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State of California —The Resources Agency Primary # I
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />Page 3 of 4 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Cotant House
<br />'Recorded by Leslie J. Neumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC 'Date January 30, 2003 ❑x Continuation ❑ Update
<br />'133a. Description (continued):
<br />Wrought iron sconces flank the opening, with a small window enhanced by a wrought iron grille to one side and a double
<br />casement window on the other. Arched corbelling marks a shallow second story overhang. Another pierced stucco screen
<br />is adjacent to the balcony. The south elevation is marked by a red brick chimney while the north elevation features a bay
<br />with molded hood on the ground floor. An iron gate blocks the concrete driveway leading to the original two -car garage
<br />along the rear of the property. The garage, like the house, is side -gabled with a red file roof and stucco finish. The
<br />meticulously tended grounds are a mix of subtropical vegetation, a broad expanse of lawn in front and shaped hedges. A
<br />large, mature tree shades the south half of the front yard near the house. The residence, garage, and grounds appear
<br />original and are in excellent condition.
<br />'1310. Significance (continued):
<br />Frank Curran, president of Frank Curran Lumber Company, and his family. From 1940 until at least 1945, Herschel R. and
<br />Floss M. Brinkerhoff were residents. Mr. Brinkerhoff was the principal of `H. R. Brinkerhoff and company and outdoor
<br />bowling alley".
<br />The Cotant 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 onto complete such notable projects as the 1935Art Deco styled
<br />Old Santa Ana City Hall, the El Toro Marne Base during World War 11, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in
<br />the neighborhood he had helped to create, at 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
<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 11 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 />The Cotant 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. Characteristic features of the style include the signature combination
<br />of stucco exteriors and red clay tiled roofing, broad asymmetrical massing, corbelled overhang, Moorish inspired pierced
<br />stucco screens, and wooden balcony. The house also contributes to the historic characterof the Floral Park neighborhood
<br />through its age, style, scale, and historic association with members of the local business and professional communities.
<br />Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Landmark" for its unique architectural significance as an example of the
<br />Spanish Colonial Revival style that contributes to the historic streetscape of North Victoria Drive. All original exterior
<br />features of the Cotant House are considered character defining and should be preserved. These features include, but may
<br />not be limited to: materials (wood) and finishes (stucco); roof configurafion, materials and treatment massing and
<br />composition, balcony; porch; projections; doors and windows; chimney,, architectural detailing (pierced screens, wrought iron
<br />elements, sconces, etc.); original garage, and landscape features such as subtropical vegetation and mature trees.
<br />DPR 523L
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