Just a few miles from the surf and sand the Beach Boys celebrated, the city of Hawthorne, Calif., will erect a monument where Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson grew up. California Historical Landmark No. 1041 will be dedicated on May 20.
The Wilson home was razed to make room for the Century Freeway, so the monument will sit at the end of dead-end 119th Street next to a sound wall built to mute traffic noise.
The effort to get landmark status for the Wilson home site was led by Harry Jarnagan, a construction engineer and Beach Boys fan from Tracy, Calif. In August, the California Historical Landmark Commission approved Jarnagan’s application.
The landmark status committee held a design competition for the monument and 16 entries were received. Jarnagan said most proposals, which can be viewed at BeachBoyslandmark.org, feature images of surfboards, waves or musical notes sculpted from brick, bronze and granite.
A panel of Hawthorne officials and Wilson family members will choose the winning entry, he said. The monument will incorporate a bronze plaque designating the place as a historical landmark, and donated bricks, which have been inscribed with the names of people who have contributed $100 or more to the project.
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