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<br />*P3a. Description (continued):
<br />
<br />Two additions to the house have been constructed. In 1985, the formerly detached garage was expanded and attached to the
<br />house. A second addition, also from 1985, is located on the east elevation and is not visible from the public right-of-way. A
<br />more recent addition is a walled, paved courtyard that occupies the former front lawn and curved cement entry path. Newer
<br />landscaping accents the courtyard and sidewalk and a simple poured concrete driveway split down the middle leads to the
<br />garage on the south elevation. In regards to modifications, the occasional use of smooth stucco has been previously seen on
<br />Spanish Colonial Revival style residences. In addition, the stucco does not detract from the property as it retains a majority of
<br />the character-defining features that embody the massing, materials, and detailing of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Other
<br />than the noted changes, the house appears intact and is in good condition.
<br />
<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
<br />
<br />Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as
<br />Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The civic and commercial core of the community was centered around the intersection of
<br />Main and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and incorporation as a city in 1886, and selection
<br />as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
<br />developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with
<br />cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
<br />
<br />The Dixon-Morris House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West
<br />Seventeenth Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados, and walnuts and
<br />widely scattered ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897-1981),
<br />credited as the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls,
<br />New York in 1922 (Talbert, pages 353-356). “Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land.
<br />And that month, he began building custom homes in Santa Ana” (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel
<br />chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. “When built in the 1920s, the
<br />Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each” (Orange County
<br />Register, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and
<br />1930s and Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival.
<br />
<br />In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral
<br />Park. An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa
<br />Clara Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell’s own large, Colonial
<br />Revival mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post World War II years, Floral Park continued its development as
<br />numerous, smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style. In
<br />the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2018) Floral Park maintains its
<br />identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, which has historically been home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />
<br />The Dixon-Morris House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 for its
<br />representation of the distinguishing characteristics of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Additionally, the house has been
<br />categorized as “Contributive” because it “contributes to the overall character and history” of the Floral Park neighborhood and
<br />“is a good example of period architecture,” representing the Spanish Colonial Revival style in Santa Ana. Character-defining
<br />features of the Dixon-Morris House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: materials and finishes; roof
<br />configuration (cross-gable and low parapet wall); materials and treatments (ridged terra cotta tiles, tiled bargeboards);
<br />massing and composition; porch topped by a tiled pyramidal roof; fenestration; and architectural detailing.
<br />
<br />*B12. References (continued):
<br />
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana, An Illustrated History. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994.
<br />McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
<br />National Register Bulletin 16A. “How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.” Washington DC: National
<br />Register Branch, National Park Service, US Dept. of the Interior, 1991.
<br />Office of Historic Preservation. “Instructions for Recording Historical Resources.” Sacramento: March 1995.
<br />Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
<br />Orange County Plat Maps, 1912.
<br />Historic Maps, Santa Ana History Room, 1923, 1932, 1955.
<br />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1926-1961.
<br />Santa Ana History Room Collection, Santa Ana Public Library.
<br />Classified Advertisement, Santa Ana Register, September 22, 1927.
<br />Ancestry.com (federal census, city directories). 1-21
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