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HomeMy WebLinkAbout040205_ExecutiveSummary-JoeLowellHouse_924 NLowell.pdfEXECUTIVE SUMMARY JOE LOWELL HOUSE 924 North Lowell Street Santa Ana, CA 92706 NAME Joe Lowell House REF. NO. ADDRESS 924 North Lowell Street CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92706 ORANGE COUNTY YEAR BUILT 1924 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD Washington Square NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A,C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 5S1 Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted Prehistoric Historic Both ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival, Pueblo Revival The Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style, as its name implies, encompasses two major subcategories. The Mission Revival vocabulary, popular between 1890 and 1920, drew its inspiration from the missions of the Southwest. Identifying features include curved parapets (or espadaña); red tiled roofs and coping; low-pitched roofs, often with overhanging eaves; porch roofs supported by large, square piers; arches; and wall surfaces commonly covered in smooth stucco. The Spanish Colonial Revival flourished between 1915 and 1940, reaching its apex during the 1920s and 1930s. The movement received widespread attention after the Panama- California Exposition in San Diego in 1915, where lavish interpretations of Spanish and Mexican prototypes were showcased. Easily recognizable hallmarks of the Spanish Colonial Revival are low-pitched roofs, usually with little or no overhangs and red tile roof coverings, flat roofs surrounded by tiled parapets; and stuccoed walls. The Spanish vocabulary also includes arches; asymmetry; balconies and patios; window grilles; and decorative elements of wood, wrought iron, tile, or stone. The Pueblo Revival first appeared in California in the early years of the twentieth century, but only rose to popularity in the 1920s and 1930s, primarily in the Southwest. Combining the features of the Mission and Spanish Revivals with the vocabulary of Native American pueblos, the style is characterized by stuccoed exteriors that either simulate or mask adobe construction, flat roofs with irregular parapets, buttressed corners, and projecting roof beams, called vigas, extending through wall surfaces. Openings are flat- headed, rather than arched, and may have rough-hewn wooden timbers set flush with the wall surface used as lintels. The stepped back massing and handmade quality of the original pueblos is often evoked (McAlester, pages 434-437). SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: The Joe Lowell 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.” The property also qualifies for the Santa Ana Register under Criterion 4b, for its association with Joe Lowell, who was instrumental to the development of Washington Square. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Key” because it “has a distinctive architectural style and quality” as an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style influenced by the Pueblo Revival, and for its association “with a significant person” in the history of the area, Joe Lowell. (Municipal Code Section 30-2.2).” 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. 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) 5S1 Is separately listed or designated under an existing local ordinance, or is eligible for such listing or designation.