HomeMy WebLinkAbout040322_Template-CraneHouse_506SBirch.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) Crane 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 Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County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 506 South Birch Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 010-141-11; HENINGERS 2ND ADD BLOCK: H LOT: 4
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
The characteristic hipped roof and box-like proportions identify this two-story house as an example of the American
Foursquare subtype of the Prairie Style. A dormer with a hipped roof is centered over the façade, and both the main roof and
the dormer roof feature exposed rafters with carved tails in the eaves. The dormer contains two small attic windows that flank
a central louver vent. Narrow clapboard sheathes the house, with a plain belt course located between stories. A pent hipped
roof, accented by an open front gable, tops the attached porch that spans the façade. Heavy brick piers at each end, as well
as brick pedestals flanking the central entry and stairs, appear to have been rebuilt. Heavy beams, notched to form pointed
arches, rest on the porch piers and support the roof. A simple vertical slat railing encloses the porch space. The front door is
slightly offset to the north and is pierced by a large, oval window. Large, rectangular, fixed windows are located to either side
of the entry. Pairs of one-over-one double-hung sash windows define two bays on the upper story façade. Side elevations
feature additional one-over-one windows, some of which are shaded by pent roof hoods with exposed rafters in the eaves.
Other than the replacement of the porch supports, the house appears 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: Les, 1979.
*P7. Owner and Address:
John T. Clawson
506 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”)
Les, Kathleen. “100-500 Blocks of South Birch Street.” Historic Resources Inventory, September 1979.
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 #: Crane House
B1. Historic Name: Crane House
B2. Common Name: Same
B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence
*B5. Architectural Style: Prairie Style
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1912.
January 6, 1943. Reroof.
October 13, 1944. Addition to residence, 6 x 7.
October 18, 1949. Reroof residence.
June 18, 1990. Demo 1st & 2nd floor addition, replace drywall, repair porch per Notice and Order (finaled July 26, 1994).
*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 Crane House is architecturally significant as a characteristic example of the American Foursquare subtype of the Prairie
Style. According to previous research, it was constructed in 1912 and was originally owned by Wiliam and Inez Crane (Les,
1979). Mr. Crane was a traveling salesman. By 1915, James R. and Elva L. Wilcox, both of whom were optometrists with
offices at 214 West Fourth Street, were the residents (Santa Ana City Directory, 1915). In the 1920s, the Plavan family, who
were ranchers, occupied the home (Marsh, 1986).
(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.)
Crane House
506 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) Crane House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date March 22, 2004 ⌧ Continuation Update
DPR 523L
*B10. Significance (continued):
The Crane 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 Crane House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, as a structure with
the distinguishing characteristics of the American Foursquare subtype of the Prairie Style. Additionally, the house has been
categorized as “Key” because it “has a distinctive architectural style and quality” as a largely intact and characteristic
example of the American Foursquare subtype of the Prairie Style. The hipped roof, echoed by the central hipped dormer
and pent roof of the porch, is a signature feature of this uniquely American building type, and the treatment of the porch
beams and rafter tails add an element of originality to the design. If the porch supports were restored appropriately, the
Crane House would be eligible for categorization as “Landmark.” Character-defining exterior features of the Crane House
that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: sheathing (clapboard) and materials (brick, original and
restored); roof configuration and detailing; massing; windows and doors; porch configuration and detailing; and architectural
details (such as the beams, rafter tails, and belt course).
*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.