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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020306_Template-BrownBakerHouse_719NSpurgeon.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) Brown-Baker House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1725 Date: *c. Address 719 North Spurgeon Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-233-01 Block: E Lot: 3 *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) Located on the southeast corner of North Spurgeon Street and East Eighth Street, this is a two-story Colonial Revival house influenced by the Classic Box variant of the style. It is capped by a steeply pitched, bellcast hipped roof with exposed rafter tails in the eaves. A small, hipped dormer containing three arched windows faces north while the two-bay primary (west) elevation features a closed gable clad atop the south bay. Faced in shingles, the gable face contains three attic vents in a Palladian configuration. Below it, on the second floor, a cant bay containing three double-hung sash windows is balanced by a band of three double-hung sash windows in the north bay. The shingle-clad second story flares out slightly over a belt course of closely spaced, decorative carved brackets. Narrow clapboard sides the first floor. Continuing the theme of details grouped in threes, a trio of Tuscan posts resting on a solid clapboard rail supports the roof of the cutaway porch on the northwest corner. A one-light, two-panel front door is flanked by narrow sidelights. Wooden steps lead down to a concrete entrance path. South of the entry, a large tripartite window is banded by multi-pane transoms. On the Eighth Street (north) elevation, brackets support a pent roofed, cant bay between stories, indicating the placement of the interior staircase. Here, an oval aperture in the center is flanked by windows with diamond-patterned muntins in the upper sashes. A high concrete curb borders the sidewalk and driveway. The house is in excellent exterior condition. *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) North and west elevations January 2002 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic 1905/ Source: National Register nomination *P7. Owner and Address: *P8. Recorded by: Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi SAIC 35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204 Pasadena, CA 91105 *P9. Date Recorded: March 6, 2002 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive Survey Update *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”) Les, Kathleen. “Historic Resources Inventory French Park District,” September 1979. Marsh, Diann. “French Park Historic District.” National Register Nomination Form, February 1998. *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 *NRHP Status Code_1D__________________________ *Resource Name or #: Brown-Baker House B1. Historic Name: Brown-Baker House B2. Common Name: Same B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: Colonial Revival *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1905. September, 1921. Repair residence. January 31, 1978. Enlarge existing kitchen and master April 10, 1933. Rebuild fireplace chimney. bathroom. Two car carport. January 7, 1941. Reroof. June 17, 1992. Replace wood siding with matching February 17, 1947. Foundation under existing residence. material. October 2, 1973. Repairs to house. March 25, 1993. Repair front porch, subfloor, ceiling, October 14, 1977. SFR – repair interior and exterior. back steps and flooring. Convert back to SFD. *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: Low concrete curb at sidewalk. 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: A, C (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity) The Brown-Baker House is a fine example of the Classic Box variant of the Colonial Revival style in residential architecture. It is also important as a contributor to the French Park Historic District. Constructed in 1905, it was originally owned by Nate and Mrs. Brown. Mr. Brown was a “capitalist” according to the 1905 directory, and also a member of an early Fire Commission. A few years later, in 1907, Eugene and Mary Baker bought the house, residing there for almost forty years. Daughter Frances married Jack Fisher, a World War I hero for whom Jack Fisher Park on North Flower Street is named. They briefly shared the house with her parents when first married (Marsh, 1998). (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 6, 2002 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) Brown-Baker House 719 North S ur eon 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) Brown-Baker House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date March 6, 2002 ⌧ Continuation Update DPR 523L *B10. Significance (continued): Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. In 1877, Spurgeon, along with James McFadden and James Fruit, formed the Western Development Company with the intention of bringing the Southern Pacific Railroad from its then terminus in Anaheim into Santa Ana. Thinking to capitalize on commercial growth around the railroad, the partners purchased 160 acres adjacent to the eastern city boundary at French Street. Although they were successful in luring the Southern Pacific to a new depot on Fruit Street in Santa Ana in 1878, the expected commercial development of “Santa Ana East” never materialized. Early growth and development of the town continued to be centered further west around Fourth and Main Streets, with the result that the legacy of Santa Ana East is an angled street plan whose intersection with the original city is marked by a small, triangular parcel, developed in the 1890s as Flatiron Park, now known as French Park. Santa Ana continued to grow, stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1886. Following its incorporation as a city in 1886, Santa Ana was recognized as one of the leading communities in the area in 1889 when it became the seat of the newly created County of Orange. Beginning in the 1880s and continuing well into the twentieth century, the area around the park began to be developed with many of the finest homes in Santa Ana. Examples of Victorian era, turn of the century, and Craftsman homes were built along the tree-lined streets. By the 1920s, most streets in the neighborhood were fully developed, although a few revival styled single-family homes and duplexes were built during the 1920s, and a handful of apartments constructed in the 1930s. From the nineteenth century onwards, residents were a “Who’s Who” of early Santa Ana, and included bankers, attorneys, doctors, businessmen, ranchers, teachers and others active in the civic and social life of the city. Once known as the “Nob Hill” of Santa Ana, French Park declined in the 1940s and 1950s as some homes were converted into rooming houses and others were allowed to deteriorate. In the 1960s and 1970s some houses were demolished and the properties redeveloped with multi-family housing. However, a grass roots preservation effort begun in the late 1970s led to the establishment of a local historic district in 1984 and the listing of the neighborhood in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999. The Brown-Baker House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as a contributor to the French Park Historic District. It is therefore listed in the California Register of Historical Resources and is located within the boundaries of the locally designated historic district. It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 1, as a representative example of the distinguishing characteristics of the Classic Box variant of the Colonial Revival style. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Landmark” for its unique architectural significance. The house displays typical elements of the Classic Box variant of the Colonial Revival style through its box-like massing, steeply hipped roof, Tuscan columns, dormer, and porch configuration. The home’s association with World War I hero, Jack Fisher, is also noteworthy. All original and restored exterior features of the Brown-Baker House are character-defining and should be preserved. These features include, but may not be limited to: materials (wood) and finishes (siding and shingling); roof configuration and detailing; massing; bays and projections; porches; doors and windows (including surrounds); architectural detailing (woodwork); and low concrete curb and step at the sidewalk. *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. Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. 1921. Guinn, James Miller. Historical and Biographical Record of Southern California. 1902. Historical Landmarks Inventory Form, November 18, 1976 (Santa Ana History Room). “Preserving the Past in French Park.” The Register, February 12, 1983.