HomeMy WebLinkAbout100407_Template-BowerHouse_1907NFlower.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 _3_ Resource name(s) or number (assigned by recorder) Bower House P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: oNot for Publication nUnrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA0054
*c. Address 1907 North Flower Street City Santa Ana Zip 92706
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 002-093-11
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
L-shaped in plan, this two -story, stucco-clad residence displays the hallmark features of the Spanish Colonial Revival style.
The building is capped with Mission tile roof of low pitch, with shallow eaves and carved brackets. Asymmetrical composition
and massing characterize the façade, with a one-story side-gabled bay intersecting a two -story bay with a hipped roof.
Centered on the one -story bay is an attached, stucco-clad chimney, which flares at the base and is decorated with unglazed
wall tiles. A molded cornice marks the top of the chimney, which is flanked by a set of recessed one-over-three casement
windows framed in wood, with slightly projecting sills. A horseshoe arch provides decorative detail to the covered porch and
entry, wh ich are elevated on three tile-clad steps and located on the south portion of the two -story bay. Projecting from the
façade’s north half, the two -story bay features wood-framed casement windows on the first story and French doors, enclosed
in a decorative wrought-iron balconet, on the second story. The second story displays a wall projection trimmed with painted
scallops, meant to simulate exposed beams. Fenestration on the side elevations echoes that of the façade and includes
double-hung sashes and the use of wrought-iron balconets. The northeast corner of the second story displays a balcony
sheltered beneath the extended eaves of the red-tile roof. Simple post-and -lintel construction supports the balcony, which is
framed by a carved wood balustrade. Exposed rafter tails highlight the horizontal line below the balcony. Wrapping around
the south and east sides of the façade is a low, stucco-clad wall, enclosing a patio. Alterations include the addition of a wall
fronting the property, decorative archway at the driveway entrance, and an aluminum patio cover and enclosure on the
second story deck (the latter is not visible from the street). The residence is otherwise highly intact, in excellent repair, and
enhanced by mature trees and landscaping.
*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
August 2007
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: nhistoric
1930/City of Santa Ana Building
Permits
*P7. Owner and Address:
Kenneth J. and Leah M. Schmidt
1907 N. Flower Street
Santa Ana, CA 92706
*P8. Recorded by:
L. Heumann and D .Howell-Ardila
Sapphos Environmental, Inc.
133 Martin Alley
Pasadena, California 91105
*P9. Date Recorded:
August 27, 2007
*P10. Survey Type:
Intensive Survey Update
*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “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 3 *CHR Status Code _5S1__________________________
*Resource Name or #: Bower House B1. Historic Name: Bower House
B2. Common Name: Same
B3. Original Use: Single -family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence
*B5. Architectural Style: Spanish Colonial Revival
*B6. Constructio n History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed 1930
July 21, 1930 . Residence and garage constructed for $12,000.
September 25, 1933. Rebuild chimney, $10.
August 14, 1953. Electric work.
November 24, 1958. Unspecified repairs.
June 5, 1967. Plumbing repairs.
August 6, 1968. Tile walls installed in bathroom, $1,200.
August 6, 1968. Heater installed.
August 6, 1968. Three plumbing fixtures installed.
May 9, 1974. One fixture installed.
February 25, 1981. Nine electric outlets and fixtures installed.
July 8, 1983. Reroof.
August 8, 1989. Aluminum patio cover and enclosure on existing second story deck.
March 19, 1990. Electrical work in garage.
November 29, 1990. Construct wall and decorative archway across driveway, $600.
*B7. Moved? n No o Yes o Unknown Date:______ Original Location:_ ____________________
*B8. Related Features:
Garage.
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown
*B10. Significance: Theme Residential Architecture Area Santa Ana
Period of Significance: circa 1895-1965 Property Type: Single-family Residence Applicable Criteria: NR: C; CR: 3
(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Als o address integrity)
The Bower House is architecturally significant as an intact example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. According to the original
building permit, dated July 21, 1930, the residence and garage were constructed for John Bower and his wife Susan at a cost of
$12,000. The Bowers owned and occupied the home through the 1930s. In the 1940s, ownership shifted at least twice. By 1940,
the Bowers had sold the home to Asa Thompson, a salesman, and his wife Bertha. Florence B. Meredith, a rancher, owned the
home by 1947. Remaining in the home for nearly a decade, Meredith then sold 2128 N. Greenleaf to Louis A. Arneson, a retiree,
and his wife Winifred. Winified was the secretary of the Emma Samson Chapter of the United Daughters of the C onfederacy. The
Arneson’s owned and occupied the house until the early 1960s. Ownership has since shifted on various occasions.
(See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.)
B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)
*B12. Re ferences:
City of Santa Ana Building Permits
(See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.)
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Leslie J. Heumann
*Date of Evaluation: August 27, 2007
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
Sketch Map
(This space reserved for official comments.)
1907 N. Flower Street
002-093-11
State of California ¾ The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________
Page 3_ of 3_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Bower House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann and Deborah Howell -Ardila *Date August 27, 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 selecti on
as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
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 Bower House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by East Seventeenth
Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados, and walnuts and widely scattered
ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897 -1981), credited as the
subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in 1922
(Talbert, pages 353-356). “Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that month, he
began building custom homes in Santa Ana” (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became the
Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. “When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park homes
were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each” (Orange County Register, September 15,
1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s and Floral Park
showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival. The Allison Honer
Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled Old Santa Ana City Hall, the
El Toro Marine Base during World War II, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he had
helped to create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral
Park. An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa
Clara Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell’s own large, Colonial
Revival mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post World War II years, Floral Park continued its development as
numerous, smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style.
In th e 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park . Today (2007) Floral Park maintains its
identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
The Bower House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 for its
exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Typical features of this style
illustrated by the house include its low-pitched, red tile roof; wood-framed casement windows with wrought-iron balconets;
shallow eaves with carved brackets; asymmetrical composition; smooth stucco walls with little applied ornament; patio
enclosed by low wall; attached chimney; horseshoe arch o f the entryway. Additionally, the house has been categorized as
“Key” because it has a “distinctive architectural style and quality.” Character-defining exterior features of the Bower House
that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (stucco, wood, and wrought iron );
asymmetrical treatment of elements on the façade; roof configuration and detailing; original windows and doors where extant;
chimney with flared base and wall tiles; architectural details such as the horseshoe arch and painted arches.
*B12. References (continued):
Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. Los Angeles: History Record Company, 1921.
Chain of Title, 2128 N. Greenleaf Street. Available at the Planning Division, Santa Ana City Hall, Santa Ana, CA.
Franklin, Don. “NW Santa Ana History: Roy Russell & Son, Builders.” Unsourced article from the Santa Ana History Room
Historic House File, circa 1995.
Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1 998.
Bower, Louis, Irvine. Letter to Thomas Smalley, 29 January 2001.
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 the Interior, 1991.
Office of Historic Preservation. “Instructions for Recording Histo rical Resources.” Sacramento: March 1995.
Sanborn Maps
Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1930 -1962.
Santa Ana History Room Collection, Santa Ana Public Library
Ward, Cynthia, Anaheim. “Bower House Primary Record and Bullding, Structure and Object Record,” July 2007.
Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780 . Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
“Alison Honer Dies at 84,” The Santa Ana Journal, September 21, 1981.
“Builder of Honer Plaza Dies,” Orange County Register, September 15, 1981.
“History of Floral Park.” http://www.floral-park.com/page2.html.