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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010228_Template-McNeillBasler_1103NBroadway.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1103 N (McNeill-Basler) 7/25/01 NAME McNeill-Basler House REF. NO. 52 ADDRESS 1103 North Broadway CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1914 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Landmark HISTORIC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD Midtown NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, B, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 3S Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R _ of _ of Sec : B.M. Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Tudor Revival DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE: The Tudor Revival looked to medieval England for its inspiration. Signature features of the style include steeply pitched gables; decorative half-timbering; arched openings, often Tudor or Gothic in form; asymmetrical arrangements of building features; tall brick chimneys; and picturesque windows of leaded glass or diamond patterned lights. The more ambitious examples of the Tudor Revival were executed in brick or even stone; however, stucco over wood frame is quite common in the forgiving climate of Southern California. The Tudor Revival was favored primarily for residential buildings, although small scale commercial buildings in the style also occur. Born in the late 19th century, the Tudor Revival was associated with some Craftsman era building but was most popular during the 1920s and 1930s. Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1103 N (McNeill-Basler) 7/25/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) 1914: Construction May 28, 1926: Repairs April 10, 1933: Rebuild 2 flues and general repairs August 10, 1948: Alteration and addition April 20, 1955: Enclose porch RELATED FEATURES: (Other important features such as barns, sheds, fences, prominent or unusual trees, or landscape) Garden DESCRIPTION: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, settings, and boundaries.) An arresting Tudor Revival design distinguishes the two-story McNeill-Basler House. Located on the east side of North Broadway between 10th and Washington Streets, the building is brick on the lower story and stucco on the upper story. An L-shaped cross gable roof caps the structure. Half-timbering ornaments the upper level and the gable end. Roof treatment includes broad overhanging eaves, exposed rafter tails, and decorative brackets. An attached three bay porch spans most of the façade, articulated by flattened arches with cast stone surrounds and keystones. Recessed within the north bay of the porch, the entry features leaded glass in the front door. The south bay of the porch has been enclosed. Above the porch, a balcony is enclosed by the porch parapet, punctuated with cast stone insets. The primary window type is six-over-one double hung wood sash, with several windows having been replaced with aluminum sliding sash. Other visible alterations to the house are few, and include a one-story addition on the south elevation. This addition is largely hidden by vegetation, and is set back from the west face of the building. It is clad in stucco and has elongated multi-paned windows and a flat roof. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: Christopher McNeill, possibly Santa Ana’s best known builder in the early 20th century, built this grand brick Tudor Revival residence for himself and his wife Bertha in 1914. Among the buildings for which he was contractor were the historic Orange County Courthouse, the Balboa Pavilion, the East Irvine Hotel, the Spurgeon Memorial Church, and the rehabilitation of the Smith-Tuthill Mortuary. He and his wife sold the house to Van and Edna Brown in the early 1940s. Mr. Brown was in the real estate loan business at 1216 South Main Street. The Browns sold the house to the Baslers in 1950, or a few years earlier; building permits in Dr. Herman Basler’s name date to 1948. The Baslers moved into this house and continued to operate their convalescent home in the Twist House (the Basler Home) directly to the south. RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation.) HP2. Single-family Property Page 3 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1103 N (McNeill-Basler) 7/25/01 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. Following its incorporation as a city in 1886, Santa Ana was recognized as one of the leading communities in the area in 1889 when it became the seat of the newly created County of Orange. Beginning in the 1880s and continuing through the first three decades of the 20th century, Broadway emerged as a prominent residential corridor and was eventually lined by comfortably scaled homes shaded by rows of street trees. In the 1920s and 1930s, Broadway experienced new growth as elegant multiple family residences, several of which were oriented around interior courtyards, were introduced to the street. Several examples of both periods of development have survived, evoking, as a district, a distinctive sense of time and place, when a Broadway address was a distinguished and desirable one. The McNeill-Basler House is significant on several levels. It is a notable remnant of the period during which North Broadway was a desirable address for many distinguished Santa Ana citizens. Architecturally, the property is one of the best examples of the early Tudor Revival in Orange County and is particularly noteworthy for its association with builder Christopher McNeill. Additionally, the house is historically important for its association with the locally prominent Dr. Herman Basler and his adjacent convalescent home. The building possesses a high degree of integrity and effectively conveys a sense of time and place. Character-defining exterior features of the McNeill-Basler House which should be preserved include, but are not limited to: cross gabled roof; brick and stucco finishes; half-timbering; cast stone architectural detailing; three bay arcaded porch and entry; embellished porch parapet; and original fenestration where extant. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: This building appears to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A, B, and C, for its evocation of the historic character of North Broadway, its association with Dr. Herman Basler and the Basler Home, and its architectural merit as an outstanding local example of the Tudor Revival and demonstration of the skill of contractor Christopher McNeill. The house also appears eligible for inclusion in the California Register of Historical Resources. The property is currently listed in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property. The McNeill-Basler House has been categorized as a “Landmark” because it “has historical/cultural significance to the City of Santa Ana” as an embodiment of the former character of Broadway and for its association with prominent early residents and institutions and has “a unique architectural significance” as a rare example of the Tudor Revival (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). OWNER AND ADDRESS: One Broadway Plaza LLC 1200 North Main Street, Suite 900 Santa Ana, CA 92701 Page 4 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1103 N (McNeill-Basler) 7/25/01 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: February 28, 2001 SURVEY TYPE: (Intensive, reconnaissance, or other) Intensive Survey Update REPORT CITATION: (Cite survey report and other sources) City of Santa Ana, Santa Ana’s Historic Treasures. Les, Kathleen. Historic Resources Inventory 1015 & 1103 N. Broadway, May 1980. 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. 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 J. Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: February 28, 2001 EXPLANATION OF CODES: • National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation) A: that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. B: that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. 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) 3S: Appears eligible for separate listing.