HomeMy WebLinkAbout051019_ExecutiveSummary-MercereauHouse_1504-06W5th.pdfEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
MERCEREAU HOUSE
1504-1506 West Fifth Street
Santa Ana, CA 92703
NAME Mercereau House REF. NO.
ADDRESS 1504-1506 West Fifth Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92703 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1907 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD Artesia Pilar
CALIFORNIA REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION 3 CALIFORNIA REGISTER STATUS CODE 5S1
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Prairie School (American Foursquare Variant)
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 Mercereau House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 3 for its exemplification of
the distinguishing characteristics of the American Foursquare variant of the Prairie Style. Additionally, the house has been
categorized as “Key” because it “has a distinctive architectural style and quality” as an example of the American Foursquare genre
(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.