Illustration of a 1959 Googie coffee shop at night, its angular roof lit from inside, under a penguin-shaped neon sign

Lincoln & Olympic, Santa Monica

Save the Penguin

Mel’s Drive-In at Lincoln and Olympic faces demolition for an 8-story apartment building. We want both: landmark the diner, build the homes around it. The Landmarks Commission decides Monday, Dec 14, 2026 at 7pm.

Save the Penguin Night: Thu, Nov 19, 7pm, at The Recording Club, one block from Mel’s. Free. See the details

Send your letter

Comments sent before noon on Dec 14 are distributed to the Commission and posted online. Pick a letter, add your name, copy it, and email it to the planning office.

Dear Members of the Santa Monica Landmarks Commission,

My name is , and I live in . I am writing to ask you to approve landmark designation for the Penguin Coffee Shop at 1670 Lincoln Boulevard, today’s Mel’s Drive-In, at your December 14, 2026 meeting.

The Penguin is the last surviving fully expressed Googie coffee shop in Santa Monica. Master architects Armet & Davis designed it in 1959. Its steep, prow-like roof, rough stone piers, glass walls and penguin-shaped neon sign were built to catch the eye of drivers. The Norms that once stood at Lincoln and Broadway has been torn down, which leaves this building as the only one of its kind in the city.

It also marks a place. The Penguin anchors the corner of Lincoln and Olympic, the official terminus of Route 66, and it is the gateway to the city for drivers coming off the Santa Monica Freeway.

The building has already been saved once. After years as a dental clinic, it was rehabilitated in 2019. The original stone cladding was found behind drywall, and the terrazzo floors, counter stools and globe lights were recreated. The Santa Monica Conservancy honored that work with a Historic Preservation Award in 2019.

The Penguin is still a working business. Mel’s opens at 7am every day of the week and stays open until 11pm or later. Designation protects a coffee shop the neighborhood uses today.

I support new housing in Santa Monica. The city has built dense housing around historic structures before, at the Rapp Saloon, Nikkei Hall and the Quonset Hut. I hope the owner and the City find a design that keeps the Penguin and adds homes around it.

Please approve landmark designation for the Penguin Coffee Shop.

Sincerely,

Be there Dec 14

Monday, Dec 14, 2026 · 7pm
City Hall Council Chambers
1685 Main St, Room 250, Santa Monica

A full room tells the Commission the neighborhood is paying attention. Speaking is in person, and anyone can do it.

Nobody waits alone

  1. Meet at Mel’s, 1670 Lincoln Blvd. Eat together.
  2. Walk or carpool to City Hall together.
  3. Hearing starts. Hand in your speaker card before the Penguin item is called.
Add to calendar (.ics) Google Calendar

What to say in 3 minutes

Each member of the public gets 3 minutes. Most people need less than one.

  1. Your name.
  2. Where you live.
  3. One sentence on why the Penguin matters to you.
  4. Ask the Commission to approve landmark designation.

Fill out a speaker request card and hand it to the Commission secretary before the item is called. There is no Zoom option listed, so speaking means being in the room.

Can’t stay late?

Meetings can run late. The Commission starts no new item after 11pm unless it votes to. If you cannot wait to speak, the City will help you prepare written testimony: call (310) 458-8341 or email planningcomment@santamonica.gov.

Venue, speaker rules and help line: the Commission’s Oct 12 agenda. Hearing date and time: Santa Monica Conservancy. The Dec 14 agenda posts about a week before the meeting; check it for any change of room or rules.

Save the Penguin Night at The Recording Club

One block from Mel’s. An evening to write letters, record why the Penguin matters, and get ready for Dec 14.

  • Live music from club members
  • A letter-writing station, with the letters above printed and ready
  • A video testimonial booth
  • Sign-making for Dec 14
  • 1959 dress code, optional

Thursday, Nov 19, 2026
7pm to 10pm

The Recording Club

1660 9th St, Santa Monica

Free and open to the public. RSVP required.

RSVP for Nov 19
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Why it matters

Santa Monica had more than one of these. It has one left.

  • 1959Opened as the Penguin, a 24-hour coffee shop with a bar, and ran for 30 years.Source: Santa Monica Conservancy
  • Armet & DavisDesigned by the master architects of the Googie coffee shop, who created over 4,000 buildings. Surviving siblings include Norms in West Hollywood and Pann’s in Westchester.Source: Santa Monica Conservancy
  • The last oneThe only surviving fully expressed Googie coffee shop in Santa Monica. The Norms at Lincoln and Broadway was torn down.Sources: Santa Monica Conservancy, LA Conservancy
  • Route 66It anchors Lincoln and Olympic, the official terminus of Route 66 and the gateway for drivers leaving the Santa Monica Freeway.Source: Santa Monica Conservancy
  • 1991The building became a Western Dental clinic. Mel’s brought it back after a full rehabilitation. The LA Conservancy dates the reopening to 2018, the Santa Monica Conservancy to 2019.Sources: Santa Monica Conservancy, LA Conservancy
  • Behind the drywallThe restoration uncovered the original stone cladding. The terrazzo floors, cantilevered counter stools and globe lights were recreated, and the penguin sign was refreshed.Source: Santa Monica Conservancy
  • 2019The Santa Monica Conservancy honored Mel’s with a Historic Preservation Award.Source: Santa Monica Conservancy
  • Still litThe exterior keeps its original architectural features, and the neon sign is largely intact.Source: LA Conservancy

What landmark status does and does not do

Landmark status is a strong tool, and it has limits. Here is where things stand, with each statement marked by how sure we are.

Fact from an official document. Reported from press, a listing or a summary of law. Inference our own reading.

  • FactThe owner’s state housing application proposes an 8-story, 85-foot building with 138 apartments, 14 of them affordable, and about 5,700 square feet of retail. City application 26ENT-0213
  • ReportedThe Santa Monica and Los Angeles Conservancies’ landmark application was deemed complete on Sept 4, 2026. The developer’s SB 330 state housing application was submitted Sept 18. LA Conservancy
  • ReportedUnder Santa Monica’s landmark ordinance, once an application is filed, demolition and construction on the building are barred until a final decision. Designation keeps that protection in place while it stands. Municipal Code ch. 9.56
  • InferenceBecause the landmark application came first, it has real legal footing against the housing filing. A delay is more likely than a permanent stop.
  • ReportedEither side can appeal the Commission’s decision to the City Council within 10 days, and the Council’s decision is final. Santa Monica Conservancy FAQ
  • ReportedThe Council has reversed designations before. In June 2022 it repealed new landmark status for 1665 Appian Way and 631 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica Daily Press
  • ReportedMel’s lease runs through June 2029, according to the property’s sale listing, and an employee told the Santa Monica Mirror the same. LoopNet listing, SM Mirror

This is a “both” campaign

The Recording Club supports housing. We want the City and the owner to find a design that keeps the diner and adds homes behind and around it.

Santa Monica has done this before. The Rapp Saloon, Nikkei Hall and the Quonset Hut each sit inside dense mid-rise housing today. LA Conservancy

Press and allies

The Santa Monica Conservancy and the Los Angeles Conservancy filed the landmark application together. Follow them for updates, and sign up for the LA Conservancy’s action alerts.

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