Report Cultural Heritage Commission Project Applicant

City of Beverly HillsPlanning Division

455 N. Rexford Drive Beverly Hills, CA 90210TEL. (310) 285-1141 FAX. (310) 858-5966

Cultural Heritage CommissionReport

Meeting Date: July 13, 2016

Subject: Preliminary Hearing and Landmark Nomination of the “Beverly Hills LawnBowling Green #1” for inclusion as a Local Landmark onto the LocalRegister of Historic Properties

Project Applicant: Commission-initiated

Recommendation: Continue the Preliminary Hearing to a future meeting to adopt a resolutionrecommending City Council designate the “Beverly Hills Lawn BowlingGreen #1” as a Local Landmark. Alternatively, the Commission may electto move forward with adoption of a recommendation.

REPORT SUMMARYThe “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” at 401 South Roxbury Drive has been assessed foreligibility as a Local Landmark under Beverly Hills Municipal Code (BHMC) Title 10, Chapter 3,Article 32 - Historic Preservation Ordinance (Ord. 15-0-2682, elf. 7-21-2015). A LandmarkAssessment Report (Attachment A) provides the background and findings to justify that theproperty is eligible under BHMC Section 10-3-3212 (Landmark Designation Criteria). Theresolution in Attachment C recommends that the City Council designate the “Beverly Hills LawnBowling Green #1” as a Landmark and place it on the Local Register of Historic Properties.

BACKGROUNDThe Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 is located at the northeast corner of RoxburyMemorial Park. On October 7, 1929, the bowling green was dedicated at the new Roxbury Parkwhich was still under construction. In 1923, the Beverly Hills Bowling Green Association(subsequently renamed the Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Club) was originally established at thecorner of Camden Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard and then relocated to the new parkat the southwest corner of Olympic Boulevard and South Roxbury Drive. The Roxbury Park(renamed Roxbury Memorial Park in 1954) and site improvements, including the lawn bowlinggreen, were formally dedicated in 1930 and designed by nationally recognized landscapearchitects the Olmsted Brothers (one of America’s first landscape architecture firms). TheOlmstead Brothers (sons of noted Landscape Architect Frederick Law Olmstead) designed thepark in 1928 with such features as a playground, clubhouse, lighted tennis courts, croquet court,a putting green, and the lawn bowling green among other amenities. Since its installation, thelawn bowling green has become a community gathering place for residents, officials, localbusinessmen, retirees, and the general public. The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 retainsthe distinctive design features that defined a standard bowling green of the 1 920s and has beenin continuance use for over 80 years. The lawn bowling green has continued to provide a setting

Attachment(s):A. City Landmark and Assessment Evaluation ReportB. Director’s Preliminary EvaluationC. Resolution

Report Author and Contact Information:Mark Odell

Urban Designer(310) 285-1116

modellbeverlyhills.org

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401 South Roxbury Drive(Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1) — Landmark Nomination

July 13, 2016

for sporting and social activities with numerous competitive lawn bowling events having beensponsored there within the past five decades. The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 is alsonoted for the high quality of the green and the club’s historical association with past memberWalt Disney. The annual Walt Disney Masters International Singles Tournament draws topbowlers from around the world to play in signature tournaments which in turn has made thegreen the subject of numerous magazine articles. The signature trophy for this event with WaltDisney’s initialed lawn bowling balls remains with the bowling club at the Park.At its July 13th Meeting, the Cultural Heritage Commission will vote to nominate the historicresource for landmark designation proceedings. A Landmark Assessment Report (AttachmentA) assessing the property for historic significance has been provided by the City’s historicconsultant, Jan Ostashay of Ostashay & Associates Consulting. This report concludes that the“Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” fully satisfies the requirements for landmark eligibilityunder the City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance. This historic site was brought before theCultural Heritage Commission for initiation of the nomination proceedings on May 18, 2016 andthe Commission unanimously voted to move the process forward to the nomination phase inadvance of ultimate designation by the City Council.

Pursuant to the Beverly Hills Municipal Code §10-3-3215 A.3, and in conjunction with theinitiation of designation proceedings by the Cultural Heritage Commission, the Director hasprepared a written Preliminary Evaluation that has determined sufficient evidence exists tosupport a finding that all applicable requirements for designation as a landmark appear to havebeen met based on all of the supporting facts provided. The Director’s Preliminary Evaluationfor the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” at 401 South Roxbury Drive finds that theproperty appears eligible as a local landmark and a copy of the Preliminary Evaluation isincluded as Attachment B.

Pursuant to the requirements in BHMC §10-3-3215A, and in conjunction with the completion ofthe Director’s Preliminary Evaluation, the Cultural Heritage Commission shall determine whethersufficient evidence exists to conclude that the subject property satisfies all applicabledesignation criteria and whether the property merits formal consideration for nomination. If,based on this preliminary evaluation and other evidence provided to the Commission, theCommission determines sufficient evidence exists and the property merits consideration, it shallformally consider the landmark nomination and recommend that the City Council designate thesubject property. A resolution recommending nomination of the “Beverly Hills Lawn BowlingGreen #1” at 401 South Roxbury Drive as a Local Landmark is presented for the Commission’sconsideration in Attachment C.

ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENTDesignation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” as a local historic landmark wasassessed in accordance with the authority and criteria contained in the California EnvironmentalQuality Act (CEQA), the State CEQA Guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City.It has been determined that designation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” would nothave a significant environmental impact and is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Sections15061(b)(3), 15308, and 15331 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. It can be seenwith certainty that there is no possibility that the designation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn BowlingGreen #1” may have a significant effect on the environment, as no specific development isauthorized by this resolution, and any future development proposed pursuant to this resolution

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401 South Roxbury Drive(Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1) — Landmark Nomination

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will require separate environmental analysis when the details of those proposals are known.Further, designating the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #“is an action of the City to protectand preserve an historic resource.

GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCYDesignation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” as a local historic landmark isconsistent with the objectives, principles, and standards of the General Plan. General PlanPolicy “HP 1.3 — Promote National, State, and Local Designation of Historic Resources”encourages the establishment of programs encouraging the nomination of landmarks.

PUBLIC OUTREACH AND NOTIFICATIONPursuant to the requirements in Beverly Hills Municipal Code Section 10-3-3215, notice of thedate, time, place, and purpose of the preliminary hearing and nomination hearing were providedin writing to the City Manager’s Office on June 28, 2016. As of the publication of this report, nopublic comment was received regarding the subject project.

RECOMMENDATION FOR CONTINUANCE AND NEXT STEPSThe proposal for local landmark designation of the subject site was presented to the Recreationand Parks Commission of the City of Beverly Hills on May, 24, 2016, at the request of the chair,and again on June 28, 2016. At these two public hearings the Urban Designer of theCommunity Development Department explained the proposed designation and the City’sdesignation process, and answered questions about the designation of the subject site which islocated within a City Park. The Recreation and Parks Commissioners asked that furtherinformation be presented to the Commission so that they could better understand thedesignation process and offer their thoughts on whether the bowling green should be formallylandmarked. The Recreation and Parks Commission’s request included information on theSecretary of the Interior’s Standards and the Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Reportprepared by the City’s historical consultant (Ostashay & Associates Consulting) so that theycould have a better understanding of how landmark status might affect the bowling green in thefuture. Staff has consulted with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Cultural Heritage Commission,and recommends continuance of the nomination to the next Cultural Heritage Commissionmeeting so that a liaison meeting between the Chair and Vice Chair of the Cultural HeritageCommission and Recreation and Parks Commission can be held. The purpose of the meetingwill be to provide a more complete background with regard to the designation and the criteria bywhich future modifications to the potential historic resource would be undertaken and reviewedin the future. Alternatively, the Cultural Heritage Commission may elect to move forward withthe nomination of the subject property as a local landmark at this time, with the nominationbeing forwarded to theGiCouncil for consideration.

Report Pre

Urban Designer

Cultural Heritage Commission Report401 South Roxbury Drive

(Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1) — Landmark NominationJuly 13, 2016

Attachment ACity Landmark and Assessment Evaluation Report

LLS

CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT& EVALUATION REPORT

1!

JULY2016

Prepared for:City of Beverly Hills

Community Development DepartmentPlanning Division

455 Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Prepared by:Jan Ostashay, Principal

Ostashay & Associates ConsultingP0 BOX 542, Long Beach, CA 90801

BEVERLY HILLS LAWN BOWLING GREEN #1Roxbury Memorial Park, 401 South Roxbury Drive, City of Beverly Hills, CA

THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY BLANK

CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION REPORT

BeverI Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1Roxbury Memorial Park401 (471) South Roxbury DriveBeverly Hills, CA 90211

APN: 4330-010-900

INTRODUCTION

This landmark assessment and evaluation report, completed by Ostashay & AssociatesConsulting for the City of Beverly Hills, documents and evaluates the local significance andlandmark eligibility of Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1, located within Roxbury MemorialPark at 401 South Roxbury Drive, in the City of Beverly Hills.

Included in the report is a discussion of the survey methodology used, a summarizeddescription of the subject property and its historical integrity, a brief description and contextualhistory of the site, a review of the local landmark criteria considered in the evaluation process,a formal evaluation of the property for local significance, photographs, and applicablesupporting materials.

METHODOLOGY

The landmark assessment was conducted by Jan Ostashay, Principal, of Ostashay & AssociatesConsulting. In order to identify and evaluate the subject property as a potential local landmark,an intensive-level survey was conducted. The assessment included a review of the NationalRegister of Historic Places (National Register) and its annual updates, the California Register ofHistorical Resources (California Register), and the California Historic Resources Inventory (HRI)list maintained by the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in order to determine if anyprevious evaluations or survey assessments of the site had been performed.

For this current landmark assessment a site inspection was conducted and a review of buildingpermits, tax assessor records, and historic aerial photographs was performed to document theproperty’s existing condition and assist in evaluating the property for historical significance. TheCity of Beverly Hills landmark criteria were employed to evaluate the local significance of thesite and its eligibility for designation as a City of Beverly Hills Landmark. In addition, thefollowing tasks were performed for the study:

• Searched records of the National Register, California Register, and OHP HistoricResources Inventory.

• Conducted a field inspection and photographed the subject property (lawn bowlinggreen site and park area).

BHLB Green #1, 401 5. Roxbury DriveCity Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report

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• Conducted site-specific research on the subject property utilizing Sanborn FireInsurance Maps, city directories, newspaper articles, historical photographs, aerialphotographs, and building permits. In addition, interviewed members of the BeverlyHills Lawn Bowling Club for further information on the history of the lawn bowlinggreen.

• Reviewed and analyzed ordinances, statutes, regulations, bulletins, and technicalmaterials relating to federal, state, and local historic preservation, designationassessment procedures, and related programs.

• Evaluated the potential historic resource based upon criteria established by the Cityof Beverly Hills and utilized the OHP survey methodology for conducting surveyassessments.

FINDINGS

The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 (BHLB Green #1) with the address 401 South RoxburyDrive appears to satisfy the City’s criteria for individual designation as a local Landmark asrequited in Section 10-3-3212 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance (Beverly Hills MunicipalCode Title 10 Chapter 3 Article 32). This property appears to satisfy all of the mandates ofsubsection A. and two of the mandates under subsection B. of the City’s Historic PreservationOrdinance.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

BHLB Green #1 is sited within the northeast corner of Roxbury Memorial Park. RoxburyMemorial Park now occupies over 11 acres of land at the southwest corner of West OlympicBoulevard and South Roxbury Drive in the southwestern section of Beverly Hills. Part of Tract#3613 the park is sited on a large, flat single lot that has an irregular wedge shape (lot 4).Though Olympic Boulevard is a busy automobile-oriented thoroughfare that extends throughdowntown Los Angeles west to Santa Monica, this portion of the street is surrounded primarilyby multi-family residential housing. The lawn bowling green has an address of 401 SouthRoxbury Drive while the park itself is addressed as 471 South Roxbury Drive.

Roxbury Memorial Park nor any of its associated improvements, including the lawn bowlinggreen, have not been previously identified, documented or evaluated under any of the City’sprevious historic resources survey efforts. In addition, the park is not included in the State’s HRIand is not listed in the National Register or California Register.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION AND CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

Description. The park is situated on the south side of Olympic Boulevard within the southwestsection of town. It was originally developed with 15 acres of land, but now covers slightly morethan 11 acres of land. The lawn bowling green is sited at the northeast corner of the park and isaccessed at the south end of the green through a gate via a walkway off South Roxbury Drive orfrom the park itself to the west.

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An address of 401 South Roxbury Drive provides a physical address location of the lawn bowlinggreen under review. The exact location of Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 has also beenidentified by a coordinates map using longitude and latitude decimal degrees to identify thesite boundaries. A coordinates map has been provided in the appendix of this report forclarification.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 retains the distinctive design features and componentsthat defined a standard lawn bowling green of the 1920s (and required of a legally sanctionedlawn bowling green for tournament play even today). Components of the green consist of afirm level playing surface measuring 120 feet by 120 feet covered with grass/turf (currentlyhybrid Bermudagrass) and framed by a narrow wood plinth roughly 1J4 inches wide (the plinthretains the compacted soil playing surface). Outside the plinth is a shallow ditch roughly teninches wide that contains sand and beyond that is a 14 inch wide backboard (or bank) thatretains the surround raised roughly 10 inches above the playing surface. The green is dividedinto sections called rinks, which can be oriented at any of the four sides of the green (to avoidoverplay of the grass). It is within the rink that a game of lawn bowling is played. Beverly HillsLawn Bowling Green #1 contains eight rinks in any of the four directions. The backboard hasbeen marked accordingly to indicate rink location, hog line, and center of the green.

The park has been upgraded or “modernized” a number of times since it was initiallyconstructed in 1928. Upgrades to the lawn bowling area have also been made, most recently inthe past couple of decades. As necessary for the general maintenance and up keep of thebowling green there has been some repair work and changes made to the site. Such changeshave included the in-kind replacement of the playing field, replacement of broken or damagedplinths and backboards, and the change out of mull material within the ditch (it was originally agrille of wood slats). Because of safety issues and to ease accessibility, the original grasscovered surround was removed a number of years ago for the installation of wide concretewalkways that abut up to the backboards. In addition, the original park benches that wereadjacent to the surround on all four sides have been replaced with new benches some coveredby contemporary concrete post supported canopies. And though the original fence around thegreen has been replaced a think hedge continues to wrap the outside of the green as it hasdone for decades to provide privacy.

As for changes to the park itself, a new recreation building and tool supply building were builton site in 1958. Later changes to the site dating from the mid-1960s, late 1980s, and 2000s haveincluded the reconfiguration of some internal walkways and paths, the addition ofbaseball/softball diamonds, the re-landscaping of areas, new playground areas and equipment,conversion of lawn bowling green #3 to a sand volleyball court, new sprinkler systems andlighting, relocation of picnic areas, the addition of new picnic areas, installation of basketballcourts and handball court, the consolidation of greens for both lawn bowling and croquet use,renovation of park areas for ADA compliance (American with Disabilities Act), the andconstruction of a new clubhouse and community center.


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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Beverly Hills. The town of Beverly Hills was founded in 1906 when a group of investors headedby Burton Green formed the Rodeo Land and Water Company and recorded two subdivisions:Beverly, a small triangle south of Santa Monica Boulevard, and Beverly Hills, a residential areaof amply-sized lots extending along curving streets north to Sunset Boulevard, with estate-sizedproperties in the foothills further north. Designed by landscape architect Wilbur D. Cook, thelayout of the new development departed sharply from the typical, orthogonally griddedsubdivisions that were found in most of the region’s subdivisions. In 1907, the Los AngelesTimes reported:

On this beautiful mesa, with a background of foothills, Beverly Hills was laid outby one of Boston’s famous landscape architects. With its broad, curving avenuessweeping from the car line to the very crest of the foothills, it presents thespectacle of a magnificent park. . . . Beverly Hills is provided with four parks andthe purpose is to beautify the entire suburb with flowers, trees, and shrubbery.’

The article went to state that special note should be made of the “artistic water garden with itspond lilies and gold fish.”2

Despite these and other amenities and the presence of a station serving both the interurbanPacific Electric Railroad and the transcontinental Southern Pacific, initial growth in thecommunity was slow. The first boost to development was in 1911, when a grand hostelry, theBeverly Hills Hotel, was opened by Hollywood Hotel entrepreneur Margaret Anderson anddesigned by architect Elmer Grey, with gardens laid out by Cook. A one-trolley car systemknown as the “Dinky” conveyed guests from a Pacific Electric station at the southwest corner ofSanta Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive up Rodeo Drive to the hotel. Residential constructionand commercial development soon picked up, to the extent that Beverly Hills was able toincorporate as a city in 1914.

The turning point in the history of Beverly Hills occurred in 1919, when Hollywood royalty, MaryPickford and Douglas Fairbanks, decided to remodel a “hunting lodge” in the foothills as alavish, full-time residence. “Pickfair” paved the way for numerous other film stars, producers,directors, and other industry figures, as well as well-heeled capitalists and professionals, tomake Beverly Hills their home. During the 1920s and continuing, regardless of the GreatDepression, into the 1930s, development flourished in Beverly Hills, encompassing residentialdistricts both north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard as well as the triangular commercialarea bounded by the railroad tracks on Santa Monica on the north and Wilshire Boulevardduring the south.

The late 1920s and early 1930s also saw large outlays for public improvements andinfrastructure. The City’s Water Treatment Plant (No. 1), City Hall and Post Office were allconstructed during this period. As part of a regional effort, Wilshire Boulevard was widened and

Early articles counted the three original blocks of Beverly Gardens as three parks, which, when added to Sunset Park north ofthe confluence of Canon Drive, Beverly Drive, and Lomitas Avenue (labeled “Civic Center” on early maps and later called WillRogers Memorial Park) totaled four.

2 “Park Effects in Homesite.” Los Angeles Times, August 16, 1907.


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improved with Street lamps and signals. Other streets that traversed Beverly Hills, includingSunset Boulevard, were similarly integrated into area-wide transportation plans that facilitatedautomobile access to downtown Los Angeles, the beach communities, and the San FernandoValley. In 1931, Route 66, the famed highway from Chicago to the Pacific, was officially declaredto run through Beverly Hills on Santa Monica Boulevard.3 Three additional parks were added tothe City’s already well-endowed park system: Roxbury Park, La Cienega Park, and what wasinitially referred to as the Santa Monica Boulevard Strip Park and officially named in 1931“Beverly Gardens.” Today, the City boasts eleven recreation and park facilities within itsboundaries, plus several mini parks.

Development of Roxbury (Memorial) Park. The park is on the south side of Olympic Boulevardat South Roxbury Drive within the southwest section of town. It was originally developed withroughly 15 acres of land by the City over a two year period beginning in 1928, and was formallydedicated on October 30, 1930. The lawn bowling green was one of the first improvementsinstalled and used at the park even before its formal opening to the public.

The property was purchased from the Rodeo Land and Water Company following a bond issueof $400,000 that was voted upon at the April 1928 local election. Two parks were createdutilizing the bond funds, one near the high school along what was called Country Club Drive(now Olympic Boulevard) and Roxbury Drive (Roxbury Park) and another on the municipalproperty in the vicinity of the water treatment plant near La Cienega Boulevard and GregoryWay. Initial plans for the Roxbury park (as well as the La Cienega park) were designed bynationally recognized landscape architects, the Olmsted Brothers in 1928. According to plansrevealed to the public in August 1922, the Roxbury park improvement was to have aplayground, clubhouse, lawn bowling green, lighted tennis courts, croquet court, and puttinggreen among other amenities such as meandering walkways, lawn, and the informal planting oftrees and shrubbery. A swimming pool and bath house were also planned, but nevermaterialized. George Chapman, Superintendent of Parks for the City, was responsible for thegeneral oversight and construction of the two parks.

In 1932, the Beverly Hills American Legion Post #253 began planting Chinese Elm trees in thepark to honor its members who had died since the Post’s founding in 1926. The pathway linedwith trees at the western side of the park is known as Memory Lane. As a tribute to all whohave served in the military with honor in time of war, the City Council passed a resolution in1954 that officially changed the name of the park to Roxbury Memorial Park.

The once extant Spanish Colonial Revival clubhouse was built adjacent to the lawn bowlinggreen and tennis courts close to the northeast corner of the site in 1930. The structure wasdesigned by architects Koerner and Gage (Harry G. Koerner and William J Gage, architects ofCity Hall) at a cost of $5,000 and was built by the Carpenter Brothers, a local contracting firm.The floor plan included a kitchen, men’s and women’s rest rooms, a club room, and opencovered porches on the north and south elevations facing the tennis courts and the bowlinggreen. The building was damaged by an earthquake and was demolished in the late 1980s. A

“Boulevard Leads East Via Beverly.” Beverly Hills Citizen, January 29, 1931.

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new contemporary style clubhouse was built in its place and a large modern community centerwas also added to the park in subsequent years.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #i. On October 7, 1929, the Beverly Hills Bowling Green,now referred to as Bowling Green #1, was dedicated at the new Roxbury Park (which was stillunder construction). The green was completed prior to the completion of the park to allowcompetitive play for the Southern California Lawn Bowling Association annual tournament. Thiswas the first official tournament held on Bowling Green #1 since it was developed.

In 1923, the Beverly Hills Bowling Green Association (BHGA) was established at the corner ofCamden Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard. The BHGA was the predecessor of the BeverlyHills Lawn Bowling Association (BHLBA), which later went on to become the Beverly Hills LawnBowling Club (BHLBC). By 1925, three lots in this vicinity were being transformed into a formalbowling green measuring 122x132 feet in size, according to a Los Angeles Times article fromOctober 4, 1925. Oscar N. Beasley, a prominent banker; actor Fred Niblo; and realtor/developerLeland P. Reeder owned the property and Beasley paid for the improvements, that included asunken court, groomed lawn, ditch, backboards, and even lighting.

Beasley (1870-1960), then president of the First National Bank of Beverly Hills (laterconsolidated under Beverly Hills National Bank and Trust Company), was elected the bowlinggroup’s first president. He was followed one year later by local realtor James L. Kennedy (1880-1955), who eventually went on to become a city council member and the mayor of Beverly Hillsin 1941.

In the spring of 1928, Beasley and Kennedy urged the City Council to install a bowling green onthe site of the new Roxbury Park as soon as possible. They stressed that in order to have thegreen ready for tournament play in August of that year installation efforts would need to becompleted by May. The BHGA moved to the park site and the new bowling green was ready forplayinthefallof 1928.

At the dedication of the park in 1930, the local lawn bowling club, then referred as the BHLBA,arranged a tournament comprised of teams with bowling association members and city officialsand department heads. Since then, the bowling green has become a community gathering placefor residents, officials, local businessmen, retirees, and others. Radio announcer Bill Hay notedfrom the early Amos ‘n’ Andy radio program, film actors Otto Kruger and Edward Arnold, andWalt Disney were all members of the BHLBA.

Walt Disney was a prominent member of the BHLBA. In the 1930s, Walt pursued severalrecreational sports to work off the pressures of business. He played polo but because of healthissues began looking for another sport. He tried golf but it proved too frustrating to offer anyrelaxation. After he tried lawn bowling Disney became a fervent bowler and active member ofthe Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Association. He played this sport regularly at Roxbury MemorialPark for the rest of his life and competed in many bowling tournaments. In Disney’s honor oneof the many competitive games held annually at BHLB Green #1 is the Walt Disney MastersInternational Singles Tournament. The trophy for this event is four feet high made of Brazilianredwood with Walt Disney’s initialed bowls (lawn bowling balls), Mickey Mouse, and a replicaof the Commemorative Medal struck by joint resolution of Congress and presented to Disney by


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President Nixon, March 25, 1969, attached to the piece. The annual winner of the tournamentreceives a plaque illustrating the trophy but the trophy itself remains with the BHLBC atRoxbury Memorial Park.

Due to the popularity of the game and the rapid growth of the BHLBA another green was addedjust to the west of bowling green #1 in 1935. Bowling green #3 south of bowling green #2 wasadded in 1946. Those greens were installed in part by the generosity of resident bowlers J.L.Kennedy and Harold Meyers and other club members with the support of the City’s ParksCommission. Green #3 was designed for the handicap, though Green #1 was later modified toaccommodate ADA accessibility.

Since 1999, the play of the game has been primarily on Bowling Green #1. Because ofmaintenance costs and past and present drought conditions bowling green #2 is no longer usedfor bowling and green #3 has been converted to a sand volleyball court.

Because of the quality, maintenance, and preservation of the green and its long historical tiesto the community the Beverly Hills lawn bowling green has been the subject of numerousmagazine and newspaper articles, including:

• Los Angeles Times feature on Walt Disney and how the Disney Tournament developedinto the most prominent invitational bowling tournament in America.

• Turf Magazine ran a five-page photo feature on BHLB Green #1 and what it called its“superior intelligence and maintenance.”

• Bowls International featured a four-page homage to Walt Disney’s passion for lawnbowling in Beverly Hills.

• BOWLS Magazine featured lawn bowling at Beverly Hills in photos and text.

Within the past five decades numerous competitive and social lawn bowling events have beenhosted at BHLB Green #1 due in part to the high quality of the green and the club’s historicalassociation with past member Walt Disney. Top bowlers from around the world have come toplay in signature tournaments at BHLB Green #1, including the Bowls USA National OpenTournament. Just recently, the green was selected from among 135 U.S. lawn bowlingcomplexes to host America’s top 14 players for the National Team selection camp, for whichTeam USA was selected to compete at the World Bowls Championships in New Zealand.

The green has also been the home for seven members of the Bowls USA (formerly the UnitedStates Lawn Bowling Association) National Hall of Fame: Michael Ashton-Phillips, Anne Barber,Walt Disney, Bill Hay, Joe Siegman, Ruby Woodcock, and Ezra Wyeth.

In recent years the Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Club dedicated Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green#1 in memoriam to the green’s co-founder Oscar N. Beasley. A small bronze plaque is placedadjacent to the entry gate into the green noting this recognition. In this honor, Green #1 is alsoreferred to as the “Beasley Bowling Green” by the club’s members.


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Lawn Bowling Overview. Lawn bowling is similar to bocce and boules in that the goal is to landa “bowl” close to the “jack.” Lawn bowling differs in that teams play on 120 by 15 foot rinkswithin a large square green measuring 120 feet on each side. Greens are able to accommodateup to eight games at a time.

Lawn bowling bowls are not perfectly spherical like bocce balls. Lawn bowls have a “bias” thatgives the balls a flattened appearance and which requires bowlers to curve their shots towardsthe jack (a smaller white ball rolled out onto the rink). The objective of the game is to earnpoints by completing a set of ends (innings), typically 14, 16, or 18 ends, and getting your bowlscloser to the jack than your opponent. The team with the most points after all ends wins thematch.

A lawn bowling green measures 120 feet square, but can be larger. The green is surrounded bya narrow wooden plinth which retains the playing surface. Outside the plinth is a shallow 10inch wide ditch infilled usually with sand or other material that won’t damage the bowls.Behind the ditch is a backboard or bank that retains a surround, raised roughly 10 inches abovethe playing surface. The system of boards around the green is called the backboard/plinthsystem.

For many years bowling greens have been built on a sand rootzone somewhat similar to golfgreens and playing fields. Bowling greens are typically constructed using a sand base,compacted soil, and turf top layer to provide a hard, firm, and fast pace surface needed forgood bowling. The greens are usually a bentgrass, Bermudagrass, or Kentucky bluegrass typeturf and in some cases artificial or a hybrid. BHLB Green #1 was constructed (and upgraded)with these standard lawn bowling green components and is currently covered withBermudagrass (hybrid).

The sport is an old one. The exact history in lawn bowling is not completely known, but it isthought to have roots as far back as 3,000-4,000 years ago. The Romans introduced the gameto Europe and in 1209, the South Hampton Old Bowling Green Club was established in England.More recently, the sport has been and still is very popular in places around the world where theBritish have had an influence such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.In the United States, the game is particular popular in California, Arizona, Florida, New York,and New England.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE CONSIDERATION FRAMEWORK

Evaluation Criteria. In analyzing the historical significance of the subject property, criteria fordesignation under the City’s local landmark program was considered. Additionally,consideration of historical integrity and the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) surveymethodology was used to survey and assess the relative significance of the property.

City of Beverly Hills Landmark Criteria. The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (MunicipalCode Title 10 Chapter 3 Article 32; BHMC 10-3-32) authorizes the Cultural Heritage Commission(CHC) to recommend the nomination of properties as local landmarks to the City Council. TheCouncil may designate local landmarks and historic districts by the procedures outlined in theordinance. The Preservation Ordinance also establishes criteria and the process for evaluating


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and designating properties as potential local landmarks.

An eligible property may be nominated and designated as a landmark if it satisfies therequirements set forth below:

A. A landmark must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. It is at least 45 years (45) years of age, or is a property of extraordinarysign ifica nce;

2. It possesses high artistic or aesthetic value, and embodies the distinctivecharacteristics of an architectural style or architectural type or architecturalperiod;

3. It retains substantial integrity from its period of significance; and

4. It has continued historic value to the community such that its designation as alandmark is reasonable and necessary to promote and further the purposes ofthis article.

B. In addition to the requirements set forth in Paragraph A above, a landmark must satisfyat least one of the following requirements:

1. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places;

2. It is an exceptional work by a master architect;

3. It is an exceptional work that was owned and occupied by a person of greatimportance, and was directly connected to a momentous event in the person’sendeavors or the history of the nation. For purposes of this paragraph, personalevents such as birth, death, marriage, social interaction, and the like shall not bedeemed to be momentous;

4. It is an exceptional property that was owned and occupied by a person of greatlocal prominence;

5. It is an iconic property; or

6. The landmark designation procedure is initiated, or expressly agreed to, by theowner(s) of the property.

Historical Integrity. “Integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance.” In additionto meeting the criteria of significance, a property must have integrity. Integrity is theauthenticity of a property’s physical identity clearly indicated by the retention of characteristicsthat existed during the property’s period of significance. Properties eligible for local landmarkdesignation must meet at least two of the local landmark designation criteria and retain enoughof their historic character or appearance to be recognizable as historical resources and toconvey the reasons for their historical significance.

Both the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resourcesrecognize the seven aspects of qualities that, in various combinations, define integrity. To retainhistoric integrity a property should possess several, and usually most, of these seven aspects.


page 9

Thus, the retention of the specific aspects of integrity is paramount for a property to convey itssignificance. The seven qualities that define integrity are location, design, setting, materials,workmanship, feeling and association. The seven qualities or aspects of historical integrity aredefined as follows:

• Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place wherethe historic event occurred.

• Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure,and style of a property.

• Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.

• Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during aparticular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form ahistoric property.

• Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or peopleduring any given period in history or prehistory.

• Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particularperiod of time.

• Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and ahistoric property.

EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Application of City Landmark (Significance) Criteria. In summary, based on current researchand the above assessment the Clock Market property located at $623 Wilshire Boulevardappears to satisfy the necessary City of Beverly Hills Landmark criteria. The property wasevaluated according to statutory criteria, as follows:

A. A landmark must satisfy all of the following requirements (BHMC 10-3-3212(A)):

1. It is at least 45 yeats (45) years of age, or is a property of extraordinarysignificance.

The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 was developed in 1928, and is 8$ yearsof age. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.

2. It possesses high artistic or aesthetic value, and embodies the distinctivecharacteristics of an architectural style or architectural type or architecturalperiod.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 retains the distinctive design features andcomponents that defined a standard lawn bowling green of the 1920s (andrequired of a legally sanctioned lawn bowling green for tournament play eventoday). Initially included as part of the park design by the Olmsted Brothers in1922, the green was designed as a firm level playing surface measuring 120 feetby 120 feet covered with grass/turf that is covered by compacted soil and is


page 10

framed by a narrow wood plinth (retains the playing surface) on all four sides.Other components of the green included a shallow ditch to catch the bowlsand/or jack as well as a wood backboard or bank raised roughly 10 inches abovethe playing surface to support the surround. As typical, the green’s divided intoeight sections called rinks. It is within the rink that a game of lawn bowling isplayed. The existing bowling green maintains much of its historic character,association, distinctive features, and qualities that identify it as a particularproperty type, period, and function. Therefore, the property appears to satisfythis criterion.

3. It retains substantial integrity from its period of significance.

Despite some changes to the green over the years, the basic size and shape,location, materials, design, setting, association, and feeling of the green hasremained relatively the same. Therefore, the subject property appears to satisfythis criterion.


Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 is one of the last extant vestiges reflectiveof the City’s historical past. It has been an important part of life in the city andfor its many constituents for over 80 years. Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1has continued to provide a setting for sports as well as for social activities.Because of its long and distinctive social and recreational value to thecommunity its designation as a landmark is vital to the promotion of the City’shistoric preservation program. Therefore, the subject property appears to satisfythis criterion.

B. In addition to the requirements set forth in Paragraph A above, a landmark mustsatisfy at least one of the following requirements (BHMC 10-3-3212(B)):

1. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The subject property is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Therefore, the property does not satisfy this criterion.

2. It is an exceptional work by a master architect.

Roxbury Park was initially designed based on landscape plans developed by theOlmsted Brothers, nationally known landscape architects in 1928. The park hasbeen modified over the years and many features including landscape elements,walkways, playground areas, etc. have been removed or modified since its initialdevelopment. The lawn bowling green under review was one of the firstelements of the park installed during the summer of 1928. It is identified on theOlmsted plans in its current general location. Portions of their plan were notimplemented while other features of the plan were relocated (i.e. the tenniscourts are moved up closer to the lawn bowling area, the swimming pool


page 11

illustrated on the plans was never built, etc.) or kept as planned and installed.Though portions of the lawn bowling green itself have been replaced ormodernized the basic size, shape, and depth of the green has remained thesame. Hence, an argument can be made that the green appears to be associatedwith the Olmsted Brothers. The Olmsteds are considered master landscapearchitects. In consideration of the definition of “exceptional work” as defined inthe City’s historic preservation ordinance, the lawn bowling green has beenincluded in at least three publications on the history of the city as well as anumber of professional publications on turf management and league lawnbowling. In addition, because of the annual Walt Disney tournament it has wellestablished the site internationally. Therefore, the property appears to satisfythis criterion.

3. It is an exceptional work that was owned and occupied by a person of greatimportance, and was directly connected to a momentous event in the person’sendeavors or the history of the nation. For purposes of this paragraph, personalevents such as birth, death, marriage, social interaction, and the like shall not bedeemed to be momentous.

The lawn bowling green under current review is located within RoxburyMemorial Park, a municipal park owned and operated by the City of Beverly Hills.Therefore, the property does not satisfy this criterion.

4. It is an exceptional property that was owned and occupied by a person of greatlocal prominence.

Since its development in the late 1920s, Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1, aswell as the other improvements and features of Roxbury Memorial Park, havealways been owned and operated by the City of Beverly Hills. Hence, theproperty does not satisfy this criterion.

5. It is an iconic property.

Though the lawn bowling green has been at Roxbury Memorial Park for over 80years it cannot be said that it has become “inextricably associated with BeverlyHills in the popular culture and forms part of the city’s identity to the world atlarge.” Because of the recessed profile of the playing field and the screeningfrom public view by a dense row of shrubs the lawn bowling green is not readilyvisible from the public right-of-way. It has for many years remained a “hiddengem” in a fanciful town. Therefore, the property does not satisfy this criterion.


The landmark designation procedure was expressly agreed to by the owner(s) ofthe property. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.


page 12

Character-defining Features. Every historic property is unique, with its own identity and its owndistinguishing character. A property’s form and detailing are important in defining its visualhistoric character and significance. It is a property’s tangible features or elements that embodyits significance for association with specific historical events, important personages, ordistinctive architecture and it is those tangible elements; therefore, that should be retained andpreserved.

Character refers to all those visual aspects and physical features that comprise the appearanceof every historic property. According to National Park Service Brief 17. Architectural Character:Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character,character-defining features include the overall shape of a property (building, structure, etc.), itsmaterial, craftsmanship, decorative details, interior spaces and features (as applicable), as wellas the various aspects of its site and immediate environment (form, configuration andorientation).

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties defines historiccharacter by the form and detailing of materials, such as masonry, wood, stucco, plaster, terracotta, metal, etc.; specific features, such as roofs, porches, windows and window elements,moldings, staircases, chimneys, driveways, garages, landscape and hardscape elements, etc.; aswell as spatial relationships between buildings, structures, and features; room configurations;and archaic structural and mechanical systems. Identifying those features or elements that givea historic property visual character and which should be taken into account and preserved tothe maximum extent possible is important in order for the property to maintain its historicalsignificance.

Character-defining features that define Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 are those featuresthat are associated with the play of lawn bowling and are historically extant at the site. Suchfeatures include the following:

• Basic square shape and form, size (playing surface 120 feet by 120 feet), and overallconfiguration;

• Green of specific grass/turf type (currently hybrid Bermudagrass) appropriate for lawnbowling performance and play;

• Wooden backboard/plinth system around the entire playing surface, including plinthsframing the playing surface, shallow ten inch wide ditch, vertical backboard or bankraised roughly ten inches above the playing surface, and surround;

• Division of the green into rinks of appropriate wide (eight for Beverly Hills Lawn BowlingGreen #1).


page 13

CONCLUSION

The lawn bowling green referred to as Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 located at RoxburyMemorial Park appears to satisfy the City’s criteria for designation as a local Landmark asrequired in Section 10-3-3212 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance fBHMC Title 10 Chapter 3Article 32). This site appears to satisfy all of the mandates of subsection A. and two of themandates under subsection B.


page 14

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Anderson, Robert S. Beverly Hills: The First 100 Years. New York: Rizzoli, 2014.

Augsdorfer, Mike. “Bentgrasses for Lawn Bowling,” Sports Turf, vol. 11, no. 9, September 1995.

Basten, Fred E. Beverly Hills: Portrait of a Fabled City. Los Angeles: Douglas-West Publishers,1975.

Benedict, Pierce E., ed. History of Beverly Hills. Beverly Hills: A.H. Cawston, 1934.

Birnbaum, Charles A., ASLA. Preservation Briefs 36: Protecting Cultural Landscapes: Planning,

Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes. National Park Service, 1994.

Birnbaum, Charles, FASLA and Robin Karson. Pioneers of American Landscape Design. New York

etal: McGraw-Hill, 2000.

Broggie, Michael. Walt Disney Railroad Story. Pasadena, California: Pentrex Media Group, 1999.

Davis, Genevieve. Beverly Hills: An Illustrated History. Northridge, California: WindsorPublications, Inc., 1988.

Gabler, Neal. Walt Disney: The Biography. London: Aurum Press, 2007.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. Architecture in Los Angeles. Salt Lake City, Utah: PeregrineSmith Books, 1985.

Gebhard, David and Robert Winter. An Architectural Guidebook to Los Angeles. Salt Lake City,Utah: Gibbs Smith Publishers, 2003.

Johnson Heumann Research Associates. Beverly Hills Historic Resources Survey 1985-1926 Final

Report. Prepared for the City of Beverly Hills, 1986.

Jones & Stokes, ICF. “City of Beverly Hills Historic Resources Survey Report, Survey Area 5:Commercial Properties.” Prepared for the City of Beverly Hills, June 2006, rev. April2007.

Keller, J. Timothy, ASLA and Genevieve P. Keller. National Register Bulletin 18: How to Evaluate

and Nominate Designed Historic Landscapes. National Park Service, no date.

Kozen, Kendra. “Lawn Games Are An Ongoing Part of Beverly Hills History,” Beverly Hills Citizen,September 12, 2003, p. 14.

Lack, Fred, “Walt’s Love of Lawn Bowling,” Caroiwood Pacific Historical Society Platform

Newsletter, n.d., p. 6.


page 15

Liebman, Larry, “Sports Corner: Lawn Bowling, Then and Now from Central to Roxbury Park,”

Los Angeles Times, June 2, 1963, p. WS_A6.

Los Angeles County Tax Assessor Information.

Los Angeles Public Library. On-line historical and image database archives and files.

McAlester, Virginia. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2013.

Murray, Jim, “Bowling the Jack: Murray’s Column,” Los Angeles Times, July 3, 1970, p. El.

No Author. “Bowlers Seek New Green,” Beverly Hills Citizen, April 21, 1927, p. 1.

No Author. “Park Petition is Received by City,” Beverly Hills Citizen, April 25, 1927, p. 2A.

No Author. “Second Reservoir Plans Completed,” Beverly Hills Citizen, December 15, 1927.

No Author. “Park Bond Issue on April Ballot,” Beverly Hills Citizen, March 8, 1928, p. 1.

No Author. “Letter Outlines Park Situation,” Beverly Hills Citizen, March 29, 1928, p. 3.

No Author. “Bowlers Seek Early Action on Park Green,” Beverly Hills Citizen, May 17, 1928.

No Author. “Progress is Made on Park Projects,” Beverly Hills Citizen, August 23, 1928, p. 1.

No Author. “Roxbury Drive Park Plans Revealed,” Beverly Hills Citizen, August 23, 1928, p. 1.

No Author. “La Cienega Park to be Completed,” Beverly Hills Citizen, July 25, 1929, p. 1.

No Author. “Speed Park Work as Summer Nears,” Beverly Hills Citizen, April 17, 1930.

No Author. “Community Clubhouse (illustration),” Beverly Hills Citizen, June 26, 1930.

No Author. “City to Join in Park Celebration,” Beverly Hills Citizen, October 2, 1930, p. 1.

No Author. “New Bowling Greens Dedicated,” Beverly Hills Citizen, October 9, 1930, p. 2.

No Author. “Beverly Hills in Tournament Play,” Beverly Hills Citizen, October 16, 1930, p. 4.

No Author. “Weeks Bowling Play Completed,” Beverly Hills Citizen, October 23, 1930, p. 1

No Author. “Park Landscaping Ordered Finished,” Beverly Hills Citizen, October 23, 1930, p. 4.

No Author. Cohen, Joshua, “Roxbury Bowling Heritage Lies on the Green,” Beverly Hills Citizen,February 19, 1999, p. 2.

No Author. “Aged Game Revived in Southland,” Los Angeles Times, October 4, 1925, p. FlO.

No Author. “Bowling Club Meets,” Los Angeles Times, October 27, 1927, p. B2.

No Author. “Beverly Hills Bounds Ahead,” Los Angeles Times, November 18, 1928, p. E6.


page 16

No Author. “British Bowlers in Debut,” Los Angeles Times, February 11, 1929, P. 13.

No Author. “Interest in Bowling on Climb Here,” Los Angeles Times, July 21, 1929, p. E6.

No Author. “Beverly Hills Leads in Parks,” Los Angeles Times, November 2, 1930, p. D2.

No Author. “View From Where Many New Homes Will Rise,” Los Angeles Times, February 2$,1937, p. E3.

No Author. “Family Close-up: Oscar N. Beasley 70 Years a Banker,” Los Angeles Times, May 6,195$, p. Al.

No Author. “Beverly Council to Eye Parks’ Redevelopment,” Los Angeles Times, December 10,1961, p. W515.

No Author. “Council Set to Employ Park Planner,” Los Angeles Times, December 17, 1961, p.WS1O.

No Author. “Beverly Hills’ Budget Requests Face Trim,” Los Angeles Times, May 17, 1962, p. 13.

No Author. “Plans Approved for Roxbury Park,” Los Angeles Times, June 24, 1962, p. WS_l$.

No Author. “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Club Favored,” Los Angeles Times, May 5, 1963, p.WS_A14.

No Author. “Photo Standalone 17-No Title,” Los Angeles Times, October 21, 1971, p. WS1.

No Author. “Students Talk to Senior Citizens of B.H.,” Los Angeles Times, December 19, 1971,p. WS4.

No Author. “California Encounters: Lawn Bowling, The Gray on the Green Bowling on the Greenat Roxbury,” Los Angeles Times, March 7, 1974, p. Dl.

No Author. “Photo Standalone 11-No Title,” Los Angeles Times, April 23, 1978, p. WS7.

No Author. “Top Names,” The Desert Sun, January 22, 1963, p. 14.

PCR Services. “Historic Resources Survey, Part I: Historic Resources Survey Update and Part II:Area 4 Multi-Family Residence Survey.” Prepared for the City of Beverly Hills, June 2004.

Polk’s City Directories, City of Beverly Hills.

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Los Angeles Times (1881-1988).

Reich, Kenneth, “Beverly Hills” Wealthy City Tightens Belt,” Los Angeles Times, December 14,1975, p. 1.

Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps, Beverly Hills. 1922, 1950, 1951.


page 17

Siegman, Joseph. “Beverly Hills Bowling Green History.” Paper prepared for the Beverly Hills

Lawn Bowling Club, April 2016.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 15. “How to Apply the

National Register Criteria for Evaluation.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service,

Interagency Resources Division, 1997.

United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 16, “Guidelines for

Completing National Register Forms.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service,


United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 24, “Guidelines for Local

Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service,


United States Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 30. “How to Evaluate and

Document Rural Historic Landscapes.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service,


United States Department of the Interior. Preservation Brief 17. “Architectural Character —

Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their

Character.” Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division,

1982 rev.

United States Department of the Interior. Preservation Brief 36. “Protecting Cultural

Landscapes: Planning, Treatment and Management of Historic Landscapes.”

Washington, D.C.: National Park Service, Interagency Resources Division, 1994.

Wanamaker, Marc. Images of America: Early Beverly Hills. Charleston, South Carolina: ArcadiaPublishing, 2005.

Wanamaker, Marc. Images of America: Beverly Hills 1930-2005. Charleston, South Carolina:Arcadia Publishing, 2006.

Waters, Tim, “Tradition is Name of Game for Bowlers,” Los Angeles Times, July 4, 1985, p. WS4.

Witteveen, Gordon, “Lawn Bowling Greens... Nothing but the Best!,” Sports Turf Newsletter,n.d., p. 7-8.

Woods, Lloyd, “Bowling Green Construction Basics,” Sports Turf Manager, Summer 2005, vol.18, no. 2, 2005.


page 18

APPENDIX

Location Map

Coordinates Site Location Map

Parcel Map

Index Map

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map

Ephemeral Material

Historical Photographs

Photographs (current)


page 19


HI_i

II

I ILegend

Parcels

Notes

Roxbury Park401 S. Roxbury DriveBeverly Hills, CA

This map is a user generated static output from an Internet mapping site and is forreference only. Data layers that appear on this map may or may not be accurate,

current, or otherwise reliable.THIS MAP IS NOT TO BE USED FOR NAVIGATION

_____f”RLY

H GREEN#1 Roxbury Memorial Park

Latitude1. 34.059494°,2. 34.059495°,3. 34.059137°,4.34.059130°,

Longitude-118.406366°-118.405918°-118.405926°-118.406364°

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CROWD sEES TOURNAMENT

Figure: 1 — Location of first lawn bowling green in Beverly Hills(Camden Dr/Little Santa Monica 81), BHC 07/22/1926

SECOND RESERVOIRPLANS COMPLETED

New and Largeat Retaher WillHold 7,500,000 Gallosis

ESTIMATED COST $110,000

Appraisal Given on Laced Near141gb Schoø) for Park

cit tt the ineenng Tuceday night1ne)u,id the recetpt at an appraisalnade by the Beverly J4ll) Realtyllnnrd ‘ri 11.79 acre. of proporty (athe snu(bweat portIon of the cityrelative to accluIrIn ft for park par.0000I.

The property Ic within (no oresnt cf1 1tjnit. I Ojflej by the RodeaLand and ‘Water Company, cr4 Is sqyet ufletjhdlvltletl. it Ic bounded bycauiiiry Club Drive. South RoxfluryDrive and by the city boundary line.

Pbs appraisal of the Realty Boardcet the valuation at $1tl,t$5, wtthRh additional $16.OQO for a prceenttmprovc’mect. Mthough no ileftnitcaction wee taken, (t Is uitderctoodthat plans are undtr way to eventually purchttse the property and convert It Into a playground and park,puvided all arrangements can b,

EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

Li

I—Keystone Photo

Many people witnessed the play of the Bowling teams which competedin I.v.rly Hills Saturday. Th. greens were praised by the. visitingplayers from Pasadena and E)1p051tin k

Figure: 2 — Discussions regarding the purchase of land for Roxbury Park, BHC 12/15/1927

EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

LRTER OUTLUESPARK SITUATION

La Reply to C. of C. Inquiry CityClerk Fsrming.r Gives Steps

Taken by CsnindL

In reply t1 5. letter trom ths(‘liamber nt Comznercc lnciuirtag thepresent atus of recreational sadathletic grounds In e nnection withproposed ps.XILS for the city, (‘ityCleric Flrmlnger made the rollowinareply:

‘So that you may be famflar withthe jJredCflL status ot this prvpoedittlprovefllemt f It having been underconsideration tur something morethan a year) the City CounCiL hasalready taken the following steps

1. A survey or an area owned bythe city ajit approximatCly eight

acres in extent. haS been made andrec:ommenclations submitted by S

landscape artist, a map showing theproposed trsetmimt being on tile IcthtI dime anti having been publlabnil lit toS local papers. These recommondLiOns include an athlstltfiald. consisting ct a swimming ])UO1

tennis osria. bowling green. and acombination baseball diamond andfootball gridiron. The land it

situated in the extreme southeast’set” soorlon of tile (‘ISv.

‘An offer to sell apprOximatci)ift.en acree lust south of the Rev•ny Hills High School has been reeiveil from the Rodeo Land andVater Company anti the ciCy hasad an appraisal made by the Rev.ny Hills Realty Board. A portiot‘F this land, If acquired, will besad for athletic purposes, Lb. eSSel

reatment to depend aomewhRt uporadflittes provided by the J11gtlehno authorities on their land.

3 “Th. necesla’y legislation hascen provided, and an etoetton has‘een called for April 9, at whiolirnc a bond issue of 5400,000 wi)is submitted to the voters. Sunoney to he used ton carrying 001he purposes set forth above. Thhact has also bean published in thsoral newspapers.‘t presume from your letter the.

‘our organization favors the pro.ioCd Improvements and will sup.

ion the bond iseuo. tt will beileasufe. therefore, to present thtiter to the City Council as yot.potipst.,.

Figure: 3— Discussions regarding park development, BHC 03/29/1928

BOWLERS SEEK EARLYACTION ON PARK GREEN

Association Urges Planting to Asure Play by August

Efforts to obtain early installaLion of bowling greens on the siteof the new park in the vicinity ofthe Beverly Hills High School wereboing macin this week by the Beverly ills Howling Green Associalion, according to .1. I. Kennedy.

The e:trflext possible action isnecessary if the greens arc to berenily for use In August, Mr. Kennedy cited. If the planting is heldoff as late as Septomber, the groundwould not be ready for play before

I the following June, he declared.fn the tournament play for the

Okoy trophy George Nuwberry andCharles Maddox defeated C. Iii.Davenport and David Haney Saturday.

The next game will line up Mr.Newhcry and Mr. Maddox againstDr. C. M. Guinon and Byram CamPbell, and Is to be played on the beatgreen next Saturday.

Figure: 4 — Efforts to obtain early installation of green at new park, BHC 05/17/1028

EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

10 Cents Beverly Hills California, Thursday, August 23, 1926

I ROXBURY DRIVE PARK PLANS REVEALED

Tetephoi

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PRtlN,N,RY flfl#

_ _

Sketch prepared by Olmstead Droth.rs, nationally known laridacap. and park experts, shows th. proposedplan for the new park to be built near the Beverly Hitl* High School. work on which has already started

Plan for La Clenega Park is r.produced on page one, section two.

Figure: 5— Initial Roxbury Park plan as designed by the Olmsted Brothers, BHC 08/23/1928

I ——

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EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

Proposed Clubhouse foi’ Roxbury Park Site

L orjoitfl\ihy C.ui !louç!1 -!SaVrL1rZtLIt.P. .htlD Cicr. AtoCIllTlCT5o

Rd. .,. Untie atiend b tie. Ott’ I., tin a la.,efthi. boHdIn1 te ha nraat.d at the n.mpath. It I. .1 aId MIeeIm, srpe aecielajature with •Stndnr waite at ahlat brink and .4th red Id. oaf.The dent plan .hnw, a imall kItthm,, men’e md w.tnnnn met memo, a titob elm, and PImtla. en twatidet (lain1 tie, tennis naomI. end the beading green. Kt’ernn, and Gap. mad. tie, plane.

Figure: 6— Original clubhouse at Roxbury Park (demolished), BHC 01/26/1930

New Bowling Greens Dedicated IAYOR, COUNCILBOWL ON GRBBN

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Figure: 7— Opening celebration of the lawn bowling green site to the public, BHC 10/09/1930

HISTORICAL/SUPPORTING PHOTOGRAPHS

PHOTO - 1: Context view of Green #1 looking south (original 1930 clubhouse in background), c1930

PHOTO - 2: Lawn bowling on Green #1, looking southeast, c1930


PHOTO - 3: Green #1 with wood slat ditch (right), circa 1937

j

---- --.--

PHOTO - 4: Lawn bowling on Green #1 looking northeast, c1937


-

___________ _____—

PHOTO - 5: Aerial view of Roxbury Memorial Park (detail view), 1947

hr ___h’.___

PHOTO - 6: Aerial view of Roxbury Memorial Park (context view), 1947

BEVERLY HILLS LAWN BOWLING GREEN #1 PHOTOGRAPHSROXBURY MEMORIAL PARK

PHOTO - 1: Northeast corner of park, lawn bowling green behind PHOTO - 2: Context view of green looking southeast

PHOTO - 3: Entry gate to green looking northwest PHOTO - 4: Entry gate to green looking northeast


GREEN

PHOTO - 5: BHLB Green #1 looking southeast, clubhouse right PHOTO - 6: BHLB Green #1 looking northeast

PHOTO - 8: Green, plinth, ditch, backboard (or bank), and surround

PLINTH

OSTASHAY & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING

P0 BOX 542 LONG BEACH, CA 90801 562.500.9451



Attachment BDirector’s Preliminary Evaluation

CITY OF BEVERLY HILLSCOMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT455 N. Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90270

Tel. (310) 285-7141 Fax. (370) 858-5966

LANDMARK DESIGNATION PROCEEDINGS (BHMC §10-3-3215)

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

Property Address 401 South Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, CA

Applicant Commission-initiated

Property Owner City of Beverly Hills

Date of Initiation by Cultural May 18, 2016Heritage Commission

Date Prelmininary Evaluation July 6, 2016Issued

PRELIMINARY EVALUATION

In consideration of the property as a potential city of Beverly Hills Landmark under the criterialisted in Beverly Hills Municipal Code Section 10-3-3212, the Director preliminarily finds that theproperty at 401 South Roxbury Drive::

Appears eligible as a local landmark based on available evidence at this time

LI Appears ineligible as a local landmark based on available evidence at this time

The Director believes that sufficient evidence exists to support a finding that all of the applicablerequirements for designation as a landmark can be met.

BACKGROUND

Property Description

Roxbury Memorial Park was completed in 1931 and offered tennis courts, a putting green, alandscaped open space with croquet lawn and the Lawn Bowling Greens for the enjoyment ofthe community with the park grounds also serving as a remembrance of local residents thathad fallen in war. The park grounds and master plan were originally designed by the OlmsteadBrothers of America’s first and most noted Landscape architecture firm. This site (the existingLawn Bowling Green at the southeast corner of Olympic Boulevard and Roxbury Drive), withinthe broader confines of the existing Roxbury Memorial Park, warrants landmark designationdue to its significant contribution to the history of the City.

Landmark Initiation and Nomination

A public hearing is scheduled for the July 13, 2016, Cultural Heritage Commission Meeting toconsider landmark nomination of the subject property. As the Cultural Heritage Commission votedto initiate landmark proceedings at the May 18, 2016 hearing, this Preliminary Evaluation shall serveas a written preliminary evaluation to determine whether sufficient evidence exists to support afinding that all applicable requirements for designation as a landmark can be met based on the

Preliminary Evaluation401 South Roxbury Drive

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #17/6/2016

Page 2 of 5

supporting facts provided (pursuant to the requirements in Beverly Hills Municipal Code §10-3-3215A.3).

FINDINGS

The facts supporting the Director’s evaluation of eligibility are summarized in Table 1 below.

Table 1. Summary of Landmark Designation Criteria (Beverly Hills Municipal Code §10-3-3212)

Criterio Criterion Does the subject property appearn No. to meet criteria?

A landmark must satisfy all of the requirements in Section A:

A.1 It is at least forty-five (45) years of age, or is a Yesproperty of extraordinary significance;

The site improvements wereconstructed in 1928 and the BeverlyHills Lawn Bowling Green #1 is 88years of age. Therefore, the propertyappears to satisfy this criterion.

It possesses high artistic or aesthetic value, YesA.2 and embodies the distinctive characteristics

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1of an architectural style or architectural type retains the distinctive design featuresor architectural period;and components that defined astandard lawn bowling green of the1920s and was included in theoriginal park design by the OlmstedBrothers (noted American LandscapeArchitects) in 1928. The existingbowling green maintains much of itshistoric character, association,distinctive features, and qualities thatidentify it as a particular propertytype, period, and function. Therefore,the property appears to satisfy thiscriterion.

A.3 It retains substantial integrity from its period Yesof significance; and

Despite some changes to the greenover time, the basic size and shape,location, materials, design, setting,association, and feeling of the greenhas remained relatively the same.Therefore, the subject property

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appears to satisfy this criterion.

It has continued historic value to the YesA.4 community such that its designation as a Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1landmark is reasonable and necessary tois one of the last vestiges of thepromote and further the purposes of thisCity’s more distant past and hasarticle,been linked to the sporting and socialactivities of the community for over80 years.

In addition to the requirements set forth in Section A above, a landmark must satisfy at leastone of the following requirements in Section B:

B.1 It is listed on the National Register of Historic NoPlaces;

The site is not listed on the NationalRegister of Historic Places.

B.2It is an exceptional work by a Master NoArchitect;

Roxbury Park was initially designedbased on landscape plans developedby the Olmsted Brothers, nationallyknown landscape architects, in 1928.The lawn bowling green was one ofthe first elements of the park installedduring the summer of 1928. It isidentified on the Olmsted plans in itscurrent general location. However,since the Olmstead Brothers are notincluded on the City’s List of MasterArchitects, the property does notsatisfy this criterion at this time.

In consideration of the definition of“exceptional work”, as defined in theCity’s historic preservationordinance, the lawn bowling greenhas been included in at least threepublications on the history of the cityas well as a number of professional

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publications on turf management andleague lawn bowling. In addition,because of the annual Walt Disneytournament the green has beeninternationally recognized.

5.3 It is an exceptional work that was owned and Nooccupied by a person of great importance, The lawn bowling green underand was directly connected to a momentous current review is located withinevent in the person’s endeavors or the history Roxbury Memorial Park, a municipatof the nation. For purposes of this

park owned and operated by the Cityparagraphs, personal events such as birth, of Beverly Hills. Therefore, thedeath, marriage, social interaction, and the property does not satisfy thislike shall not be deemed to be momentous;criterion.

5.4 It is an exceptional property that was owned Noand occupied by a person of great local The Roxbury Memorial Park and siteprominence;

improvements have always beenowned and operated by the City ofBeverly Hills. Hence, the propertydoes not satisfy this criterion.

B.5 It is an iconic property; No

[From BHMC 10-3-3202: An “iconic property” Though the lawn bowling green hasis “a property that has been visited and been at Roxbury Memorial Park forphotographed so often by residents and over 80 years it cannot be said that itvisitors to the city that it has become has become “inextricably associatedinextricably associated with Beverly Hills in with Beverly Hills in the popularthe popular culture and forms part of the city’s culture and forms part of the city’sidentity to the world at large.”] identity to the world at large.”

Therefore, the property does notsatisfy this criterion.

5.6 Or, the landmark designation procedure is Yesinitiated, or expressly agreed to, by the The landmark designation procedureowner(s) of the property.

has been expressly agreed to by theowner(s) of the property.

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iLiS

Pursuant to BHMC §10-3-3215A, the Cultural Heritage Commission ispreliminary hearing based on this preliminary evaluation to considerunder local landmark criteria.



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The Cultural Heritage Commission shall determine whether sufficient evidence exists toconclude that the subject property satisfies all applicable designation criteria and whether theproperty merits formal consideration for nomination. This nomination hearing is scheduled forthe July 13,2016 Cultural Heritage Commission meeting.

Should the Cultural Heritage Commission nominate the subject property as a local landmark,final approval is required by the City Council in order to formally designate the property and listthe subject residence on the Local Register of Historic Properties.

Should you have any questionscontact my staff:

Preservation Program ManagerMark QUellUrban Designer(310)285-1116modell © beverlyhills.orq

Sincerely,

on this process during the meantime, please do not hesitate to

Preservation Program Staff MemberReina Kapadia, AICPAssociate Planner(310) 285-1129rkapadia © beverlyhills.orq

U41

Do all criteria in Section A appear to be met? Yes

Does at least one criterion in Section B appear to be Yesmet?

Does the subject property appear to satisfy all the YESrequirements in Beverly Hills Municipal Code §70-3-

3272 to be considered an eligible property forlandmark nomination and designation?

PRELIMINARY HEARING (BHMC §10-3-3275A)

scheduled to conduct athe property’s eligibility

I) iSusan Healy Keert, AtOPDirector of Community Development



Attachment CResolution

4C

RESOLUTION NO. CHC

A RESOLUTION OF THE CULTURAL HERITAGECOMMISSION OF THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS

NOMINATfNG THE “BEVERLY HILLS LAWN BOWLINGGREEN NO. 1” IN ROXBURY MEMORAL PARK AT 410SOUTH ROXBURY DRIVE, BEVERLY HILLS, FOR INCLUSION

ON THE CITY OF BEVERLY HILLS REGISTER OF HISTORICPROPERTIES

Section 1. Article 32 of Chapter 3 of Title 10 of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code

authorizes the City Council to designate local landmarks and historic districts and to place

those properties and geographical areas on the City of Beverly Hills Register of Historic

Properties.

Section 2. On May 18, 2016, the Cultural Heritage Commission conducted a

preliminary consideration of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” located in Roxbury

Memorial Park at 401 South Roxbury Drive in Beverly Hills, pursuant to Section l03-3215A

(Landmark or Historic District Designation Proceedings) of the Beverly Hills Municipal Code,

and concluded that the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” warranted formal

consideration by the Commission for inclusion onto the Local Register of Historic Properties.

Section 3. On July 13, 2016, the Director of Community Development finalized a

Preliminary Evaluation pursuant to Section 10-3-3215A.3 (Preliminary Evaluation) of the

Beverly Hills Municipal Code, finding that the property appears to be eligible for designation as

a landmark based on available evidence at the time. Based on the Preliminary Evaluation issued

by the Director, the historical evaluation submitted on behalf of the property owner, and other

evidence, the Commission hereby finds that sufficient evidence exists to conclude that the

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subject property merits formal consideration of landmark designation, and therefore, considered

the nomination of the subject property for local landmark designation.

Section 4. On July 13, 2016, the Cultural Heritage Commission considered a Landmark

Assessn’ient and Evaluation Report for the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” prepared

by Jan Ostashay of Ostashay & Associates Consulting, which is attached hereto as Exhibit A and

incorporated herein by reference, and other evidence provided during the proceedings regarding

the potential nomination for landmark designation.

Section 5. BACKGROLTND. The lawn bowling green has an address of 401

South Roxbury Drive while the park itself is addressed as 471 South Roxbury Drive. The exact

location of Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 has also been identified by a coordinates

map using longitude and latitude decimal degrees to identify the site boundaries. A coordinate

is included in the appendix of the Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report in Exhibit A

for clarification.

The “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” is sited within the northeast corner of

Roxbury Memorial Park, which occupies over 11 acres of land at the southwest corner of West

Olympic Boulevard and South Roxbury Drive in the southwestern section of Beverly Hills. On

October 7, 1929, the Beverly Hills Bowling Green, now referred to as Bowling Green No. 1,

was dedicated at the new Roxbury Park (prior to the park’s completion).

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1 retains the distinctive design features and

components that defined a standard lawn bowling green of the 1 920s. Components of the green

consist of a firm level playing surface measuring 120 feet by 120 feet covered with grass/turf

(currently hybrid Bermudagrass) and framed by a narrow wood plinth roughly 1 ‘/2 inches widePage 2of9

(the plinth retains the compacted soil playing surface). Outside the plinth is a shallow ditch

roughly ten inches wide that contains sand and beyond that is a 1 V2 inch wide backboard (or

bank) that retains the surround raised roughly 10 inches above the playing surface. The green is

divided into sections called rinks, which can be oriented at any of the four sides of the green (to

avoid overplay of the grass). It is within the rink that a game of lawn bowling is played.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 contains eight rinks in any of the four directions. The

backboard has been marked accordingly to indicate rink location, hog line, and center of the

green. The park has been upgraded or “modernized” a number of times since it was initially

constructed in 192$. Upgrades to the lawn bowling area have also been made, most recently in

the past couple of decades. As necessary for the general maintenance and up keep of the

bowling green there has been some repair work and changes made to the site. Such changes

have included the in-kind replacement of the playing field, replacement of broken or damaged

plinths and backboards, and the change out of infill material within the ditch (it was originally

a grille of wood slats). Due to safety issues and to ease accessibility, the original grass covered

surround was removed for the installation of wide concrete walkways that abut the backboards.

In addition, the original park benches that were adjacent to the bowling green on all four sides

have been replaced with new benches some covered by contemporary concrete post supported

canopies.

Section 6. FINDNGS AND DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR ATTRIBUTES

JUSTIFYll’G LANDMARK DESIGNATION. The Cultural Heritage Commission finds,

pursuant to the City of Beverly Hills Historic Preservation Ordinance, that the lawn bowling

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green satisfies the necessary requirements for designation as a local landmark based on the

following:

The “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” is eligible under “significance” criterion

A. 1. It is at leastJàrty-five (45) years ofage, or is a property ofextraordinary signficance.

The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1 was developed in 192$, and is 88 years of age

in 2016. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.

The “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” is eligible under “significance”

criterion A.2. It possesses high artistic or aesthetic value, and embodies the distinctive

characteristics ofan architectural type or architectural type, or architectural perioc Beverly

Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 retains the distinctive design features and components that

defined a standard lawn bowling green of the 1 920s. This feature was included as part of the

park design by the Olrnsted Brothers in 192$. The green was designed as a firm level playing

surface measuring 120 feet by 120 feet covered with grass/turf that is covered by compacted

soil and is framed by a narrow wood plinth (which retains the playing surface) on all four

sides. Other components of the green included a shallow ditch to catch the bowls and/or jack

as well as a wood backboard or bank raised roughly 10 inches above the playing surface to

support the surround. The existing bowling green maintains much of its historic character,

association, distinctive features, and qualities that identify it as a particular property type,

period, and function. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.


A.3. It retains substantial integrity from its period of signficance. Despite some changes toPage4ot9

the green over the years, the basic size and shape, location, materials, design, setting,

association, and feeling of the green remains relatively the same. Therefore, the subject

property satisfies this criterion.


A.4. It has continued historic value to the community such that its designation as a landmark

is reasonable and necessary to promote and further the pitiposes of this article. The lawn

bowling green at Roxbury Memorial Park is one of the last extant vestiges reflective of the

City’s historical past. It has been an important part of life in the city and for its many

constituents for over 80 years. The “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” has continued

to provide a setting for sports as well as for social activities. Because of its long and distinctive

social and recreational value to the community, its designation as a landmark is vital to the

promotion of the City’s historic preservation program. Therefore, the subject property satisfies

this criterion.

The “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” is eligible under “significance”

criterion B.6. The landmark designation procedure is initiated or expressly agreed to, by the

owner(s) of the property. The landmark designation procedure was expressly agreed to by the

owner(s) of the property. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.

Section 7. CHARACTER DEFINING FEATURES THAT SHOULD BE

PRESERVED. Use and development of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1”

shall be governed by the Secretary of the Interior Standards for the Treatment of Historic

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Properties with Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing

Historic Buildings (1995) by Weeks and Grimmer (herein referred to as the SOT Standards).

These standards and guidelines have been formulated to ensure that any significant adverse

changes to the property do not compromise those qualities that justify its listing as a landmark.

The key features that should be preserved are as follows.

Character-defining features that define the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1” are

those features that are associated with the play of lawn bowling and are historically extant at

the site. Such features include the following:

• Basic square shape and form, size (playing surface 120 feet by 120 feet), and

overall configuration;

• Green of specific grass/turf type (currently hybrid Bermudagrass) appropriate for

lawn bowling performance and play;

• Wooden backboard/plinth system around the entire playing surface, including

plinths framing the playing surface, shallow ten inch wide ditch, vertical

backboard or bank raised roughly ten inches above the playing surface, and

surround;

• Division of the green into rinks of appropriate width (eight for Beverly Hills

Lawn Bowling Green #1).

Section 9. GENERAL GUIDELINES AND STANDARDS FOR FUTURE

PROPOSED CHANGES PURSUANT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCE.

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties with

Guidelines for Preserving, Rehabilitating, Restoring, and Reconstructing Historic Buildings

(1995) by Weeks and Grimmer (herein referred to as the $01 Standards and Guidelines) are

Page 6of9

incorporated as reference. These standards and guidelines have been formulated to ensure that

any significant adverse changes to the property do not compromise those qualities that justify its

listing as a landmark. The guidelines and standards are an aid to public and private property

owners, and others, formulating plans for new plantings, constructions, for rehabilitation or

alteration of existing landscapes, associated structures, and for site development. The SOT

Standards and Guidelines are also designed to be standards which City Staff and the Cultural

Heritage Commission shall apply when making decisions about Certificates of Appropriateness

as required by the City of Beverly Hills Historic Preservation Ordinance. The location and

boundaries of the delineated resource are the property boundaries.

Section 10. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS. Designation of the “Beverly Hills

Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” as a local historic landmark was assessed in accordance with the

authority and criteria contained in the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the State

CEQA Guidelines, and the environmental regulations of the City. It has been determined that

designation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” would not have a

significant environmental impact and is exempt from CEQA pursuant to Sections 15061(b)(3),

15308, and 15331 of Title 14 of the California Code of Regulations. It can be seen with

certainty that there is no possibility that the designation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling

Green No. 1” may have a significant effect on the environment, as no specific

development is authorized by this resolution, and any future development proposed

pursuant this resolution will require separate environmental analysis when the details of

those proposals are known. Further, designating the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No.

1” is an action of the City to protect and preserve an historic resource.

Page 7ot9

Section 11. GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY. Designation of the “Beverly Hills

Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” as a local historic landmark is consistent with the objectives,

principles, and standards of the General Plan. General Plan Policy “HP 1.3 - Promote National,

State, and Local Designation of Historic Resources” encourages the establishment of programs

encouraging the nomination of landmarks.

Section 12. The Cultural Heritage Commission hereby nominates, and recommends

that the City Council designate, the “Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green No. 1” as a local

landmark included on the City of Beverly Hills Register of Historic Properties.

Section 13. The record of proceedings for designation of the “Beverly Hills Lawn

Bowling Green No. 1” as a local landmark included on the City’s Register of Historic Properties

is maintained by the City as part of the official records of the Community Development

Department at 455 North Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, California, 90210.

I

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Section 14. The Secretary shall certify to the adoption of the Resolution and shall

cause the Resolution and his certification to be entered in the Book of Resolutions of the Cultural

Heritage Commission of the City of Beverly Hills

Attest:

Adopted: July 13, 2016.

Rebecca Pynoos

Chairperson of the Cultural Heritage

Commission of the City of Beverly Hills,

California

Mark Odell

Secretary

Approved as to Form:

David M. Snow

Assistant City Attorney

Approved As To Content:

Mark Odell

Urban Designer

Exhibit A — Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report and Attachments by Ostashay &

Associates Consulting, dated July 2016.

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VIfflIHXEI

CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT

JULY 2016

& EVALUATION REPORT

Prepared for:City of Beverly Hills

Community Development DepartmentPlanning Division

455 Rexford Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90210

Prepared by:Jan Ostashay, Principal

Ostashay & Associates ConsultingP0 BOX 542, Long Beach, CA 90801

BEVERLY HILLS LAWN BOWLING GREEN #1Roxbury Memorial Park, 401 South Roxbury Drive, City of Beverly Hills, CA


CITY LANDMARK ASSESSMENT AND EVALUATION REPORT

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1Roxbury Memorial Park401 (471) South Roxbury DriveBeverly Hills, CA 90211

APN: 4330-010-900

INTRODUCTION

This landmark assessment and evaluation report, completed by Ostashay & AssociatesConsulting for the City of Beverly Hills, documents and evaluates the local significance andlandmark eligibility of Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1, located within Roxbury MemorialPark at 401 South Roxbury Drive, in the City of Beverly Hills.

Included in the report is a discussion of the survey methodology used, a summarizeddescription of the subject property and its historical integrity, a brief description and contextualhistory of the site, a review of the local landmark criteria considered in the evaluation process,a formal evaluation of the property for local significance, photographs, and applicablesupporting materials.

METHODOLOGY

The landmark assessment was conducted by Jan Ostashay, Principal, of Ostashay & AssociatesConsulting. In order to identify and evaluate the subject property as a potential local landmark,an intensive-level survey was conducted. The assessment included a review of the NationalRegister of Historic Places (National Register) and its annual updates, the California Register ofHistorical Resources (California Register), and the California Historic Resources Inventory (HRI)list maintained by the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in order to determine if anyprevious evaluations or survey assessments of the site had been performed.

For this current landmark assessment a site inspection was conducted and a review of buildingpermits, tax assessor records, and historic aerial photographs was performed to document theproperty’s existing condition and assist in evaluating the property for historical significance. TheCity of Beverly Hills landmark criteria were employed to evaluate the local significance of thesite and its eligibility for designation as a City of Beverly Hills Landmark. In addition, thefollowing tasks were performed for the study:

• Searched records of the National Register, California Register, and OHP HistoricResources Inventory.

• Conducted a field inspection and photographed the subject property (lawn bowlinggreen site and park area).


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• Conducted site-specific research on the subject property utilizing Sanborn FireInsurance Maps, city directories, newspaper articles, historical photographs, aerialphotographs, and building permits. In addition, interviewed members of the BeverlyHills Lawn Bowling Club for further information on the history of the lawn bowlinggreen.

• Reviewed and analyzed ordinances, statutes, regulations, bulletins, and technicalmaterials relating to federal, state, and local historic preservation, designationassessment procedures, and related programs.

• Evaluated the potential historic resource based upon criteria established by the Cityof Beverly Hills and utilized the OHP survey methodology for conducting surveyassessments.

FINDINGS

The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 (BHLB Green #1) with the address 401 South RoxburyDrive appears to satisfy the City’s criteria for individual designation as a local Landmark asrequired in Section 10-3-3212 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance (Beverly Hills MunicipalCode Title 10 Chapter 3 Article 32). This property appears to satisfy all of the mandates ofsubsection A. and two of the mandates under subsection B. of the City’s Historic PreservationOrdinance.

BACKGROUND IN FORMATION

BHLB Green #1 is sited within the northeast corner of Roxbury Memorial Park. RoxburyMemorial Park now occupies over 11 acres of land at the southwest corner of West OlympicBoulevard and South Roxbury Drive in the southwestern section of Beverly Hills. Part of Tract#3613 the park is sited on a large, flat single lot that has an irregular wedge shape (lot 4).Though Olympic Boulevard is a busy automobile-oriented thoroughfare that extends throughdowntown Los Angeles west to Santa Monica, this portion of the street is surrounded primarilyby multi-family residential housing. The lawn bowting green has an address of 401 SouthRoxbury Drive while the park itself is addressed as 471 South Roxbury Drive.

Roxbury Memorial Park nor any of its associated improvements, including the lawn bowlinggreen, have not been previously identified, documented or evaluated under any of the City’sprevious historic resources survey efforts. In addition, the park is not included in the State’s HRIand is not listed in the National Register or California Register.

PROPERTY DESCRIPTION AND CONSTRUCTION HISTORY

Description. The park is situated on the south side of Olympic Boulevard within the southwestsection of town. It was originally developed with 15 acres of land, but now covers slightly morethan 11 acres of land. The lawn bowling green is sited at the northeast corner of the park and isaccessed at the south end of the green through a gate via a walkway off South Roxbury Drive orfrom the park itself to the west.


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An address of 401 South Roxbury Drive provides a physical address location of the lawn bowlinggreen under review. The exact location of Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 has also beenidentified by a coordinates map using longitude and latitude decimal degrees to identify thesite boundaries. A coordinates map has been provided in the appendix of this report forcia rification.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 retains the distinctive design features and componentsthat defined a standard lawn bowling green of the 1920s (and required of a legally sanctionedlawn bowling green for tournament play even today). Components of the green consist of afirm level playing surface measuring 120 feet by 120 feet covered with grass/turf (currentlyhybrid Bermudagrass) and framed by a narrow wood plinth roughly 14 inches wide (the plinthretains the compacted soil playing surface). Outside the plinth is a shallow ditch roughly teninches wide that contains sand and beyond that is a 114 inch wide backboard (or bank) thatretains the surround raised roughly 10 inches above the playing surface. The green is dividedinto sections called rinks, which can be oriented at any of the four sides of the green (to avoidoverplay of the grass). It is within the rink that a game of lawn bowling is played. Beverly HillsLawn Bowling Green #1 contains eight rinks in any of the four directions. The backboard hasbeen marked accordingly to indicate rink location, hog line, and center of the green.

The park has been upgraded or “modernized” a number of times since it was initiallyconstructed in 1928. Upgrades to the lawn bowling area have also been made, most recently inthe past couple of decades. As necessary for the general maintenance and up keep of thebowling green there has been some repair work and changes made to the site. Such changeshave included the in-kind replacement of the playing field, replacement of broken or damagedplinths and backboards, and the change out of infill material within the ditch (it was originally agrille of wood slats). Because of safety issues and to ease accessibility, the original grasscovered surround was removed a number of years ago for the installation of wide concretewalkways that abut up to the backboards. In addition, the original park benches that wereadjacent to the surround on all four sides have been replaced with new benches some coveredby contemporary concrete post supported canopies. And though the original fence around thegreen has been replaced a think hedge continues to wrap the outside of the green as it hasdone for decades to provide privacy.

As for changes to the park itself, a new recreation building and tool supply building were builton site in 1958. Later changes to the site dating from the mid-1960s, late 1980s, and 2000s haveincluded the reconfiguration of some internal walkways and paths, the addition ofbaseball/softball diamonds, the re-landscaping of areas, new playground areas and equipment,conversion of lawn bowling green #3 to a sand volleyball court, new sprinkler systems andlighting, relocation of picnic areas, the addition of new picnic areas, installation of basketballcourts and handball court, the consolidation of greens for both lawn bowling and croquet use,renovation of park areas for ADA compliance (American with Disabilities Act), the andconstruction of a new clubhouse and community center.


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HISTORICAL CONTEXT

Beverly Hills. The town of Beverly Hills was founded in 1906 when a group of investors headedby Burton Green formed the Rodeo Land and Water Company and recorded two subdivisions:Beverly, a small triangle south of Santa Monica Boulevard, and Beverly Hills, a residential areaof amply-sized lots extending along curving streets north to Sunset Boulevard, with estate-sizedproperties in the foothills further north. Designed by landscape architect Wilbur D. Cook, thelayout of the new development departed sharply from the typical, orthogonally griddedsubdivisions that were found in most of the region’s subdivisions. In 1907, the Los AngelesTimes reported:

On this beautiful mesa, with a background of foothills, Beverly Hills was laid outby one of Boston’s famous landscape architects. With its broad, curving avenuessweeping from the car line to the very crest of the foothills, it presents thespectacle of a magnificent park. . . . Beverly Hills is provided with four parks andthe purpose is to beautify the entire suburb with flowers, trees, and shrubbery.’

The article went to state that special note should be made of the “artistic water garden with itspond lilies and gold fish.”2

Despite these and other amenities and the presence of a station serving both the interurbanPacific Electric Railroad and the transcontinental Southern Pacific, initial growth in thecommunity was slow. The first boost to development was in 1911, when a grand hostelry, theBeverly Hills Hotel, was opened by Hollywood Hotel entrepreneur Margaret Anderson anddesigned by architect Elmer Grey, with gardens laid out by Cook. A one-trolley car systemknown as the “Dinky” conveyed guests from a Pacific Electric station at the southwest corner ofSanta Monica Boulevard and Canon Drive up Rodeo Drive to the hotel. Residential constructionand commercial development soon picked up, to the extent that Beverly Hills was able toincorporate as a city in 1914.

The turning point in the history of Beverly Hills occurred in 1919, when Hollywood royalty, MaryPickford and Douglas Fairbanks, decided to remodel a “hunting lodge” in the foothills as alavish, full-time residence. “Pickfair” paved the way for numerous other film stars, producers,directors, and other industry figures, as well as well-heeled capitalists and professionals, tomake Beverly Hills their home. During the 1920s and continuing, regardless of the GreatDepression, into the 1930s, development flourished in Beverly Hills, encompassing residentialdistricts both north and south of Santa Monica Boulevard as well as the triangular commercialarea bounded by the railroad tracks on Santa Monica on the north and Wilshire Boulevardduring the south.

The late 1920s and early 1930s also saw large outlays for public improvements andinfrastructure. The City’s Water Treatment Plant (No. 1), City Hall and Post Office were allconstructed during this period. As part of a regional effort, Wilshire Boulevard was widened and

Early articles counted the three original blocks of Beverly Gardens as three parks, which, when added to Sunset Park north ofthe confluence of Canon Drive, Beverly Drive, and Lomitas Avenue (labeled “Civic Center” on early maps and later called WillRogers Memorial Park) totaled four.

2 “Park Effects in Homesite.” Las Angeles Times, August 16, 1907.

BHLB Green #I 401 S. Roxbury DriveCity Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report

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improved with street lamps and signals. Other streets that traversed Beverly Hills, includingSunset Boulevard, were similarly integrated into area-wide transportation plans that facilitatedautomobile access to downtown Los Angeles, the beach communities, and the San FernandoValley. In 1931, Route 66, the famed highway from Chicago to the Pacific, was officially declaredto run through Beverly Hills on Santa Monica Boulevard.3 Three additional parks were added tothe City’s already well-endowed park system: Roxbury Park, La Cienega Park, and what wasinitially referred to as the Santa Monica Boulevard Strip Park and officially named in 1931“Beverly Gardens.” Today, the City boasts eleven recreation and park facilities within itsboundaries, plus several mini parks.

Development of Roxbury (Memorial) Park. The park is on the south side of Olympic Boulevardat South Roxbury Drive within the southwest section of town. It was originally developed withroughly 15 acres of land by the City over a two year period beginning in 1928, and was formallydedicated on October 30, 1930. The lawn bowling green was one of the first improvementsinstalled and used at the park even before its formal opening to the public.

The property was purchased from the Rodeo Land and Water Company following a bond issueof $400,000 that was voted upon at the April 1928 local election. Two parks were createdutilizing the bond funds, one near the high school along what was called Country Club Drive(now Olympic Boulevard) and Roxbury Drive (Roxbury Park) and another on the municipalproperty in the vicinity of the water treatment plant near La Cienega Boulevard and GregoryWay. Initial plans for the Roxbury park (as well as the La Cienega park) were designed bynationally recognized landscape architects, the Olmsted Brothers in 1928. According to plansrevealed to the public in August 1928, the Roxbury park improvement was to have aplayground, clubhouse, lawn bowling green, lighted tennis courts, croquet court, and puttinggreen among other amenities such as meandering walkways, lawn, and the informal planting oftrees and shrubbery. A swimming pool and bath house were also planned, but nevermaterialized. George Chapman, Superintendent of Parks for the City, was responsible for thegeneral oversight and construction of the two parks.

In 1932, the Beverly Hills American Legion Post #253 began planting Chinese Elm trees in thepark to honor its members who had died since the Post’s founding in 1926. The pathway linedwith trees at the western side of the park is known as Memory Lane. As a tribute to all whohave served in the military with honor in time of war, the City Council passed a resolution in1954 that officially changed the name of the park to Roxbury Memorial Park.

The once extant Spanish Colonial Revival clubhouse was built adjacent to the lawn bowlinggreen and tennis courts close to the northeast cornet of the site in 1930. The structure wasdesigned by architects Koerner and Gage (Harry G. Koerner and William J Gage, architects ofCity Hall) at a cost of $5,000 and was built by the Carpenter Brothers, a local contracting firm.The floor plan included a kitchen, men’s and women’s rest rooms, a club room, and opencovered porches on the north and south elevations facing the tennis courts and the bowlinggreen. The building was damaged by an earthquake and was demolished in the late 1980s. A

“Boulevard Leads East Via Beverly.” Beverly Hills Citizen, January 29, 1931.


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new contemporary style clubhouse was built in its place and a large modern community centerwas also added to the park in subsequent years.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1. On October 7, 1929, the Beverly Hills Bowling Green,now referred to as Bowling Green #1, was dedicated at the new Roxbury Park (which was stillunder construction). The green was completed prior to the completion of the park to allowcompetitive play for the Southern California Lawn Bowling Association annual tournament. Thiswas the first official tournament held on Bowling Green #1 since it was developed.

In 1923, the Beverly Hills Bowling Green Association (BHGA) was established at the corner ofCamden Drive and Little Santa Monica Boulevard. The BHGA was the predecessor of the BeverlyHills Lawn Bowling Association (BHLBA), which later went on to become the Beverly Hills LawnBowling Club (BHLBC). By 1925, three lots in this vicinity were being transformed into a formalbowling green measuring 122x132 feet in size, according to a Los Angeles Times article fromOctober 4, 1925. Oscar N. Beasley, a prominent banker; actor Fred Niblo; and realtor/developerLeland P. Reeder owned the property and Beasley paid for the improvements, that included asunken court, groomed lawn, ditch, backboards, and even lighting.

Beasley (1870-1960), then president of the First National Bank of Beverly Hills (laterconsolidated under Beverly Hills National Bank and Trust Company), was elected the bowlinggroup’s first president. He was followed one year later by local realtor James L. Kennedy (1880-1955), who eventually went on to become a city council member and the mayor of Beverly Hillsin 1941.

In the spring of 1928, Beasley and Kennedy urged the City Council to install a bowling green onthe site of the new Roxbury Park as soon as possible. They stressed that in order to have thegreen ready for tournament play in August of that year installation efforts would need to becompleted by May. The BHGA moved to the park site and the new bowling green was ready forplay in the fall of 1928.

At the dedication of the park in 1930, the local lawn bowling club, then referred as the BHLBA,arranged a tournament comprised of teams with bowling association members and city officialsand department heads. Since then, the bowling green has become a community gathering placefor residents, officials, local businessmen, retirees, and others. Radio announcer Bill Hay notedfrom the early Amos ‘n’ Andy radio program, film actors Otto Kruger and Edward Arnold, andWalt Disney were all members of the BHLBA.

Walt Disney was a prominent member of the BHLBA. In the 1930s, Walt pursued severalrecreational sports to work off the pressures of business. He played polo but because of healthissues began looking for another sport. He tried golf but it proved too frustrating to offer anyrelaxation. After he tried lawn bowling Disney became a fervent bowler and active member ofthe Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Association. He played this sport regularly at Roxbury MemorialPark for the rest of his life and competed in many bowling tournaments. In Disney’s honor oneof the many competitive games held annually at BHLB Green #1 is the Walt Disney MastersInternational Singles Tournament. The trophy for this event is four feet high made of Brazilianredwood with Walt Disney’s initialed bowls (lawn bowling balls), Mickey Mouse, and a replicaof the Commemorative Medal struck by joint resolution of Congress and presented to Disney by


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President Nixon, March 25, 1969, attached to the piece. The annual winner of the tournamentreceives a plaque illustrating the trophy but the trophy itself remains with the BHLBC atRoxbury Memorial Park.

Due to the popularity of the game and the rapid growth of the BHLBA another green was addedjust to the west of bowling green #1 in 1935. Bowling green #3 south of bowling green #2 wasadded in 1946. Those greens were installed in part by the generosity of resident bowlers J.L.Kennedy and Harold Meyers and other club members with the support of the City’s ParksCommission. Green #3 was designed for the handicap, though Green #1 was later modified toaccommodate ADA accessibility.

Since 1999, the play of the game has been primarily on Bowling Green #1. Because ofmaintenance costs and past and present drought conditions bowling green #2 is no longer usedfor bowling and green #3 has been converted to a sand volleyball court.

Because of the quality, maintenance, and preservation of the green and its long historical tiesto the community the Beverly Hills lawn bowling green has been the subject of numerousmagazine and newspaper articles, including:

• Los Angeles Times feature on Walt Disney and how the Disney Tournament developedinto the most prominent invitational bowling tournament in America.

• Turf Magazine ran a five-page photo feature on BHLB Green #1 and what it called its“superior intelligence and maintenance.”

• Bowls International featured a four-page homage to Walt Disney’s passion for lawnbowling in Beverly Hills.

• BOWLS Magazine featured lawn bowling at Beverly Hills in photos and text.

Within the past five decades numerous competitive and social lawn bowling events have beenhosted at BHLB Green #1 due in part to the high quality of the green and the club’s historicalassociation with past member Walt Disney. Top bowlers from around the world have come toplay in signature tournaments at BHLB Green #1, including the Bowls USA National OpenTournament. Just recently, the green was selected from among 135 U.S. lawn bowlingcomplexes to host America’s top 14 players for the National Team selection camp, for whichTeam USA was selected to compete at the World Bowls Championships in New Zealand.

The green has also been the home for seven members of the Bowls USA (formerly the UnitedStates Lawn Bowling Association) National Hall of Fame: Michael Ashton-Phillips, Anne Barber,Walt Disney, Bill Hay, Joe Siegman, Ruby Woodcock, and Ezra Wyeth.

In recent years the Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Club dedicated Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green#1 in memoriam to the green’s co-founder Oscar N. Beasley. A small bronze plaque is placedadjacent to the entry gate into the green noting this recognition. In this honor, Green #1 is alsoreferred to as the “Beasley Bowling Green” by the club’s members.


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Lawn Bowling Overview. Lawn bowling is similar to bocce and boules in that the goal is to landa “bowl” close to the “jack.” Lawn bowling differs in that teams play on 120 by 15 foot rinkswithin a large square green measuring 120 feet on each side. Greens are able to accommodateup to eight games at a time.

Lawn bowling bowls are not perfectly spherical like bocce balls. Lawn bowls have a “bias” thatgives the balls a flattened appearance and which requires bowlers to curve their shots towardsthe jack (a smaller white ball rolled out onto the rink). The objective of the game is to earnpoints by completing a set of ends (innings), typically 14, 16, or 18 ends, and getting your bowlscloser to the jack than your opponent. The team with the most points after all ends wins thematch.

A lawn bowling green measures 120 feet square, but can be larger. The green is surrounded bya narrow wooden plinth which retains the playing surface. Outside the plinth is a shallow 10inch wide ditch infilled usually with sand or other material that won’t damage the bowls.Behind the ditch is a backboard or bank that retains a surround, raised roughly 10 inches abovethe playing surface. The system of boards around the green is called the backboard/plinthsystem.

For many years bowling greens have been built on a sand rootzone somewhat similar to golfgreens and playing fields. Bowling greens are typically constructed using a sand base,compacted soil, and turf top layer to provide a hard, firm, and fast pace surface needed forgood bowling. The greens are usually a bentgrass, Bermudagrass, or Kentucky bluegrass typeturf and in some cases artificial or a hybrid. BHLB Green #1 was constructed (and upgraded)with these standard lawn bowling green components and is currently covered withBerm udagrass (hybrid).

The sport is an old one. The exact history in lawn bowling is not completely known, but it isthought to have roots as far back as 3,000-4,000 years ago. The Romans introduced the gameto Europe and in 1209, the South Hampton Old Bowling Green Club was established in England.More recently, the sport has been and still is very popular in places around the world where theBritish have had an influence such as the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.In the United States, the game is particular popular in California, Arizona, Florida, New York,and New England.

HISTORIC SIGNIFICANCE CONSIDERATION FRAMEWORK

Evaluation Criteria. In analyzing the historical significance of the subject property, criteria fordesignation under the City’s local landmark program was considered. Additionally,consideration of historical integrity and the State Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) surveymethodology was used to survey and assess the relative significance of the property.

City of Beverly Hills Landmark Criteria. The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance (MunicipalCode Title 10 Chapter 3 Article 32; BHMC 10-3-32) authorizes the Cultural Heritage Commission(CHC) to recommend the nomination of properties as local landmarks to the City Council. TheCouncil may designate local landmarks and historic districts by the procedures outlined in theordinance. The Preservation Ordinance also establishes criteria and the process for evaluating


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and designating properties as potential local landmarks.

An eligible property may be nominated and designated as a landmark if it satisfies therequirements set forth below:

A. A landmark must satisfy all of the following requirements:

1. It is at least 45 years (45) years of age, or is a property of extraordinarysignificance;

2. It possesses high artistic or aesthetic value, and embodies the distinctivecharacteristics of an architectural style or architectural type or architecturalperiod;

3. It retains substantial integrity from its period of significance; and


B. In addition to the requirements set forth in Paragraph A above, a landmark must satisfyat least one of the following requirements:

1. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places;

2. It is an exceptional work by a master architect;

3. It is an exceptional work that was owned and occupied by a person of greatimportance, and was directly connected to a momentous event in the person’sendeavors or the history of the nation. For purposes of this paragraph, personalevents such as birth, death, marriage, social interaction, and the like shall not bedeemed to be momentous;

4. It is an exceptional property that was owned and occupied by a person of greatlocal prominence;

5. It is an iconic property; or


Historical Integrity. “Integrity is the ability of a property to convey its significance.” In additionto meeting the criteria of significance, a property must have integrity. Integrity is theauthenticity of a property’s physical identity clearly indicated by the retention of characteristicsthat existed during the property’s period of significance. Properties eligible for local landmarkdesignation must meet at least two of the local landmark designation criteria and retain enoughof their historic character or appearance to be recognizable as historical resources and toconvey the reasons for their historical significance.

Both the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical Resourcesrecognize the seven aspects of qualities that, in various combinations, define integrity. To retainhistoric integrity a property should possess several, and usually most, of these seven aspects.

BHLR Green #1, 401 S. Roxbury DriveCity Landmark Assessment and Evaluation Report

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Thus, the retention of the specific aspects of integrity is paramount for a property to convey itssignificance. The seven qualities that define integrity are location, design, setting, materials,workmanship, feeling and association. The seven qualities or aspects of historical integrity aredefined as follows:

• Location is the place where the historic property was constructed or the place wherethe historic event occurred.

• Design is the combination of elements that create the form, plan, space, structure,and style of a property.

• Setting is the physical environment of a historic property.

• Materials are the physical elements that were combined or deposited during aparticular period of time and in a particular pattern or configuration to form ahistoric property.

• Workmanship is the physical evidence of the crafts of a particular culture or peopleduring any given period in history or prehistory.

• Feeling is a property’s expression of the aesthetic or historic sense of a particularperiod of time.

• Association is the direct link between an important historic event or person and ahistoric property.

EVALUATION OF HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Application of City Landmark (Significance) Criteria. In summary, based on current researchand the above assessment the Clock Market property located at 8623 Wilshire Boulevardappears to satisfy the necessary City of Beverly Hills Landmark criteria. The property wasevaluated according to statutory criteria, as follows:

A. A landmark must satisfy all of the following requirements (BHMC 10-3-3212(A)):

1. It is at least 45 yeats (45) years of age, or is a property of extraordinarysignificance.

The Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 was developed in 1928, and is 88 yearsof age. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.

2. It possesses high artistic or aesthetic value, and embodies the distinctivecharacteristics of an architectural style or architectural type or architecturalperiod.

Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green 4*1 retains the distinctive design features andcomponents that defined a standard lawn bowling green of the 1920s (andrequired of a legally sanctioned lawn bowling green for tournament play eventoday). Initially included as part of the park design by the Olmsted Brothers in1928, the green was designed as a firm level playing surface measuring 120 feetby 120 feet covered with grass/turf that is covered by compacted soil and is


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framed by a narrow wood plinth (retains the playing surface) on all four sides.Other components of the green included a shallow ditch to catch the bowlsand/or jack as well as a wood backboard or bank raised roughly 10 inches abovethe playing surface to support the surround. As typical, the green’s divided intoeight sections called rinks. It is within the rink that a game of lawn bowling isplayed. The existing bowling green maintains much of its historic character,association, distinctive features, and qualities that identify it as a particularproperty type, period, and function. Therefore, the property appears to satisfythis criterion.

3. It retains substantial integrity from its period of significance.

Despite some changes to the green over the years, the basic size and shape,location, materials, design, setting, association, and feeling of the green hasremained relatively the same. Therefore, the subject property appears to satisfythis criterion.


Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 is one of the last extant vestiges reflectiveof the City’s historical past. It has been an important part of life in the city andfor its many constituents for over 80 years. Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1has continued to provide a setting for sports as well as for social activities.Because of its long and distinctive social and recreational value to thecommunity its designation as a landmark is vital to the promotion of the City’shistoric preservation program. Therefore, the subject property appears to satisfythis criterion.

B. In addition to the requirements set forth in Paragraph A above, a landmark mustsatisfy at least one of the following requirements (BHMC 10-3-3212(B)):

1. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The subject property is not listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Therefore, the property does not satisfy this criterion.

2. It is an exceptional work by a master architect.

Roxbury Park was initially designed based on landscape plans developed by theOlmsted Brothers, nationally known landscape architects in 1928. The park hasbeen modified over the years and many features including landscape elements,walkways, playground areas, etc. have been removed or modified since its initialdevelopment. The lawn bowling green under review was one of the firstelements of the park installed during the summer of 1928. It is identified on theOlmsted plans in its current general location. Portions of their plan were notimplemented while other features of the plan were relocated (i.e. the tenniscourts are moved up closer to the lawn bowling area, the swimming pool


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illustrated on the plans was never built, etc.) or kept as planned and installed.Though portions of the lawn bowling green itself have been replaced ormodernized the basic size, shape, and depth of the green has remained thesame. Hence, an argument can be made that the green appears to be associatedwith the Olmsted Brothers. The Olmsteds are considered master landscapearchitects. In consideration of the definition of “exceptional work” as defined inthe City’s historic preservation ordinance, the lawn bowling green has beenincluded in at least three publications on the history of the city as well as anumber of professional publications on turf management and league lawnbowling. In addition, because of the annual Walt Disney tournament it has wellestablished the site internationally. Therefore, the property appears to satisfythis criterion.

3. It is an exceptional work that was owned and occupied by a person of greatimportance, and was directly connected to a momentous event in the person’sendeavors or the history of the nation. For purposes of this paragraph, personalevents such as birth, death, marriage, social interaction, and the like shall not bedeemed to be momentous.

The lawn bowling green under current review is located within RoxburyMemorial Park, a municipal park owned and operated by the City of Beverly Hills.Therefore, the property does not satisfy this criterion.

4. It is an exceptional property that was owned and occupied by a person of greatlocal prominence.

Since its development in the late 1920s, Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1, aswell as the other improvements and features of Roxbury Memorial Park, havealways been owned and operated by the City of Beverly Hills. Hence, theproperty does not satisfy this criterion.

5. It is an iconic property.

Though the lawn bowling green has been at Roxbury Memorial Park for over 80years it cannot be said that it has become “inextricably associated with BeverlyHills in the popular culture and forms part of the city’s identity to the world atlarge.” Because of the recessed profile of the playing field and the screeningfrom public view by a dense row of shrubs the lawn bowling green is not readilyvisible from the public right-of-way. It has for many years remained a “hiddengem” in a fanciful town. Therefore, the property does not satisfy this criterion.


The landmark designation procedure was expressly agreed to by the owner(s) ofthe property. Therefore, the property satisfies this criterion.

BHLB Green #1, 401 S. Roxbury DriveCity Landmark A5sessment and Evaluation Report

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Character-defining Features. Every historic property is unique, with its own identity and its owndistinguishing character. A property’s form and detailing are important in defining its visualhistoric character and significance. It is a property’s tangible features or elements that embodyits significance for association with specific historical events, important personages, ordistinctive architecture and it is those tangible elements; therefore, that should be retained andpreserved.

Character refers to all those visual aspects and physical features that comprise the appearanceof every historic property. According to National Park Service Brief 17. Architectural Character:Identifying the Visual Aspects of Historic Buildings as an Aid to Preserving Their Character,character-defining features include the overall shape of a property (building, structure, etc.), itsmaterial, craftsmanship, decorative details, interior spaces and features (as applicable), as wellas the various aspects of its site and immediate environment (form, configuration andorientation).

The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties defines historiccharacter by the form and detailing of materials, such as masonry, wood, stucco, plaster, terracotta, metal, etc.; specific features, such as roofs, porches, windows and window elements,moldings, staircases, chimneys, driveways, garages, landscape and hardscape elements, etc.; aswell as spatial relationships between buildings, structures, and features; room configurations;and archaic structural and mechanical systems. Identifying those features or elements that givea historic property visual character and which should be taken into account and preserved tothe maximum extent possible is important in order for the property to maintain its historicalsignificance.

Character-defining features that define Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 are those featuresthat are associated with the play of lawn bowling and are historically extant at the site. Suchfeatures include the following:

• Basic square shape and form, size (playing surface 120 feet by 120 feet), and overallconfigu ration;

• Green of specific grass/turf type (currently hybrid Bermudagrass) appropriate for lawnbowling performance and play;

• Wooden backboard/plinth system around the entire playing surface, including plinthsframing the playing surface, shallow ten inch wide ditch, vertical backboard or bankraised roughly ten inches above the playing surface, and surround;

• Division of the green into rinks of appropriate wide (eight for Beverly Hills Lawn BowlingGreen #1).


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CONCLUSION

The lawn bowling green referred to as Beverly Hills Lawn Bowling Green #1 located at RoxburyMemorial Park appears to satisfy the City’s criteria for designation as a local Landmark asrequired in Section 10-3-3212 of the Historic Preservation Ordinance (BHMC Title 10 Chapter 3Article 32). This site appears to satisfy all of the mandates of subsection A. and two of themandates under subsection B.


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APPENDIX

Location Map


Parcel Map

Index Map

Sanborn Fire Insurance Map

Ephemeral Material

Historical Photographs

Photographs (current)


page 19


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Roxbury Memorial Park

Latitude1. 34.059494°,2. 34.0594950,

3. 34.059137°,4. 34.059130°,

Longitude-118.406366°118.4059180-118.405926°-118.406364°

Google earth meters 200 A1900


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CITY

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TRACT NO. 3613M.B.36— 65-66

ASSFSSOR’S MAPFOR PREy. ASSMT. 423 — 17

COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES, CALIf.

4330

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BOOK 4331

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BOOK 4306

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CITY OF LOS ANGELESCITY OF BEVERLY HiLLS

ASSE$SO?’3 iP

COUNTY OF LOS AI4GELES, CALIF.


EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

CROWD sEES TOURNAMENT ‘I

Figure: 1 — Location of first lawn bowling green in Beverly Hills(Camden Dr/Little Santa Monica BI), BHC 07/22/1926

SECOND RESERVOIRPLANS COMPLETED

Nw and Large*tReaiter WWHold 7,500,000 GaUos3z

ESTiMATED COST $110,000

Appraisal Gven on Land NearHib School ror Park

t11 ting Tuday nIghtinetwb’d the receipt at n appraisatn&da by the Beverly RIli Realty3aird n 1.73 eere Property inthe southwest portion of the cityreJstIvr to nCcjUirtflg It for park parDOSCL

The property Is within the PTMtot C113 lImits, 15 owned by the Rodeof,nflct and Water Company ar.1 is acyet ufleuhdfviLled. t Is bOun by‘untry Club Drive. Sout) RoXfluryDrive and by the city boundary fine.

‘the appraisal of the Realty Boarcset the vahiution at 11t1,5t, witha’i additional is,ooc or presentmprovomett, Altbøugh no ileflnhtsaction was taken, ft l updcmtoodthiC plans are under way to aventually purchuse the property and convert it into a playground and park,provided aU arrangements can b.

—Keystone PhotoMany peapi. witnessed the play of the cowling teams which competed

.verly Hilts Saturday. The greens were praised by the. visitinØptsyers from Pasadena and Exposltin Park.

Figure: 2 — Discussions regarding the purchase of land for Roxbury Park, BHC 12/15/1927

EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

LETTER OUTLINESPARK_SITUATION

Lii Reply to C. of C Inquiry CityCIerI Firmmger Gives Steps

Taken by Cotmal.

In reply to a le4ter from theCh.unber of Commerce inquIritg thepresent status ot recreational andathletic rountIs In connection withpropone parks for the city, CityClerk Vlrnilnget atade the follow1nreply:

‘tic that you may be famtlitt withthe pretcflI status ot this prvoaedimprovement (ft having been underconsideration for somet.hin morethan a ynr) the City Council hatareftdy taken the following steps

I. ‘A survey of an area owned bythe city alit1 mpproxfmati4y c1hlacres iii extent. has brcn made sncret omniezidattone ubmtt4 by S

landscape artist, a map showing theproponed treatment bcin on ide Icthts uf(iei nd having been publish

in the local paeers. Thene recoIn.mondatloas Include an &thiotkfield. consisting ct a ewimming i,oOitennis botvllng green, and aecimbination basetail diamond endfootball grldircn. The land issituated in the 4treme southeast’

soi’?ttn ut illS (Itv.

I. “An offer to sell approxlmatcilifleer. acres ‘ust south of the flee

tly Hills High School has bPen re.

dyed from the Rodeo Land nd

Valer Company and the city Ian

tad an appraisal made by the fey.ny Julie Realty Board. A portlot•f this land, if acquired. w!il be

end for athletIc purposes, the exactreatment to depend somewhat uporscifltes provided by the Htgtelino authorities on their land.

3. “The necessary legislation hataen provided, end an election haieen called fr April 9, at whictime a bond issue of 400,000 wflte submit ted to the votere, thnoney to be used for carrying outhe purpo’tt’e set forth above. Thu

act has also beet. published in theot’aL nesespapors.

“I presume from your letter tha’‘our organlaation td,VOl’ the protesed improvements and wfl) sup.tort the bond Issua It will beileasure, therefore, to present tht

etter to the City Council as yot

Figure: 3 — Discussions regarding park development, BHC 03/29/1928

BOWLERS SEEK EARLYACTION ON PARK GREEN

Association Urge. Planting to As’lure Play by August

Efforts to obtain early instailation of howling greens on the siteof thu new park in the vicinity oftho Beverly Hills High School werebeing made this week by the Beverly hills Bewiing Green Association, according to S. L. Kennedy.

The e:irllegt peesible action isnecessary if the greens arc to beready for use In August, Mr. Kennedy cited. If the planting is heldoff as late as September, the groundwould not be ready for play beforethe following June, he declared.

In the tournament play for theOkey trophy George Nowberry andCharles Maddox defeated C. M.Davenport and David Haney Saturday.

The next game will line up Mr.Newbery and Mr. Maddox againstDr. C. M. Gulnon and Tam Campbell, and is to bo pktyed on the localgreen next Saturday.

Figure: 4— Efforts to obtain early installation of green at new park, BHC 05/17/1028

EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

Beverly Hills California, Thursday, Auguit 23, 1928

I ROXBURY DRIVE PARK PLANS REVEALED

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Sketch prepared by Olmstead Brothers, nationally known landscape and park experts, shows the proposedplan for the new park to be built near the Beverly Hills High School. work on which ha. already startedPlan for La Clenega Park is reproduced on page one section two.

E

Figure: 5 — Initial Roxbury Park plan as designed by the Olmsted Brothers, BHC 08/23/1928

EPHEMERAL MATERIAL

Figure: 6— Original clubhouse at Roxbury Park (demolished), BHC 01/26/1930

New Bowling Greens Dedicated MAYOR1 COUNtIILBOWL ON GREEN

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Figure: 7 — Opening celebration of the lawn bowling green site to the public, BHC 10/09/1930


PHOTO - 1: Context view of Green #1 looking south (original 1930 clubhouse in background), c1930

PHOTO - 2: Lawn bowling on Green #1, looking southeast, c1930


PHOTO - 3: Green #1 with wood slat ditch fright), circa 1937

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PHOTO -4: Lawn bowling on Green #1 looking northeast, c1937


PHOTO - 5: Aerial view of Roxbury Memorial Park (detail view), 1947

PHOTO - 6: Aerial view of Roxbury Memorial Park (context view), 1947


PHOTO - 1: Northeast corner of park, lawn bowling green behind PHOTO - 2: Context view of green looking southeast

PHOTO - 3: Entry gate to green looking northwest PHOTO - 4: Entry gate to green looking northeast


GREEN

PHOTO - 5: BHLB Green #1 looking southeast, clubhouse right PHOTO - 6: BHLB Green #1 looking northeast

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- —

PHOTO - 8: Green, plinth, ditch, backboard (or bank), and surround

PLINTH

OSTASHAY & ASSOCIATES CONSULTING

P0 BOX 542 LONG BEACH, CA 90801 562.500.9451

Documents

Report Cultural Heritage Commission Project Applicant