As part of its 20th Anniversary Celebration the Santa Monica Conservancy is hosting a special virtual program “Everything Old is New Again: Adaptive Reuse in Santa Monica,” at 5 p.m., Sunday, November 6.
The Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting understanding of the cultural, social, economic and environmental benefits of preserving the historic resources of Santa Monica’s unique urban landscape.
It notes that “over time, the needs of a community can change. Buildings with rich histories and architectural value often become outmoded, underutilized, or abandoned altogether. Yet they can live on to serve new and different uses through the process of adaptive reuse.”
The program will offer those attending insights into several high profile Santa Monica projects, including the Proper Hotel and Frank Gehry’s highly anticipated Ocean Avenue project.
Featured speakers and projects include:
- Pono Burger, once a military building now a hamburger restaurant. Presented by KFA, LLP Partner John Arnold, AIA.
- The Proper, an office building now an upscale hotel and office complex. Presented by Howard Laks, AIA, principal at Howard Laks Architects, nd historic architect Robert Chattel, president of Chattel, Inc.
- The Conservancy’s own Preservation Resource Center, formerly a shotgun house. Presented by Mario Fonda-Bonardi, AIA, Principal of Fonda-Bonardi & Hohman Architects.
Preservationist and Conservancy Board member Ruthann Lehrer will present snapshots of other notable projects from around Santa Monica.
Concluding the program will be a look at the future of adaptive reuse with a preview of the Gehry/Worthe Ocean Avenue Project, presented by Historic Architect Robert Chattel.
For more information: visit: smconservancy.org or email: info@smconservancy.org or call (310) 496-3146.
This will be one of the buildings featured in the Conservancy talk. (Photo credit for after shot of Pono Burger: Steve Loeper)