|
State of California The Resources Agency Primary # _____________________________________________
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # ________________________________________________
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial _____________________________________________
<br />Page 3_ of 4_ Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Wells House
<br />*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date February 1, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update
<br />DPR 523L
<br />
<br />
<br />*P3a. Description (continued):
<br />
<br />an elaborate cast stone panel in low-relief featuring a cartouche bordered by scroll and floral designs. Slender apertures
<br />with window grilles flank the entrance. The entry door is solid wood with a small, rectangular center opening covered by a
<br />decorative iron grille. A concrete driveway near the north side of the property leads to a detached, two-car garage with
<br />stucco finish and a tile roof similar in style to the main house. A pair of tall, square pedestals on either side of the driveway
<br />near the house mark where a gate may have once stood. Enormous, mature pine and redwood trees obscure much of the
<br />house from the street, dominating the front yard. Other landscaping consists of ivy, low hedges, and an arc of lawn. The
<br />house appears original and in excellent condition.
<br />
<br />
<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
<br />
<br />The Wells 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
<br />parcel chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. “When built in the
<br />1920s, the Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each” (Orange
<br />County Register, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s
<br />and 1930s and Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial
<br />Revival. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled
<br />Old Santa Ana City Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War II, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in
<br />the neighborhood he had helped to create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
<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.
<br />In the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2003) Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />
<br />The Wells House appears eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places and the California Register of
<br />Historical Resources. It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 for its
<br />exemplification of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Notable in this regard are the materials, massing, deeply recessed
<br />windows, and Churrigueresque-inspired entry ornamentation. The house also contributes to the historic character of the
<br />Floral Park neighborhood through its age, style, scale, and historic association with members of the local business
<br />community. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Landmark” for its unique architectural significance as an
<br />example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style that contributes to the historic streetscape of North Victoria Drive. All original
<br />exterior features of the Wells House are considered character defining and should be preserved. These features include,
<br />but may not be limited to: materials (wood) and finishes (stucco); roof configuration, materials and treatment; massing and
<br />composition; porch; doors and windows; architectural detailing (decorative relief, carved brackets, window grilles); and
<br />original garage.
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />5-27
|