A small wooden house in Santa Monica has survived something few historic buildings ever face: demolition threats, years in storage and several moves from one location to another.
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buildings → survive → another
Built in 1897, the Shotgun House is now recognised as the last intact example of its kind in the city.
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House → build → city
What began as a modest home near the beach has become an important piece of Santa Monica's architectural history.
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began → begin → history
Its survival is also a story of residents and preservation groups stepping in when an old building was at risk of disappearing.
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building → step → risk
Today, the house stands at 2520 Second Street, where it has been given a new purpose as a Preservation Resource Center.
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it → stand → Center
The Santa Monica Conservancy, which has cared for the property, is marking 10 years since the restored building opened as a community resource in 2016.
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building → care → 2016
From beach cottage to landmark
According to the Santa Monica Conservancy, the Shotgun House was built in 1897 at 2712 Second Street in Ocean Park, when the neighbourhood was rapidly developing as a seaside resort.
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neighbourhood → accord → resort
Shotgun houses were practical, inexpensive structures that were particularly suited to communities where small vacation cottages were needed near the beach.
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cottages → suit → beach
The architectural form itself has a longer history.
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form → have → history
Architectural historians believe the shotgun house originated in the Caribbean through a blend of African and European influences before becoming widespread in the American South during the 19th century.
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house → believe → century
Its simple design made it inexpensive to construct and relatively easy to move, while its narrow footprint allowed it to fit on small lots.
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it → make → lots
Santa Monica's example consists of three small rooms arranged in a row.
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example → consist → row
It has a board-and-batten exterior, a covered front porch and a gabled roof.
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It → have → exterior
Although the design is relatively plain, diamond-shaped shingles on the front gable add a touch of Queen Anne styling.
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shingles → add → styling
Nearly lost to demolition
The house survived as a residence for almost a century, remaining occupied until 1996.
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house → lose → 1996
By that point, however, many of Santa Monica's other shotgun houses had already disappeared.
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many → disappear → houses
Some had been demolished after being considered unsafe, while others were lost as development transformed the city.
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development → demolish → city
The Shotgun House itself came close to the same fate.
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House → come → fate
The Santa Monica Conservancy says community members and preservation advocates helped save the structure from demolition beginning in the late 1990s, with the preservation effort continuing through 2002.
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effort → say → 2002
The effort involved concerned residents, the former Ocean Park Community Organisation, the Church at Ocean Park, the Conservancy and the City of Santa Monica.
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effort → involve → Monica
The building was designated a landmark in 1999.
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building → designate → 1999
But saving it did not mean the house immediately had a permanent home.
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house → save → home
A house that kept moving
The structure went through a complicated relocation process.
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structure → keep → process
After becoming the property of the City, it was moved multiple times over the following years.
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it → become → years
The Conservancy's history records that the house was relocated three times before reaching its permanent location in 2014.
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house → record → 2014
Its final journey took the historic structure to Second Street, across from the Ocean Park Library.
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journey → take → Library
At the time, the move was significant enough for members of the public to watch as the small house was transported on a flatbed trailer through Santa Monica streets.
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house → watch → streets
The move finally provided an opportunity to give the building a purpose beyond simply preserving it.
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move → provide → it
From home to resource centre
Under the Santa Monica Conservancy's guardianship, an adaptive-reuse plan was developed to rehabilitate the house while retaining its historic character.
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plan → develop → character
Funds were raised to restore the structure and transform it into a Preservation Resource Center.
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Funds → raise → Center
The centre officially opened in January 2016.
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centre → open → January
Rather than functioning as a private residence, the restored building now helps people understand Santa Monica's historic places and the principles of preservation.
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people → function → preservation
It provides information for residents, property owners, students, visitors and others interested in local history.
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It → provide → history
It also offers tours and educational programming.
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It → offer → tours
The Conservancy describes it as a model showing how a historic structure can be rehabilitated and given a useful role in modern community life.
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structure → describe → life
The project earned a LEED Gold rating, while the surrounding Shotgun House Coastal Garden uses drought-resistant native plants.
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Garden → earn → plants
Ten years of preservation
In 2026, the Shotgun House marks a decade as the Preservation Resource Center.
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House → mark → Center
Its survival shows how preservation can work when an old structure is not treated simply as an obstacle to development.
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structure → show → development
A building that once served as a modest vacation-era home, nearly disappeared in the late 20th century and spent years being moved around Santa Monica now has a permanent role in teaching the city's history.
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that → serve → history
At 129 years old, the little Shotgun House has therefore gained something its original builders could hardly have anticipated: a second life as a place dedicated to making sure historic places are not forgotten.
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places → gain → place
The Aporia
