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cm\historic\templates\Fourth 108 W (SA Hardware Co Bldg)
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NAME Santa Ana Hardware Company Building REF. NO. 197
ADDRESS 108 West Fourth Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1887/1928 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Contributive
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Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted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.
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CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
110: May 8, 1919. Enlarge office (E. S. Gilbert, owner).
110: May 23, 1919. Alter store (Vandermast & Son).
August 1923. Alterations (W. A. Huff).
108-110: June 28, 1928. Alterations.
August 23, 1932. Alterations.
106-110: September 7, 1932. Reroof.
108-110: April 5, 1933. Repair earthquake damage.
October 9 & 18, 1943. Reroof (1st National Bank).
108: June 29, 1948. Alterations to store building (Dr. Stanley
Chambers).
August 1, 1950. Alteration to business building (Fred
Newcomb).
August 25, 1982. Seismic and architectural rehab.
October 6, 1982. Seismic and Architectural rehab.
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.)
The Santa Ana Hardware Company Building at 108 West Fourth Street is the eastern quarter of 108-114 West Fourth Street; three
separate buildings united under one façade in 1928. Of brick construction, the two-story buildings display a plastered Renaissance
Revival design on the upper stories and characteristic glazed storefronts on the street level. The façade is symmetrical in design, with
pilasters dividing each of the four sections of the upper story into three bays. Standing on the stringcourse, which divides the first and
second stories, the pilasters have molded capitals. Each bay contains a single one-over-one double-hung sash window, the central one
distinguished by greater size and a header of radiating blocks accented by an ornamented keystone. Above the windows and pilasters,
a plain frieze is punctuated by quatrefoil blocks above every fourth pilaster, marking the four divisions of the building. A solid
parapet tops a molded cornice, with pedestals marking the locations of the pilasters. At the street level, the altered storefront is glazed
and banded by a transom. In 1982-83, 110-114 West Fourth were uncovered to reveal the façade that matches the 108 West Fourth
Street façade.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
According to previous research, this is the remaining half of the Titchenal Block, built in 1885-87. The eastern half was removed
when the First National Bank was constructed in 1923. In 1928 a single façade was constructed over this building and the two 1887
buildings to the west of it (Thomas, 7:9). From 1904 until 1930, the Santa Ana Hardware Company, run by C. S. Kendall, occupied
this space. Subsequently, the K. B. Drug Company was located at this address. For much of the second half of the 20th century,
Newcomb’s Shoe Store operated from the street level storefront (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
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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 saw 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. This era witnessed the
addition of new Italian Renaissance Revival influenced façades to many of the original Victorian era improvements.
The Santa Ana Hardware Company Building is significant as an example of the architectural upgrading of Fourth Street, which took
place during the 1920s, and historically noteworthy as one of the remaining 19th century buildings still extant downtown. The
Victorian era construction is still apparent in the utilitarian southern elevation. Character-defining exterior features of the property,
which should be preserved, include but may not be limited to: original and 1928 exterior finishes; bay divisions, including pilasters;
original and 1928 fenestration; parapet; and storefront 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 “Contributive” for its contribution to
“the overall character and history” of downtown Santa Ana and as a “good example of period architecture” that “has not been
substantially altered” (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2(2)).
OWNER AND ADDRESS:
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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.