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HomeMy WebLinkAbout010703_Template-RamonaBldg_118WFifth.pdfPage 1 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fifth 118 W (Ramona Bldg) 7/20/01 NAME Ramona Building REF. NO. 191 ADDRESS 118-120 West Fifth Street * CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1922 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key HISTORIC DISTRICT Downtown Santa Ana NEIGHBORHOOD N/A NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R ¼ of ¼ of Sec : B.M. Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Italian Renaissance (Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals) 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. * See construction history Page 2 of 4 cm\historic\templates\Fifth 118 W (Ramona Bldg) 7/20/01 CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations) Note: Historically, this building also included the addresses 421-431 North Sycamore Street. 118-120 West Fifth: July 1922: Business block. January 1923: Finish 2nd floor for business building. January 26, 1981: Add new mezzanine & bring to code. December 19, 1981: Tenant improvement, foundation only. January 19, 1982: Seismic remodel. February 1, 1982: Office partitions in basement. May 11, 1982: Interior offices. July 15, 1982: Alter existing 2nd floor offices. 120 West Fifth: April 6, 1984: Roof repair, fire damage repair. June 18, 1985: Seismic, mezzanine additions. August 21, 1985: Rehab building. September 23, 1985: Exterior historic rehab, alter interior. October 5, 1987: Tenant improvement (1st floor). 421-429 North Sycamore Street: January 25, 1927: Alterations. August 28, 1973: Interior partitions & openings for Banco del Pueblo. April 25, 1978: Close door way, install front door. May 19, 1978: Interior partitions. 425 North Sycamore Street: July 15, 1935: Alterations. 421-431 North Sycamore Street: October 30, 1978: Remodel restaurant. 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 two-story commercial building is located on the southeast corner of Sycamore and Fifth Streets. Of wire-cut brick construction, the building is divided into five equally sized bays on the west (Sycamore Street) elevation and another five bays plus a smaller entry bay on the north (Fifth Street) elevation. A belt course bands the facades between stories while a denticulated frieze, picked out in contrasting color brick, circles the top of the building. Piers with triangular caps define the bay divisions on the upper story. Small pedestals above the piers and raised parapet above the north entry bay characterize the roofline. Each second floor bay contains a pair of one-over-one double-hung sash windows topped by a spandrel panel outlined in contrasting brick. Ground floor bays contain glazed display windows set over solid bulkheads and topped by bands of transom windows. Storefront entries are either recessed, double, glazed doors with transoms or offset single doors. An ornamental terracotta surround articulates the northern entry to the upstairs offices. Damaged by a fire in 1984, the building has been rehabilitated to an appropriate historic appearance. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS: The Ramona Building was built in 1922 on the site of the Fashion Stables and Livery (1915) for L. D. Mercereau. W. W. Kays was the architect of the combination retail and office structure, which was constructed at a cost of $45,000. An additional $15,000 was spent in 1923 to finish the building. Early tenants of the building included Remington Typewriters, Federal Finance, and W. C. Nelty Dry Goods. Subsequent occupants included the Shafer Music Company and the Irvine Company (Thomas, 7:22; Les). 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\Fifth 118 W (Ramona Bldg) 7/20/01 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. The Ramona Building is architecturally significant as a representative example of early 20th century Italian Renaissance Revival influenced commercial architecture in downtown Santa Ana. The building has been rehabilitated to a high degree of integrity, and displays the characteristics typical of the style including dark brown brick walls with contrasting brick trim, a suggestion of classical building elements such as piers and friezes, and glazed storefronts. Character-defining exterior features of the building, which should be retained, include but are not limited to: exterior finishes; parapet; bay divisions articulated by piers; fenestration; storefronts; and ornamental features. 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\Fifth 118 W (Ramona Bldg) 7/20/01 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. 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) 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.