HomeMy WebLinkAbout010501_Template-HeilHouse_2015NBroadway.pdfPage 1 of 4
cm\historic\templates\Broadway 2015 N
6/15/01
NAME Heil House REF. NO. 79
ADDRESS 2015 North Broadway
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92706 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1922 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT NEIGHBORHOOD N/A
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION B, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 5B1
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R ¼ of ¼ of Sec : B.M.
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival
DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE:
The Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style, as its name implies, encompasses two major subcategories. The Mission Revival
vocabulary, popular between 1890 and 1920, drew its inspiration from the missions of the Southwest. Identifying features include
curved parapets (or espadana); red tiled roofs and coping; low-pitched roofs, often with overhanging eaves; porch roofs supported by
large, square piers; arches; and wall surfaces commonly covered in smooth stucco. The Spanish Colonial Revival flourished between
1915 and 1940, reaching its apex during the 1920s and 1930s. The movement received widespread attention after the Panama-
California Exposition in San Diego in 1915, where lavish interpretations of Spanish and Mexican prototypes were showcased. Easily
recognizable hallmarks of the Spanish Colonial Revival are low-pitched roofs, usually with little or no overhangs and red tile roof
coverings, flat roofs surrounded by tiled parapets, and stuccoed walls. The Spanish vocabulary also includes arches, asymmetry,
balconies and patios, window grilles, and wood, wrought iron, tile, or stone decorative elements.
Page 2 of 4
cm\historic\templates\Broadway 2015 N
6/15/01
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
June 1922: Residence and garage.
December 15, 1928: Repairs.
October 7, 1965: Convert to school for blind.
July 3, 1969: Building permit for child care center (unspecified activities).
July 19, 1969: Add porch and office.
December 23, 1986: Add room.
RELATED FEATURES: (Other important features such as barns, sheds, fences, prominent or unusual trees, or landscape)
None noted.
DESCRIPTION: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, settings, and
boundaries.)
This two-story residence suggests the influence of the late Mission Revival in its use of stucco siding, a tiled hip roof, and an arched
front porch. Roof treatment includes overhanging boxed eaves and a pair of hipped roof dormers facing front (west). Rectangular in
massing and plan, the building has a horizontal emphasis that is keynoted by the line of the roof overhang and echoed by a beltcourse
which bands the exterior at the second floor window sill level. A one-story porch projects from the central bay of the three-bay
façade, defined by square posts, pointed arch openings, and a balustraded parapet. Within the porch, the front door is flanked by
sidelights. In the side bays, a combination of casement and double-hung sash windows are regularly, if not symmetrically, arranged.
Alterations to the property include removal of the original chimney and addition of an iron porch railing and a masonry fence
surrounding the front yard.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
Charles and Helen Heil built this house in 1922, at a cost of $10,000, and moved to North Broadway from their previous home on
Minter Street. The president of the Excelsior Creamery Company whose plant was located on East First Street, Charles F. Heil was a
member of a prominent Orange County family. He was the son of Frederick John Heil and Louise Rohr, who had come to California
from Kansas around 1882 for health reasons. The Heils had raised dairy cattle in Kansas, and they continued to do so in California.
They also accumulated a considerable amount of property, notably in the area south of Santa Ana and in “Gospel Swamp,” now
known as Fountain Valley. Active in the Free Methodist Church, the Heil family lived on West First Street. After his father’s death
in 1912, Charles F. Heil acquired portions of the family property. He sold the holdings south of Santa Ana to the Segerstroms, who
consolidated it with their other real estate for the development of South Coast Plaza. Heil also owned several Santa Ana buildings,
most notably the North Main Street building which houses the Auto Club.
Following the divorce of the Heils in 1926, Fleetwood and Ella Bell were listed as the owner/occupants of the North Broadway home
in the city directories. He was an orchardist. They lived in the house for over 20 years. Dr. C. W. Meirs acquired the property in the
mid 1940s and converted it into the school for the blind, which occupied the site until 1992. In 1993 occupancy changed back to
residential from educational uses.
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 2015 N
6/15/01
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 multiple-family residences were introduced to the street. Several examples of both periods of development have survived,
evoking a distinctive sense of time and place.
This house is historically significant, primarily for its connection to the prominent Orange County Heil family and secondarily for its
association with the Bell family and for its use as a school for the blind. As the son of a dairy farmer and pioneer Orange County
property owner, Charles F. Heil contributed to the history of Santa Ana through his operation of the Excelsior Creamery Company
and extensive property holdings. The house also possesses architectural interest as an example of a late use of the Mission Revival
style. Character-defining exterior features of the Heil House which should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: roof
configuration and materials; dormers; stucco siding; porch; use of arches; and original fenestration where extant.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
This resource is currently listed in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property. The Heil House has been categorized as “Key”
because it “has a distinctive architectural style and quality,” “is characteristic of a significant period in the history of the City of Santa
Ana,” and as the home of Charles F. Heil “is associated with a significant person or event in the City of Santa Ana” (Municipal Code,
Section 30-2.2).
OWNER AND ADDRESS: Richard R. Barbarino
2024 Rolling Hills Drive
Anaheim, CA 92815
Page 4 of 4
cm\historic\templates\Broadway 2015 N
6/15/01
RECORDED BY: (Name, affiliation, and address)
Leslie Heumann
Science Applications International Corporation
35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 204, Pasadena, CA 91105
DATE RECORDED: May 1, 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 2015 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.
Robert Allen Heil. One “Heil” of a Family: Some Ancestors and Other Relatives of Louis Heil and
Elizabeth Susan (Steves) Heil. 1993.
EVALUATOR: Leslie J. Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: May 1, 2001
EXPLANATION OF CODES:
• National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of
Historic Preservation)
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)
5B1: Is separately listed or designated under an existing local ordinance, or is eligible for such listing or designation,
and is a contributor to a fully documented district that is designated or eligible for designation as a local historic
district, overlay zone, or preservation area under an existing ordinance or procedure.