76 Ball fan Marcello Vavala reported earlier this week that there were signs that the station at Santa Monica and Sawtelle might be about to lose its ball. Sure enough, the ball was cut from its pole the next morning, and dragged away to be destroyed.

Sean McKinley snapped this photo with his phone:

And Marcello shares some observations, to help spot 76 Balls that face immediate danger. Unfortunately, we were not able to organize a protest to try to save this particular ball, but next time we might. PLEASE, if you see a 76 Ball that fits Marcello's description, drop us a line via our contact form ASAP.

Marcello reports: The new signage is up and the orange ball has been taken away. The replacement happened very fast, probably within 5 hours.

There are some observations I've made which may be helpful in the future (if they haven't been made already.)

1. The ball removal was the last phase of the remodel. If I remember correctly, the station itself received its red color scheme about a full month before the ball was removed. So perhaps that can be a signal for balls that will be removed soon--orange balls at red stations.

2. In this case, there was some site preparation. The area surrounding the pole was taped off--it was apparant that work was going to take place there. But just one day in advance.

3. The actual ball removal happened early in the morning. The pole was down at 8:30am so the work may have begun at 7am, maybe even 6am.

Hope this helps.

Marcello

The good folks of the Modcom division of the Los Angeles Conservancy have extended an invitation to discuss the Save the 76 Ball campaign at Monday night's monthly meeting in Santa Monica, CA. Friends of the 76 Ball are invited to attend this free meeting to connect with others interested in saving the signs, and learn about the important work of Modcom. The 76 Ball discussion will be in "new business" in the 8pm hour, but please come early if you can. More info:

Monday, March 20th
6:30PM meet & greet
7:00PM meeting

Santa Monica Main Library
Multi-Purpose Room
601 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
MAP

Our friends at the Santa Monica Conservancy will be joining us for the meeting. SM Conservancy Vice-President John Zinner, a leading sustainable development consultant, will give a brief discussion on the value of green buildings, of which the Main Library is a noteworthy example, and the connection to historic preservation.