Battle Erupts Over Project in Historic Block

They look more like the elegant mansions that Beverly Hills is famous for than they do apartment buildings.

So it’s no wonder that the owners and residents of the city’s last remaining original block of eclectic, two-story duplexes and small apartment buildings are scrambling today to stop construction of a large condominium complex there.

Beverly Hills officials tonight will consider development plans for a three-story, 22-unit structure that would replace four apartment buildings and cover about a quarter of the 100 block of North Arnaz Drive.

Opponents say that construction of those condominiums will destroy the ambience of the entire tree-lined block and wreck Beverly Hills’ only official historic neighborhood.

That historic designation--a listing as a historic district on the California Register of Historical Resources--is less than a month old.

It was bestowed Aug. 22 by the state’s Department of Parks and Recreation, which labeled North Arnaz Drive “a rare, intact example of a historic regional architecture . . . an early 20th century Southern California prototype which is rapidly disappearing within the city under the pressures of high-density development.”

The block’s graceful apartments were built in the 1920s and ‘30s in classic European-revival styles--French Normandy and Spanish Colonial--with arched entryways, leaded-glass bay windows, second-story balconies and front gardens enclosed by low walls. They give the impression that the tree-shaded street is lined with expensive single-family residences.

Opponents of the condominiums say that they sought the state parks agency’s historical designation after discovering that Beverly Hills has no policy regarding protection of historic structures. They contend that the City Council’s decision will determine whether historical character counts for anything in Beverly Hills.

Supporters of the development, meantime, argue that the condominiums will be an asset to the street. They say that denial of the project because of the street’s historic designation will set a dangerous precedent that could block redevelopment of thousands of old properties in the city.

Those fighting the condo project are backed by the Beverly Hills Architectural Conservancy and the Los Angeles Conservancy, two preservation groups.

“This really is a street of historical significance,” said David Blanco, a UCLA medical professor and research scientist whose family has owned a nearby duplex for more than 30 years. “This is the last original block in Beverly Hills that is intact.”

Blanco and other adjacent property owners were surveying the street Monday with a mixture of pride and anger as they stood in front of the four buildings that developer Gerald Marcil hopes to raze.

“If the city lets this go, there’s no way back. The character of this street will change forever,” said Dalia Pelleg, who with her husband has owned a Spanish Colonial Revival-style duplex and lived in its upper level for 14 years.

Avrumie Schnitzer, an Arnaz Drive property owner for 42 years, said there are waiting lists for those eager to move into apartments on the block that rent from $800 to $3,000 a month. Many renters hope to buy their buildings if they ever come on the market, he said.

From his Palos Verdes Estates development office, Marcil said Monday that the neighbors’ fears are unfounded. He said his $15-million project would improve parking on the street and would be designed to fit in with existing buildings.

“Their properties are charming, I understand that. But our project will more than blend in. The top story will be set back so that it will look like it’s two stories tall from the street. We’ll break it up with modulations so it looks like four different buildings. It will match the rhythm of the street,” Marcil said.

Marcil blamed the historic designation for forcing him to redesign the proposed condominiums. He said delays in getting city approval are making him seek new financing. “The four buildings are in foreclosure. It still may not be something I can afford to build,” he said.

If Marcil drops out and leaves his four apartment buildings standing, that will please neighbor Reiko Takahashi--who with her sister bought a nearby duplex just four months ago.

“The 1930s atmosphere of the street is what drew me,” Takahashi said Monday. “I was sick and tired of living where everything is new.”