision.

Important Considerations: CMC Section 17.32.040 lists requirements for a building to qualify as an historic resource. The property is less than 50-years old and, under National and State standards, needs to be of exceptional importance to qualify as historic. The Historic Resources Board determined that the property met this test, based on evidence in the record—including testimony from the American Institute of Architects, Monterey Bay Chapter. Evidence supporting this decision included the significance of the architect, the beauty of the design, the importance of the California Bay Area Tradition architectural style and the contribution this building makes to the diversity of design in Carmel.

The Board’s decision is final unless overturned by the City Council. If the building is historic, the Plaza Del Mar project cannot be approved unless modified to incorporate the historic building into the design. The applicant/appellant has stated this is not economically feasible. The City Council can affirm or overturn the Board’s Determination. If the appeal is granted, the property will be removed from the Inventory. If the appeal is denied, the property will remain on the Inventory.

Decision Record: On 8 December 2005, the Department of Community Planning and Building issued a Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility for the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources. On 14 December 2005, the Monterey Bay Chapter of the American Institute of Architects filed an appeal. On 19 December 2005, the Historic Resources Board considered the appeal and reversed staff’s determination. On 23 January 2006, the Board adopted Findings for Decision supporting its determination, and placing the property on the Carmel Inventory.



CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND BUILDING
DRAFT FINDINGS FOR DECISION AND CONDITIONS

The Historic Resources Board determined that the Palo Alto Savings and Loan building does qualify a historic resource for the following reeasons:

• The building was designed by Walter Burde. This architect was exceptional in the quality and execution of his designs, his professionalism and his contribution to architecture within Carmel and the region. Walter Burde was generous in his support for other, younger architects, and was respected by his peers.

• Walter Burde received the AIA Monterey Bay Chapter Award of Merit in 1959 and again in 1973.

• Walter Burde received the Governor’s Design award in 1966.

• The American Institute of Architects honored Walter Burde at both regional and national levels. He was accepted as a Fellow of the Institute in 1969, one of only two or three architects awarded this honor in the entire Central Coast area. This is the second highest honor that the AIA can bestow upon an architect.

• The Palo Alto Savings and Loan building is of exceptional importance. It is a pure, original and unique example of modern architecture in the Second Phase of the Bay Regional Style.

• The building is heroic in scale and disign, one of only a few in Carmel that achieve this distinction and the best of its kind built in the past 74 years in Carmel.

• The building is extremely well preserved, in contrast to the few other buildings of this time and by this architect.

• Since the City lacks an updated Historic Context Statement with which to evaluate potential historic resources, the Board must be extremely cautious in its determinations about what qualifies as historic so that important historic resources are not lost through ignorance of their significance.

• The Palo Alto Savings and Loan building provides the City with diversity in architecture, as encouraged by the City’s General Plan/Coastal Land Use Plan.

• The building reflects its time. It avoids the cloying mimicry of historical styles of the past so prevalent in recent commercial projects that robs the community of the potential enjoyment of diverse, progressive, modern architecture reflecting the current era.

CONCLUSION
For these reasons the Palo Alto Savings and Loan building does rise to the level of exceptional importance required to qualify a building of less than 50 years in age. It should be recognized as an historic resource so that future generations can enjoy and appreciate the quality and diversity of this architecture as an excellent example of the modern era, the Second Bay Regional style, and as one of the most important architects within this region.


CITY OF CARMEL-BY-THE-SEA
HISTORIC RESOURCES BOARD
MINUTES
19 December 2005

APPLICATION
Palo Alto Saving & Loan
SE Cor. Dolores & 7th

Consideration of an appeal of a Preliminary Determination of Ineligibility for the Carmel Inventory of Historic Resources and recommendation’s to the Planning Commission on the adequacy of an Environmental Impact Report for the demolition of a commercial structure and the construction of a mixed-use project in the Service Commercial (SC) District.

Board member Coss moved grant the appeal and to place the building on the City’s Inventory of Historic Resources, seconded by Lagerholm and carried by the following roll call vote:

AYES: DYAR, COSS, LAGERHOLM
NOES: WENDT
ABSENT: HOLZ