HomeMy WebLinkAbout020620_ExecutiveSummary-FireStationHeadquartersNo.pdfcm\historic\templates\Sycamore N 1322 ES (Fire Station Headquarters No. 1)
6/20/02
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
FIRE STATION HEADQUARTERS NO. 1
1322 North Sycamore Street
Santa Ana, CA 92701
NAME Fire Station Headquarters No. 1 REF. NO. 24
ADDRESS 1322 North Sycamore Street
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1929 LOCAL REGISTER CATEGORY: Landmark
HISTORIC DISTRICT N/A NEIGHBORHOOD N/A
NATIONAL REGISTER CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION A, C NATIONAL REGISTER STATUS CODE 1S
Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted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:
Fire Station Headquarters No. 1 was listed as an individual resource in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. It is therefore
listed in the California Register of Historical Resources, and is also listed in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property and has
been categorized as “Landmark.” It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under four criteria. It
embodies the distinguishing characteristics of the Mission/Spanish Colonial Revival style from the 1920s adapted to use on a public
building (criterion 1). As a significant work of the noted Santa Ana architect Frederick Eley, the property satisfies criterion 2. It is a
rare example of a civic building from the 1920s still extant in Santa Ana (criterion 3). Finally, it is a building of historical
significance derived from its association with a renowned organization, the Santa Ana Fire Department, that figured importantly in the
continued safety of the City as it grew and developed (criterion 4). Furthermore, the building “has a unique architectural
significance” as one of a few surviving examples of the civic architecture of Frederick Eley, Santa Ana’s most prominent historic
architect. (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)
A: that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history.
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)
1S: Separately listed in the National Register.