HomeMy WebLinkAbout020724_ExecutiveSummary-ThompsonHouse_505EWashington.pdfEXECUTIVE SUMMARY
THOMPSON HOUSE
505 and 505 1/2 East Washington Avenue
Santa Ana, CA 92701
NAME Thompson House REF. NO.
ADDRESS 505 and 505 ½ East Washington Avenue
CITY Santa Ana ZIP 92701 ORANGE COUNTY
YEAR BUILT 1886 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Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted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: Queen Anne (Late Victorian)
The Queen Anne (Late Victorian) (also known as the Queen Anne Revival) dominated residential architectural design during the last
twenty years of the 19th century in the West, and was nearly as influential on early commercial buildings. Identifying features include
the front-facing gable roof; ornate decoration of wood or metal along the eave and in the gable end; avoidance of flat wall surfaces
through the use of applied ornamentation of wood or metal; and classical columns or pilasters. Multi-storied residential and
commercial examples often incorporated bay windows, sometimes topped with towers. The style borrowed heavily from late
Medieval models, with the addition of other regional interpretations. Some of the most well developed examples can be found in
California and in the southern states (McAlester, 263-268). A “Folk Victorian” variant of the Queen Anne style applied Queen Anne
detailing to the common house forms that emerged nationwide in the wake of the spread of the railroads and the adoption of balloon
framing.
SUMMARY/CONCLUSION:
The Thompson House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as a contributor to the French Park Historic
District. Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the
California Register. It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 1 as representative of
the distinguishing characteristics of the Folk Victorian variant of the Queen Anne (Late Victorian) style from the 1880s. Additionally,
the house has been categorized as “Key” for its “distinctive architectural style and quality ” as a representative example of the Folk
Victorian variant of the Queen Anne (Late Victorian) style (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.