HomeMy WebLinkAbout020419_ExecutiveSummary-ElSolanoApartments_901NLacy.pdfcm\historic\templates\Lacy N 901-903 ES (El Solano Apartments)
6/20/02
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
EL SOLANO APARTMENTS
901-903 North Lacy Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701
NAME El Solano Apartments REF. NO.
ADDRESS 901-903 North Lacy Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1931 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Key
HISTORIC DISTRICT French Park NEIGHBORHOOD French Park
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1D
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted
Prehistoric Historic Both
ARCHITECTURAL STYLE: Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival
The Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style, as its name implies, encompasses two major subcategories. The Mission Revival
vocabulary, popular between 1890 and 1920, drew its inspiration from the missions of the Southwest. Identifying features include
curved parapets (or espadana); red tiled roofs and coping; low-pitched roofs, often with overhanging eaves; porch roofs supported by
large, square piers; arches; and wall surfaces commonly covered in smooth stucco. The Spanish Colonial Revival flourished between
1915 and 1940, reaching its apex during the 1920s and 1930s. The movement received widespread attention after the Panama-
California Exposition in San Diego in 1915, where lavish interpretations of Spanish and Mexican prototypes were showcased. Easily
recognizable hallmarks of the Spanish Colonial Revival are low-pitched roofs, usually with little or no overhangs and red tile roof
coverings, flat roofs surrounded by tiled parapets; and stuccoed walls. The Spanish vocabulary also includes arches, asymmetry,
balconies and patios, window grilles, and wood, wrought iron, tile, or stone decorative elements.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
The El Solano Apartments were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as contributors to the French Park Historic
District. Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the apartments are also listed in the
California Register. They also qualify for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 1 as representative
of the distinguishing characteristics of the Spanish Colonial Revival style from the 1930s. Additionally, the El Solano Apartments
have been categorized as “Key” for their “distinctive architectural style and quality,” and because they contribute to the overall
character and history of this section of French Park as important elements of a cluster of similar Spanish Colonial Revival apartment
buildings (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2).
EXPLANATION OF CODES:
• National Register Criteria for Evaluation: (From Appendix 7 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of
Historic Preservation)
C: that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent the
work of a master, or that possess high artistic values, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity
whose components may lack individual distinction.
• National Register Status Code: (From Appendix 2 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office of Historic
Preservation)
1D: Contributor to a listed district.