Please continue to ask the School District 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.
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
Anonymous letters can be sent to Attn: Save Samo, Santa Monica Conservancy, P.O. Box 653 Santa Monica, CA 90406-0653
The district is communicating to teachers, parents and students that adaptive reuse will not accommodate new learning spaces and millions have already been spent on the current plans. They don’t actually know what can be accommodated or how many millions can be redirected, as a study with a preservation expert has never been performed. The COO at SMMUSD said the assessment would cost $30-50K. Adaptive reuse is sustainable, could potentially save time and money which could then be used at other PK-12 campuses that need vital upgrades. You should be aware that the district is preparing for another round of bond measures to complete upgrades on other campuses.
Members of the school board reiterated that education remains their top priority and this includes optimal learning spaces that fulfills the needs of 21st century learning. Members of the board acknowledged that adaptive reuse is the most sustainable path, but they aren’t convinced that there would be significant cost savings. An adaptive reuse study would assess costs and possibilities.
When you write the board, remind them of the profound impacts of Heritage Education and that students can still have state of the art conversations with huge learning spaces or benefit from an iconic library conversation. Explain to them, that in your research and experience educational opportunities will be lost if they destroy these historic buildings, and that rehabilitation teaches sustainability.
They might not be aware of the educational, cultural, and inspirational benefits of having students learn in historical conversations. Let them know how you, your family and students are impacted today by the New Deal, the public works administration, and how your educational life may have been impacted by physical connections to historic buildings. They may not realize that only financially privileged students travel to other cities and Europe in order to experience history and that students of all economic means could benefit from these experiences on campus. Some parents, teachers, students, and board members have commented that the buildings aren’t attractive. Remind them that the buildings have been maimed throughout the years and they can be restored with innovative and state of the art interiors. They can be modernized and made to feel brand new!
Check out the awesome example of adaptive reuse at the Historic Sears Streamline Moderne conversion in downtown Santa Monica.
Save the dates: The next board meeting discussing campus assessments is Thursday December 17th at 5PM, and the following meeting discussing the historic buildings is Thursday January 14th.