CC RES 2015-010 RESOLUTION NO. 2015-10
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, DESIGNATING THE HARDEN
ESTATE GATEHOUSE AT 5500 PALOS VERDES DRIVE
SOUTH AS A QUALIFIED HISTORIC BUILDING AND
PROPERTY, PURSUANT TO CITY COUNCIL POLICY
NO. 51.
WHEREAS, on December 9, 2014, the Rancho Palos Verdes Planning
Commission approved the land use entitlements (Planning Case No. ZON2014-00332)
for the "Palos Verdes Heritage Castle Museum," which will be located in a portion of the
Harden Estate gatehouse at 5500 Palos Verdes Drive South, and said approval was final
effective January 22, 2015; and,
WHEREAS, the Mitigated Negative Declaration certified for the project included a
mitigation measure stating that "[priori to the issuance of a building permit for any
modifications to the building, the City and the applicant shall agree to designate the
property and structures as a historic site for the purposes of utilizing the State Historic
Building Code (SHBC). The means to accomplish said designation shall be determined
and approved by the City Council"; and,
WHEREAS, on February 3, 2015, the City Council adopted City Council Policy
No. 51 "Designation of Qualified Historic Buildings or Properties" for the purpose of
allowing property owners to utilize the State Historic Building Code when proposing to
modernize historic structures in the City that are at least seventy-five (75) years old; and,
WHEREAS, on February 4, 2015, the owners of the Harden Estate gatehouse,
Dr. Allen and Mrs. Charlotte Ginsburg, requested the designation of the building and
property by the City Council, in accordance with City Council Policy No. 51; and,
WHEREAS, at a regularly-scheduled meeting on February 17, 2015, the City
Council considered this request, and all interested parties were given the opportunity to
be heard and present evidence.
NOW BE IT, THEREFORE, RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF RANCHO PALOS VERDES:
Section 1: The Harden Estate gatehouse and grounds are associated with the
lives of persons important in the City's past. The 2.06-acre property includes the
gatehouse, constructed in 1926 for Mr. and Mrs. Edward Harden. Mr. Harden was a
friend and business associate of Frank A. Vanderlip, Jr., who envisioned the original
development plan for the Palos Verdes Peninsula in the early 20th century, and
Mrs. Harden was Mr. Vanderlip's sister. The Hardens enlisted Gordon Kaufmann as
architect and Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. as landscape architect for their estate, which
was originally intended to occupy the entirety of Portuguese Point. Unfortunately, with
the onset of the Great Depression, the Hardens were only able to complete the gatehouse
for their grand estate. However, the building and grounds remain very well preserved
and maintained to this day.
Section 2: The Harden Estate gatehouse and grounds embody the distinctive
characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represent the work
of an important creative individual, or possesses high artistic values. Gordon Kaufmann
was a well-known architect of the era, whose other major projects included the Hoover
Dam, the Los Angeles Times building, the Hollywood Palladium and the Doheny mansion
(Greystone) in Beverly Hills. The Harden Estate gatehouse is a good example of his early
work in the Mediterranean Revival style. Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr. and the firm founded
by his father were responsible for the overall designed and layout of Frank Vanderlip's
vision for the Palos Verdes Peninsula, including what is now the City of Palos Verdes
Estates and the Miraleste area of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes. Frederick Law
Olmsted, Sr. is generally considered to be the father of American landscape architecture.
The firm's most well-known work is New York City's Central Park, and it also had a hand
in the design of many early master-planned communities across the United States in the
late 19th and early 20th centuries. The picturesque, natural and rambling form of the
drives, walkways and gardens of the Harden Estate gatehouse are common
characteristics of the Olmsted firm's designs.
Section 3: The Harden Estate gatehouse and grounds were formally
designated as a historic site by the Rancho de los Palos Verdes Historical Society in
1990.
Section 4: The City Council's designation of qualified historic buildings or
properties is intended solely for the purpose of applying the California State Historic
Building Code (California Code of Regulations, Title 24, Part 8) to the review and
permitting of modifications to designated buildings or properties, when such modifications
are voluntarily sought by a property owner in order to modernize buildings or properties
in a manner that will minimize adverse impacts upon their historic character. Designation
as a "Qualified Historic Building or Property"does not confer upon the property or property
owner any additional rights or benefits beyond eligibility to apply the California State
Historic Building Code. More specifically, designation as a "Qualified Historic Building or
Property" does not have the effect of conferring upon the property or property owner any
rights to property tax relief pursuant to the Mills Act (Government Code Section 50280, et
seq. and Revenue and Taxation Code Section 439, et seq.).
Resolution No. 2015-10
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PASSED, APPROVED, AND ADOPTED THIS 17th DAY OF FEBRUARY 2015.
or
ATTEST:
()wit
City Clerk
State of California )
County of Los Angeles )ss
City of Rancho Palos Verdes )
I, Carla Morreale, City Clerk of the City of Rancho Palos Verdes, hereby certify that the
above Resolution No. 2015-10 was duly and regularly passed and adopted by the said
City Council at a regular meeting thereof held on February 17, 2015.
gilet_C-4-beiZaje
City Clerk
Resolution No. 2015-10
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