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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010119_Template-1stNatlBank_102WFourth.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fourth 102 W (1st Nat’l Bank) 8/8/01 NAME First National Bank Building REF. NO. 234 ADDRESS 102-106 West Fourth Street CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1923 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Landmark HISTORIC DISTRICT Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R _ of _ of Sec : B.M Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals/Italian Renaissance DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE: The late 19th and 20th century revival of the Italian Renaissance style, also known as the Italian Renaissance Revival, was popular from the late 19th century until 1930. It was inspired by the designs of the palazzi of northern Italy and popularized by American architects McKim, Mead, and White. Utilized on public buildings and ornate homes, the vocabulary of the style also influenced the appearance of commercial buildings. Characteristic features generally include masonry construction, often with different treatments on lower and upper stories; stringcourses or beltcourses between stories; flat roofs screened by parapets or hipped roofs; cornices, dentils, pilasters, quoins, and other classical details; and a balanced, often symmetrical appearance. Taller, more elaborate buildings often feature terracotta facade cladding or ornamentation while more modest one to three story examples utilize bricks of contrasting colors as trim. Ground floors of multi-story buildings often housed banking rooms; more modest buildings may contain storefronts with recessed entries and large plate glass display windows with transoms and bulkheads. Upper story windows are most commonly one-over-one wood framed double-hung sash. Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fourth 102 W (1st Nat’l Bank) 8/8/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) Built in 1923 (John Parkinson and Eugene Durfee, architects) 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 six story Italian Renaissance Revival commercial building was Santa Ana’s first steel-framed, terra cotta-clad building, and was constructed in 1923. The one-time bank is sited prominently on the southwest corner of West Fourth and Main Streets, and is one of the most articulated buildings in downtown Santa Ana. Variations in treatment separate the building horizontally into a one-story base, four-story shaft, and one-story cap and vertically into five bays on the north and seven bays on the east. The terracotta cladding is rusticated, giving the appearance of large blocks of stone. On the ground floor, arched openings in each bay spring from a simple concrete bulkhead. The metal-framed windows include art glass in the semi-circular window heads. The entry in the central bay on the north façade and the entry in the penultimate south bay on the east elevation are marked by doors flanked by two fluted Corinthian columns carrying pedimented entablatures. Cartouche motifs embellish the keystones of the corner arches and the entry doors. The four-story shaft has one-over-one double hung wood framed windows with transoms in the end bays, and tripartite windows with transoms in the middle bays. The central bays are slightly recessed from the face of the building, and there are decorative spandrels between floors in the middle bays. The one story “capital” of the building is marked by a prominent molding course resting on decorative scrolled brackets. The windows consist of one-over-one double hung windows paired at the corners, and sets of three elongated windows in the middle bays. The intact entablature and cornice includes a simple frieze, a dentil course, and a broad overhanging eave with bed molding and cornice detail. Other than relatively non-intrusive signage, the design of the building appears virtually intact. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: The First National Bank Building was designed by architects John Parkinson of Los Angeles and Eugene Durfee of Anaheim in 1923 (Thomas, 7:9). John Parkinson, one of the most distinguished and prolific architects to practice in southern California during the first few decades of the 20th century, is known for his designs, many in partnership with his son Donald, for numerous Renaissance Revival commercial buildings in Los Angeles, the Art Deco Bullocks Wilshire, and the Spanish Colonial Revival/Art Deco Union Station, also in Los Angeles. This building is essentially unaltered in exterior appearance from the time of its construction. The First National Bank moved to this location from the northwest corner of Fourth and Main Streets. The Bank was run by A.J. Crookshank, President, and F.E. Farnsworth, Vice President. RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation.) (HP 7) 3+ story commercial building Page 3 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fourth 102 W (1st Nat’l Bank) 8/8/01 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 (Thomas, 8:1). The period of 1911-1915 saw many characteristic new business blocks or remodels along Fourth Street, and by the 1920s Santa Ana’s downtown had expanded in each direction to include both commercial and civic development. Growth in the 1920s included new construction as well as the remodeling of older buildings. Santa Ana was the professional center of Orange County in the 1920s as prominent lawyers and doctors located in equally prominent new buildings such as the First National Bank Building. Due to the extraordinary integrity of the First National Bank Building, all features of the exterior, except recently added signage, should be considered to be character-defining and should be preserved, including (but not limited to): all exterior finishes including terracotta and glazing; vertical and horizontal divisions and their articulation through piers, beltcourses, etc.; all fenestration; and the decorative overhanging cornice. The First National Bank Building is significant as Santa Ana’s first steel framed, terracotta clad “high rise” building in downtown. Designed by highly influential architects John Parkinson of Los Angeles and Eugene Durfee of Anaheim in 1923, the building remains essentially unchanged in exterior appearance from the time of its construction. It is also significant as the most intact and most ambitious example of Italian Renaissance Revival commercial architecture in Santa Ana. SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as a contributor to the Downtown Historic District. Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the California Register. As an archetypal example of the Italian Renaissance Revival styling that characterized the development of major urban centers in the 1920s, which moreover was designed by a master of the oeuvre, the First National Bank Building satisfies several of the criteria for inclusion in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property, including Criteria 1 through 4. It has been categorized as “Landmark” because the building “has historical/cultural significance to the City of Santa Ana” and has “unique architectural significance” (Municipal Code Section 30-2.2(1)). In addition, the property also appears to be eligible for individual listing in the National Register. OWNER AND ADDRESS: TOPA Financial Corporation 1800 Avenue of the Stars Los Angeles, CA 90067 Page 4 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fourth 102 W (1st Nat’l Bank) 8/8/01 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: January 19, 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, page 20. 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. Heritage Orange County Inc. “Downtown Santa Ana Historic District Walking Tour.” nd. 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 Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: January 19, 2001 EXPLANATION OF CODES: • National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation) 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.