HomeMy WebLinkAbout020327_Template-EimersHouse_805NMinter.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) Eimers House
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1725 Date:
*c. Address 805 North Minter Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-041-09 Block: A Lot: 4
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
This one-story Colonial Revival cottage is capped with a bellcast hipped roof and accented by a matching, centered front
dormer. Lower cross gables face the side elevations. Painted metal finials crown the roof peaks. A pair of louvered vents
defines the dormer face. Carved brackets, projecting from an unadorned frieze, support broad, boxed eaves. A wide belt
course surrounds the roofline below the frieze. Narrow clapboard covers the house. Brackets support a cantilevered, cant
bay that dominates the southern half of the façade. Here, a large, double-hung window with leaded glass transom is flanked
by narrower double hung sash. A slender stringcourse merges with the windowsills, animating the exterior walls. North of
the bay, round wooden posts atop a closed, clapboard-sided railing support the recessed porch roof. On the south elevation,
a small, gabled dormer faced with fish-scale shingles forms the roof of another cantilevered, cant bay. Other than the new
metal fence bordering the front lawn, the house appears original. A small, detached house (807 North Minter Street) and a
residence over a garage (807½ North Minter Street) were constructed later (1940) 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)
West elevation
February 2002
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and
Sources: historic
1905/ 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 27, 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 #: Eimers House
B1. Historic Name: Eimers 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.
October 15, 1931. Reroof.
January 30, 1991. Reroof.
*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: C
(Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity)
The Eimers House is an example of the vernacular interpretation of the Colonial Revival style common at the turn of the
twentieth century. Previous research indicates that Mr. and Mrs. George Eimers were the original owners. At the time Minter
Street was named G Street. George Eimers was employed by the Main Department Store. In 1909, the house was sold to
Frank W. and Lillian Harris. Mr. Harris worked for the Abstract and Title Guaranty Company in the escrow department. From
1913 until 1922, Eugene and Jessie De Vaul resided there. A salesman for the Farmer Implement Company, Mr. De Vaul
later was Field Manager for the Anaheim Sugar 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 27, 2002
DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information
Sketch Map
(This space reserved for official comments.)
Eimers House
805 North Minter 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) Eimers House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date March 27, 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 Eimers 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 representative of the Colonial Revival style common in the early twentieth century. Although only one story, the house
has characteristics of the Classic Box variant of the Colonial Revival style in its box-like massing, hipped roof with centered
dormer, boxed eaves, bay window, and recessed porch with columnar roof supports. Additionally, the house has been
categorized as “Contributive” because it is a “good example” of the Colonial Revival style and “has not been substantially
altered.” All remaining original exterior features of the Eimers House are considered to be character-defining and should be
preserved. These features include, but may not be limited to: materials (wood) and finishes (siding); roof configuration and
detailing; massing; porch; windows; and architectural details such as leaded glass, carved brackets, and stringcourses.
*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.