The Art Deco Society of Los Angeles needs your help to impress upon the City, that the Sontag Drug Building should become a Cultural Heritage Monument.
What do we need you to do? We need you to speak up! The Cultural Heritage Commission is holding a February 4th meeting to hear a presentation on the architectural and historical significance of this 1936 Streamline Moderne gem in Mid-Wilshire. You can view the presentation on Zoom and SPEAK for one minute on why it is important to Landmark this building.
What should you say?
Contact us at artdeco@adsla.org and we will walk you through what needs to be said. To learn more about the building, see below. You can also simply state that you support the nomination.
Can you help without speaking? YES! Part of the process involves the public getting behind our nomination, by writing letters of support to key decision-makers and advisors in this process to express encouragement to the city to landmark the building. Scroll WAY DOWN to learn more about writing a letter by February 2.
The Cultural Heritage Commission (CHC) will be presented with the Sontag Building on Thursday, February 4 at a 10 AM virtual meeting. The Sontag Building is agenda item #6, but sometimes items are taken out of order, so it is best to call in by 10:15 AM. How soon the item will be heard depends on how long the presentations are that come before the Sontag Building. Information will be supplied as to how to indicate that you want to speak.
The agenda for the meeting can be found here: (We are #6 on the agenda, CASE NO.: CHC-2021-358-HCM / ENV-2021-361-CE)
Join the meeting by Zoom here.
USE MEETING ID: 894 4622 9423. Use passcode: 483635.
By Telephone call 1 (213) 338-8477 or 1 (669) 900-9128 and use Meeting ID No. 894 4622 9423 and then press #. Press # again when prompted for participant ID. You may use passcode: 483635
The Sontag Drug Building embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Streamline Moderne style and was designed by the Los Angeles firm of Norstrom and Anderson, noted commercial architects of the era. The building is located along the Miracle Mile, a linear commercial district in the mid-Wilshire neighborhood that stretches between roughly Fairfax and Highland avenues. The Miracle Mile became one of Los Angeles’s foremost commercial corridors during the 1930s and ‘40s, offering consumers a stylish, automobile-friendly alterative to the Downtown central business district.
Popular in the 1930s and ‘40s, Streamline Moderne architecture was a visual expression of society’s infatuation with modernity, technology, and progress, drawing upon the visual vocabulary of industrial design and the machine age from which the style was derived. The architectural significance of the Sontag Drug building has been acknowledged in various sources over time. Upon its construction, the building was touted as “a model of modern architecture and store designing” in a 1935 Los Angeles Times article.
Current Status: The Sontag Drug Building is up for the first of two hearings for review of its Historic-Cultural Monument application.
Write a Letter:
Email a letter of support for the building’s nomination to the Cultural Heritage Commission. Due by 3:00pm Tuesday, Feb. 2. email: chc@lacity.org.
cc: melissa.jones@lacity.org, ken.bernstein@lacity.org, nithya.raman@lacity.org, contactCD4@lacity.org, Meg.Healy@lacity.org; artdeco@adsla.org
Subject line: Letter of support for Sontag Historic Cultural Monument CHC-2021-358-HCM
What to Say:
Letters in your own words are the best, but if you aren't sure what to say, here is a prompt.
Dear Commissioners,
I am in strong support of the Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument nomination for the 1936 Sontag Building at 5401 Wilshire Blvd.
This building is a striking example of Streamline Moderne architecture, with its horizontal massing, extensive articulation, squared spire, rounded corners, and speedlines. The Sontag Building’s style helped to define the architectural character of the Miracle Mile, establishing the area as a premier destination. This district has slowly been losing its Art Deco and Streamline Moderne heritage.
Stunningly, much of the building’s architectural features are intact, including its curved interior stair with porthole openings.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your address, neighborhood, or zip code very important if you live in the area] See Less