Members of the city Planning Commission gave contrasting opinions on the aesthetics of the San Marino Center last week as their monthly meeting wrapped up the series of public outreach sessions regarding the proposal to revamp the facility.
As residents fill out surveys on the initiative that the city mailed last week, attention is now focused on Wednesday, Sept. 9, when the City Council will hear from Crane Architectural Services and a locally assembled task force. The council aims to give direction to the design firm that night on the basis of public input collected since July.
“We wanted this group to be the final group to look at this project and look at these questions because we knew that this was the right group to finish with,” Community Services Director Aldo Cervantes told the commission Aug. 26.
The council this year deemed a remodel and update to the center one of its priority initiatives, especially as it became apparent that a revitalized Recreation Department was likely to be housed there. Before kicking off its public outreach sessions, the council agreed to contract with Crane for the design work, so it could be a part of those sessions; Crane had previously mocked up a quick look at what a remodel could be, to help city officials roughly gauge the scope of the project.
One thing is for certain: The council will have to decide whether to retain the building’s midcentury modern style or to convert it to blend in with the Spanish colonial revival look of everything else with which it shares a parking lot.
“Right off, I would keep it midcentury modern, because I think we need to honor the architect given the fact that he was a very significant architect and a San Marino resident,” opined Commissioner Shelley Boyle. “I don’t necessarily think that just being surrounded by Spanish-style buildings is really an important thing. I think that the legacy of who the architect was is, in my opinion, more important.”
The structure was built in 1952, according to a design by Marion Varner, as the clubhouse for the San Marino Woman’s Club. It became a community center when the city purchased it and frequently hosts local groups and events.
Commissioner Monte Ross offered a contrasting viewpoint, highlighting the age of the building itself.
“That’s a long time ago,” he said. “I’d like to see it, personally, go into the Spanish architectural style.”
John Dustin, vice chair of the commission, showed support for keeping what is there already, but emphasized a need to make certain changes to improve the look of the building.
“I think we would be much better served doing a refresh of the existing midcentury modern look as opposed to trying to adapt it to a Spanish influence to match the surrounding buildings,” he said. “I am not really a fan of ‘halfway architecture’ and I think it’s very difficult to take a building that already exists and adapt it to a new style. It’s usually less than satisfactory, and I think also with this particular project, we have a cost consideration.
“I would encourage the architect to not be a slave to what is there and just re-create it with a coat of paint and go from there,” Dustin continued. “In many ways, I think there are a lot of attractive features about this project from certain angles. Particularly from the rear and some of the side views, it’s a very ugly, brutal, industrial building. I think a lot of that is from later modifications. I would encourage that to be cleaned up.”
Cervantes added that the outdoor landscaping also was subject to a new approach.
“Throughout the project and in the future, we do intend to protect the trees, so there will be a lot of mitigation measures,” he said. “It also goes without saying that there certainly is a need to discuss new landscaping schemes for the building.”
Dustin suggested that this sort of work might better unite the center with its neighbors — Crowell Public Library, the San Marino Unified School District main office, the Barth Athletics Complex and Huntington Middle School — rather than copying their architectural style.
“The landscaping, I think that’s a really good opportunity for a way to integrate this complex of buildings,” he said. “[I think] that we could maybe unify the complex through the use of the landscaping and hardscaping that goes on around those buildings rather than trying to match the architecture building by building.”
Boyle added some concerns that the city might be focusing too much on getting this project up and running quickly, particularly at a time when the coronavirus pandemic is likely to limit early use of the new building and the small commercial sector here is hurting.
“I have a lot of concerns that this is being pushed through. I respect the fact that this is a City Council priority; I just also feel as though this is happening so quickly and there are other more important things the city might need to be focused on,” she said. “We’ve talked a lot about the fact that our small businesses need support, and I’m not hearing how this is going to greatly affect the community except by just being a reimagined [activity] center.”
Planning Panel Has Its Say on S.M. Center Proposal
