HomeMy WebLinkAbout080207_Template-WoodfillHouse_1121SVanNess.pdfState of California ¾ The Resources Agency Primary #______________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #__________________________________________________
PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial______________________________________________
NRHP Status Code _____________________________________
Other Listings _____________________________________________________________________
Review Code ________ Reviewer________________________ Date_______________
Page _1_ of _4_ Resource name(s) or number (assigned by recorder) Woodfill House P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: oNot for Publication nUnrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA1667 Date:
*c. Address 1121 South Van Ness Street City Santa Ana Zip 92707
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 013-094-07
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
Clad in hand -textured stucco, this one-story residence features the picturesque asymmetry typical of the English Revival
style. A medium -pitched, cross-gabled roof caps the residence, which has shallow overhanging eaves with rolled edges,
meant to suggest thatching. The principal design element on the façade are two projecting bays topped by front gables
accented with half-timbering. The north bay displays a gable with uneven rakes, adding to the effect of asymmetry, and a
recessed, three-light fixed pane picture window. A round-headed wing wall and round-headed arch mark the ends of the
projecting bay on its north and south sides, respectively. Fenestration on the south bay, which has a symmetrical gable,
consists of a recessed, two-light fixed pane window. Roof detailing includes exposed rafter tails above the façade’s open
porch and recessed central bay. Overlooking the central bay is a wood-framed, tripartite window with a fixed five-over-one
sash, flanked by two -over-four casements with lengthwise muntins. The front entrance is recessed in the south side of the
porch, which is elevated on three steps. Fenestration on side elevations consists of a series of double-hung sash windows in
a variety of configurations. An attached, stucco-clad chimney marks the north elevation of the house. A noncontributing
garage is located in the southeast corner of the property. The residence is currently undergoing repairs, including stripped of
paint from wood window surrounds, but is otherwise in good condition. Alterations include nonoriginal metal canopies on
façade and side elevation windows, as well as a replacement garage door. Despite these alterations, the house retains a
good degree of integrity.
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (list attributes and codes) HP2. Single-family Property
*P4. Resources Present: nBuilding oStructure oObject oSite oDistrict oElement of District oOther
P5b. Photo: (view and date)
West elevation
June 2007
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: nhistoric
1930/Source: City of Santa Ana
Building Permits
*P7. Owner and Address:
Michael R. Martinez and Rocio
Rendon
1121 S. Van Ness Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92707
*P8. Recorded by:
S. Carmack and D. Howell-Ardila
Sapphos Environmental, Inc.
133 Martin Alley
Pasadena, CA 91105
*P9. Date Recorded:
June 25, 2007
*P10. Survey Type:
Intensive Survey *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”)
None.
*Attachments: oNone oLocation Map oSketch Map nContinuation Sheet nBuilding, Structure, and Object Record
oArchaeological Record oDistrict Record oLinear Feature Record oMilling Station Record oRock Art Record
oArtifact Record oPhotograph Record o Other (list)
DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information
P5a. Photo
State of California ¾ The Resources Agency Primary #__________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#______________________________________________
BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
Page 2 of 4 *NRHP Status Code _5S1_________________________
*Resource Name or #: Woodfill House B1. Historic Name: Woodfill House
B2. Common Name: Same
B3. Original Use: Single -family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence
*B5. Architectural Style: English Revival
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1930.
February 19, 1930. Constructed for $3,500.
July 22, 1949. Unspecified alterations, $70.
November 5, 1957. Gas outlet and floor furnace installed, $150.
*B7. Moved? n No o Yes o Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________
*B8. Related Features:
Noncontributing garage.
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder:
*B10. Significance: Theme Residential Architecture Area Santa Ana
Period of Significance: circa 1920-1954 Property Type: Single-family Residence Applicable Criteria: C
(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity)
The Woodfill House is architecturally significant as a characteristic and intact example of a modest English Revival residence.
Constructed in 1930 for O.F. Fowler, the property first appears in Santa Ana City directories in 1931, at which time it stood
vacant. City directories indicate that the first resident of the house was Gordon and Margaret Evenson, who owned the
property in 1931. Through the decade, ownership changed hands several times, going from the Evensons to Mrs. Mary E.
Thomas, who occupied the house from at least 1934 to 1936, then to Mrs. Alice E. Freeman, who owned and resided in the
home in the late 1930s. Ownership shifted again in the 1940s, when Santa Ana accountant and tax consultant Charles O.
Woodfill and his wife Melvina purchased 1121 S. Van Ness. The Woodfills resided in the home for over twenty years, until
the late 1960s.
(See Continuation Sheet 3 of 4.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)
*B12. References:
City of Santa Ana Building Permits
Santa Ana History Room Collection, Santa Ana Public Library
Sanborn Maps
(See Continuation Sheet 4 of 4.)
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: S. Carmack and D. Howell-Ardila
*Date of Evaluation: June 25, 2007
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
Sketch Map
(This space reserved for official comments.)
1121 S. Van Ness Avenue
013-094-06
State of California ¾ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________
Page 3_ of 4_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Woodfill House
*Recorded by S. Carmack and D. Howell-Ardila *Date June 25, 2007 x Continuation o Update
DPR 523L
*B10. Significance (continued):
Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as
Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The civic and commercial core of the community was centered around the intersection of
Main and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and incorporation as a city in 1886, and
selection as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
initially developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with
cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
The Woodfill House is located in Wilshire Square, a neighborhood located south of the city center and bounded by West
McFadden Avenue on the north, West Edinger Avenue on the south, South Main Street on the east, and South Flower
Street on the west. This area remained agricultural in use into the early twentieth century, the landscape dotted with walnut
and orange groves. The 1912 plat map of Santa Ana showed South Main Street and Fairview Avenue (now McFa dden
Avenue) as the only streets in the area, with the majority of the property held by a few landowners: N. Palmer, H. K.
Hanson, O’Brien, and Lewis.
Development of Wilshire Square began circa 1923, when newspaper advertisements for newly subdivided lots costing
between $635.00 and $1,875.00 boasted “five foot sidewalks, curbs, electricity, gas, sewer, city water and ornamental trees”
(Santa Ana Register, April 12, 1923). By 1923, all of Flower, Garnsey, Van Ness, Ross, and Borchard and portions of the
remaining streets had been laid out. Lathrop Junior High School, designed by architect Frederick Eley in 1921 (demolished
circa 1970), was constructed on the southwest corner of Fairview and Main and became an anchor of the neighborhood. In
1925, over 65 homes had been built in Wilshire Square, according to a count of addresses listed in the city directories. A
1927 map indicated that the area was zoned for single -family residences, except the east side of Sycamore, which was set
aside for “courts and a partments,” apparently as a buffer for the “neighborhood business” zone on South Main Street. By
1930, maps of the City showed that, with the exception of a gap between Borchard and Edinger Avenues on Birch,
Broadway, and Sycamore, all the streets in Wilshire Square were in place. Mapped by the Sanborn Company between
1931 and 1940, the neighborhood was substantially developed prior to the beginning of World War II.
Built in three phases, Wilshire Square primarily showcases the revival architectural styles popular during the first phase,
circa 1923 to 1931, when 326 homes were built: variations of the Tudor Revival, the Spanish Colonial Revival, and the
Colonial Revival. A handful of Craftsman bungalows completed the picture. A second phase, from 1935 to 1942, marked
the recovery from the Great Depression and the war preparation years, and resulted in another 171 homes. The post World
War II building boom added 91 homes, many in the newly popular California Ranch style. Enhanced by the canopies of
m ature trees that line many of the streets, Wilshire Square developed as a middle class neighborhood of white and blue
collar workers. Homes were both owner and speculator built, and, regardless of style, are unified by their one -story height,
scale, common setbacks, and the placement of detached garages in the rear of each property. Retaining these qualities
today (2003), the neighborhood was recognized for excellence in urban design by the Orange County Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects in 1997.
The Woodfill House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, as a building with
the “distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or period.” The English Revival design is reflected in several of
the signature features of the style: an asymmetrical arrangement of elements on the façade, stucco exterior with textured
finish, decorative half-timbering, shallow overhanging eaves with rolled edges, wood-framed transom windows, round-
headed a rchs and wingwall. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Contributive” because it “contributes to the
overall character and history” of Wilshire Square and “is a good example of period architecture” as a n intact example of the
English Revival style. Character-defining exterior features of the Woodfill House that should be preserved include, but may
not be limited to: materials and finishes (stucco); roof configuration and treatment; massing and asymmetrical composition;
original doors and windows; patio.
State of California ¾ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________
Page 4_ of 4_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Woodfill House
*Recorded by S. Carmack and D. Howell-Ardila *Date June 25, 2007 x Continuation o Update
DPR 523L
*B12. References (continued):
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 Dept. of th e Interior, 1991.
Office of Historic Preservation. “Instructions for Recording Historical Resources.” Sacramento: March 1995.
Historic maps in the collection of the History Room of the Santa Ana Public Library.
Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1905-1931.
Santa Ana Register, April 12, 1923.
“Vintage Santa Ana Right On Track.” The Register, January 13, 1990.
“Neighbors Gear Up For Big Project.” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1992.
“Neighborliness Lives On Wilshire Square’s Streets.” Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1996.
“Wilshire Square—A Profile in Pride of Ownership.” City Line, July/August 2001.
Wilshire Square Neighborhood Association, Home Tour Brochures, 1989 -1994.
www.wilshiresquare.com
www.geocities.com/Heartland/3383/aia.htm