Fact 24

Fact #24:

HBCSD's Historic Resource Assessment Report of North School used for the Environmental Impact Report for North School and released before the June 2016 Measure S $59M bond vote was riddled with misinformation and outright fabrications of fact.

Pam Daly & Associates was hired by Placeworks and HBCSD using taxpayer money to research and create a historic assessment of North School for the Environmental Impact Report.

There were five significant errors in Pam Daly’s first Historic Resource Assessment Report of North School that were reported to HBCSD and Placeworks in March 2017. Even after proof of misinformation and out right fabrication of facts in her first Assessment report, Pam Daly was not replaced by Placeworks or HBCSD. Instead, she was allowed to continue reporting misinformation for the draft EIR in her FINAL Historic Resource Assessment Report, Appendix E. Pam Daly added more fabrications and misinformation in her final report of North School Historic Assessment.

NOTE: Even after being alerted to the misinformation and fabrications in Pam Daly's Historic Resource Assessment of North School, HBCSD doubled down and posted the incorrect information on the internet.

(1) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: page 5: …“As such, the buildings and structures located on the North School campus are not under the jurisdiction of the City of Hermosa Beach Municipal Code or its Historic Resources Preservation Guidelines.” Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, dated May 2016.

NOTE: The misinformation was also contained on slide/page 3 in the slide presentation by Superintendent Pat Escalante at the May 25, 2016 Measure S Informational presentation. The May 25, 2016 Measure S Informational presentation was video tapped and streamed into Hermosa Beach homes. Superintendent Escalante made many false statements as school board members: Patti Ackerman, Mary Campbell, Maggie Bove-La Monica, Monique Ehsan stood by and did not correct her misinformation.

COMPETING INFORMATION: Hermosa Beach Preservation Ordinance (Ord. 98-1186, Section 4, 11/10/98) Chapter 17.53 (http://www.hermosabch.org/index.aspx?page=462)

17.53.020 Purpose and intent: “The purpose of this chapter is to promote the public health, safety, and general welfare by providing for the identification, protection, enhancement, perpetuation, and use of historic resources such as buildings, structures, sites, and places within the City that reflect the special elements of the City’s architecture, artistic, cultural, historical, political, and social heritage…”

17.53.030 Area of application: “This chapter shall apply to all historic resources, publicly and privately owned, within the corporate limits of the City of Hermosa Beach.” (Ord. 98-1186, Section 4, 11/10/98).

(2) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: page 15: …”the construction company of Johnson and Hansen was awarded a contract to reconstruct the sole building of North School for $9,066 [in 1934]. According to architectural drawings on file with the Hermosa Beach City School District, the rebuilding of North School was designed by the architectural firm of Marsh, Smith & Powell (MSP).” Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, dated May 2016.

CORRECT INFORMATION: Green Bill document (the earliest version of DSA documents) for Application 382 AND the architectural drawings on file at the Division of State Architects CLEARLY shows that the construction company of Johnson and Hansen along with architect Samuel E. Lunden, NOT MSP as Pam Daly states above, was the team that reconstructed North School after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. How did Pam Daly miss the fact that renowned architect Samuel E. Lunden reconstructed the main building at North School? Was she told NOT to identify Samuel Lunden as the true architect by someone at HBCSD?

(3) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: page 20: 1930s Main Kindergarten and Classroom Buildings. “When the North School building was badly damaged from the Long Beach earthquake in 1933, the firm of MSP [Marsh, Smith and Powell] was retained by the District to rehabilitate the existing North School Building.” Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, dated May 2016.

CORRECT INFORMATION: All documents for North School Application 382 AND the architectural drawings on file at the Division of State Architects CLEARLY show that architect Samuel E. Lunden, NOT MSP as Pam Daly states above, was the architect that reconstructed North School after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Pam Daly repeats her earlier misinformation.

(4) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: page 21: 1. North School Main Building. … “During the Long Beach earthquake of 1933, the building was substantially damaged and the District was required to have the building repaired and reconstructed. The architectural firm of MSP [Marsh, Smith & Powell] (David D. Smith, architect) was responsible for the design and reconstruction of the building.” (Attributed to the Hermosa Beach City School District. “Board of Trustee, Volume 2 (1928-1934)”, page 44.) Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, dated May 2016.

CORRECT INFORMATION: Samuel Lunden was the architect for the reconstruction of North School in 1934. The reconstruction of North School was DSA project #382.

(5) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: Slide presentation, slide #9, Historic Context. Pam Daly omits Samuel Lunden’s name from the Rebuilding of North. However, she lists the names of the other architects in the Historic Context. Was this an oversight or intentional omission? Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates slide presentation, presented by Superintendent Pat Escalante at the May 25, 2016 Measure S Informational Presentation.

(6) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: page 22: 1. North School Main Building. “The Pier Avenue School had also been severely damaged from the earthquake, and one of it original architects, Samuel Lunden, was given the job of rebuilding that school building.” Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, dated May 2016.

COMPETING INFORMATION: Samuel Lunden was born in 1897. According to Pam Daly’s report Pier Avenue School was built in 1911 by Richard D. King in the Neoclassical style of architecture, similar in design to the original Pier Avenue School building. Page 12, 13 & 20, Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus, Hermosa Beach City School District by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., May 2016. Samuel Lunden was 14 years old in 1911 when Pier Avenue School was built. Therefore, Samuel Lunden was NOT one of Pier Avenue School’s original architects. Why is Pam Daly just making up “information” in her Historic Resource Assessment of North School?

(7) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: Slide presentation, slide #10, Post Long Beach Earthquake Reconstruction of North School: Pam Daly incorrectly names architect Norman Foote Marsh of Marsh, Smith, Powell architects as the architectural team that reconstruction of North School. Further down on the slide Pam Daly ALSO names David D. Smith as the architect for the reconstruction of North School after the Long Beach earthquake. Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates slide presentation, presented by Superintendent Pat Escalante at the May 25, 2016 Measure S Informational Presentation.

CORRECT INFORMATION: Neither Norman Foote March nor David D. Smith were the architects for the reconstruction of North School. According to the blueprints for the reconstruction of North School and DSA application 382, the principal architect for the reconstruction of North School was renowned architect Samuel Lunden. However, MSP were also a renowned architectural team specializing in cutting-edge design for public schools in the 1930s – 1950s. MSP were the principal architects on two other buildings at North School that were built in the Le Corbusier architectural style in 1939.

(8) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: Slide presentation, slide #10, Post Long Beach Earthquake Reconstruction of North School. Pam Daly states that “[MSP was] responsible for the design and reconstruction of the North School building after the Long Beach earthquake”. Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates slide presentation, presented by Superintendent Pat Escalante at the May 25, 2016 Measure S Informational Presentation.

COMPETING INFORMATION: Pam Daly incorrectly attributes the design and reconstruction of the original North School building after the Long Beach earthquake to MSP and architect David D. Smith. Samuel Lunden was the architect who was responsible for the "design" and reconstruction of the North School main classroom building.

NOTE: The significance of this statement by Pam Daly is that even though she identified the wrong architect for the reconstruction of North School in 1934, she, however, admits that there was “design” involved in the reconstruction of North School. This statement contradicts HBCSD Attorney Terry Tao's statements at the May 31, 2016 presentation to the Joint meeting of the HB City Council members and HBCSD School Board members. Time Stamp: 02:28:10. HBCSD attorney Terry Tao states: “So if you, if you go to the DSA and you get the application, um, from 1934, that what it looks like, and you’ll see up here that, it is also for reconstruction. So, remember that number? 382? That’s the number right there for the DSA application, 382. So, it was just a six-page renovation of an earthquake damaged building. It is not a Lunden design.”

(9) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: Page 22: “1. North School Main Building.” “Lunden had chosen to rehabilitate the Pier Avenue School in a Modern style. MSP [architects] may have been asked by the District to use the Moderne style of architecture for rebuilding of North School, so that it reflected the style of architecture used on Hermosa Beach’s most prominent school building.” Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, dated May 2016.

CORRECT INFORMATION: Pier Avenue school (1935 DSA applications numbers #692 & #882) was reconstructed AFTER the reconstruction of North School (1934 DSA application number #382), not before. Therefore, the Art Deco/Moderne style of architecture was used in the design of North School before it was used for the design of Pier Avenue School. Again, Pam Daly seems to be just making up “information” in her Historic Resource Assessment of North School. Why? Did someone tell her to lie? Is that how she got her job with HBCSD – because she was willing to lie for the school district and downplay the facts of North School for money?

CORRECT INFORMATION: All documents for North School Application 382 AND the architectural drawings on file at the Division of State Architects CLEARLY show that architect Samuel E. Lunden, NOT MSP as Pam Daly states above, was the architect that reconstructed North School after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake. Pam Daly repeats her earlier misinformation.

(10) Final Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, 4486 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501, dated July 2017. used as an Exhibit for the 2019 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that was accepted by school board members in February 2019.

"As a professional paid with taxpayer money to write an important Historic Resource Assessment for an important and highly impactful draft-EIR, Ms. Daly’s fabrications, omissions and errors ae inexcusable.”

NOTE: Despite proof of misinformation sent to HBCSD administration regarding the rampant and inexcusable misinformation contained in Pam Daly’s Historic Resource Assessment Report of North School the district seemed to double-down on, and simply ignore the misinformation. There seemed to be no concern or attempt by HBCSD to correct or prevent misinformation contained in their reports and meetings.

NOTE: Pam Daly’s Historic Resource Assessment Report of North School was posted on the worldwide web for years by HBCSD despite the numerous mistakes in the report that were pointed out to HBCSD administration.

NOTE: At the May 31, 2016 Joint City and School District meeting, HBCSD attorney Terry Tao states that: “We are working on the one over in Torrance right now, in case you’re interested. That one is also being done by Pam Daly, um, the same person whose evaluation you’re looking at, um, but that’s not the reason I’m here.” May 31, 2016 presentation to the Joint meeting of the HB City Council members and HBCSD School Board members. Time Stamp: 02:00:55 Did Pam Daly make as many “mistakes” in her Historic Assessment for Torrance as she did for Hermosa Beach?

NOTE: Was Pam Daly one of HBCSD attorney Terry Tao’s “go-to helpers” to provide misinformation to taxpayers? Is that why she was hired by HBCSD?

(11) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: Environmental Impact Report page E-26 and E27:

“[Samuel] Lunden and [Paul] Jeffers did require that the four chimneys of the classrooms fireplaces/stoves be removed, and that the main entrance to the building, a character-defining feature of school architecture, be walled off to provide greater structural stability to the front elevation. Except for the sealing-off of the front vestibule…” …”this resulted in the cross-gable roof, in the center of the south roof plane, becoming a “ghost” architectural feature for the center entrance that no longer exists.”

Final Historic Resource Assessment Report of The North School Campus Hermosa Beach City School District, by Pamela Daly, M.S.H.P., Daly & Associates, 4486 University Avenue, Riverside, CA 92501, dated July 2017. The Final Historic Resource Assessment Report was used as an Exhibit for the 2019 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that was accepted by school board members in February 2019.

CORRECT INFORMATION: Samuel Lunden’s architectural blueprints for the reconstruction of North School after the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, sheet 2 of 6, clearly shows that Lunden DID NOT wall-off the entrance to the building as Pam Daly claims. To support her intentional

misinformation, Ms. Daly does not include Sheet 2 out of a total of six sheets of blueprints in the appendix of her report. Sheet 2 clearly shows the front entrance of the reconstructed North School building that Samuel Lunden redesigned after the 1933 LB earthquake.

NOTE: Why would Pam Daly intentionally lie to the people of Hermosa Beach? Did she do it for money? Who at HBCSD told her to lie? Did Pam Daly lie because the cabal wanted her to lie so they could justify tearing down North School? It is believed that part of the quid pro quo for HBCSD denying their contractual provisions to temporarily use the Community Center for students was a brand-new campus at North School, whether the district needed it or not.

Pam Daly’s “mistakes” are obvious intentional deception of Hermosa Beach taxpayers and the Coastal Commission condoned by HBCSD Superintendent Pat Escalante, HBCSD school board members and Placeworks

(12) Pam Daly, M.S.H.P. of Daly & Associates: Environmental Impact Report page E-30 and E31: “The same style of window sash is found along the rear (north) elevation, in groupings of four, three-sash tall units, with two, two-sash tall units in one combined unit at the east end of the building;… and a six-wide, three-sash tall unit at the west end of the façade.”

NOTE: The Final Historic Resource Assessment Report was used as an Exhibit for the 2019 Environmental Impact Report (EIR) that was accepted by school board members in February 2019.

CORRECT INFORMATION: In her description of the north elevation of the main building, Daly is using the photo on page E-31 for reference. She seems to have no first-hand knowledge of the actual building she is describing in her report.

In the photo on page E-31, the bottom portion of the east end of the building is covered by a large piece of plywood – left in front of the windows by someone. Ms. Daly incorrectly and inexcusably describes the windows that are behind the large piece of plywood as being a group of “four, three-sash tall units with two, two-sash tall units in one combined unit”, when in actuality the windows at both the east and west ends mirror each other and are both six-wide, three-sashed tall units.

(13) Terry Tao, HBCSD Attorney (2002 -): “So, North School was completed on September 10, 1924, the earthquake occurred March 10, 1933. And then there was a remodel of North completed in December of 1934.” May 31, 2016 presentation to the Joint meeting of the HB City Council members and HBCSD School Board members. Time Stamp: 02:28:10

MISLEADING STATEMENT: Department State of Architecture (DSA) documents for Application #382 specify that North School was reconstructed, NOT remodeled.

NOTE: It appears that HBCSD attorney Terry Tao was trying to downplay the contributions to renown architect, Samuel Lunden in the reconstruction of the new North School main building after the 1934 Long Beach Earthquake. Why would Terry Tao refer to the rebuilding of North School in 1934 as a "remodel" and not a reconstruction? Was he trying to diminish the importance of the iconic North School because HBCSD school board members wished to demolish the campus?

(14) Terry Tao, HBCSD Attorney (2002 -): Slide: North School Blue Print Sheet #2 from Samuel Lunden. “The reason I included this slide, is because I happened to look at the drawings. I’m a licensed California architect, so this is kind of what I do. So, um, here are the drawings. It’s actually only six pages” May 31, 2016 presentation to the Joint meeting of the HB City Council members and HBCSD School Board members. Time Stamp: 02:28:10

DECEPTIVE STATEMENT: The kindergarten building designed by the famous architectural team of Marsh, Smith and Powell (MSP) which is located next to the Main North School building had five pages of blueprints, yet Terry Tao is not denying that that wasn’t an actual MSP Architect’s designed building.

NOTE: Why does it matter how many pages the architectural drawing for North School, Pier Avenue School or ANY school have? How would the architectural plans being "ONLY" six pages lessen the fact that it was designed by Samuel Lunden?

(15) Terry Tao, HBCSD Attorney (2002 -): “So if you, if you go to the DSA and you get the application, um, from 1934, that what it looks like, and you’ll see up here that, it is also for reconstruction. So, remember that number? 382? That’s the number right there for the DSA application, 382. So, it was just a six-page renovation of an earthquake damaged building. It is not a Lunden design.” May 31, 2016 presentation to the Joint meeting of the HB City Council members and HBCSD School Board members. Time Stamp: 02:28:10

FALSIFICATION: Terry Tao states that North School was "just a six-page renovation". First, North School was a RECONSTRUCION NOT a renovation. Second, the other classroom building done at North School by Marsh, Smith and Powell (MSP) contained only five pages, but Terry Tao does not dispute that those buildings were original designs by MSP.

NOTE: Samuel Lunden included 61 pages of hand-typed instructions and six pages of architectural drawings in his application to the DSA for the reconstruction of North School in 1934. The before and after photos of the original classroom building designed by Richard D. King in the Neoclassical Revival style and the reconstruction done by Samuel Lunden in the WPA Moderne style are completely different.

See attachment. State of California Division of Architecture, Application No. 382, Filed 6/21/34, Application for Approval of the Plans and Specifications for the Construction, Reconstruction, Alterations of or Additions to a School Building. “Herby make application for the approval of the plans and specification for the Reconstruction of North School. Architect Samuel E. Lunden, Structural Engineer Paul E. Jeffers. Specification sheets: 61 sheets".

COMPETING INFORMATION: At the 02:45:55 mark, Terry Tao has no problem admitting that Samuel Lunden is a “very significant architect” when it comes to the reconstruction of Pier Avenue School which Samuel Lunden reconstructed at about the same time as North School.:

[Terry Tao] “Oh, you know what? I, um, I had thought about that a little bit when I was wandering around the school the other day, or the Community Center, the other day. Um, this is a very significant architect [Samuel Lunden] that actually worked on this school, so more likely than not it would be considered a cultural resource.”

NOTE: North School, as is Pier Avenue School, should have also been considered an important Hermosa Beach cultural resource. Both North School and Pier Avenue School are excellent examples of WPA Moderne architecture by renowned architect Samuel Lunden.

NOTE: Samuel Lunden was also a person of significance to South Bay history and culture. Example: Samuel Lunden was instrumental in getting the Pacific Coast Highway routed close to Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach in the 1930s, he designed the Doheny Library at USC (1933) and the Southern California Stock Exchange building in 1929.

NOTE: A significant associate and colleague of Samuel Lunden was Roger Hayward. Roger Hayward may have have been retained by Lunden to create the decorative inset at North School above the front entrance. The decorative inset above the original front door of North School was that of the lamp of learning. The lamp of learning was a popular motif at the time. Obviously, if Samuel Lunden took the time to add a decorative inset above the front door at North School and had 61 pages of typed single spaced instructions for his design, it is a clear sign that he took great interest and care in his projects.

A. Roger Hayward was a renowned sculptor, artist, inventor and architect. In 1934 he sculpted a 38-foot model of the moon for the Griffith Park Planetarium (http://astronomy.snjr.net/blog/?p=698). He collaborated with Linus Pauling, recipient of the Nobel Prize in chemistry, on several books including the Architecture of Molecules and drew 57 pastel panels of molecules for the book.

B. Roger Hayward designed much of the exterior of the USC Doheny Library.

C. It is very likely that the inset decorative panel above the original entrance at North School of the lamp of learning signifying the burning desire to learn, sitting a top three books with the Greek symbols of Alpha and Omega signifying the sum of all knowledge was a contribution by Samuel Lunden’s friend and business partner, Roger Hayward.

D. The decorative inset at North School has a similar motif as on the arch entrance to the Doheny Library at USC, which Lunden with assistance from Hayward had finished the year prior to building North School.