HomeMy WebLinkAbout010703_Template-McFaddenPublicMkt_515NMain.pdfPage 1 of 4
cm\historic\templates\Main 515 N (McFadden Public Mkt)
7/23/01
NAME McFadden Public Market REF. NO. 178
ADDRESS 515 North Main Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT pre 1919/1930 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD N/A
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, B,
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Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted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
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.
Page 2 of 4
cm\historic\templates\Main 515 N (McFadden Public Mkt)
7/23/01
CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
August 14, 1919? [illegible]. Alter store.
April 5, 1920. Office repair.
November 1921. Alterations.
March 1922. Build courts and repair.
September 5, 1924. Alterations.
August 15, 1925. Store room.
December 3, 1930. Alterations.
May 18, 1931. Alterations.
March 15, 1933. General repairs to building.
August 30, 1935. Alterations.
August 13, 1941. Alterations to store building.
June 15, 1949. Alterations and repair to store.
June 1, 1956. Alteration to business building.
October 1, 1981. Demo and removal of interior improvements.
April 2, 1982. Seismic remodel and restoration.
July 28, 1983. Tenant improvement.
November 18, 1983. Interior alterations (restaurant).
December 6, 1984. Tenant improvements (2nd floor).
June 27, 1986. New glass storefront.
March 11, 1988. Tenant improvement (ceiling and walls).
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 mid-block on the east side of Main Street, this is a two-story commercial building whose Spanish Colonial Revival styling
dates to a 1930 façade remodel. The whitewashed brick building is three bays wide and is topped by an overhanging tiled shed roof.
Wrought iron brackets support the overhang. Identical arched openings, detailed with impost moldings, define the street level bays.
The central opening provides access to an arcade that extends through the building and is lined with shops on either side. A balcony
extends across the second story elevation; it has been enclosed with glazing. Other characteristic features include a heavy wooden
beam that spans the balcony and wrought iron lanterns that illuminate the arcade entry. Other than the enclosure of the balcony, the
1930 façade appears to be largely unaltered.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
According to the building permit record, this building was constructed prior to 1919, the presumed date of the earliest recorded
permit. It was owned by Robert McFadden, who, along with his brothers and sister, was one of the pioneers of Santa Ana. In 1868
Robert and James McFadden acquired 4,000 acres of Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, most of which is located in the southern portion
of the current city of Santa Ana. They were farmers, who branched into lumber and importing, establishing the Newport Wharf and
Lumber Company in Santa Ana. To connect their wharf and the lumberyard, the brothers organized the Santa Ana and Newport
Railway in 1891, which eventually became part of the Southern Pacific network (Marsh, 54-55, 74-75). Mrs. Robert McFadden spent
$14,000 to renovate this building in 1930, pushing the façade back to be even with the Horton’s Furniture Building to the north and
the Syndicate (Sears-Roebuck) Building to the south, and to accommodate the widening of Main Street. The present Spanish Colonial
Revival design of the façade dates to the 1930 improvements.
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 515 N (McFadden Public Mkt)
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 the adjacent streets, and by the
1920s Santa Ana’s downtown had expanded in all directions to include both commercial and civic development. The California style
of living evidenced itself in the abundance of Spanish Colonial Revival style buildings, which were commonly built during the 1920s
and early 1930s.
The McFadden Public Market is architecturally significant as a good example of the Spanish Colonial Revival, displaying the arched
openings and construction materials of that style. The arcade element is a particularly noteworthy component of the building. In
addition, the building possesses historical interest for its association with Robert McFadden, a prominent early landowner,
businessman, and citizen of Santa Ana.
Character-defining exterior features of the McFadden Public Market, which should be preserved, include but are not limited to: brick
walls; overhanging shed roof; red clay tile roof cladding; roof brackets; arched openings; wrought iron lighting; original fenestration;
and the arcade configuration.
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 “is characteristic of
a significant period in the history of Santa Ana” and “is associated with a significant person in the City of Santa Ana” (Municipal
Code, Section 30-2.2(2)).
OWNER AND ADDRESS:
Page 4 of 4
cm\historic\templates\Main 515 N (McFadden Public Mkt)
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.
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.
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.
B: that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past.
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.