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NAME Dr. Horton Building REF. NO. 242
ADDRESS 315 West Third Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1928 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R _ of _ of Sec : B.M
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival
DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE:
The Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style, as its name implies, encompasses two major subcategories. The Mission Revival
vocabulary, popular between 1890 and 1920, drew its inspiration from the missions of the Southwest. Identifying features include
curved parapets (or espadana); red tiled roofs and coping; low-pitched roofs, often with overhanging eaves; porch roofs supported by
large, square piers; arches; and wall surfaces commonly covered in smooth stucco. The Spanish Colonial Revival flourished between
1915 and 1940, reaching its apex during the 1920s and 1930s. The movement received widespread attention after the Panama-
California Exposition in San Diego in 1915, where lavish interpretations of Spanish and Mexican prototypes were showcased. Easily
recognizable hallmarks of the Spanish Colonial Revival are low-pitched roofs, usually with little or no overhangs and red tile roof
coverings, flat roofs surrounded by tiled parapets; and stuccoed walls. The Spanish vocabulary also includes arches, asymmetry,
balconies and patios, window grilles, and wood, wrought iron, tile, or stone decorative elements. The Churrigueresque variant
features ornate carvings highlighting arches, columns, window surrounds, cornices and parapets.
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CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
Built in 1928 (Fay R. Spangler, Santa Ana, architect; R. L. McMillian, contractor)
Concrete addition (date unknown)
RELATED FEATURES: (Other important features such as barns, sheds, fences, prominent or unusual trees, or landscape)
None.
DESCRIPTION: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, settings, and
boundaries.)
This two-story office building is located on the north side of West Third Street between Broadway and Birch Streets. Of brick
construction, the Spanish Colonial Revival style building has a concrete foundation and a side gable roof with exposed wood rafters
in the narrow overhanging eaves. The roof is covered in red clay tiles. An ornately paneled wood main entrance door is outlined by a
wide molded wood surround. To the west of the entrance door, a pair of wood French doors are screened from the street by a
wrought iron grille. Windows include metal casements with wrought iron balconies, and brick and concrete latticework openings in
the masonry walls. Decorative tile embellishes the attached chimney on the west elevation. Notable features include a courtyard
embellished with a fishpond. A large poured concrete addition has been added to the west end of the building; otherwise, the design
appears to be largely intact.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
This building was designed by Santa Ana architect Fay R. Spangler, and built by local contractor R.L. McMillian in 1928 to house the
offices of Dr. R.S. Horton, Optometrist (Thomas, 7:28; Les, 90). It was built on the site of an earlier residence, which had been the
home of Dr. Lord, a veterinarian, and William L. Diemling, a manager of the Southern California Edison Company. The Dr. Horton
Building had been converted into law offices by 1980.
RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources,
Office of Historic Preservation.)
(HP 6) 1-3 story commercial building
RESOURCES PRESENT:
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Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other
MOVED? No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location:
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme,
period, geographic scope, and integrity.)
Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative townsite on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho
Santiago de Santa Ana. Early growth and development was stimulated by the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1878 and the
Santa Fe Railroad in 1886. By the end of the 1880s, Santa Ana’s downtown business district was defined by five city blocks of brick
commercial buildings on Fourth Street, with the heart of the city at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets (Thomas, 8:1).
The period of 1911-1915 saw many characteristic new business blocks or remodels along Fourth Street, and by the 1920s Santa Ana’s
downtown had expanded in each direction to include both commercial and civic development. The California style of living
evidenced itself in the abundance of Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings, which were commonly built during the 1920s and early
1930s.
Character-defining exterior features of the Dr. Horton Building which should be preserved include, but are not limited to: brick walls
banded by raised brick stringcourse; side-gable roof; red clay tile roof cladding; bracketed roof overhang; brick chimney embellished
with decorative tile; wrought iron detailing including window grilles and balconies; cast stone window grille; brick latticework
window grille; entry door surround; paneled wood entry door; original fenestration including French doors and metal casement
windows; and the courtyard.
The Dr. Horton Building is architecturally significant as a good example of the Spanish Colonial Revival, displaying the archway,
window and door types, grillwork, and construction materials of that style. The front door and surround is a particularly visible
element of the style that is well articulated on the building. The large addition on the western elevation detracts somewhat from the
appearance and historic integrity of the building, but it nonetheless continues to effectively represent its style and period of
construction.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as a contributor to the Downtown Historic District. Under
the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the California Register. As
a relatively intact example of the Spanish Colonial Revival styling which typified an important architectural trend in Santa Ana
development during the 1920s and 1930s, the building satisfies Criterion 1 for inclusion in the Santa Ana Register of Historical
Property. Additionally, the property has been categorized as “Key” because it has a “distinctive architectural style and quality” and
“is characteristic of a significant period in the history of the City of Santa Ana” (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2(2)).
OWNER AND ADDRESS:
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RECORDED BY: (Name, affiliation, and address)
Leslie Heumann & Liz Carter
Science Applications International Corporation
35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 204, Pasadena, CA 91105
DATE RECORDED: January 19, 2001
SURVEY TYPE: (Intensive, reconnaissance, or other)
Intensive Survey Update
REPORT CITATION: (Cite survey report and other sources)
Les, Kathleen. “Santa Ana Historic Survey, Final Resources Inventory: Downtown.” May 1980.
Thomas, Harold M. “Downtown Santa Ana Historic District” National Register nomination form,
1984.
REFERENCES: (List documents, date of publication, and page numbers. May also include oral interviews.)
Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
Heritage Orange County Inc. “Downtown Santa Ana Historic District Walking Tour.” nd.
McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984
National Register Bulletin 16A. “How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.”
Washington DC: National Register Branch, National Park Service, US Department of the Interior,
1991.
Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
EVALUATOR: Leslie Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: January 19, 2001
EXPLANATION OF CODES:
• National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of
Historic Preservation)
C: that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the work of
a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose
components may lack individual distinction
• National Register Status Code: (From Appendix 2 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic
Preservation)
1D: Contributor to a listed district.