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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010703_Template-Horton'sFurniture_517NMain.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Main 517 N (Horton’s Furniture) 7/23/01 NAME Horton’s Furniture Building REF. NO. 166 ADDRESS 517-519 North Main Street * CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1929 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Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD N/A NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R ¼ of ¼ of Sec : B.M. Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Art Deco DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE: The Art Deco style is characterized by smooth wall surfaces, often of stucco; zig zags, chevrons, fluting, reeding, and other low-relief stylized and geometric motifs as decorative elements on the façade; accents of terra cotta, glass, or metal; polychromy; rectangular or compound forms; and a more vertical emphasis than its close stylistic relative, Streamline Moderne. Art Deco was essentially a style of decoration, and was applied to jewelry, clothing, furniture, and handicrafts as well as architecture. In style between 1920 and 1940, Art Deco was popularized by the Exposition des Arts Decoratifs held in Paris in 1925. It was most commonly utilized on commercial or public buildings. * See construction history Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Main 517 N (Horton’s Furniture) 7/23/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) Note: Historically, this building also included the address 523 North Main Street. 521: December 8, 1919. Alter and repair store. 519: March 11, 1920. Alter store. 521: January 17, 1921. Install interior partition to store. 517: April 5, 1921. Interior alteration. 519: October 1921. Alterations. 519: October 1923. Alterations. 521: Poinsetta Café Alterations. 517: May 26, 1926. Alterations. 519: June 4, 1929. Alterations. 517-523: December 20, 1929. Business building. 517: February 2, 1935. Alterations. 517: December 26, 1935. Alterations. 517: December 7, 1944. Stairway to basement. 521: February 9, 1950. Alterations to store building. 521: September 2, 1960. Add freight elevator shaft. 517-521: September 2, 1960: Demolish rear of building. February 2, 1981. Seismic and partition interior alterations. 517: February 18, 1983. Tenant improvement. 517: No date (1983). Tenant improvements (2nd floor). 517: October 3, 1983. Retaining wall for landscaping. 517: October 20, 1986. Tenant improvement (combine units). 517: August 3, 1988. Reconstruct sidewalk, construct basement wall. 517: April 15, 1992. 500 sq. ft. interior tenant improvement— parapet, antenna, etc. 517: January 5, 1993. Tenant improvement—remove & add partition walls, ceiling x-ray. 517: February 1, 1994. Add 2 microwave dishes. 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.) Located on the southeast corner of Main Street and Santa Ana Boulevard, this is a three-story retail store and office building. The masonry construction features wire-cut brick exterior walls, which are enlivened with Art Deco ornament executed in cast stone, terracotta, and metal. Brick piers, with stepped, foliated capitals, divide the upper two stories into five bays on the primary (west) elevation and six bays on the north elevation. The street level bays feature floor to ceiling glazed display windows, with a store entry in the central bay on the west and a building entry in the penultimate bay on the north. Unique showcase windows on the second story west elevation project from the façade and are banded by panels of carved sunbursts, scrolls, and other swirling designs. The panels continue on the north elevation, where the second story windows are flush with the wall. Framed by reeded jambs, single third floor windows are centered in each bay. A decoratively carved parapet molding caps the building. The design of the public elevations of the building retains a great deal of integrity; visible alterations include temporary boarding of the southern two street level bays and roof structures installed for cellular and microwave equipment. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: The Horton’s Furniture Building was erected in 1929-1930, replacing several existing stores as part of an entire block face of new “modernistic” designed structures. Allen Ruoff, a Santa Ana architect who was also active elsewhere in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, was the designer of the $81,000 building. J. C. Horton constructed the building for his furniture store; the store remained open through at least 1980. RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic Preservation.) (HP 6) 1-3 story Commercial Building Page 3 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Main 517 N (Horton’s Furniture) 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 (Thomas, 8:1). The early 1900s witnessed the construction of many new business blocks or remodels along Fourth and adjacent streets, and by the 1920s Santa Ana’s downtown had expanded in all directions to include both commercial and civic development. By the late 1920s and early 1930s more modern architectural styles had come into vogue, including the Art Deco and Streamline Moderne. Several new buildings were constructed in this style, and after the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake, many other buildings were remodeled to these styles. The Horton’s Furniture Building is architecturally significant as one of the best examples of Art Deco commercial architecture in downtown Santa Ana. The building retains a high degree of integrity, and displays the characteristics typical of the style including a vertical design emphasis; decoratively carved pier capitals, window spandrels, and parapet moldings; and reeded window surrounds. It is also noteworthy for its connection with Allen Ruoff (1894-1945), the architect of several homes in Orange County and several buildings in Los Angeles (including the Kappa Sigma Fraternity House at U.C.L.A. in 1929). Historically, the building is significant for its long-time association with Horton’s Furniture Company, and as the anchor of the rebuilding of this block of Main Street. Due to the remarkable integrity of this resource, most exterior features are considered to be character defining and should be preserved. They include, but are not limited to: exterior finishes; bay divisions articulated by piers; original fenestration; carved ornamentation; and window surrounds. 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. The property is included in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property and has been categorized as “Key” because it has a “distinctive architectural style and quality” and “is characteristic of a significant period in the history of the City of Santa Ana” (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2(2)). OWNER AND ADDRESS: Page 4 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Main 517 N (Horton’s Furniture) 7/23/01 RECORDED BY: (Name, affiliation, and address) Leslie J. Heumann Science Applications International Corporation 35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 204, Pasadena, CA 91105 DATE RECORDED: July 3, 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 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. 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 J. Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: July 3, 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.