Santa Monica Civic Arts Village Concept

Re-establish Santa Monica as the local and regional capitol of artistic expression and creative spirit through connected art parvilions and a rennovated Performing Arts Center, offering diverse community workspaces, studios, and civic offices unified by central open space.

Civic Arts Village Santa Moinca, CA PPD 531L: Core Laboratory/Workshop Sol Price School of Public Policy University of Southern California Fall 2013 Gabriel Barreras

Lynch Analysis

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

The Santa Monica Civic Center has prominent edges throughout that constrain overall accessibility and mobility within the site and the surrounding districts. The most significant edge is the I-10 Santa Monica Freeway. Although there are multiple sidewalks and small arterials that cross the freeway, the I-10 creates a strong edge that bisects the site limiting overall accessibility.

Other prominent edges divide the site into the following districts and sub-districts: 1) the Civic Center, 2) Third Street Promenade, 3) Santa Monica Pier, 4) Santa Monica High School, 5) oceanfront properties which blends into the residential corridor along Pico, 6) the North section of the of site encompassing Sears and the future Expo Line Station, and 5) the Double Tree Hotel has its own sub-district as its use is unique to its location.

Connectivity is largely limited due to the edges and districts listed above. Key areas lacking connectivity include: • Edges between Civic Center and the oceanfront properties along Ocean Avenue; • Entrance to the Santa Monica Pier and the Third Street Promenade; • Connections between the High School and the Civic Center; • Surrounding connections to the new Expo Line Station; • The residential community to all the above areas using the Civic Center as the main node or pass-through district.

Landmarks are scattered throughout the site and are mostly comprised of buildings used on a daily basis such as the Civic Center, Municipal Court, parking facilities, and large employers such as the hotels and the RAND Corporation. However, there are many underutilized landmarks including the Civic Auditorium and the former AMF bowling alley located adjacent to the site.

Finally, there are limited nodes, paths and crosswalks at the site.

Most visitors only use the site for employment or to access the City’s public services. The intersection of Pico and Ocean is a major node for bikers and joggers, but they rarely travel through the site. The Double Tree Hotel is a major node on weekends as it hosts a church, whose members park at the Civic Parking Center and cross across Fourth Street. Finally, a fair amount of homeless individuals and families reside on the site - the corner of Colorado and Fourth Street is a major meeting place where homeless individuals collaborate to find work in the mornings.

Legend Edge District

Landmark Path (minor)

Sub-District

Path (medium)

Node

Path (major)

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250

500

Feet Gabriel Barreras

Existing Conditions

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

The Civic Auditorium stands at the southwest corner of the Civic Center site. Over time, the auditorium’s prominance as a cultural and architectural icon has diminished - it is now bordered by large scale buildings including the RAND Corporation (above, on right), the Viceroy Hotel (center). The auditorium’s medium scale is a transition point to many small scale businesses and residential buidlings in the area.

The Civic Auditorium is an axis endpoint, in-line with Main Street, but it is blocked by parking lots and the solarport above.

Parking lots occupy the majority of the Civic site, creating edges that limit open space and connectivity.

Homeless individuals and families occupy the spaces around the Civic Auditorium.

Small pocket parks and greenspaces, like the one above at the corner of Pico and Main, surround the Civic Auditorium.

Gabriel Barreras

Existing Conditions

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

Offices at 5th and Colorado, the future Metro Station, are empty after business hours, limiting connectivity to the Civic site.

Greenspaces and landscaping between districts are often fenced off and unused.

Facing west, the I-10 Santa Monica Freeway bisects the Civic site from north to south.

Very few crosswalks connect the two sides of Main Street isolating the Civic Center buildings from the surrounding districts.

The auditorium’s west service lot is required for loading and emergency access.

Small commercial spaces on the corner of Pico and 3rd Street reinforce commercial businesses and retail potential.

Historic commercial buildings and streetscapes line Pico Boulevard, facing west.

Ocean Avenue at Pico creates a strong node for commuters, bus routes, cyclists, and pedestrians.

Oceanview pods overlook Ocean Avenue from Tongva Park, marking a secondary entrace to Tongva park and the Civic site.

One of few crosswalks along Ocean Avenue leads to the Loews Hotel. Beach access points in small alleyways are hidden.

Facing west on Moomat Ahiko Way, narrow sidewalks alongside traffic limit connectivity between the Civic site and the beach.

Walls along Colorado Avenue near the Wyndham Hotel and Sears create edges that restrict access to the Civic site.

Gabriel Barreras

Land Use Map

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Facility

Crosswalks

Trees

Future Expo Metro Station

Street Parking

0

250

Pico Place

Sidewalks / Hardscapes Esplanade (Proposed)

5th Street Olympic Blvd

Low Density Housing Oceanfront District

ou lev ard

Downtown Core Mixed-use Boulevard Mixed-use Boulevard Low Parking Facility

ic B

High Density Housing Medium Density Housing

Oly mp

Institutional/Public Land Parks & Open Space

5th Place

Santa Monica High School

Double Tree Hotel

4th Court

5th Street

Bay Street

Legend

4th Street

500

Broadway

Genser Square

Civic Auditorium

Ma

in S tre

Proposed Olympic Drive

et

2nd Street

Tongva Park

Housing Division

Main Street

The Village

Viceroy Hotel

Neilson Way

Appian Way

Pico Boulevard

Vincente Terrace

Pacific Terrace

Seaview Terrace

JW Marriott

Loews Hotel

Marine Ter.

Pacific Terrace

Seaside Terrace Moss Ave.

Santa Monica Pier

SR-1 Pacific Coast Hwy

Arcadia Terrace

Ocean Avenue Palisades Park

AMF Bowling

Bicknell Avenue

3rd Street

Bay Street

Santa Monica Municipal Court

Oc ean

Av en

ue

Ocean Way

Bay Street

City Hall

Early Childhood Education Center (proosed site)

Pico Boulevard

Sears

Civic Center Drive

Police Department

Olympic Drive

Santa Monica Place

3rd Street Promenade

Colorado Avenue

Feet

Gabriel Barreras

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

Option 1: Santa Monica Civic Arts Village

Gabriel Barreras

Option 2: Santa Monica Sculpture Park and Marketplace

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

Trees

Street Parking

Broadway

Parking

City Hall

Santa Monica Municipal Court

TOD: Express Bike and Pedestrian Way

Parking

3rd Street

Artisan Marketplace Civic Auditorium

Ma

in S tre

et

2nd Street

Tongva Park

Senior & Affordable AMF Bowling Housing

The Village

Housing Division

Parking

Bicknell Avenue

Santa Monica Place

Sears

Music Pavilion and Sculpture Park

Traffic Circle & Dropoff

Bay Street

Parking

Childcare Center & Rooftop Garden

Police Department

Civic Center Drive

Colorado Avenue

Parking

Olympic Drive

Feet

3rd Street Promenade

Double Tree Hotel

4th Court

5th Street

4th Street

500

250

Proposed Olympic Drive

0

Santa Monica High School

Pico Place

Crosswalks

Future Expo Metro Station

Pico Boulevard

Sidewalks / Hardscapes Esplanade (Proposed)

5th Street Olympic Blvd

Low Density Housing Oceanfront District

ou lev ard

Downtown Core Mixed-use Boulevard Mixed-use Boulevard Low Parking Facility

ic B

High Density Housing Medium Density Housing

5th Place

Oly mp

Institutional/Public Land Parks & Open Space

Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Facility

Bay Street

Parking

Legend

Parking

Main Street Viceroy Hotel

Parking

Pico Boulevard

Vincente Terrace

JW Marriott

Loews Hotel

Pacific Terrace

Neilson Way Seaview Terrace

Pacific Terrace

Seaside Terrace

Palisades Park

Arcadia Terrace

TOD:Ocean Express Bike and Pedestrian Way Avenue

Oc ean

Av en

ue

Parking

Santa Monica Pier

Parking

Parking

Ocean Way

Appian Way

Parking

Bay Street

Parking

Marine Ter.

Colorado Avenue

Parking

Moss Ave.

SR-1 Pacific Coast Hwy

Gabriel Barreras

Option 3: Santa Monica Artisan Village

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Facility

Trees

Street Parking

4th Court

5th Street

4th Street

Parking Santa Monica Place Broadway

Sears

Childcare Center & Rooftop Garden

Police Department

Parking

City Hall

Santa Monica Municipal Court

Traffic Circle & Dropoff

Park and Open Space

Artisan Marketplace

Parking

Ma

in S tre

2nd Street

Proposed Olympic Drive

et

Tongva Park

3rd Street

Beach Rec AMF Bowling Center

LightCivic Industry, Auditorium Studio, Public Gallery Space

The Village

Housing Division

Parking

Bicknell Avenue

Colorado Avenue

Parking

Bay Street

500

Feet

3rd Street Promenade

Double Tree Hotel

Civic Center Drive

250

Olympic Drive

0

Santa Monica High School

Pico Place

Crosswalks

Future Expo Metro Station

Pico Boulevard

Sidewalks / Hardscapes Esplanade (Proposed)

5th Street Olympic Blvd

Low Density Housing Oceanfront District

ou lev ard

Downtown Core Mixed-use Boulevard Mixed-use Boulevard Low Parking Facility

ic B

High Density Housing Medium Density Housing

Oly mp

Institutional/Public Land Parks & Open Space

5th Place

Bay Street

Parking

Legend

Parking

Main Street Viceroy Hotel

Neilson Way Parking

Pico Boulevard

Vincente Terrace

Pacific Terrace

JW Marriott

Loews Hotel

Seaview Terrace

Pacific Terrace

Seaside Terrace

Palisades Park

Arcadia Terrace

Ocean Avenue

Oc ean

Av en

ue

Parking

Santa Monica Pier

Parking

Parking

Ocean Way

Appian Way

Parking

Bay Street

Parking

Marine Ter.

Moss Ave.

Parking

Colorado Avenue

SR-1 Pacific Coast Hwy

Gabriel Barreras

Santa Monica Civic Arts Village Site Plan

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

Existing Street Parking New Street Parking

Trees Chain Reaction Sculpture

Trellis

(N) 4th Street Drop Off

Feet (E) Santa Monica Place

(E) Surface Parking

(E) City Hall

(E) Monica Municipal Court

(N) Arts Pavilion

3rd Street

(N) ECEC and Park

(N) Service Lot

(N) Genser Square (E) Multilevel Garage Parking

Broadway

(E) 3rd Street Promenade

(E) Sears

(N) Hotel w/Podium Parking and Grocery

(E) Civic Auditorium

Main Street

Blackbox theatre

(N) Service Parking Lot

2nd Street

(N) Multilevel (E) Housing Garage Parking Division

(E) Surface Parking

(E) Tongva Park

Main Street

(E) The Village

(E) Viceroy Hotel

Neilson Way

(E) Surface Parking

Pico Boulevard

Vincente Terrace

Pacific Terrace

Seaview Terrace

(E) Surface Parking

Oc ean

ue

Ocean Way

Appian Way

(E) Surface Parking

Av en

Bay Street

(E) Surface Parking

Pacific Terrace

Seaside Terrace Moss Ave.

(E) Surface Parking

(E) JW Marriott

(E) Loews Hotel

Marine Ter.

(E) Surface Parking

Santa Monica Pier

SR-1 Pacific Coast Hwy

Arcadia Terrace

Ocean Avenue (E) Palisades Park

Bicknell Avenue

500

(N) Dining and Retail

Bay Street

250

(E) Police Department

(N) Multilevel Garage Parking

(N) Mixed-use: Civic Offices, Commercial, and Retail

(N) Multilevel Garage Parking Civic Center Drive

0

(E) Multilevel Garage Parking

Olympic Drive

Light Feature Water Feature

Colorado Avenue

Movable Chairs / Tables

(E) Double Tree Hotel

4th Court

4th Street

Bicycle Racks Playground Area

(E) Santa Monica High School

5th Street

Bay Street

Crosswalks

Commerical

(E) Expo Metro Station

Pico Place

Sidewalks / Hardscapes Esplanade (Proposed)

5th Street

Pico Boulevard

Low Density Housing Oceanfront District

Olympic Blvd

Downtown Core Mixed-use Boulevard Mixed-use Boulevard Low Parking Facility

ou lev ard

High Density Housing Medium Density Housing

5th Place

ic B

Institutional/Public Land Parks & Open Space

(E) Santa Monica Big Blue Bus Facility

(E) Surface Parking

Oly mp

Legend

Gabriel Barreras

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

Santa Monica Civic Arts Village Site Plan Analysis

Civic Auditorium • Renovate the auditorium into an indoor/outdoor performing arts and events center.

• Retrofit the front entrance with glass and modern architectural facades while preserving its historic form.

• Open the south side of the auditorium with a small plaza that faces a new hotel across the street with grocery and podium parking below.

• Integrate plazas and courtyards on the east, west and south sides of the auditorium to enhance pedestrian circulation.

• Add water and light features highlighting the front entrance and creating movement onto the site.

• Designate the west wing of the auditorium as a black box theatre that doubles as private event or gallery space.

• Reorient service parking on the westside to allow vehicular access to the auditorium.

Civic Pavilion and Programming • Install a modern Arts Pavilion at the center of the Civic Site. The pavilion’s form emulates interconnected trees with glassed-in rooms below that house individual studios, galleries, and event spaces under tree-like canopies made of colored glass, wood and steel. The pavilions are to be used primarily by residents and local artists as workshop space. The glass walls can be retracted to open the space to the rest of the site.

• Create two playground areas throughout the Civic Arts Village, including one dedicated to the ECEC, and the other adjacent to the Arts Pavilion.

• Include locally-driven and owned commercial and retail along Fourth and Pico Street to support the site, and to draw in local employees, students, residents, tourists, and visitors. All commercial and retail spaces have wide views of the Village’s open space and the auditorium.

Circulation and Parking • Install a major traffic circle on Main Street as a drop-off location. During major events, traffic can be rerouted to the west side of the loop in order to increase circulation, and utilize the traffic circle’s central open space for temporary events.

• Mirror Santa Monica’s proposed Esplanade along with a second Esplanade along Pico. The second Esplanade will frame the Civic Arts Village and will encourage slower traffic, bike, and pedestrian friendly streetscapes, and will connect the high school.

• Connect the new Expo Line Station to the Civic Center through transit-oriented development of green walkways and bikeways on Fourth Street.

• Extend walkways from the Civic Art Village into the recreational fields at Santa Monica High School to foster cooperative use of the sports fields and facilities.

• Develop a new structure on 4th Street, adjacent to the Civic Center Parking Structure.

• Build a second multi-level structure across from the Metro Expo Line Station to encourage future TOD development at the Sears site.

• Upgrade the surface lot behind Santa Monica Housing Development to be upgraded to a 3-level structure.

Early Childhood Education Center (ECEC) • Construct the ECEC per the City’s request to provide 16,000 sq. feet of facilities and classrooms and 10,000 sq. feet of private playground and park space.

• Convert Civic Center Drive into a small loop for courthouse and ECEC drop-off and loading.

• Ehance security and safety at the ECEC by orienting the building to allow staff to view all entrances and open space at all times.

Gabriel Barreras

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

The Sejong Performing Arts Center in Seoul, South Korea, implements glass facades over its structure to open the venue and blend it into the surrounding landscape. The building features multiple indoor and outdoor programming spaces.

Metal treatments beautify this city-owned parking structure in Sarasota, Florida.

Walkable water features highlight entrances and walkways at City Garden in St. Louis, Missouri.

Treehugger pavilions in Koblenz, Germany, create glass pavilions that host programs but are still open to public view.

Inside the Treehugger pavilion, the space accomodates all ages throughout the day and in every season.

Precedent Case Studies

Market pavilions in Forte dei Marmi, Italy, encourage circulation around and through the site. The pavilions can be converted into larger event spaces when they are not hosting the market.

Under the Forte dei Marmi Market pavilions, canopies provide shade to visitors and allows open space to run throughout the structure. In the section below, subterranean parking is integrated into these structures.

Gabriel Barreras

Santa Monica Civic Arts Village Circulation

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

P rd

M

Big Blue Bus Route (BBB)

BBB2 BBB3 BBB4

BBB2 BBB3

BBB4

250

P

P

P

500

BBB4 BBB8

Feet

P Olympic Drive

(E) 3rd Street Promenade

Broadway

P

4th Street Drop Off

Civic Center Dr.

0

4th Street

R3

R3

LA Metro Bus Route

3rd Street

P Main Street BBB8

BBB4 BBB8

P

P Colorado Avenue

2nd Street

4th Court

5th Street

Bay Street

BBB2 BBB3 BBB4 BBB8

Shared Vehicle/Ped Street

R7 R3

R7

P

P Main Street 33 BBB8 733

Pacific Terrace

Arcadia Terrace

Seaside Terrace

Vincente Terrace

R7 733 33

Ocean Avenue

Seaview Terrace

R7 733 33

Pacific Terrace

Neilson Way

R7 733 33

P

Oc ean

P

P

P

Ocean Way

Appian Way

P

Bay Street

P

Marine Ter.

Moss Ave.

Santa Monica Pier

P

Av en

ue

SR-1 Pacific Coast Hwy

P

Bicknell Avenue

Bicycle Parking

Bicycle Route

Olympic Blvd

Pedestrian Way

ou lev a

P

Freeway

Parking Lot / Garage

Oly mp ic B

M

Street Parking

Expo Line

Bay Street

5th Street

Streets

Pico Place

Pico Boulevard

5th Place

Pico Boulevard

Legend

Gabriel Barreras

Santa Monica Civic Arts Village Site Section

Redevelopment of the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium Sub-district

Office Civic + Commercial Civic + Rec Center + Retail

Forth Street

Fourth Street

Mixed-use Office and Commerical

Civic Arts Pavilion

Amphitheatre

Civic Auditorium

Main Street

Mixed-use: Civic, Commercial, Retail

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50

100

200

Feet Gabriel Barreras