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HomeMy WebLinkAbout020724_Template-ThompsonHouse_505EWashington.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) Thompson House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1725 Date: *c. Address 505 and 505 ½ East Washington Avenue City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number: 398-151-19 ; TR 140 Lot: 7 W 50 Ft S 145 Ft *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) This T-shaped, two-story home is an example of the Queen Anne (Late Victorian) vernacular sometimes called “Folk Victorian.” Although the 1886 residence was converted into a duplex in 1948, it retains its original character. A medium- pitched, cross-gabled roof crowns the two-story, south-facing house. Roof treatment includes a simple cornice, plain frieze, and shallow, enclosed eaves. Wide shiplap siding trimmed in corner boards sheathes the exterior. Tall and narrow windows, arranged singly or in pairs, are wood-framed, double-hung sash with wide, molded surrounds. Square wood posts support shallow hipped porch roofs east and west of the projecting center wing. The concrete porch steps, porch floor, and raised foundation appear new, perhaps dating to a 1987 upgrade. A cantilevered squared bay with shed roof projects from the north end of the east elevation. Building permits indicate that there was an addition to the residence in 1950. Plain paneled doors, topped by transoms, have replaced the originals. The detached garage appears to date from the 1910s or 1920s. A non- original concrete curb topped by a white metal fence borders the concrete driveway and sidewalk. An enormous, mature palm in the southwest corner dominates the yard. *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 elevation June 2002 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic 1886/ Source: National Register Nomination. *P7. Owner and Address: David Nowe 505 E. Washington Avenue Santa Ana, CA 92701 *P8. Recorded by: Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi SAIC 35 S. Raymond Ave. # 204 Pasadena, CA 91105 *P9. Date Recorded: July 24, 2002 *P10. Survey Type: Intensive Survey Update *P11. Report Citation: (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter “none”) 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 #: Thompson House B1. Historic Name: Thompson House B2. Common Name: Same B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: Late Victorian *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed in 1886. June 26, 1945. Reroof and repair residence. October 4, 1948. Convert second story of residence into apartment. May 29, 1950. Addition to residence. July 31, 1987. Notice of Order repairs (stairs, windows, sheathing, walls). *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: Tall, mature palm tree in front yard. 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 Thompson House is significant as an intact and representative 1880s boom era residence that showcases the Folk Victorian variant of the then-popular Queen Anne style. It is also important as a contributor to the French Park Historic District. According to previous research, the first known owners were Mrs. Margaret Thompson and her son, Robert Scott Thompson, a cement worker. Mrs. Thompson died in 1914. Robert Thompson remained in residence until as late as 1923, when Andrew and La Vona Simpson became residents. Mr. Simpson was a decorator. In the 1930s, James Herron, an oil worker, and his wife Lucy were listed as residents in the city directories (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: July 24, 2002 DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) Thompson House 505 & 505 ½ E. Washin ton Avenue 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) Thompson House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date July 24, 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 Thompson 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 an intact and representative example 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 an example of the Folk Victorian variant of the Queen Anne (Late Victorian)style. Characteristic Folk Victorian features include the steeply pitched cross-gabled roof, simple entablature, wide shiplap siding, cornerboards, narrow double-hung sash windows, and basic porch configuration. Character-defining exterior features of the Thompson House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: roof configuration; massing; shiplap siding; original windows; window surrounds; and architectural details such as cornerboards and unadorned frieze. *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.