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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 6_Resource Name: Mabee House
<br />*Recorded by Andrea Dumovich Heywood *Date January 19, 2023 Continuation Update
<br />DPR 523L
<br />Multi-lite wood-frame casement windows of various sizes appear on the side (north and south) and rear (east) facades. The
<br />rear façade also incorporates a single oval window at the second story and two wood-frame single-hung windows at the first
<br />story. Second story siding also varies at the rear façade with vertical siding occurring along a portion of the building’s rear
<br />volume (Figure 7).
<br />A stylized Classical frieze with applied triglyphs wraps around the entire building, dividing the lower and upper stories (Figure
<br />8). A rear, brick chimney rises above the roofline, which is visible from the property’s rear. A detached garage, pool, and small
<br />shed are located east of the rear (east) elevation of the residence (Figures 9). The front (west) side of the property is
<br />landscaped with a lawn and a mix of low shrubs and medium-to-tall trees and is encircledby a low wood fence and manicured
<br />shrubs. A wrought-iron gate encloses the long driveway leading towards the detached garage. A brick wall of moderate-height
<br />divides the rear yard from the detached garage as well as the front and rear yards at the south side of the property. While
<br />much of the property’s unique architectural features remain intact, several if not all of the windows appear to be replacement
<br />wood windows. The stained glass window above the entry has been replaced at an unknown date. Lastly, it is plausible that a
<br />rear addition was added at some point, where the vertical wood siding and oval window differ from the rest of the home,
<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
<br />City directories reveal that the property was then sold at some point between 1937 and 1938 to Bob Fernandez, who owned
<br />the property until circa 1956. The following owner, Walter T Flaherty, resided in the home from circa 1960 to 1970. In 1979,
<br />Linda White is listed as an occupant of the subject property. City directories from 1985 to 1990, list Doris E White as the
<br />occupant. By 2000, Jack White is listed as the property owner. From circa 2006 to 2008, Michael Urtel is listed as an occupant
<br />of the subject property. City directories end in 2008.
<br />The Mabee House 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 El Toro Marine
<br />Base during World War II, 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 (2023) Floral Park maintains its identity as the
<br />premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Mabee House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 as a rare example of
<br />a Depression era Hollywood Regency style home. Located in Floral Park, the house cost $14,000 to build, a considerable
<br />investment for the year of its construction, 1936. The Hollywood Regency style is extremely rare in Santa Ana. Referencing the
<br />period when George IV was Prince Regent in England, this briefly fashionable style was an eclectic expression of the Georgian
<br />Colonial Revival in combination with the simplicity of the Moderne style. The recommended categorization is “Contributive”
<br />because it contributes to the overall character and history of the Floral Park neighborhood and is a good example of period
<br />architecture.(Santa Ana Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). Character-defining features of the Hollywood Regency style exhibited
<br />by the house include its the pavilion-like two-story massing with emphasis on the taller lower story; horizontal panel siding
<br />throughout the upper story and smooth stucco finish on the taller lower story; wall dormers with characteristic segmentally
<br />arched heads; multi-lite wood-frame bow window featuring several gold star details above; wood-frame multi-lite casement
<br />windows and window shutters; original mailslot and address; wrought iron railings, porch supports and minimal decorative trim
<br />featuring two gold stars; stylized Classical elements such as the frieze between stories accented by applied triglyphs; built-in
<br />planter at primary façade; and brick chimney.
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<br />Historic Resources Commission 69 1/19/2023
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