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cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1002 N (Mosbaugh-Loerch)
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NAME Mosbaugh-Loerch House REF. NO. 73
ADDRESS 1002 North Broadway
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT circa 1883/1903 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Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted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: Greek Revival
DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE:
Although classical architecture as a whole provided precedents for most American designers in the 17th and 18th centuries, a
specifically Greek Revival was initiated in 1818 with a competition to design the Second Bank of the United States in Philadelphia
Whiffen, 40). Over the next approximately fifty years, the style was utilized for a variety of building types, including residences. It
can be recognized by a symmetrical arrangement of building elements; the presence of Greek orders; rectangular building plans;
gabled or hipped roofs of low pitch; and, often, an unmistakable reference to Greek temple design through incorporation of
colonnades and front-gabled facades. In the Greek Revival, architectural elaboration is focused on cornice lines, doorways, columns
and piers, and windows (McAlester, 178-184). The Greek Revival is most commonly found in the eastern half of the continental
United States; examples in the West are more rare and usually date to the second half of the 19th century.
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cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1002 N (Mosbaugh-Loerch)
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CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
1903: Unspecified construction (George Prebble, builder)
January 10, 1952: Relocate residence from 632 N. Broadway
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 converted residential building faces east on the northwest corner of North Broadway and 10th Streets. The house,
known as the Mosbaugh-Loerch House, is an irregular rectangle in plan and has a gable roof with virtually no eaves, symmetrical
fenestration on the front elevation, and a mix of original and secondary horizontal wood sidings. Architectural details include
cornerboards, moldings at the eave and frieze, a lunette window in the front gable end, and operable shutters on the upper front
elevation windows. The front entrance displays a Colonial Revival influence, with an arched header, fluted pilasters, and a wide
single door with four lights in the upper portion. The primary window type is six-over-six double-hung wood sash, with simple board
and bead surrounds. There are several multi-paned hopper or fixed sash, as well as several elongated two-over-two wood sash
windows that have flat board surrounds with molded architraves. A bank of multi-paned sash forming an oriel window is located on
the first floor of the south elevation. The building was moved in 1952, and therefore has a new brick or brick-faced foundation.
Exterior staircases on the north elevation are also more recent features.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
There are conflicting reports regarding the age of this Greek Revival style house. Some accounts place its construction in the last
quarter of the 19th century, not long after Santa Ana was founded (Santa Ana’s Historic Treasures). Other research dates the house to
1903 (Les, Historic Resources Inventory). The building was originally located at 636 North Broadway, and was occupied at that
location by George and Emma Mosbaugh, who came to the City of Orange in 1875 and to Santa Ana eight years later. A Santa Ana
pioneer and businessman, Mr. Mosbaugh was secretary of the Santa Ana Valley Irrigation Company, first bookkeeper for the
Commercial National Bank in Santa Ana in 1882, and first cashier of the First National Bank of Orange in 1886. He also planted
some of the early orange groves in the area. In 1952, the house was moved to its current location by Dr. Karl Loerch, an optometrist
who had his office on the first floor of the building and his living quarters on the second floor.
RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources,
Office of Historic Preservation.)
HP6. 1-3 story Commercial Building
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cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1002 N (Mosbaugh-Loerch)
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RESOURCES PRESENT:
Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other
MOVED? No Yes Unknown Date: 1952 Original Location: 632 North Broadway
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.
Moved to its present location on North Broadway from a location four blocks to the south in 1952, the Mosbaugh-Loerch House is
significant as an example of the early period of development on Broadway. It is also noteworthy for its association with George and
Emma Mosbaugh, Santa Ana pioneers. As an extremely rare southern California example of Greek Revival styling, evidenced by the
front gable façade, symmetrical design, and architectural detailing, the house is architecturally notable and substantially intact.
Character-defining exterior features of the Mosbaugh-Loerch House which should be preserved include, but are not limited to: roof
configuration; cornice and eave treatment; wood cladding; and original fenestration.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
This building appears to be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places under Criteria A, B, and C. Although it was
moved less than 50 years ago, its current location is close to the original one and conveys the same historical associations. 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 Mosbaugh-Loerch 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 has “a unique architectural significance” as a rare example of the Greek Revival
(Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2).
OWNER AND ADDRESS: Politiski
600 West Ocean Front
Newport Beach, CA 92661
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cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1002 N (Mosbaugh-Loerch)
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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: 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 1004 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.