Save the History Building at Santa Monica High School
Save the History Building at Santa Monica High School
The Issue
Donate Today! gofundme.com/f/save-samohi-history
Update 5/6/2021 It's not too late but we need to act now!
Did you know that the district's own architect estimated that the history building could be modernized and restored for $29M?
Check out page 14 on the link
Please ask the board to stop with their wasteful $165 million dollar plan. We want them to modernize the history building into big and beautiful learning spaces for $29 million. We don't want them to waste our money destroying Nationally recognized historic buildings and contribute to environmental devastation.
Email: brd@smmusd.org, smassetti@smmusd.org, mcanady@smmusd.org, samohialumni@gmail.com, advocacy@smconservancy.org, fixsmmusd@gmail.com, council@smgov.net, senator.allen@senate.ca.gov
Anonymous letters can be sent to Attn: Save Samo, Santa Monica Conservancy, P.O. Box 653 Santa Monica, CA 90406-0653
Update for the ask of the School Board (12/12/2020)
Please continue to ask the School Board to hire a 3rd party preservation expert to assess the costs and possibilities around adaptive reuse of the historic academic core buildings at Samohi on top of prospect hill. This assessment has never been performed.
Address the 1) Educational Benefits, 2) Financial Benefits, 3) Environmental Impacts, 4) Express how much the community cares about education and that’s why $1.138 billion in bond measures have been passed since 2006. Let them know that you’d appreciate having your voice considered while they plan for another round of bond measures.
“The preservation of [our] irreplaceable heritage is in the public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational, economic, and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations of Americans” (Title 1, Section 1(b)(4) of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended)
Carl Elefante, former president of the American Institute of Architects, said: 'The greenest building is the one that already exists'
Please write the SMMUSD School Board at brd@smmusd.org and cc: the Superintendent, bdrati@smmusd.org, samohialumni@gmail.com, advocacy@smconservancy.org, fixsmmusd@gmail.com, council@smgov.net, senator.allen@senate.ca.gov
Anonymous letters can be sent to Attn: Save Samo, Santa Monica Conservancy, P.O. Box 653 Santa Monica, CA 90406-0653
Original Petition from October 13, 2020
The SMMUSD plans to demolish the history building at Santa Monica High School using $172M of taxpayer bond money. This is a building from the WPA era. The building and it's steps immortalized in the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. It is the heart and soul of Santa Monica High School. It's on state land so only the school board can stop this travesty. It would be far cheaper for taxpayers and a much more sustainable solution to rehab and retrofit the building. We need your help fast. The plans are underway!
Please join us in demanding that:
1) The SMMUSD district halts all plans to demolish the SMHS history building with taxpayer bond money.
2) The district designate the building as district landmark.
Pertinent Links:
Santa Monica Conservancy on The Historic Academic Core Buildings of Samohi On Top of Prospect Hill
Santa Monica Conservancy Advocacy Flyer
SMMUSD School Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas
SMDP_Curious City_Only you can save Samohi
SM Mirror_Environmental and Financial Consequences
Viking News_Save History Building
Construction History at Samohi
Online Community Meeting SMMUSD October 13
We thank you for your advocacy to preserve cultural resources and not squander taxpayer money.
Esther Hickman, Steven Johnson & Brian O'Neil
6,430
The Issue
Donate Today! gofundme.com/f/save-samohi-history
Update 5/6/2021 It's not too late but we need to act now!
Did you know that the district's own architect estimated that the history building could be modernized and restored for $29M?
Check out page 14 on the link
Please ask the board to stop with their wasteful $165 million dollar plan. We want them to modernize the history building into big and beautiful learning spaces for $29 million. We don't want them to waste our money destroying Nationally recognized historic buildings and contribute to environmental devastation.
Email: brd@smmusd.org, smassetti@smmusd.org, mcanady@smmusd.org, samohialumni@gmail.com, advocacy@smconservancy.org, fixsmmusd@gmail.com, council@smgov.net, senator.allen@senate.ca.gov
Anonymous letters can be sent to Attn: Save Samo, Santa Monica Conservancy, P.O. Box 653 Santa Monica, CA 90406-0653
Update for the ask of the School Board (12/12/2020)
Please continue to ask the School Board to hire a 3rd party preservation expert to assess the costs and possibilities around adaptive reuse of the historic academic core buildings at Samohi on top of prospect hill. This assessment has never been performed.
Address the 1) Educational Benefits, 2) Financial Benefits, 3) Environmental Impacts, 4) Express how much the community cares about education and that’s why $1.138 billion in bond measures have been passed since 2006. Let them know that you’d appreciate having your voice considered while they plan for another round of bond measures.
“The preservation of [our] irreplaceable heritage is in the public interest so that its vital legacy of cultural, educational, aesthetic, inspirational, economic, and energy benefits will be maintained and enriched for future generations of Americans” (Title 1, Section 1(b)(4) of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended)
Carl Elefante, former president of the American Institute of Architects, said: 'The greenest building is the one that already exists'
Please write the SMMUSD School Board at brd@smmusd.org and cc: the Superintendent, bdrati@smmusd.org, samohialumni@gmail.com, advocacy@smconservancy.org, fixsmmusd@gmail.com, council@smgov.net, senator.allen@senate.ca.gov
Anonymous letters can be sent to Attn: Save Samo, Santa Monica Conservancy, P.O. Box 653 Santa Monica, CA 90406-0653
Original Petition from October 13, 2020
The SMMUSD plans to demolish the history building at Santa Monica High School using $172M of taxpayer bond money. This is a building from the WPA era. The building and it's steps immortalized in the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. It is the heart and soul of Santa Monica High School. It's on state land so only the school board can stop this travesty. It would be far cheaper for taxpayers and a much more sustainable solution to rehab and retrofit the building. We need your help fast. The plans are underway!
Please join us in demanding that:
1) The SMMUSD district halts all plans to demolish the SMHS history building with taxpayer bond money.
2) The district designate the building as district landmark.
Pertinent Links:
Santa Monica Conservancy on The Historic Academic Core Buildings of Samohi On Top of Prospect Hill
Santa Monica Conservancy Advocacy Flyer
SMMUSD School Board Meeting Schedule and Agendas
SMDP_Curious City_Only you can save Samohi
SM Mirror_Environmental and Financial Consequences
Viking News_Save History Building
Construction History at Samohi
Online Community Meeting SMMUSD October 13
We thank you for your advocacy to preserve cultural resources and not squander taxpayer money.
Esther Hickman, Steven Johnson & Brian O'Neil
6,430
The Decision Makers
Petition created on October 13, 2020