HomeMy WebLinkAbout030403_Template-OldWoolworthsBuilding_105W4th.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) Old Woolworth’s Building
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad Tustin TSA 2555 Date:
*c. Address 105-109 West Fourth Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-258-06/ SANTA ANA CITY LOT 1 BLK 14 W 31 OF LOT, AND W 31
FT LOT 4 BLK 14, AND E 24 FT LOTS 2 AND 3 BLK 14; and Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-258-07/ SANTA ANA CITY LOT 1
BLK 14 E 14.17 FT W 78.17 FT THEREOF, LOT 4 BL K 14 E 14.17 FT W 78.17 FT –EX ELY .37 FT NLY 30.29 FT- THEREOF
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
A neo-Italian Renaissance façade completed in 1983 resulted in the removal of all visible traces of the two buildings that lie
behind it. The east half of the building, formerly 105-107 West Fourth Street, was a two-story brick structure, with an ornate
cornice, according to a photograph dating to the 1920s. The lower story in the photograph is hidden by an awning; however,
a 1980 image shows two remodeled storefronts at street level. The second story in the earlier picture contains four, tall,
double-hung sash windows arranged in an A-B-A scheme, with the central bay containing two windows and the side bays
single windows. This level was hidden by a blank wall in 1980. The west half of the building, formerly 109-111 West Fourth
Street, was also a two story brick structure with an ornate cornice that stood somewhat taller than that of its neighbor. The
appearance of this building in the 1920s cannot be discerned with certainty from the early photograph; however, a 1980
picture illustrates two storefronts and a smaller opening, probably to the upper story, at ground level. The upper floor was
fenestrated in an A-B-A scheme on the west and an A-B-B scheme on the east. The current, stucco-finished façade consists
of five identical bays divided by shallowly raised piers, with storefronts set within Palladian arches on the street level and
paired, arched windows on the upper story. Belt courses delineate plain friezes above each floor.
*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 elevation
March 2003
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: historic
Circa 1885/Source: Les, 1980.
*P7. Owner and Address:
P & B
372 Peralta Hills
Anaheim, CA 92807
*P8. Recorded by:
Leslie J. Heumann
SAIC
35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204
Pasadena, CA 91105
*P9. Date Recorded:
April 2, 2003
*P10. Survey Type:
Intensive Survey Update
*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey
report and other sources, or enter “none”)
Les, Kathleen. “Fourth Street
Commercial Core District,” Historic Resources Inventory, May 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 4 *NRHP Status Code_5S1 _________________________
*Resource Name or #: Old Woolworth’s Building
B1. Historic Name: Old Woolworth’s Building
B2. Common Name: Same
B3. Original Use: Commercial B4. Present Use: Commercial
*B5. Architectural Style: N/A
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed circa 1885.
105-107:
March 14, 1933. Demolish & reconstruct in safe manner ($1,000).
August 7, 1936. Excavate basement (410-412 North Main Street).
August 7, 1936. Remodel building by Woolworth Company.
June 1, 1953. Remodel store building for Owl Drug. Company.
March 20, 1956. Alter within business building for Hartfield.
(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: A
(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity)
The Old Woolworth’s Building is of historic interest as the original location of a former downtown institution: the F. W.
Woolworth’s Five and Ten Cent Store. The Woolworth’s chain was founded in 1879 by New Yorker Frank Winfield
Woolworth with the successful opening of a store in Lancaster, Pennsylvania following a failed attempt in Utica, New York.
After a few stumbles, Woolworth branched out, opening several stores along the eastern seaboard, all devoted to the sale of
items costing no more than a nickel or a dime. By 1900, fifty-five stores had opened. In 1905, the business incorporated and
(See Continuation Sheet 3 of 4.)
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 4.)
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Leslie J. Heumann
*Date of Evaluation: April 3, 2002
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
Sketch Map
(This space reserved for official comments.)
Old Woolworth’s
105-109 West Fourth Street
State of California The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________
Page 3_ of 4_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Old Woolworth’s Building
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date April 2, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update
DPR 523L
*B6. Construction History (continued):
105-107, continued:
July 12, 1957. Remove partition.
February 24, 1975. Conservation letter.
September 30, 1975. Rehabilitation completed.
June 17, 1976. Remove existing show window.
July 19, 1976. Cut new doorway between stores (107-109).
May 19, 1982. Alter existing building (earthquake reduction) (107 & 109).
109:
February 25, 1920. Skylight to store.
May 1923. Alter business block.
February 13, 1930. Alterations.
April 5, 1933. Repair earthquake damage.
March 2, 1936. Alterations to business building.
March 19, 1946. Alteration to store building.
January 4, 1951. Alterations to store.
July 7, 1960. Replace wood railing with iron railing.
July 19, 1976. Cut new door between stores.
May 19, 1982. Alteration for earthquake reduct.
December 14, 1983. Alterations.
February 7, 1984. Interior partitions, 2nd floor.
October 3, 1994. Repair exterior stairway between 109 & 111.
111:
July 24, 1926. Mezzanine floor.
February 8, 1928. Alterations, cellar & store room.
January 14, 1937. Remodel store front.
*B10. Significance (continued):
went public, and in 1913, Woolworth built what was then the tallest building in the world in New York City. The 1,000th store
opened in 1918 on Fifth Avenue in New York. At its peak, the chain included over 2,000 stores and had spread to several
foreign countries. Reflecting on its success on its fiftieth anniversary, the company noted that: “Through the humble agency
of nickels and dimes the F. W. Woolworth Co. has multiplied the possibilities of home-beauty and home-efficiency and has
extended the standards of living in a score of directions” (F. W. Woolworth Co., “ 1879-1929: Fifty Years of Woolworth”).
Woolworth’s opened its Santa Ana branch, the first in Orange County, in 1917, moving into the circa 1885 building that had
been the home of Rankin’s Dry Goods Store from 1900 to 1917 (105 West Fourth Street). Santa Ana had been 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.
During the years between the two World Wars, the Santa Ana Woolworth’s store flourished, popular not only for its well-
priced and varied merchandise but also for its lunch counter. In 1953, the store left this location, building a larger, more
modern facility a block to the west, on the northwest corner of Fourth Street and Sycamore. The Santa Ana Woolworth’s
closed in 1992, the victim of changing times and retailing trends. Woolworth’s closed its last store nationwide in 1998.
The Old Woolworth’s 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 through its
historic association with an important Santa Ana business. As a building dating from circa 1885, it also contributes through
its physical role as part of the historic streetscape of Fourth Street and is “a good example of period architecture” as an
example of Fourth Street storefront configuration.
State of California The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________
CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________
Page 3_ of 4_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Old Woolworth’s Building
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date April 2, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update
DPR 523L
*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.
“O.C. Era Ends as Woolworth’s Shuts Its Doors.” Los Angeles Times, January 25, 1992.
“F. W. Woolworth Slates Opening of New Santa Ana Store Tomorrow.” (unsourced clipping in Santa Ana History Room
pamphlet file dated March 11, 1953).
http://www.thewoolworths.com/FWWoolworth.html
“Frank W. Woolworth.” http://www.geocities.com/wjackwjack/geopage6.html