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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010119_Template-ShafferWakeham_108EFourth.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fouirth 108 E (Shaffer-Wakeham Bldg) 8/9/01 NAME Shaffer-Wakeham Building REF. NO. 246 ADDRESS 108, 110, 112 East Fourth Street CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1877/1886-87/1886-87; 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Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R _ of _ of Sec : B.M Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Italian Renaissance DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE: The late 19th and 20th century revival of the Italian Renaissance style, also known as the Italian Renaissance Revival, was popular from the late 19th century until 1930. It was inspired by the designs of the palazzi of northern Italy and popularized by American architects McKim, Mead, and White. Utilized on public buildings and ornate homes, the vocabulary of the style also influenced the appearance of commercial buildings. Characteristic features generally include masonry construction, often with different treatments on lower and upper stories; stringcourses or beltcourses between stories; flat roofs screened by parapets or hipped roofs; cornices, dentils, pilasters, quoins, and other classical details; and a balanced, often symmetrical appearance. Taller, more elaborate buildings often feature terracotta facade cladding or ornamentation while more modest one to three story examples utilize bricks of contrasting colors as trim. Ground floors of multi-story buildings often housed banking rooms; more modest buildings may contain storefronts with recessed entries and large plate glass display windows with transoms and bulkheads. Upper story windows are most commonly one-over-one wood framed double-hung sash. Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fouirth 108 E (Shaffer-Wakeham Bldg) 8/9/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) Built in stages between 1877 and 1887. Façade remodel in 1928 (Frank Lansdown, architect) 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.) The Shaffer-Wakeham Building is located on the south side of East Fourth Street between Main and Bush Streets. Originally built between 1877 and 1887 as three separate storefronts, this two-story building now displays a single façade influenced primarily by the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The lower story façade contains three storefront bays divided by large, unornamented, stuccoed piers. Each storefront includes a recessed entry flanked by large angled plate glass display windows, wood entry doors with transoms, and small-paned opaque glass transoms over the storefronts. The entry to the stairway to the second floor is squeezed between the two easternmost storefronts. The easternmost bay is faced with black structural glass tiles, and also includes a central free-standing display block in the entry and a terrazzo floor. The upper floor has symmetrical fenestration in six bays, consisting of pairs of eight-light casement windows set in blind arched openings with shield motifs in the spandrels. Heavy stuccoed pilasters with simple molded capitals separate the windows. An Art Deco influenced zigzag parapet with a slightly raised cap tops the molded stucco cornice. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: This row of three individual two-story brick buildings was joined under one uniform façade by 1886, and later remodeled in 1928. This was the location of Vandermast’s clothing store from 1907-1930; Carl Strock Jewels from 1909-1930; and the Palace Barber and Baths. The upstairs contained the office of the Standard and Santa Ana Bulletin newspapers until 1930 (Les, 7). The architect of the 1928 façade upgrade was Frank Lansdown (Thomas, 7:17). The first home of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce was in an upstairs portion of the building, rented for $50 a year in 1926. 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\Fouirth 108 E (Shaffer-Wakeham Bldg) 8/9/01 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. This era witnessed the addition of new Italian Renaissance Revival influenced facades to many of the original Victorian era improvements. In 1933 the Long Beach earthquake hit the Southern California area, causing extensive damage to many of the storefronts in Santa Ana’s downtown. Where repair was possible, many of the buildings dating from the late 1800s and early 1900s were remodeled with Art Deco or Streamline Moderne storefronts, the popular architectural styles of the day. Character-defining exterior features of the Shaffer-Wakeham Building which should be preserved include, but are not limited to: stucco façade sheathing; zigzag parapet; molded cornice and stringcourse; bay divisions articulated by piers and pilasters; second story arcade; decorative architectural embellishments such as shields, corbels, and capitals; metal casement windows; storefront configuration consisting of wood-framed, glazed entries, transoms, display windows, and bulkheads; opaque glass transom; and black glass facing in the east storefront. This building is architecturally significant for its interesting mix of stylistic features and its relative integrity. Originally constructed between 1877 and 1887, the building was remodeled in 1928 to basically its current appearance. The storefronts retain a high degree of integrity and are good examples of “Main Street” style storefronts, including recessed entries, wood doors, and transoms. The second floor combines the stylistic elements of the Italian Renaissance Revival and the Art Deco, with the windows with blind arches, piers with simple capitals, metal sash casement windows, and zigzag motif at the parapet. Other than the black glass storefront, itself characteristic of modernistic remodels, the building does not appear to have been significantly altered from its 1928 renovation. 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 typical example of the vernacular interpretation of Renaissance Revival styling which personified downtown Santa Ana development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, 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: Raul and Gilda Yanez (108-110) 318 North Bush Street, Suite D Santa Ana, CA 92701 (112) John S. Fainbarg 4515 Fairfield Drive Corona Del Mar, CA 92625 Page 4 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fouirth 108 E (Shaffer-Wakeham Bldg) 8/9/01 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, p. 7. 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.