HomeMy WebLinkAbout040603_Template-WelbonHouse_731SBirch.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) Welbon House
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 2555 Date:
*c. Address 731 South Birch Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 010-212-16; HENINGERS ADD LOT 15 BLK D POR
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
Located on the northeast corner of South Birch and West Highland Streets, this is a one and a half story Craftsman
bungalow. A bellcast, side gable roof crowns the building, and is accented by an over-scaled, front-gabled dormer that is
centered on the façade. The distinctive roof trim includes exposed and extended rafter tails and bargeboards with
decoratively carved ends, carved braces, and rows of purlins that accent both the bargeboards and the belt course
separating the upper and lower story. Vents pierce the peaks of the gable faces and carved posts adorn the apex of each
bargeboard. On the south elevation, a second, smaller, side gable projects about a foot in front of the main roof and is
similarly detailed. The face of the dormer is framed by raised piers whose taper echoes that of the elephantine porch posts
on the lower story. A tripartite window is distinguished by muntins arranged in a diamond pattern in the each of the three
upper sashes and by a header punctuated by corbel blocks. Recessed across the lower story façade, the porch is divided
into three bays by the porch supports. A solid railing encloses the porch space. Located in the central bay, the entry is
(See Continuation Sheet 3 of 3.)
*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)
West elevation
April 2004
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: historic
1915/Source: Marsh, 1986.
*P7. Owner and Address:
Fidel Rojas
731 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:
April 21, 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 #: Welbon House
B1. Historic Name: Welbon 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 1915.
August, 1921. Alter garage.
August 29, 1939. Reroof.
December 31, 1946. Reroof.
June 20, 1951. Reroof residence.
*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 Welbon House is architecturally significant as a highly intact and nicely detailed example of a one and a half story
Craftsman bungalow. According to previous research, it was constructed in 1915 and first appeared in the city directories in
1916, when Reverend Arthur G. and Sadie N. Welbon were the owners (Marsh, 1986). By 1918, the Owens family,
consisting of Ira Owens, whose business was wholesale produce, his wife Kate, Roberta Owens, and students Harriet and
Kathleen Owens, were the residents. Dentist Jessie Raugh lived and practiced from this address for several years, beginning
in 1920.
(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: April 21, 2004
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
Sketch Map
(This space reserved for official comments.)
Welbon House
731 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) Welbon House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date April 21, 2004 ⌧ Continuation Update
DPR 523L
*P3a. Description:
flanked by two additional tripartite windows, each of which incorporates a transom window across the top. The south
window projects into the porch space. A secondary entry is set back on the north elevation. An interior brick chimney with a
corbelled cap emerges from the interior near the ridgeline of the roof. Other than the asphalt or asbestos shingles that cover
the original siding, possible enclosure of the south bay of the porch, and a cement block and wrought iron fence in the rear,
the house is substantially unaltered.
*B10. Significance (continued):
The Welbon 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 Welbon 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 and a half
story, Craftsman bungalow. The elaboration of the roof structure, which acts as the primary architectural decoration,
distinguishes this modest home. Character-defining exterior features of the Welbon House that should be preserved
include, but may not be limited to: original materials and finishes where extant; roof configuration and detailing; massing;
windows and doors; porch configuration and detailing; brick chimney; and architectural details (such as the rafter tails,
bargeboards, purlins, braces, belt courses, and porch supports).
*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.