MONTEBELLO, CA.-_The Armenian Genocide Martyrs Monument located in Montebello, California has been chosen as the recipient of a 2026 California Preservation Design Award in the category of Cultural Heritage, Intangible Assets. The 2026 California Preservation Design Awards will be presented at an awards ceremony and reception to be held on May 8, 2026 at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California.
In early 2025, the Monument’s nomination to be added to the California Register of Historical Resources was unanimously approved by the State Historical Resources Commission. The Monument was nominated under California Register Criterion 1 as the first major public monument dedicated to the Armenian Genocide in the United States that led to broader recognition of the tragedy and influenced the construction of more memorials. It was also nominated under California Register Criterion 3 for its high artistic value as a modern, sculptural interpretation of traditional Armenian church architecture designed by Armenian architect and artist H. Hrant Agbabian and constructed by the Armenian-owned Bedrosian-Zakarian Construction Company.
A small team of historical preservation consultants were retained to prepare the nomination for the City of Montebello on behalf of the Armenian American community. The nomination of the Monument received broad support from the Armenian American community, state and local government, and community advocacy organizations, including the City of Montebello, State Senate District 30, the California Armenian Legislative Caucus, the Armenian National Committee of America, and the Western Region of the Armenian Assembly of America.
The California Preservation Design Awards are an initiative of the California Preservation Foundation. Founded in 1978, the California Preservation Foundation (CPF) is California’s statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to the protection of historic places and cultural heritage. Through education, advocacy, and community-centered programs, CPF supports the people, projects, and policies that keep California’s historic resources vital and valued.
Since 1983, over 600 projects have been recognized with a Preservation Design Award. Winning projects are selected by a jury of top professionals in the fields of architecture, engineering, planning, and history, as well as renowned architecture critics and journalists. The jury selects projects that have furthered, to a notable degree, the purposes of the profession, consistent with the California Preservation Foundation’s mission.
