Through the 1920s, Santa Monica was a community of single-family homes. Businesses were established solely to service the residents, most of who worked elsewhere or were of independent means. All through the first half of the 20th century, a continuous goal of city government was to attract residents and businesses. By the mid-1970s, the success of these efforts created a backlash against what the residents (four out of five of whom now lived in apartments) felt was too much development.  The locals started to speak out against what they felt would soon destroy the character of their community.

In 1973, an advocacy group called "Save the Santa Monica Bay" rallied to save the Santa Monica Pier, which was slated for demolition. The City Council had been under the impression that pleasure piers were outmoded styles of amusement and that the needs of local residents for a more contemporary amusement park were satisfied by Disneyland. Concerned residents convinced the City Council that the Pier was an important piece of local history worthy of preservation and restoration. As a result, Council created the Historic Site Committee, which developed standards and procedures for historic preservation. Based on those standards, the Santa Monica Historic Preservation Ordinance was passed in 1976, which provided for the creation of a Landmarks Commission.

The Landmarks Commission consists of seven citizen volunteers appointed by City Council. Of the seven members, four must have special credentials: a registered architect, one knowledgeable in local history, an architectural historian and a California real estate licensee. The remaining three positions may be filled by any interested person. Its mission is "to protect improvements and areas which represent the City's cultural, social, economic, political and architectural history; safeguard the City's historic, aesthetic and cultural heritage; and promote the use of landmarks and historic districts for the education, pleasure and welfare of the people." Through the years, the Landmark Commission has designated more than 50 landmarks and two historic districts in Santa Monica.

In order to become a Certified Local Government that enables the city to take advantage of federal and state preservation benefits, the city must conduct a inventory of its historic building stock.  Santa Monica began a citywide inventory in 1983 and completed it in 1990. An update of the inventory for the entire city is currently underway. The North of Montana neighborhood was completed in 2001, the Ocean Park Neighborhood update is expected in late 2003 and the other neighborhoods will follow as budget constraints allow.

In 1983, the City of Santa Monica wrote the first draft of the Historic Preservation Element. A city's general plan is made up of many elements including housing, traffic, land use, etc. The elements are a series of guidelines adopted by a city as law. It is incumbent upon the city to incorporate the elements in its operations, policies and decision-making. The Historic Preservation Element was passed into law in 2001. It includes a series of policies and procedures arrived at through public process. They will make historic preservation part of all pertinent City procedures and policies and will create public programs to increase awareness of our city's history.

In 2002, the Santa Monica Conservancy was formed. SMC is an all volunteer, non-profit organization, dedicated to education about and advocacy for local historic resources.

In 2003 a referendum on landmarks, called the Homeowners Freedom of Choice Initiative, came before voters. This initiative attempted to weaken the landmarks ordinance by taking away the voice of the community in determining which single family homes were worthy of preservation. It would have allowed owners of property in single-family zones, be they residents or developers, to alter or remove buildings of potential historic value at their sole discretion. The initiative was defeated by a majority vote of Santa Monicans and protections for all historic properties remain in place.

Thanks to the formation of the Santa Monica Conservancy, the recent ballot initiative, and a particularly proactive Landmarks Commission, a heightened awareness of preservation exists in our city today. We will carry on with our work through the current development boom, creating a more modern city whose historic past remains intact and treasured.

In 1889, Congress authorized the President to institute the first Federal legislation for the preservation of historic monuments that allowed for the preservation of the Casa Grande prehistoric ruins in Arizona. Then, in the 1890s, many battlefields of the Civil War were preserved, largely due to the enthusiasm of veterans of that conflict.

In 1906, Congress passed the Antiquities Act, allowing the President to establish national monuments on lands owned by the Federal government by proclamation. By 1933, nearly  80 landmarks were established in this way, under the auspices of various government bureaus and departments. To consolidate the administration of these landmarks, the National Parks Service created a Branch of Historic Sites. The policies of the Branch were developed after preservation policies in Europe were studied.

The Historic Sites Act of 1935 overtook the Antiquities Act as the basic law governing historic and archeological sites. The Historic Sites Act declares that it is "a national policy to preserve for public use historic sites, buildings and objects of national significance for the inspiration and benefit of the people of the United States." The Act also provides for a nationwide Historic Sites Survey, which is indispensable in creating national policy and programs, a derivation of the European model.

The Historic Sites Act only empowered the Federal government to preserve sites of national importance, leaving much of the work to State and local governments as it is to this day.

In 1949, Congress created the National Trust for Historic Preservation, a charitable, educational, non-profit corporation.  Its purposes are "to receive donations of sites, buildings, and objects significant in American history and culture; to preserve and administer them for public benefit; to accept, hold, and administer gifts of money, securities, or other property of whatsoever character for the purpose of carrying out the preservation program…"

The National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (and its 22 amendments) is the current law governing preservation in the United States today. The Act states the reason it was needed.

 "…in the face of ever-increasing extensions of urban centers, highways and residential, commercial and industrial developments, the present governmental and non-governmental historic preservation programs and activities are inadequate to insure future generations a genuine opportunity to appreciate and enjoy the rich heritage of our nation."

 In general, the Federal preservation plan is designed to encourage local governments and private citizens to take on as much of the stewardship (and ownership) of historic resources as possible. Federal tax benefits are available for rehabilitation, encouragement and support for development of incentives on the local level is also provided.

State Historic Preservation Offices were revised by the NHP Act of 1966. These Offices maintain statewide surveys of historic properties.  They also nominate properties for the National Register.  In addition, the State Offices advise and assist state and local agencies in carrying out their historic preservation responsibilities as well as other educational and advisory tasks related to preservation.

Certified Local Government Programs are also part of the National Historic Preservation Act. Local governments can have their programs approved in order to qualify for various assistance and programs through the state and federal governments. They must carry out a historic preservation ordinance through a special commission or board, they must maintain a local inventory, and they must provide for adequate public participation in the nominating process.

September 2003