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State of California—The Resources Agency Primary #
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />Name:
<br />*Recorded by Pedro Gomez
<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
<br />*Date October 4, 20181K Continuation ❑ Update
<br />Ridley C. Smith was an active member of the Santa Ana community, specifically as a member of the First Presbyterian Church,
<br />President of the YM. C.A. Toast Masters Club, member of the Orange County Bar Association and as an Exalted Ruler of the
<br />Santa Ana Elks Lodge, which meant he was amongst the highest members that governed the Elks Lodge. In 1942, the house
<br />was sold to George E. and Elma M. Bradley. Mr. Bradley was originally from Waterloo, Iowa, and was also an attorney with
<br />offices in the Spurgeon Building. He married Elma M. McBridge (maiden name) in 1934. Elmawas also an Exalted Ruler of the
<br />Santa Ana Elks Lodge. The home was subsequently sold in 1970 to Desmund R. Pincock, who was the recorded owner up
<br />until 1975.
<br />The Ridley C. Smith is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West Seventeenth
<br />Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of orange, avocado, and walnut trees and widely scattered
<br />ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897-1981), credited as the subdivider
<br />and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in 1922 (Talbert,
<br />pages 353-356). 'Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that month, he began
<br />building custom homes in Santa Ana" (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became the Floral
<br />Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park homes were the
<br />most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981).
<br />Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s and Floral Park showcased
<br />examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival. The Allison Honer Construction
<br />Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled Old Santa Ana City Hall, the EI Toro Marine
<br />Base during World War 11, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he had helped to create, at
<br />615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
<br />In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral Park.
<br />An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa Clara
<br />Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell's own large, Colonial Revival
<br />mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post World War II years, Floral Park continued its development as numerous,
<br />smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style. In the 1950s,
<br />low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2018) Floral Park maintains its identity as the
<br />premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Ridley C. Smith 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 Neoclassical style. Additionally, the house has been categorized as
<br />"Key" because it "has a distinctive architectural style and quality" representing the Neoclassical style in Santa Ana (Santa Ana
<br />Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). Character -defining features of the Ridley C. Smith House include, but may not be limited to:
<br />symmetrical facade, materials and finishes (wood siding and simple square columns); roof configuration, materials, and
<br />treatment; massing and composition (full-fagade entry porch); fenestration (multi -pane hung windows where extant); and
<br />architectural detailing (Chinese Chippendale roof -line railings).
<br />*812. References (continued):
<br />Ancestry.com. California, Death Index, 1940-1997 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.
<br />Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002.
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<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 Register
<br />Newspapers.com (Santa Ana Register)
<br />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 />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1920-1979.
<br />Year: 1930; Census Place: Santa Ana, Orange, California; Page: 6B; Enumeration District., 0080; FHL microfilm: 2339917
<br />DPR 523L
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