Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout030403_Template-InvestmentCoBuilding_501NMain.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) Main Investment Company Building P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad Tustin TCA 2555 Date: *c. Address 501 North Main Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-321-04; SANTA ANA CITY LOT 2 BLK 18 S 49.20 FT *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) Located on the northeast corner of North Main and East Fifth Street, this is a two-story brick commercial building. Although it was constructed in 1929, numerous alterations, most significantly a $103,000 remodel in 1950 and a $200,000 interior and exterior remodeling in 1982, have left the building with little or no visible historic fabric. Topped by a flat roof, the building is characterized by the juxtaposition of vertical and horizontal bands of smooth stucco or concrete blocks against the red brick. Rows of second story windows are encased within raised stucco or concrete block frames. Ground level entries are located at the east end of the south elevation and the north end of the west elevation. Lower level windows on Main Street are unadorned while those facing Fifth Street are large and fronted by planters. The building is attached to 503-505 North Main Street on the north and backs onto a small parking lot on the east. *P3b. Resource Attributes: (list attributes and codes) HP6. 1-3 story Commercial Building *P4. Resources Present: Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other P5b. Photo: (view and date) South and west elevations July 2001 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic 1929/Source: Building permit *P7. Owner and Address: First American Title 501 North Main Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 *P8. Recorded by: Leslie J. Heumann SAIC 35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204 Pasadena, CA 91105 *P9. Date Recorded: April 3, 2003 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive Survey Update *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”) Gebhard, David. “Historic Property Survey for Santa Ana Transportation Terminal.” September 1980. Thomas, Harold M. “Downtown Santa Ana Historic District” National Register nomination form, 1984. *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_5S1_________________________ *Resource Name or #: Main Investment Company Building B1. Historic Name: Main Investment Company Building B2. Common Name: California First Bank Building B3. Original Use: Commercial B4. Present Use: Commercial *B5. Architectural Style: N/A *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1929. June 5, 1929. Wreck old building. June 12, 1929. Business building. March 30, 1933. Repair damage to building. July 27, 1937. Store front and repairs (503). (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.) *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: None. B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme Commercial Development Area Santa Ana Period of Significance: circa 1880-1946 Property Type: Commercial Building Applicable Criteria: C (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity) The Main Investment Company Building is primarily of interest for its role in maintaining the urban scale, massing, and setbacks that historically characterized downtown Santa Ana. This building was constructed in 1929, according to a June 5, 1929 building permit taken out by the Main Investment Company. The cost of the improvement, which was assigned the address 501-509 North Main Street, was $85,000. It retained the address 501-503 at least through 1949, plus 105-111 East Fifth Street, according to the Sanborn map updated that year. The map illustrated a two-story building with two storefronts facing Main Street and three fronting on Fifth Street. The Y.W.C.A. occupied the second story of the building (until the (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 Sanborn Maps (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.) B13. Remarks: *B14. Evaluator: Leslie J. Heumann *Date of Evaluation: April 3, 2003 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) Main Investment Co. Building 501 North Main 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) Main Investment Company Building *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date April 3, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update DPR 523L *B6. Construction History (continued): February 15, 1944. Reroof. May 28, 1945. Alteration to store building (503). March 12, 1946. Alteration to store front. July 25, 1950. Alterations to business building for Commercial National Bank. September 21, 1950. Alteration to offices, 2nd floor, for KVOE (503). September 12, 1955. Alteration to basement of bank building. July 10, 1957. Alteration to interior of bank. January 9, 1957 [probably 1958]. Alteration to bank building. February 16, 1959. Interior alteration for California Bank (503). August 6, 1963. Interior alteration for Bank of Tokyo. October 9, 1963. Lowering fire sprinklers below suspended ceiling for Bank of Tokyo. December 12, 1968. Interior alteration in basement; pent house. May 18, 1976. Walk up teller window by California First Bank. May 17, 1977. Upgrade building (front windows and frame) for California First Bank. April 16, 1976. Interior remodel for California First Bank. 1982-1983. Seismic rehab. June 4, 1982. Demo interior partition. June 30, 1982. Interior and exterior remodel. September 10, 1982. Fire sprinkler remodel. January 4, 1983. Stucco east wall. May 4, 1983. T-bar ceiling, build non-bearing wall, painting. August 9, 1983. Interior walls. August 3, 1988. Reconstruct sidewalk, basement waterproofing. *B10. Significance (continued): organization’s new home was constructed at 1411 North Broadway in 1950). According to the building permit records, the first use of the building by a bank occurred around 1950, when alterations were made to accommodate the Commercial National Bank. In the 1950s, the California Bank occupied the space, followed by the Bank of Tokyo in the 1960s, and the California First Bank in the 1970s. The Garrett Development Company owned the property at the time of the 1982 remodel. Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site 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 4th and the adjacent streets, and by the 1920s Santa Ana’s downtown had expanded in all directions to include both commercial and civic development. The Main Investment Company Building dates from the 1920s period of expansion, when improvements on this block of Main Street included the Art Deco styled Horton’s Furniture Company at the corner (517 North Main Street) and the renovation of the McFadden Public Market (515 North Main Street). The Main Investment Company Building (formerly known as the California First Bank Building) has been listed in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties, although it was omitted from the National Register of Historic Places Historic District in downtown Santa Ana. Additionally, the building has been categorized as “Contributive” because it “contributes to the overall character and history” of downtown Santa Ana as a building dating from 1929. It also contributes through its physical role in the historic downtown streetscape, as “a good example of period architecture” in terms of its scale, massing, and setbacks. *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. Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.