HomeMy WebLinkAbout031209_Template-OBrienHouse_1102SBirch.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) O’Brien House
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1667 Date:
*c. Address 1102 South Birch Street City Santa Ana Zip 92707
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 013-141-08 TR 921 LOT 1, AND N 5 FT LOT 2
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
Located on the southwest corner of South Birch Street and McFadden Avenue, this is a one-story residence whose Colonial
Revival design dates it to the early 1920s. With its primary elevation facing east to Birch Street, the building is side-gabled
and symmetrical. Medium clapboard sheathes the structure, which rests on a foundation faced with art stone. Centered on
the façade, the entry portico is defined by an open front gable supported by paired Tuscan columns. Concrete stairs rise to
the porch, an unrailed platform which extends to either side of the entry. Tripartite windows overlook the porch. On the north
elevation, a secondary entry is announced by a Craftsman style pergola. Art stone chimneys are attached to both the north
and south elevations. A front-gabled garage is located in the rear of the property, facing McFadden Avenue. The property
has been rehabilitated, and the paneled front door and simple wrought iron fence are recent but compatible additions. In
excellent condition, the house appears to retain substantial design integrity 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)
East elevation
September 2003
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: historic
Circa 1921/ Source: Santa Ana and
Orange County City Directories
*P7. Owner and Address:
Pedro and Maria Gomez
1102 South Birch Street
Santa Ana, CA 92707
*P8. Recorded by:
Leslie J. Heumann
SAIC
35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204
Pasadena, CA 91105
*P9. Date Recorded:
October 1, 2003
*P10. Survey Type:
Intensive Survey
*P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”)
None.
*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 #: O’Brien House
B1. Historic Name: O’Brien House
B2. Common Name: Craighead House
B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence
*B5. Architectural Style: Colonial Revival
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed circa 1921.
April 21, 1933. Rebuild fireplace chimney.
August 21, 1950. Reroof residence.
*B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________
*B8. Related Features:
Garage.
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown
*B10. Significance: Theme Residential Architecture Area Santa Ana
Period of Significance: circa 1920-1954 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 O’Brien House is architecturally significant as a representative example of the Colonial Revival style of the early 1920s
and historically significant as one of the earliest homes to be constructed in the Wilshire Square neighborhood. No building
permit was found for the house, whose first owners were Will and Eva O’Brien. Listed in the city directories prior to 1930 as
1002 South Birch Street, the house was located on a large parcel of undivided land that was labeled “O’Brien” on the 1912
plat maps of Santa Ana. Will O’Brien was a rancher, and the family resided at 602 Fairview (renamed McFadden circa 1956)
Avenue from circa 1907 until 1921, when it is assumed that this house was built. In 1925, the directories labeled Will O’Brien
as a “subdivider,” referencing his recording of the O’Brien Tract on the 1100 and 1200 blocks of South Broadway, and it was
shortly after that, between 1927 and 1930, that Birch Street was extended from Fairview south to Wilshire Avenue. Mr.
O’Brien apparently passed away around 1930, and Mrs. O’Brien, along with Helen and Irene O’Brien, both students, resided
(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: October 1, 2003
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
Sketch Map
(This space reserved for official comments.)
O’Brien House
1102 S. Birch 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) O’Brien House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date October 1, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update
DPR 523L
*B10. Significance (continued):
in the house until 1931. That year, the house was rented to the Craighead family, who in 1939 purchased the property and
occupied the house until 1983. Featured in the 1989 Wilshire Square Home Tour, the house subsequently fell upon hard
times, and was rehabilitated by new owners following 1992.
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. The civic and commercial core of the community was centered around the intersection of
Main and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and incorporation as a city in 1886, and
selection as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
initially developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with
cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
The O’Brien House is located in Wilshire Square, a neighborhood located south of the city center and bounded by West
McFadden Avenue on the north, West Edinger Avenue on the south, South Main Street on the east, and South Flower
Street on the west. This area remained agricultural in use into the early twentieth century, the landscape dotted with walnut
and orange groves. The 1912 plat map of Santa Ana showed South Main Street and Fairview Avenue (now McFadden
Avenue) as the only streets in the area, with the majority of the property held by a few landowners: N. Palmer, H. K.
Hanson, O’Brien, and Lewis.
Development of Wilshire Square began circa 1923, when newspaper advertisements for newly subdivided lots costing
between $635.00 and $1,875.00 boasted “five foot sidewalks, curbs, electricity, gas, sewer, city water and ornamental trees”
(Santa Ana Register, April 12, 1923). By 1923, all of Flower, Garnsey, Van Ness, Ross, and Borchard and portions of the
remaining streets had been laid out. Lathrop Junior High School, designed by architect Frederick Eley in 1921 (demolished
circa 1970), was constructed on the southwest corner of Fairview and Main and became an anchor of the neighborhood. In
1925, over 65 homes had been built in Wilshire Square, according to a count of addresses listed in the city directories. A
1927 map indicated that the area was zoned for single-family residences, except the east side of Sycamore, which was set
aside for “courts and apartments,” apparently as a buffer for the “neighborhood business” zone on South Main Street. By
1930, maps of the City showed that, with the exception of a gap between Borchard and Edinger Avenues on Birch,
Broadway, and Sycamore, all the streets in Wilshire Square were in place. Mapped by the Sanborn Company between
1931 and 1940, the neighborhood was substantially developed prior to the beginning of World War II.
Built in three phases, Wilshire Square primarily showcases the revival architectural styles popular during the first phase,
circa 1923 to 1931, when 326 homes were built: variations of the Tudor Revival, the Spanish Colonial Revival, and the
Colonial Revival. A handful of Craftsman bungalows completed the picture. A second phase, from 1935 to 1942, marked
the recovery from the Great Depression and the war preparation years, and resulted in another 171 homes. The post World
War II building boom added 91 homes, many in the newly popular California Ranch style. Enhanced by the canopies of
mature trees that line many of the streets, Wilshire Square developed as a middle class neighborhood of white and blue
collar workers. Homes were both owner and speculator built, and, regardless of style, are unified by their one-story height,
scale, common setbacks, and the placement of detached garages in the rear of each property. Retaining these qualities
today (2003), the neighborhood was recognized for excellence in urban design by the Orange County Chapter of the
American Institute of Architects in 1997.
The O’Brien House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, as a building with
the “distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or period.” With its side-gabled massing, symmetrical
composition, and entry portico, the house is highly characteristic of Colonial Revival bungalows built between 1920 and
1924. The O’Brien House also qualifies under Criterion 4b, for its association with the O’Brien family, who were among the
“original settlers” of Wilshire Square. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Key” because it “is associated with a
significant person or event” in the history of the City, the founding of the Wilshire Square neighborhood. Character defining
exterior features of the O’Brien House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: materials and finishes
(clapboard, wood, art stone); roof configuration and treatment; massing and composition; original doors and windows; porch
and portico; garage; architectural detailing (columns, open porch pediment); and chimneys.
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) O’Brien House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date October 1, 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.
Historic maps in the collection of the History Room of the Santa Ana Public Library.
Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1905-1931.
Santa Ana Register, April 12, 1923.
“Vintage Santa Ana Right On Track.” The Register, January 13, 1990.
“Neighbors Gear Up For Big Project.” Los Angeles Times, August 6, 1992.
“Neighborliness Lives On Wilshire Square’s Streets.” Los Angeles Times, October 5, 1996.
“Wilshire Square—A Profile in Pride of Ownership.” City Line, July/August 2001.
Wilshire Square Neighborhood Association, Home Tour Brochures, 1989-1994.
www.wilshiresquare.com
www.geocities.com/Heartland/3383/aia.htm