Santa Monica’s historic 1897 Shotgun House found new life as a Preservation Resource Center (Image Credit: Stephen Schafer via Santa Monica Conservancy)
Built in 1897, the Shotgun House is now recognised as the last intact example of its kind in the city. Today, the house stands at 2520 Second Street, where it has been given a new purpose as a Preservation Resource Center. The Santa Monica Conservancy, which has cared for the property, is marking 10 years since the restored building opened as a community resource in 2016.
A small wooden house in Santa Monica has survived something few historic buildings ever face: demolition threats, years in storage and several moves from one location to another. What began as a modest home near the beach has become an important piece of Santa Monica’s architectural history. Its survival is also a story of residents and preservation groups stepping in when an old building was at risk of disappearing.
The Shotgun House was built in 1897 at 2712 Second Street in Ocean Park, when the neighbourhood was rapidly developing as a seaside resort, according to the Santa Monica Conservancy. The house survived as a residence for almost a century, remaining occupied until 1996. The Santa Monica Conservancy says community members and preservation advocates helped save the structure from demolition beginning in the late 1990s, with the preservation effort continuing through 2002. The building was designated a landmark in 1999. The centre officially opened in January 2016.
Some had been demolished after being considered unsafe, while others were lost as development transformed the city. Shotgun houses were practical, inexpensive structures that were particularly suited to communities where small vacation cottages were needed near the beach. By that point, however, many of Santa Monica’s other shotgun houses had already disappeared. The Shotgun House itself came close to the same fate. The effort involved concerned residents, the former Ocean Park Community Organisation, the Church at Ocean Park, the Conservancy and the City of Santa Monica. But saving it did not mean the house immediately had a permanent home. Under the Santa Monica Conservancy’s guardianship, an adaptive-reuse plan was developed to rehabilitate the house while retaining its historic character. Funds were raised to restore the structure and transform it into a Preservation Resource Center. Rather than functioning as a private residence, the restored building now helps people understand Santa Monica’s historic places and the principles of preservation. It provides information for residents, property owners, students, visitors and others interested in local history. It also offers tours and educational programming. The building itself is also an example of adaptive reuse. The Conservancy describes it as a model showing how a historic structure can be rehabilitated and given a useful role in modern community life. The project earned a LEED Gold rating, while the surrounding Shotgun House Coastal Garden uses drought-resistant native plants.