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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020320_Template-JamesAlexanderHouse_1112NFrench.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) James Alexander House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1725 Date: *c. Address 1112 North French Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-027-22 Block: NA Lot: 4 *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) One of the older houses in French Park, the James Alexander House is an Italianate Victorian cottage with a more recent Colonial Revival porch attached in front. The one-story house has a double-hipped roof, offset slightly to the north, pierced by an interior brick chimney. Carved brackets, indicative of the Italianate style, decorate the cornices. The original elevations towards the rear are clad in wide shiplap while the newer front porch walls and closed railing feature clapboard siding. Round wooden posts support a pent, L-shaped porch roof. A shallow gable resembling a pediment highlights the porch entrance. The south side of the porch has been enclosed with wood-framed, multi-pane windows. A one-light transom tops a narrow entrance door. A new wooden picket fence atop a raised curb borders the property at the sidewalk. The house is substantially intact from the date of the porch modification. A triplex with garages was constructed later (1949) at the rear of the property. *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) South and east elevations January 2002 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic circa 1887/ Source: Marsh, 1998 *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 20, 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 #: James Alexander House B1. Historic Name: James Alexander House B2. Common Name: Same B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: Italianate (Late Victorian); Colonial Revival *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed circa 1887. Undated. Reroof. June 12, 1991. Repair porch 6’ x 14’. September 4, 1991. Residing lower portion of residence (to match existing). *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: 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: C (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity) The James Alexander House is a characteristic example of a Late Victorian cottage modified to reflect changing stylistic trends, in this case through the addition of a Colonial Revival front porch. It is also important as a contributor to the French Park Historic District. Previous research indicates that Thomas Jefferson Alexander and his wife Mary built the house upon their arrival to Santa Ana in 1887. During that year Mr. Alexander was appointed Postmaster of Santa Ana by President McKinley, a position he held for several years. Alexander was employed by the postal service for most of his working life, having been a railway postal clerk prior to settling in Santa Ana. Son James Alexander and wife Laura resided in the home for a number of years after the senior Alexanders moved to a larger house next door. James was Assistant Postmaster for over thirty years, beginning in 1899. William and Belle Baker became the new owners in the 1920s. William Baker was Secretary/Manager of box maker Orange County Manufacturing Company (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 20, 2002 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) James Alexander House 1112 North French 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) James Alexander House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date March 20, 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 James Alexander 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 qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 1, as representative of the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural period, the late nineteenth century. Furthermore, it also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 4b for its association with James and Thomas Jefferson Alexander. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Key” for its distinctive architectural style and quality and for its association with a significant person, civil servant James Alexander and his father Thomas Jefferson Alexander. In a stylistic blend, characteristic Italianate features such as narrow, double-hung windows are disguised by the prominent addition of a Colonial Revival front porch. However the hipped roof configuration, bracketed cornices, and shiplap siding point to the Italianate. Characteristic Colonial Revival features include porch columns and the stylized pediment over the porch entrance. Character-defining exterior features of the James Alexander House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: materials (wood) and finishes (siding); roof configuration and detailing; massing; porch; interior chimney, and architectural details such as the carved brackets. *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.