HomeMy WebLinkAbout021025_ExecutiveSummary-CooperHouse_801NMinter.pdfcm\historic\templates\Minter N 801 ES (Cooper House)
4/17/02
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
COOPER HOUSE
801 North Minter Street Unit A and Unit B
Santa Ana, CA 92701
NAME Cooper House REF. NO.
ADDRESS 801 North Minter Street Unit A and Unit B
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1900 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Landmark
HISTORIC DISTRICT French Park NEIGHBORHOOD French Park
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Colonial Revival, Queen Anne (Late Victorian)
The most universal of all American domestic building styles, the Colonial Revival has been popular since the 1876 Centennial
celebration in Philadelphia stimulated a patriotic interest in the American architectural past. Whether drawing upon Georgian,
Federal, or Dutch Colonial prototypes, Colonial Revival buildings feature rectangular building plans and designs which are usually
symmetrical, or at least highly regular and balanced, in composition. Roofs are commonly side-gabled, hipped, or gambreled,
sometimes accented with dormers. Porches, one or two stories in height, are often included, mostly as central focal points, and
frequently incorporate classical elements such as columns, pilasters, and entablatures. Doorways are adorned with classical surrounds
and pediments; sidelights, transoms, and fanlights are not uncommon. Windows are typically double-hung sash, with multiple lights
in the upper sash. French doors and Palladian windows are also utilized. Depending on location, Colonial Revival buildings have
wood, brick, or stucco exteriors (McAlester, 320-326).
The Queen Anne (Late Victorian) (also known as the Queen Anne Revival) dominated residential architectural design during the last
twenty years of the nineteenth century in the West, and was nearly as influential on early commercial buildings. Identifying features
include the front-facing gable roof; ornate decoration of wood or metal along the eave and in the gable end; avoidance of flat wall
surfaces through the use of applied ornamentation of wood or metal; and classical columns or pilasters. Multi-storied residential and
commercial examples often incorporated bay windows, sometimes topped with towers. The style borrowed heavily from late
Medieval models, with the addition of other regional interpretations. Some of the most well-developed examples can be found in
California and in the southern states (McAlester, 263-268).
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
The Cooper House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as a contributor to the French Park Historic District.
Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the California
Register. It is also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 1, as representative of the
characteristic elements of the Colonial Revival style with the surface complexity and wooden ornamentation of the Queen Anne, and
under Criterion 4b, for its association with Cooper, a prominent citizen of Santa Ana. Additionally, the Cooper House has been
categorized as “Landmark” because it “is on the national register,” “is on the state register,” and “has a unique architectural
significance” as a vernacular blending of a Colonial Revival style building with Queen Anne (Late Victorian) elements of the early
twentieth century (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2).
cm\historic\templates\Minter N 801 ES (Cooper House)
4/17/02
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.