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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010228_Template-TwistBaslerBasler_1015NBroadway.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 1015 N (Twist-Basler-Basler) 7/30/01 NAME Twist-Basler House/Basler Home REF. NO. 53 ADDRESS 1015 North Broadway (1013 HRI) 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NEIGHBORHOOD Midtown NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, B, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 3S Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R _ of _ of Sec : B.M. Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Tudor Revival DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO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 1015 N (Twist-Basler-Basler) 7/30/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) 1914: Construction March 5, 1930: Alterations and additions August 22, 1944: Alter; change occupancy to rest home October 1, 1948: Add 20 x 13 office June 21, 1960: Addition 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 picturesque Tudor Revival residence is located on the east side of North Broadway between 10th and Washington Streets. The house is irregular in plan, and is set back from the street with a broad semi-circular driveway in the front. Two stories in height, the house has an intersecting gable roof with broad eaves, exposed rafter tails, decorative brackets, and red clay tile roofing. Clay finials accent the peaks of the gables. A short parged chimney rises from the peak of the roof. Stucco covers the exterior; signature Tudor half-timbering decorates the upper level and the gable faces. The primary window type is multi-paned wood sash. Offset to the north, a front-gabled porch projects from the façade. A single story addition, glazed with multi-paned metal sash, extends south from the porch, mirroring an original one-story wing with a crenellated parapet located north of the entry. The addition is also clad in stucco and has a flat roof. With its intact display of characteristic Tudor Revival elements, the Twist-Basler House/Basler Home is one of the focal points of North Broadway. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: This residence was built in 1914 for Nathan A. Twist, president of the William Lutz Company. In 1922, Dr. Jess Burlew, one of Orange County’s most prominent physicians and surgeons, and his wife Bessie purchased the house. Dr. Burlew received part of his medical education from the Mayo Brothers, and was active in medical and community affairs throughout his career. The Burlews owned the property until 1941, when Mrs. Burlew died. In 1944, Dr. Herman and Virginia Basler bought the house and converted it into one of the first proprietary convalescent homes in Orange County. Mr. Basler was a chiropractor who settled in Santa Ana in 1939. The Twist-Basler House/Basler Home continued to be well known in Santa Ana for over forty years, until it was sold in 1986. 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 1015 N (Twist-Basler-Basler) 7/30/01 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 Twist-Basler House/Basler Home is significant on several levels, satisfying at least two Santa Ana Register criteria: Criterion 1 (“distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style”) and Criterion 4b (“associated with famous people, original settlers, renowned organizations and businesses”). It is a notable remnant of the period during which North Broadway was a desirable address for many distinguished Santa Ana citizens. Indeed, old postcards, circa 1910-1920, present North Broadway in several views, including at least one image of the then Twist House. The property is also significant for its association with the locally prominent physician Dr. Jess Burlew and for its long-time use as a convalescent home owned by the Baslers. Architecturally, while the building has been altered by the façade addition, it retains many of the architectural details of its Tudor Revival style, particularly the half- timbering and crenellated roofline of the medieval prototype. Character-defining exterior features of the Twist-Basler House/Basler Home which should be preserved include, but are not limited to: cross gabled roof; clay tiling and finials; stucco exterior ornamented by half-timbering; gabled porch and entry; crenellated 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. Although it has been altered, the façade addition may have acquired significance if it was associated with the conversion to the rest home. 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 Twist-Basler House/Basler Home 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 (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 1015 N (Twist-Basler-Basler) 7/30/01 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.