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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) Wahl House
<br />*Recorded by Leslie J. Neumann, SAIC *Date November3, 2003 0 Continuation ❑ Update
<br />*1310. Significance (continued):
<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
<br />selection as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
<br />initially 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 />The Wahl House is located in Wilshire Square, a neighborhood located south of the city center and bounded by West
<br />McFadden Avenue on the north, West Edinger Avenue on the south, South Main Street on the east, and South Flower
<br />Street on the west. This area remained agricultural in use into the early twentieth century, the landscape dotted with walnut
<br />and orange groves. The 1912 plat map of Santa Ana showed South Main Street and Fairview Avenue (now McFadden
<br />Avenue) as the only streets in the area, with the majority of the property held by a few landowners: N. Palmer, H. K.
<br />Hanson, O'Brien, and Lewis.
<br />Development of Wilshire Square began circa 1923, when newspaper advertisements for newly subdivided lots costing
<br />between $635.00 and $1, 875.00 boasted "five foot sidewalks, curbs, electricity, gas, sewer, city water and ornamental trees'
<br />(Santa Ana Register, April 12, 1923). By 1923, all of Flower, Garnsey, Van Ness, Ross, and Borchard and portions of the
<br />remaining streets had been laid out. Lathrop Junior High School, designed by architect Frederick Eley in 1921 (demolished
<br />circa 1970), was constructed on the southwest comer of Fairview and Main and became an anchor of the neighborhood. In
<br />1925, over 65 homes had been built in Wilshire Square, according to a count of addresses listed in the city directories. A
<br />1927 map indicated that the area was zoned for single-family residences, except the east side of Sycamore, which was set
<br />aside for "courts and apartments," apparently as a buffer for the "neighborhood business" zone on South Main Street. By
<br />1930, maps of the City showed that, with the exception of a gap between Borchard and Edinger Avenues on Birch,
<br />Broadway, and Sycamore, all the streets in Wilshire Square were in place. Mapped by the Sanborn Company between
<br />1931 and 1940, the neighborhood was substantially developed prior to the beginning of World War 11.
<br />Built in three phases, Wilshire Square primarily showcases the revival architectural styles popular during the first phase,
<br />circa 1923 to 1931, when 326 homes were built. variations of the Tudor Revival, the Spanish Colonial Revival, and the
<br />Colonial Revival. A handful of Craftsman bungalows completed the picture. A second phase, from 1935 to 1942, marked
<br />the recovery from the Great Depression and the war preparation years, and resulted in another 171 homes. The post World
<br />War 11 building boom added 91 homes, many in the newly popular California Ranch style. Enhanced by the canopies of
<br />mature trees that line many of the streets, Wilshire Square developed as a middle class neighborhood of white and blue
<br />collar workers. Homes were both owner and speculator built, and, regardless of style, are unified by their one-story height,
<br />scale, common setbacks, and the placement of detached garages in the rear of each property. Retaining these qualities
<br />today (2003), the neighborhood was recognized for excellence in urban design by the Orange County Chapter of the
<br />American Institute of Architects in 1997.
<br />The Wahl House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, as a building with
<br />the "distinguishing characteristics of an architectural style or period." The Storybook design, particularly the incorporation of
<br />a turreted bay that suggests a tower, is a fine illustration of the taste for fantasy that characterized much of Southern
<br />California architecture during the 1920s and 1930s. Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Contributive" because
<br />it "contributes to the overall character and history" of Wilshire Square and "is a good example of period architecture" as an
<br />example of the Storybook variant of the English Revival style. Character defining exterior features of the Wahl House that
<br />should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: materials and finishes (stucco), roof configuration and treatment
<br />(gables and turret), massing and composition, original doors and windows, patio, chimney, architectural detailing, original
<br />interior finishes and features, and garage.
<br />DPR 523L 25C-15
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