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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010507_Template-KnightsPythiasHall_420NBroadway.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 420 N (Knights-Pythias Hall) 7/23/01 NAME Knights of Pythias Hall REF. NO. 173 ADDRESS 420-424 North Broadway and 300, 310, 312, 318, 320, 322 West Fifth Street CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1926 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key HISTORIC DISTRICT Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD N/A NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R ¼ of ¼ of Sec : B.M. Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival (with Churrigueresque elements) 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. The Churrigueresque variant features ornate carvings highlighting arches, columns, window surrounds, cornices and parapets. Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 420 N (Knights-Pythias Hall) 7/23/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) March 9, 1926: Finish second story of building (422-424 North Broadway). November 26, 1926: Begin construction of Business Building (Basement - 420 North Broadway). January 25, 1950: Rear stairway for Lodge Hall (302 ½ West Fifth Street). July 8, 1968: Add veneer to building face (422 North Broadway). February 2, 1984: Seismic Reinforcing (302 West Fifth Street, 420-424 North Broadway). August 8, 1984: Shell Only – Seismic Rehab (422 North Broadway). December 28, 1984: Add (6) canvas awnings (300 West Fifth Street). Seismic / Reinforced Building (312 West Fifth Street – House Address). 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.) Located on the southwest corner of North Broadway and West Fifth Street, the Knights of Pythias Hall is a two-story rectangular building designed in a Baroque influenced Spanish Colonial Revival style. The building encompasses two bays on the Broadway elevation and ten on the Fifth Street elevation. The exterior finish has been scored to suggest masonry. An elaborate parapet, consisting of a diamond patterned frieze framed by moldings and punctuated by two upwardly projecting arches on the east and one on the north, crowns the structure. Each of the arches is outlined by scrolled moldings, ornamented by finials and colonnettes, and faced with diamond patterning in deeper relief. Additional finials define the bay divisions below the parapet. The storefronts at ground level are divided by square piers ringed by simple moldings and contain display windows banded by trefoil-patterned transoms. Two pairs of casement windows topped by blind arches filled with scrollwork and separated by spiraled columns are located on the second story of the east elevation. With the exception of the entry bay, offset to the east on the north elevation, each of the second story bays on the north is defined by groups of three recessed, flat-headed, double-hung windows with raised sills. A larger casement window centered over the entry features a scalloped arch head. This entrance, which leads to the upstairs meeting hall, is topped by a transom with a spindlework grille and by a panel of Churrigueresque carving. The Knights of Pythias Hall has been rehabilitated and its design is substantially intact. Modifications include some of the storefronts as well as a non-original door in the north entry. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: Established in Santa Ana by 1890, the Knights of Pythias constructed this two-story facility in downtown Santa Ana in 1926. Godfrey Bailey of Santa Ana was the architect and William Rohrbacker was the contractor. The building accommodated retail spaces on the ground floor and a meeting hall on the upper story. Tenants in the retail spaces varied widely and included the Loma Linda Treatment Rooms (1929), Enterprise Publishing Company (1928-1940), and Mrs. S. E. Just Baths. The Knights of Pythias and the Grand Army of the Republic used the upstairs meeting room, which was made available for other community events, as well. The Knights of Pythias are a non-sectarian fraternal order founded in 1864 in Washington, D.C. and dedicated to the promotion of universal peace through understanding. Over the years, the Knights of Pythias have counted many politicians amongst their members. (No information is available as to if any local celebrities were members.) RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation.) HP 13: Community Center / Social Hall Page 3 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 420 N (Knights-Pythias Hall) 7/23/01 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. 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. From the beginning, social and fraternal organizations played an important role in the history of the town. The Masons and the Oddfellows both organized in 1875 and were followed before the close of the decade by the Good Templars Lodge and the Workmen Lodge. Dedicated to community service and fellowship, such organizations sponsored community events, often held in halls constructed for the purpose. Spurred by the growth the community experienced during the 1920s, several new associations were founded, and many older groups constructed new homes. The Knights of Pythias embodies this trend, having been organized in Santa Ana well before the close of the 19th century. In addition to its historical significance, the Knights of Pythias Hall is architecturally significant for its rather exotic Spanish Colonial Revival design, which was intended to complement the Moorish motif of the Broadway Theater to the south and was designed by the same architect. The Broadway Theater was demolished in 1991. Character-defining exterior features of the Knights of Pythias Hall which should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: parapet materials and configuration; original exterior materials where extant; original storefront materials and configuration where extant; original fenestration and embellishments; and entry detailing. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributor to the Downtown Santa Ana Historic District in 1984. Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the California Register. The Knights of Pythias Hall has also been included in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property. The property has been categorized as “Key” for its “distinctive architectural style and quality” (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). OWNER AND ADDRESS: Page 4 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Broadway 420 N (Knights-Pythias Hall) 7/23/01 RECORDED BY: (Name, affiliation, and address) Leslie Heumann Science Applications International Corporation 35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 204, Pasadena, CA 91105 DATE RECORDED: May 7, 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. 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. Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana, An Illustrated History. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994. 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. Internet: www.pythias.org EVALUATOR: Leslie J. Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: May 7, 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. 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.