Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout010119_Template-EmpireMrkt_202NBroadway.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 202 N (Empire Mrkt) 8/8/01 NAME Empire Market REF. NO. 248 ADDRESS 202-208 North Broadway CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1933 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Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R _ of _ of Sec : B.M Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Art Deco DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE: The Art Deco style is characterized by smooth wall surfaces, often of stucco; zigzags, chevrons, fluting, reeding, and other low-relief stylized and geometric motifs as decorative elements on the façade; accents of terra cotta, glass, or metal; polychromy; rectangular or compound forms; and a more vertical emphasis than its close stylistic relative, Streamline Moderne. Art Deco was essentially a style of decoration, and was applied to jewelry, clothing, furniture and handicrafts as well as architecture. In style between 1920 and 1940, Art Deco was popularized by the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs held in Paris in 1925. It was most commonly utilized on commercial or public buildings. Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 202 N (Empire Mrkt) 8/8/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) Built in 1933 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.) Located on the northwest corner of North Broadway and Second Streets, the two-story, Art Deco style Empire Market building is constructed of brick with a concrete facing on the street facades. The five bay front (east) façade consists of a narrow central bay flanked by two larger bays on either side. Monumental Art Deco compound piers separate the bays. Storefronts along the street level appear to retain their original configuration, with recessed glazed double wood doors, transoms, and aluminum display windows on black glazed tile bulkheads. The entry vestibule floors are embellished with black and white hexagonal tile. Except for the central bay, each upper story bay contains three, two-over-two double-hung wood sash separated by low relief, fluted pilasters. Window heads are enlivened with an incised zigzag motif. Five similarly articulated bays are located on the Second Street elevation, except that solid panels replace the storefronts on all but the corner bay. A narrower, sixth bay is located at the west end. The rear (west) elevation has an exposed brick wall with one-over-one and two-over-two double hung wood windows. There is decorative metal grillwork in the sign pane of each bay at the mezzanine level. A highly stylized decorative zigzag cornice, punctuated by tops of the piers and by an arched parapet over the central bay, caps the street-facing elevations. No major alterations of the exterior appearance of this building are apparent. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: This building was constructed as a speculative venture, circa 1933 by the Santora Corporation, on the site of a used car lot (1927). Known as the Empire Market from 1933 to 1941, the building was occupied by a variety of retail businesses, including Gillets Café. 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 Page 3 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 202 N (Empire Mrkt) 8/8/01 RESOURCES PRESENT: 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. By the late 1920s and early 1930s more modern architectural styles had come into vogue, including the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne. While several new buildings were constructed in this style, many older buildings were remodeled to these styles following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which caused extensive damage to many of the storefronts in Santa Ana’s downtown. The Empire Market Building is architecturally significant as one of the best examples of Art Deco commercial architecture in downtown Santa Ana. The building retains a high degree of integrity, and displays the characteristics typical of the style including stucco walls, full-height piers separating bays on the first and second floors; ornamented window heads; decorative grillwork; and the zig zag design at the parapet. Due to the remarkable integrity of this resource, most exterior features are considered to be character-defining and should be preserved. They include, but are not limited to: exterior finishes; bay divisions articulated by piers and pilasters; parapet; fenestration; storefront configuration and materials; wrought iron grilles; hexagonal tile flooring; and zigzag ornamentation. 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 an example of the Art Deco styling which was fashionable 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: SBR&G Ltd Partners 4241 East La Palma Avenue Anaheim, CA 92807 Page 4 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 202 N (Empire Mrkt) 8/8/01 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, page 61. 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.