City, Owner to Hammer Out Terms to Save Unique House

By Jorge Casuso

Sept. 10 - The Landmarks Commission Monday night delayed taking any action on the only U.S. house designed by world-renowned architect Oscar Niemeyer, giving the owner and the City time to hammer out a way to save the structure.

The decision to wait came amid worries that the 38-year-old house built by the mastermind behind Brazil's modern capital, Brasilia, would be demolished or "endangered" by extensive remodeling and expansion plans, since its age misses the 40-year benchmark that triggers automatic review by the commission.

But commissioners put off action after receiving assurances that no plans for the house on La Mesa Drive would be made without plenty of notice. The terms of the agreement were put in writing by the owners' attorney and were pending approval by City officials Tuesday afternoon.

"It appears as though the property owner in good faith is looking at the things he can do within the landmarks possibilities," said Commissioner Roger Genser. "I feel good about it. I think the property owner has expressed a real interest in working with the City... It was a positive outcome."

"There's interest on both sides to try to come up with a solution," said attorney Ken Kutcher, who represents the owners Jon and Heidi Monkarsh. "We're trying in good faith, and I think the commission is trying in good faith."

According to the proposed terms, the owners have to give the City a 45-day notice before filing for a demolition permit and another 45 days for the Landmark Commission to act if a request to consider landmark status is submitted.

"We want to make sure they have enough of a time cushion," Kutcher said.

In addition, the proposed agreement -- which realtors would have to disclose to future buyers -- would apply if the property is handed down or sold.

Some of the proposed terms would for all practical purposes be followed whether or not there was a written agreement. It would likely be impossible for an owner to tear down the structure without plenty of warning, since, given its age, the house contains asbestos, which requires an abatement process that includes posting a notice of demolition, Kutcher said.

Rather than demolishing the property, the owner is planning to add a second floor to the t-shaped structure and is willing to hold study sessions to present "six or seven sketches to get feedback," Kutcher said.

"There's a kitchen there, but it's not very big, and there's a master bedroom that's average to small size," Kutcher said, adding that the remodeling "will require some addition to the house, probably a second story over part of the house."

"The owner is keeping an open mind, which maybe isn't going far enough," he said. "We're in good faith trying to find out if it'll work for him." The key, Kutcher said, is "whether or not the house can be remodeled while being sensitive to historic features and having a house that is viable to the owner and his family."

Genser told the owner that, if anything, a landmark designation would likely increase the value of the house.

"The fact that this is an internationally recognized house doesn't decrease its value and increases its value," Genser said.

Niemeyer -- who was barred from practicing in the U.S. because he was a member of the Communist Party -- designed many famous structures throughout Brazil and Europe and also collaborated on the design of the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. In 1989, he won the Pritzker Architecture Prize for his lifetime achievements, an honor equivalent to the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Niemeyer is widely regarded as the greatest South American architect of the twentieth century," Alan Leib, the chairman of the Los Angeles Conservancy Modern Committee, wrote in a letter to the commission. "Niemeyer houses in the USA are extremely rare, and after some research, the one on La Mesa Drive is the only verified one that we know of."