HomeMy WebLinkAbout040322_ExecutiveSummary-CraneHouse_506SBirch.pdfEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
CRANE HOUSE
506 South Birch Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701
NAME Crane House REF. NO.
ADDRESS 506 South Birch Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1912 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD Heninger Park
CALIFORNIA REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION 3 CALIFORNIA REGISTER STATUS CODE 5S1
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Prairie Style
The Prairie School refers to a group of architects centered in Chicago at the beginning of the twentieth century. Primary amongst
them was Frank Lloyd Wright, under whom Prairie School designs reached their apex. Echoing the uninterrupted horizontal lines of
the American prairie, Prairie style homes—it was largely a domestic movement—are usually characterized by broadly pitched hipped
roofs with deep overhangs; two stories in height, often with one story wings; front porches with massive porch roof supports; and
detailing which emphasizes the horizontal. A common, vernacular interpretation of the type, sometimes referred to as the Prairie Box
or the American Foursquare, is box-like in massing and plan, with hipped or gabled dormers, porches across all or a portion of the
façade, and detailing culled from the vocabularies of a variety of styles, including Mission Revival, Colonial Revival, and Craftsman.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
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 (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2).
EXPLANATION OF CODES:
• California Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From California Office of Historic Preservation, Technical Assistance Series # 7,
“How to Nominate Resources to the California Register of Historical Resources,” September 4, 2001.)
3: It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, region, or method of construction, or represents
the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values.
California Register Status Code: (From California Office of Historic Preservation, December 8, 2003.)
5S1: Individual property that is listed or designated locally.