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cm\historic\Baker N 804 (Duhart House)
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NAME Duhart House REF. NO. 49
ADDRESS 804 North Baker Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92703 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT Circa 1890 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD Washington Square
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, B,
C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 4S2
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
USGS 7.5” Quad Date: T R ¼ of ¼ of Sec : B.M.
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Queen Anne (Late Victorian)
DESCRIPTION/BACKGROUND RELATED TO PERIOD ARCHITECTURE:
The Queen Anne (Late Victorian) (also known as the Queen Anne Revival) dominated residential architectural design during the last
20 years of the 19th century in the West, and was nearly as influential on early commercial buildings. Identifying features include the
front-facing gable roof, ornate decoration of wood or metal along the eave and in the gable end, avoidance of flat wall surfaces
through the use of applied ornamentation of wood or metal, and classical columns or pilasters. Multi-storied residential and
commercial examples often incorporated bay windows, sometimes topped with towers. The style borrowed heavily from late
Medieval models, with the addition of other regional interpretations. Some of the most well developed examples can be found in
California and in the Southern states (McAlester, 263-268).
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CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
March 1923. Alter residence.
January 13, 1928. Garage and tool house.
January 4, 1939. Reroof.
October 23, 1946. New foundation under present residence.
July 2, 1947. Reroof.
March 20, 1950. Relocate garage on present lot.
July 29, 1988. Front porch restoration (wood).
RELATED FEATURES: (Other important features such as barns, sheds, fences, prominent or unusual trees, or landscape)
None.
DESCRIPTION: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, settings, and
boundaries.)
This one-story cottage is a simplified example of the cross-gabled subtype of the Queen Anne (Late Victorian) style, characterized by
a side-gabled wing bordered by a front porch and a projecting front-gabled wing. Porch detailing includes slender posts that divide
the space into two bays, elaborately carved brackets, and curvilinear balusters in the porch railing. A pent roof covers the space.
Three wooden steps lead up to the entry, which is distinguished by a lunette set over a paneled doorway within an elaborate surround.
A tall and narrow, two-over-two, double-hung sash window is centered within the porch; another is centered below the front gable.
Sheathed in shiplap siding, the building sits on a raised foundation covered with latticework. Building permits indicate the house has
been reroofed (possibly resulting in the elimination of eave detail), a new foundation constructed, and the porch restored.
Nonetheless, the design remains true to its late 19th century origins. The property also contains a one-story garage, sheathed in narrow
overlap siding and topped by a gabled roof that faces south onto Civic Drive; it was constructed after the period of significance in a
vernacular Craftsman style.
HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
According to Mrs. Luther J. Crowell (nee Henrietta Marie Duhart), who was interviewed in 1982 about her house at 804 North Baker
Street, her father, Bautista Duhart, purchased this house from Domingo Erramuspe, around 1902. Erramuspe was California born, the
son of immigrants from the Basses-Pyrenees region of France who took up sheep ranching in and around Santa Ana. Duhart was from
the same part of France and was also a sheep rancher. The four-acre parcel on which the house stood was bounded by Baker Street,
Hickey Street (later Eighth Street and now Civic Center West), and Bristol Street and was planted with walnuts, oranges, and lemons.
Bautista Duhart also owned a ranch on McClay Street, which he operated from the Baker Street property. Mrs. Crowell, who was two
years old when her family moved into the then approximately ten-year-old house, lived here for over ninety years. She was presented
with the Fall 1990 Historic Preservation Award by the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society in recognition of her efforts to
preserve the house.
RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes from Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office
of Historic Preservation.)
HP2. Single-family Property
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RESOURCES PRESENT:
Building Structure Object Site District Element of District Other
MOVED? No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location:
STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme,
period, geographic scope, and integrity.)
Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative townsite 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. Following its incorporation as a city in 1886, Santa Ana was recognized as one of the leading
communities in the area in 1889 when it became the seat of the newly created County of Orange.
The economic underpinnings of the young community were agricultural, and many residents owned or worked on the ranches that
encircled the incorporated area. The Duhart House is a remnant from this era, associated with a particular segment of the community,
which immigrated to the area from France and took up sheep ranching and farming in Southern California. The Duhart House is
historically significant as one of a handful of ranch houses remaining in an area that was once liberally dotted with them. It is also
notable for its extraordinarily long association with one family. Bautista Duhart came to California from France in 1878, initially
settling in San Juan Capistrano and purchasing his properties in Santa Ana around 1900 and 1902. His daughter, Henrietta Duhart
Crowell, was still living in the house in the 1990s. The house is also noteworthy as an example of a building type, the Queen Anne
(Late Victorian) influenced farmhouse. Character-defining exterior features of the house, which should be preserved, include but may
not be limited to: roof configuration, porch treatment (columns, brackets, and railing), siding and foundation skirting, and original
doors and windows.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
This resource is currently listed in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property. It is significant under Criterion 1 in that it embodies
the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural building period associated with a specific period of development and under
Criterion 7, as a building that was connected with a business or use that was once common and is now rare. The Duhart House has
been categorized as “Key” because it “has a distinctive architectural style and quality” as an example of the Queen Anne (Late
Victorian) Style; because it is characteristic of a significant period in the history of Santa Ana, the agricultural era; and because it is
associated with a significant person in the City, in this case, the Duhart/Crowell family, long-time residents of Santa Ana (Municipal
Code, Section 30-2.2). In addition, the property may be eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places if more research
into its association with Santa Ana’s agricultural past, specifically sheep husbandry, confirms its significance.
OWNER AND ADDRESS:
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RECORDED BY: (Name, affiliation, and address)
Leslie J. Heumann
Science Applications International Corporation
35 S. Raymond Avenue, Suite 204, Pasadena, CA 91105
DATE RECORDED: October 29, 2001
SURVEY TYPE: (Intensive, reconnaissance, or other)
Intensive Survey Update
REPORT CITATION: (Cite survey report and other sources)
City of Santa Ana. Santa Ana’s Historic Treasures.
Les, Kathleen. Historic Resources Inventory 804 Baker, May 1980.
REFERENCES: (List documents, date of publication, and page numbers. May also include oral interviews.)
Armor, Samuel. The History of Orange County With Biographical Sketches. Los Angeles:
Historic Record Company, 1921.
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.
Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
Notes from interview with Mrs. Luther J. Crowell, October 14, 1982, in the Santa Ana History Room.
EVALUATOR: Leslie J. Heumann DATE OF EVALUATION: October 29, 2001
EXPLANATION OF CODES:
• National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of
Historic Preservation)
A: that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
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)
4S2: May become eligible for separate listing in the National Register when more historical or architectural research
is performed.