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HomeMy WebLinkAbout030807_Template-RobertsonHouse_2473NHeliotrope.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 _4_ Resource name(s) or number (assigned by recorder) Robertson House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad Date: *c. Address 2473 North Heliotrope Drive City Santa Ana Zip 92706 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number: 002-064-36; N TR 754 Lot: 28 *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) This two-story residence, with stylistic features associated with both the Craftsman and Colonial Revival styles, retains the appearance of an early twentieth century farmhouse. The building is topped by a side-gabled roof detailed with slightly extended bargeboards and exposed rafters and braces. Wide shiplap siding sheathes the building. A nearly symmetrical façade is spanned by a porch with a hipped roof. Brackets punctuate the eaves of the porch. Three porch bays are defined by Tuscan columns flanking the central, entry bay and siding-covered piers at each end. A closed railing encloses the porch space. The front door is offset to the right (northeast) and features dark wood panels topped by an art glass window. A single, double-hung sash window flanks the door to the right while a large tripartite opening is located to the left. Above the porch, the upper story façade fenestration consists of two, widely spaced, one-over-one double-hung sash windows adorned with shutters featuring tree-shaped cut-outs. Brick is used as a secondary material, for the shallow porch stairs and for an attached chimney on the southwest elevation. The chimney, which may have been rebuilt, pierces the roof of a gabled second story bay. Well-maintained and neatly landscaped, the house appears substantially original on the exterior. *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 January 2003 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic Circa 1905 *P7. Owner and Address: Willian A. & Phyllis A. Smith 2473 North Heliotrope Santa Ana, CA 92706 *P8. Recorded by: Leslie J. Heumann SAIC 35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204 Pasadena, CA 91105 *P9. Date Recorded: January 27, 2003 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive Survey Update *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”) California Department of Transportation, Broadway Overcrossing Historic Property Survey, March 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 4 *NRHP Status Code_2D1_________________________ *Resource Name or #: Robertson House B1. Historic Name: Robertson House B2. Common Name: Same B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: Bungalow/Craftsman, Colonial Revival *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed circa 1905. August 25, 1931. Repairs. March 20, 1953. Alteration within residence. May 6, 1963. Fireplace. August 6, 1964. Swimming pool. March 14, 1988. Partition walls, add drywall (remodel kitchen). (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 4.) *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: None. B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme Residential Architecture Area Santa Ana Period of Significance: circa 1888-1953 Property Type: Single-family Residence Applicable Criteria: A, C (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity) The Robertson House is historically significant as the original farmhouse in the North Broadway Park section of the Floral Park neighborhood. It appears to have been constructed around 1905, for Thomas Marion Robertson and his wife Blanche. Formerly a harness maker with his business located at 224 West Fourth Street, Robertson became a rancher on the property whose address was noted in the city directories as the west side of North Hannah (the former name of Flower Street). The Robertsons occupied their ranch together through 1920. Sometime between then and 1925, Mr. Robertson passed away. His widow continued to live on the ranch until 1930, witnessing the 1923 subdivision of North Broadway Park, the creation of Heliotrope Drive, and the construction of 26 new houses on the street by 1930. (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 4 of 4.) B13. Remarks: *B14. Evaluator: Leslie J. Heumann *Date of Evaluation: January 27, 2003 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) ROBERTSON HOUSE 2473 NORTH HELIOTROPE DRIVE 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) Robertson House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date May 25, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update DPR 523L *B6.Construction History (continued): March 18, 1988. Redwood gate. January 9, 1989. Drywall existing family room. March 1, 1989. Remove plaster walls and ceiling and replace with gypsum board. May 10, 1990. Reroof. *B10. Significance (continued): The Robertson House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West Seventeenth Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados, and walnuts and widely scattered ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897-1981), credited as the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in 1922 (Talbert, pages 353-356). “Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that month, he began building custom homes in Santa Ana” (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. “When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each” (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s and Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled Old Santa Ana City Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War II, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he had helped to create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue. In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral Park. An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa Clara Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell’s own large, Colonial Revival mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post World War II years, Floral Park continued its development as numerous, smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style. In the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2003) Floral Park maintains its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens. The Robertson House has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributor to a North Broadway Park historic district that is bounded by Riverside Drive, Santa Clara Avenue, North Broadway, and North Flower Street. Comprising the northern end of the Floral Park neighborhood, North Broadway Park was subdivided in 1923. The Robertson House appears to be the only ranch house in North Broadway Park and is one of two residences (the other is 541 West Santa Clara Avenue) that pre-date the subdivision. The Keeper of the National Register found that: “North Broadway Park reflects the City Beautiful planning movement in Southern California during the early twentieth century. The vernacular adaptations of period revival styles, curvilinear street patterns, street furniture, and landscape combine to create a cohesive and pleasant middle class suburban neighborhood environment which is unique in the early historical development of the city of Santa Ana.”1 Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the Robertson House has been listed in the California Register. It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 7, as an intact and representative example of a building connected with a use which was once common, but is now rare. For most of its first fifty years, the outlying areas of Santa Ana were agricultural, with farmhouses such as the Robertson House dotting a landscape of cultivated fields and orchards. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Landmark” for its historical/cultural significance to the City of Santa Ana as an original farmhouse. All original and restored exterior features of the Robertson House are considered character defining and should be preserved. These features include, but may not be limited to: sheathing (shiplap); roof configuration and detailing; massing; original windows and doors; porch; and architectural details such as exposed braces and rafter tails and porch supports. 1 Determination of Eligibility, February 25, 1980. State of California  The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 4_ of 4_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Robertson House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date May 25, 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. “Alison Honer Dies at 84,” The Santa Ana Journal, September 21, 1981. “Builder of Honer Plaza Dies,” Orange County Register, September 15, 1981. “History of Floral Park.” http://www.floral-park.com/page2.html Talbert, Thomas (editor-in-chief). Historical Volume and Reference Works Including Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens, Volume I. Whittier, Historical Publishers, 1963. Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. 1921. Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1905-1934.