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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) L. A. West House
<br />*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann, SAIC *Date April 2, 2003 ⌧ Continuation Update
<br />DPR 523L
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<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
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<br />The West family occupied the house until 1982, selling it complete with the original Barker Brothers furnishings to Carl
<br />Lundquist and Gary Conway that year. Featured in a local home tour shortly thereafter, the house was described in an
<br />article in the The Register on September 18, 1982. Highlights include a two-story entry hall with exposed trusses and
<br />beams, tiled floors and a tiled staircase with Mexican tile risers and wrought iron railings, a step-down living room, formal
<br />dining room, outdoor tiled fireplace, five bedrooms, and five baths finished in various combinations of colored tiles. Original
<br />hardware and lighting was also in place at the time.
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<br />The L. A. West 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.
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<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.
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<br />The L. A. West 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 and under Criterion 4b for its association with a prominent member of
<br />the community. The signature use hand troweled stucco exteriors and red clay tile roofs in combination with the wood work
<br />of the roof and balcony, the asymmetrical massing incorporating patios in the front and rear, the incorporation of arcades
<br />and arched openings, and the employment of such Moorish influenced features as pierced stucco grilles and tiled staircases
<br />are notable in this regard. The house also contributes to the historic character of the Floral Park neighborhood through its
<br />age, style, scale, and historic association with a prominent member of the community. Additionally, the house has been
<br />categorized as “Landmark” for its unique architectural significance as an example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style that
<br />contributes to the historic streetscape of North Victoria Drive. All original exterior features of the L. A. West House are
<br />considered character defining and should be preserved. These features include, but may not be limited to: materials and
<br />finishes (stucco, tile, wood, wrought iron); roof configuration, materials, and treatment; massing and composition; entry,
<br />doors and windows; patios and balcony; porte cochere; architectural detailing (archways, grilles); chimney and fireplaces;
<br />garage; original landscaping; and original interior materials, spaces, finishes, and furnishings.
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