HomeMy WebLinkAbout030201_ExecutiveSummary-RussellHouse_2009NVictoria.pdfEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
RUSSELL HOUSE
2009 North Victoria Drive
Santa Ana, CA 92706
NAME Russell House REF. NO.
ADDRESS 2009 North Victoria Drive
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92706 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1927 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Landmark
HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD Floral Park
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION B, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 3S
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Classical Revival/Neo-Classical Revival
The Classical Revival encompasses movements in American architecture ranging from Thomas Jefferson’s philosophical use of
classicism during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries through the sober Neoclassicism and exuberant Beaux Arts
exercises of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Stimulated by archaeological investigations and provided with further
impetus by exhibitions such as the Colombian Exposition at the Chicago World’s Fair in 1893, the style reached southern California
during the later period. In its most literal manifestations, the style was based on specific buildings of antiquity. More commonly, the
architectural vocabulary of ancient Greece and Rome was applied to contemporary building types and techniques. Identifying
features include low pitched gable or hipped roofs, sometimes hidden by solid or balustraded parapets; classical entablatures; use of
columns, capitals, and bases displaying the classical orders; front doors with sidelights and transom; elaborate door and window
surrounds; and a balanced, symmetrical appearance. Although used for a range of building types, the Classical Revival of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries was most effectively utilized for monumental public buildings, institutional buildings, and
financial institutions. The Neo-Classical subtype, when used for housing, is recognizable from its Colonial Revival counterpart,
which it resembles in all details except one, by the use of a centered, two-story portico supported by classical columns (McAlester,
341).
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
The Russell House appears eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of Historical
Resources. It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 for its embodiment of the
distinguishing characteristics of the Neo-Classical Revival style, and under Criterion 4b, for its association with Roy Russell, the
developer of North Victoria Drive. The house also contributes to the historic character of the Floral Park neighborhood through its
age, style, scale, and historic association with a prominent member of the local business community. In addition, the Russell House
has been categorized as “Landmark” because the building “appears to be eligible” to be placed on the National Register and the
California Register and “has a unique architectural significance” as a highly intact and extensively detailed example of the Neo-
Classical Revival style that contributes to the historic streetscape of North Victoria Drive (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2).
EXPLANATION OF CODES:
• National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of
Historic Preservation)
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)
3S: Appears eligible for separate listing.