HomeMy WebLinkAbout020606_Template-MorrisHouse_1006NFrench.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) Morris House
P1. Other Identifier:
*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County
*b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1725 Date:
*c. Address 1006 North French Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701
*e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-027-16 Block: NA Lot: NA
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.)
A complex clipped gable roof distinguishes this rambling, one-story Craftsman bungalow. Low pitch, overhanging eaves, and
exposed beams and rafter tails characterize the roof. Narrow clapboard covers the house and gable faces. The front, east
elevation is notable for the prominent covered porch spanning two-thirds of the façade. Two pairs of paneled posts resting on
a raised concrete porch floor support the porch roof. A row of dentils decorates the porch beam. The main gable, with
horizontal lath venting at its peak, extends over and closely hugs the porch roof. A metal security door covers the entrance,
which is flanked with multipane sidelights. Trios of narrow, eight-light, double-hung windows are located north and south of
the entrance. On the south elevation, a brick chimney projects through the gable peak and is flanked by small, square
windows set high on the wall. This elevation also contains a second porch, recessed beneath a shed roof. A detached, three
unit apartment building was erected at the rear of the property in 1957. Other than the metal security door, the bungalow
exhibits a high degree of integrity.
*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
1922/National Register nomination,
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 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 #: Morris House
B1. Historic Name: Morris House
B2. Common Name: Same
B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence
*B5. Architectural Style: Bungalow/Craftsman
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1922.
December, 1921. Greenhouse.
October 11, 1933. Repair chimney.
December 16,1949. Reroof.
April 11, 1957. Three unit apartment (9 rooms) [in rear of property].
June 19, 1957. Plastering.
June 14, 1999. Reroof with tear off of comp, install new comp.
*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 Morris House, a Craftsman bungalow made distinctive by its roof treatment, is architecturally significant as one of the
more unusual examples of the type in Santa Ana. It is also important as a contributor to the French Park Historic District.
According to previous research, the house was constructed in 1922 for Frank and Nancy Morris. They were the proprietors of
Morris the Florist shop at 630 North Main Street. From 1933 until 1940, Franklin P. Hickey and wife Mary resided in the
house. Mr. Hickey was a salesman for the Standard Oil Company in Santa Ana (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.)
Morris House
1006 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) Morris House
*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date March 6, 2002 ⌧ Continuation Update
DPR 523L
*B6. Construction History (continued):
January 24, 1995. Construct retaining wall under apartment building to restore foundation, replace concrete footing at front
porch, remove unpermitted bathroom and laundry room from garage and return to garage use, minor repairs to stairs.
Repair doors and steps into cellar, replace damaged siding and trim, repair porches and balconies, repair roof rafter tails,
make all windows operative, remove unpermitted enclosure of porch.
*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 Morris 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 late Craftsman style. Additionally, the house has
been categorized as “Key” for its distinctive architectural style and quality. Characteristic Craftsman features include
asymmetrical massing, gabled roof configuration, exposed beam-ends and rafter tails, and porch treatment. Character-
defining exterior features of the Morris House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: materials (wood)
and finishes (siding); roof configuration and detailing; massing; porch layout; end-wall chimney, and architectural details such
as beam ends and rafter tails.
*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.