Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout040322_Template-ArmstrongHouse_624SBirch.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) Armstrong House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad Tustin TCA 2555 Date: *c. Address 624 South Birch Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number: 010-151-58; HENINGERS 2ND ADD LOT:12 BLOCK: I E 118.67 FT *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) Distinctive detailing and a high degree of integrity characterize the appearance of this one-story Craftsman bungalow. Capped by a cross-gabled roof, the house is sheathed with narrow clapboard below the gable ends, which are clad with shingles laid in courses of varying heights. Roof detailing includes extended bargeboards and carved braces and the gable ends contain latticework vents and centered attic windows. A row of purlins marks the transition from the front gable face to the beam that spans the front porch. Supported by tapered posts set on clapboard pedestals, the beam is carved into a series of three pointed arches. A vertical slat railing fills the spaces between the pedestals. Newer wrought iron railings have been added to the five concrete steps leading up to the porch. The entry, a handsome oak door pierced by a large oval window, is slightly offset to the left (south) of center. It is flanked by large fixed windows banded by upper sash that are divided by muntins arranged in a pointed arch pattern. All of the openings are topped by slightly extended lintels with angled edges. Attractively landscaped, the house is substantially unaltered. *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 and south elevations March 2004 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic 1912/Source: Marsh, 1986. *P7. Owner and Address: James A. Johnson 624 South Birch Street Santa Ana, CA 92701 *P8. Recorded by: Leslie J. Heumann SAIC 35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204 Pasadena, CA 91105 *P9. Date Recorded: March 22, 2004 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive Survey Update *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”) Dianne Marsh& the Heninger Park Neighborhood Association. Heninger Park Neighborhood Survey. 1986. *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 3 *CHR Status Code_5S1_________________________ *Resource Name or #: Armstrong House B1. Historic Name: Armstrong House B2. Common Name: Same B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: Bungalow/Craftsman *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1912. December 3, 1930. Reroof. September 3, 1935. Reroof. March 3, 1986. Notice and Order, demo garage. April 11, 1986 and May 1, 1986. Repairs per Notice and Order. August 3, 1994. Reroof, house only, compostion over wood shingle, 2nd layer. February 16, 1999. Convert existing closet into bathroom. *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 1880-1946 Property Type: Single-family Residence Applicable Criteria: NR: C; CR: 3 (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity) The Armstrong House is architecturally significant as a highly intact and nicely detailed example of a one-story Craftsman bungalow. According to previous research, it was constructed in 1912 and was originally owned by Alex and Sarah Armstrong (Marsh, 1986). Initially associated with the McKean Realty Company, Mr. Armstrong subsequently retired; the couple occupied the house until 1922. (See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.) 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 3.) B13. Remarks: *B14. Evaluator: Leslie J. Heumann *Date of Evaluation: March 22, 2004 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) Armstrong House 624 South Birch Street State of California  The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________ DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________ CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________ Page 3_ of 3_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Armstrong House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date March 22, 2004 ⌧ Continuation Update DPR 523L *B10. Significance (continued): The Armstrong House is located in Heninger Park, a residential neighborhood that developed south of the original city core, primarily between 1910 and 1930. Generally bounded by West First Street on the north, West McFadden Avenue (originally Fairview Avenue) on the south, South Sycamore Street on the east, and South Flower Street on the west, the neighborhood had a few homes, mostly located in the northern half, when the area was partially mapped in 1895 by the Sanborn Company. Most of the land was agricultural in use. The City utilized the southwest corner of West First and South Garnsey (then called Palm) for the municipal water works, and the City stables were located on the northwest corner of Palm and West Walnut. Brothers H. B. and Martin Heninger were responsible for developing and platting the tract following their purchase of thirty- four acres of what was known as the Palmer Tract in 1907. The Heningers planted trees, put in sidewalks and curbs, and paved the streets on what had been a barley field. Later they bought additional tracts of ten and eighteen acres which they also platted and improved. These properties were known as Heninger Additions Numbers 1, 2, 3, and 4. In 1921, Orange County historian Samuel Armor described the Heninger tracts as “… the finest residence section of the city, built up with fine homes…,” adding, “ Mr. [Martin] Heninger and his brother have erected 150 houses on the property” (Armor, p. 1777). The major landmark of the neighborhood was Santa Ana Polytechnic High School, which occupied a campus that stretched from West Walnut to West Camille between South Ross and South Parton Streets. The majority of homes in the area showcase the Craftsman and Colonial Revival styles, and, to a lesser extent, the other revival styles of the 1920s. Homes range in size from one to two stories and are unified by common setbacks, the repetition of gabled rooflines and front porches, the use of similar materials, and on some blocks, by the canopy of street trees. Portions of South Birch Street and South Broadway, in particular, present intact Craftsman streetscapes. After replacement of some of the earlier homes with high density apartments in the 1970s and 1980s, the City of Santa Ana recognized the integrity of the Heninger Park neighborhood in 1986, by creating a Specific Development (SD) zoning district intended to preserve its historic character, the second such SD in the City. (French Park was the first.) The Armstrong House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, as a bungalow with the distinguishing characteristics of the Craftsman style. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Key” because it “has a distinctive architectural style and quality” as a very intact and nicely detailed example of a one-story, Craftsman bungalow. The treatment of the porch beams, echoed by the pattern of the window muntins, the subtle variations in the siding, accented by purlins, and the incorporation of typical Craftsman elements such as tapered posts and exposed braces distinguish this modest home. Character-defining exterior features of the Armstrong House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: sheathing (clapboard); roof configuration and detailing; massing; windows and doors; porch configuration and detailing; and architectural details (such as the beams, braces, and purlins). *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. Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1901-1935. Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. Los Angeles: History Record Company, 1921.