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Marking and Preserving History

First Society historic site marking at City Hall in 1981. Left to right, from back: Councilmembers Richard Alexander, Paul Netzel, and Richard Brundo; Catherine Zermeno, Society president; Councilmember Paul Jacobs; and Charles Lugo, Historic Sites chair. H. Dale Jones, CAO of Culver City, is kneeling on the left. (Julie Lugo Cerra)

When our Culver City Historical Society formed, we knew we all shared an interest in local history and we learned about many options available to preserve that rich history! Charles Lugo chaired our first Historic Sites Committee, and it offered a learning experience for me to work with my dad and our Society “madrina” (godmother), Clarita Marquez Young. Ordering bronze site markers was admittedly a real learning experience!

The Society voted to mark City Hall as our entry experience and as we approached the City, their only concern was set aside since we were marking “sites,” not structures. The City Hall marker remains on the corner of Culver and Duquesne. It tells the story of the site of the 1928 City Hall, which has since been replaced. In some instances, like the Hull Building, site #2, the marker is in plain view on the structure. Our choice from the beginning was to provide long-lasting bronze markers that tell the story of the site.

It was many years later before the city formed a Historic Preservation Advisory Committee, made up of a wide-range of organizations and at-large members, which included some of our Society members like Linda Brady, Carolyn Cole, Mary Ellen Fernandez, James Lamm, Judy Potik, Jim Quirarte, and Cathy Zermeno. With the help of a consultant, 30th Street Architects, a historic structures survey report was produced in August 1990.

Another historic benefit to our community was the formation of a Cultural Affairs Commission in 2001. The commission, which included members of the Historical Society, was given the opportunity to combine the programs of Historic Preservation and Art in Public Places. One of the interesting decisions we made when I served on the commission was to recommend changes to the Culver City Municipal Code, one of which allowed “Architecture” in the category of Art in Public Places. Do you know the other Society past president who served on that commission? Michelle Bernardin!

As we enter the New Year, I urge us to work together and make changes that benefit our fine city. One way might be to have your voice heard by city staff who will update our city code with respect to historic preservation. Christine Byers, has shared this upcoming opportunity:

“City staff anticipates placing an item on the City Council meeting agenda in January 2019 relating to the City’s Historic Preservation Program. This agenda item pertains only to updating relevant sections of the Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC), which is the foundation and framework of the Historic Preservation Program. Staff will be seeking direction from the City Council with the intent of making updates to the CCMC so that the program reflects best practices, current priorities of the Culver City community, is better aligned with state and federal guidelines on historical resources, and is more user friendly both for property owners and City staff.”

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