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HomeMy WebLinkAbout030202_Template-BorchardHouse_1617EFourth.pdfState of California  The Resources Agency Primary #______________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #__________________________________________________ PRIMARY RECORD Trinomial______________________________________________ NRHP Status Code_____________________________________ Other Listings_____________________________________________________________________ Review Code________ Reviewer________________________ Date_______________ Page _1_ of _3_ Resource name(s) or number (assigned by recorder) Borchard House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 2555 Date: *c. Address 1617 East Fourth Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-401-24; FINLEY HOME TR LOT 2 POR OF LOT AND LOT 3 AND POR OF LOTS 4, 11,12, & 13. *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) Deeply set back from the north side of East Fourth Street, this is a two-story residence in the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Rectangular in plan, the stucco-covered building is capped by a tiled hip roof. A pair of belt courses circles the building, giving the lower story added prominence by its greater height. The façade consists of five bays, the central three of which form a nearly symmetrical composition around a central entry. Four steps, flanked by pedestals carrying lampposts, lead up to an arched opening defined by archivolts and a keystone. The walls of the barrel-vaulted vestibule are finished to resemble dressed masonry. A wrought iron grille containing the letter “B” embellishes the round-headed oak door. Shading the entry, a second story ironwork balcony sits on the keystone and two corbels. Three arched French doors, separated by spiraled columns, open onto the balcony. The arched theme continues on the lower story east bay, where three pairs of French doors are adorned with balconets. Most other openings are one-over-one double-hung sash in type, arranged in widely spaced pairs. The westernmost bay contains a porte cochere, through whose segmental arched opening a one-story garage and guest house, stucco-sided and tile-roofed, can be glimpsed. A curved driveway leads to the porte cochere. On the east, a (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.) *P3b. Resource Attributes: (list attributes and codes) HP2. Single-family Property *P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other P5b. Photo: (view and date) South elevation November 2002 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic 1924/ Source: Building Permit *P7. Owners and Address: Vincent F. Sarmiento, Eva Casas- Sarmiento and Irma Sarmiento 224 East Third Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 *P8. Recorded by: Leslie J. Heumann SAIC 35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204 Pasadena, CA 91105 *P9. Date Recorded: January 2, 2003 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive Survey Update *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”) Les, Kathleen. “Historic Resources Inventory 1617 E. Fourth Street,” December 1979. *Attachments: None Location Map Sketch Map Continuation Sheet Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (list) DPR 523A (1/95) *Required information P5a. Photo State of California  The Resources Agency Primary #__________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#______________________________________________ BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD Page 2 of 3 *NRHP Status Code_3S__________________________ *Resource Name or #: Borchard House B1. Historic Name: Borchard House B2. Common Name: Borchard-Dixon-Bassett House B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Offices *B5. Architectural Style: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1924. September 3, 1924. Residence and garage. (Note: no other building permits were found.) *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: Garage/guest house, original concrete driveway, pergola, mature trees and landscaping including palms, entry light standards. B9a. Architect: Frederick Eley b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme Residential Architecture Area Santa Ana Period of Significance: circa 1880-1946 Property Type: Single-family Residence Applicable Criteria: B, C (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity) The Borchard House is architecturally significant for its elegant and highly intact design by renowned Santa Ana architect Frederick Eley. It is also notable for its historic association with three prominent Santa Ana families. According to the building permit, the house was constructed in 1924 at a cost of $30,000, a substantial sum of money at the time. Leo and Marie Borchard, a prosperous ranching and investment family, were the original owners. Leo Borchard was the eldest of a family of five brothers and sisters whose father, Casper, was a successful farmer in Ventura County. Leo Borchard came to the Santa Ana vicinity in 1900, and with his brother Frank became a major landholder, farming over 2,000 acres, the majority of which was in the Santa Ana area. The Borchards were well-known not only for their acreage, but also for their innovative and early use of tractors in farming, for their widespread road-building and drainage work, and for the raising of Norman-Percheron horses and mules. During the Depression, the Borchards sold the estate to Dr. and Mrs. Winfield E. Dixon. Dr. Dixon (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.) B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes) *B12. References: City of Santa Ana Building Permits Santa Ana History Room Collection, Santa Ana Public Library (1977 Cultural Heritage Committee research & 1985 Historical Landmarks Inventory Form) Sanborn Maps (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.) B13. Remarks: *B14. Evaluator: Leslie J. Heumann *Date of Evaluation: January 2, 2003 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) Borchard House 1617 East Fourth Street State of California  The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 3_ of 3_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Borchard House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann *Date January 2, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update DPR 523L *P3a. Description (continued): one-story wing is topped by a balcony. The front lawn is accented by a pair of palm trees and other mature plantings. In the rear, a portion of an original pergola stands at the northeast corner of the property. Although the house has been converted into offices, it appears to be unchanged on the exterior. *B10. Significance (continued): practiced from his home and also served on the City Council in 1942-1943. In 1955, the residence was purchased by G. Willard and Hazel Bassett, who utilized the property as a home and music school. Willard Bassett was also the director of music at the United Presbyterian Church in Santa Ana. Mr. Bassett, a respected voice instructor and soloist, died in 1973, after which Mrs. Bassett, also a soloist, and her son Ralph continued to occupy the property and teach music (Les, 1979). By 1992, the house had been converted into offices for Continental Dental Plan. The Borchard House is located on East Fourth Street, several blocks east of downtown. This area, on the outskirts of town at the time the house was constructed, offered generously sized lots well suited to the substantial massing of this 4,600 square foot, ten-room residence. Showcasing Frederick Eley’s mature style, the house was constructed concurrently with the Santa Ana Ebell and YMCA Clubhouses, also exercises in Spanish-Mediterranean design. Eley, born and educated in England, arrived in southern California in 1907 after spending a few years in Canada. He settled in Santa Ana and opened an office in 1911, quickly establishing a reputation for residential and school design throughout Orange County. Other key commissions included churches and government buildings. From 1911 until he left Santa Ana in 1937, but particularly from the mid Teens through the mid Twenties, Eley was Santa Ana’s foremost architect. The Borchard House offered an opportunity to design a home on a generous budget, and the gracefully designed exterior, incorporating elements culled from the Italian Renaissance Revival, and lavishly appointed interior featuring a generous use of wood, is a particularly notable survivor of Eley’s distinguished career. Other interior highlights included a living room fireplace, tiled from hearth to ceiling, decorative ceiling treatments, elaborate crown moldings, leaded glass pocket doors, and a built-in sideboard. Equally impressive, the grounds incorporated formal gardens whose highlights included a pergola and a rose garden containing some 200 specimens. The Borchard House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 2 as the work of a notable architect whose style influenced the City’s architectural development. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Landmark” for its unique architectural quality as a highly intact and finely detailed example of Eley’s interpretation of the Spanish Colonial Revival style applied to a large residential commission. All original exterior features of the Borchard House are considered character-defining and should be preserved, including, but not limited to: materials and finishes; roof configuration, materials, and detailing; massing; entry configuration and detailing; porte cochere; windows, doors, and balconies; architectural details such as columns; corbels, archivolt, and wrought ironwork; garage/guest house; and original landscape features such as the pergola, driveway, palm trees and other mature trees. *B12. References (continued): 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 Dept. of the Interior, 1991. Office of Historic Preservation. “Instructions for Recording Historical Resources.” Sacramento: March 1995. Richardson, Robert. Orange County’s Pioneer Architect: Frederick Eley. Santa Ana, Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society, 2002. Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969. Pleasants, Mrs. J. E. History of Orange County. Biographical. Volume III. Los Angeles, J. R. Finnell & Sons, 1931. Santa Ana City Directory, 1926, 1930.