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HomeMy WebLinkAbout021227_Template-AxelsonHouse_1120NSpurgeon.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) Axelson House P1. Other Identifier: *P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Orange County *b. USGS 7.5’ Quad TCA 1725 Date: *c. Address 1120 North Spurgeon Street City Santa Ana Zip 92701 *e. Other Locational Data: Assessor’s Parcel Number 398-025-04 Block: NA Lot: PORS 19, 21, 23 *P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries.) This one-story, center-gabled cottage, circa 1890, was built in a simplified Queen Anne style. A side-gable roof, anchored by a centered front gable, features diamond patterned shingles in the gable ends. Edged in corner boards, the house is sided in wide shiplap. One-over-one double-hung sash windows, arranged singly and in pairs, form the primary fenestration. Extending north from the projecting wing beneath the front gable, an attached porch is characterized by turned posts and carved brackets. Newly jigsawn open railings enclose the porch and flank the entrance steps. The house was restored to its original exterior appearance in 1997 after numerous interior and exterior modifications. Renovations that converted the cottage into a duplex, including a second porch, new plate glass window, and an additional front door, were removed. The paneled front door, railings, and a rear porch are new. Today (2002) the house is in excellent condition. *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) East elevation July 2001 *P6. Date Constructed/Age and Sources: historic circa 1890/Source: 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: February 27, 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. Les, Kathleen. “Historic Resources Inventory, 1120 North Spurgeon Street,” March 1980. *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 #: Axelson House B1. Historic Name: Axelson House B2. Common Name: Same B3. Original Use: Single-family Residence B4. Present Use: Single-family Residence *B5. Architectural Style: Queen Anne (Late Victorian) *B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations): Constructed circa 1890. March 13, 1920. Alterations and repair dwelling – garage. Date unknown. Residence and garage. $1700 for 1120½ Spurgeon St. December, 1923. Alter residence. August 10, 1931. Reroof. July 15, 1947. Reroof. May 19, 1958. Plastering. December 5, 1996. Replace foundation at rear of dwelling. April 3, 1997. Replace exterior flat roof with gable roof, new wood siding to match existing, (5) double-hung windows to match existing, new drywall all interior walls, reframe (3) bedrooms, new front and back porch, remodel existing duplex to convert to SFD, new (2) car garage with new wood siding to match existing. *B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date:__________ Original Location:_____________________________ *B8. Related Features: None. 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 Axelson House is a fine example of a small, Queen Anne cottage with minimal decoration. Previous research indicates that Nels and Mrs. Axelson, immigrants from Sweden, built this house upon their arrival in Santa Ana in 1890. The Axelsons were the parents of Mrs. Samuel Hill, a prominent resident, who lived nearby at 1102 North Spurgeon Street (now demolished). Later, the widowed Nels lived in the house with daughters Emma and Hilda until 1917. James Cameron, a millman, and his wife Hattie were the subsequent owners. Their daughter Ruby, a Deputy County Recorder, also resided there. In the mid-1920s the house was divided into a duplex, then converted back into a single-family residence in 1997. Also in 1997, the house was restored by the City to its original exterior appearance. (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: February 27, 2002 Sketch Map (This space reserved for official comments.) Axelson House 1120 North S ur eon 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) Axelson House *Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date February 27, 2002 ⌧ Continuation Update DPR 523L DPR 523B (1/95) *Required information *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 Axelson 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 simplified Queen Anne style of the late nineteenth century. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Key” for its distinctive architectural style and quality. The house retains characteristic elements of the Queen Anne style in its massing and gabled roof treatment, porch, and turned and jigsawn ornamentation. All original and restored exterior features of the Axelson House are character defining and should be preserved. These features include, but may not be limited to: materials and finishes (siding); roof configuration and detailing; porch; windows and doors; and architectural detailing such as turned posts and brackets. *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.