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RESOURCESPRESENT: <br />N Building ❑ Structure <br />MOVED? N No ❑ Yes <br />❑ Object ❑ Site <br />❑ Unknown Date: <br />❑ District N Element of District ❑ Other <br />Original Location: <br />STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, <br />period, geographic scope, and integrity.) <br />Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative townsite on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho <br />Santiago de Santa Ana. Early growth and development was stimulated by the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1878 and the <br />Santa Fe Railroad in 1886. By the end of the 1880s, Santa Ana's downtown business district was defined by five city blocks of brick <br />commercial buildings on Fourth Street, with the heart of the city at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets (Thomas, 8:1). The <br />early 1900s witnessed the construction of many new business blocks or remodels along Fourth and the adjacent streets, and by the <br />1920s Santa Ana's downtown had expanded in all directions to include both commercial and civic development. <br />The Armory HalVAmerican Legion Hall was a significant focal point of the community's life. Company L was a source of patriotic <br />pride to Santa Ana, and the role it played in war efforts as well as in peace time crises such as the cleanup following the 1933 Long <br />Beach Earthquake has been chronicled in Charles Swanner's book, The Story of Company L, Santa Ana's Own. This property housed <br />Company L for over 40 years, and was used for drills, as a place of assembly when the unit was called into active duty, and for <br />sponsored activities such as dances and athletic events. The building also possesses architectural interest as an example of the Spanish <br />Colonial Revival of the 1930s, and complements the two Spanish styled buildings around the corner at 309 and 315 West Third Street. <br />Character -defining exterior features of the Armory Hall/American Legion Hall, which, should be preserved, include but may not be <br />limited to: brick construction; tile roofing; arched entry; arched and flat -headed window treatments on the fapade; brickwork; round <br />window, and architectural detailing such as the first floor comice. <br />SUMMARY/CONCLUSION: <br />This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as a contributor to the Downtown Historic District. Under <br />the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the California Register. The <br />property is included in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property and has been categorized as "Landmark" because it "is on the <br />national register," "is on the state register," "has historical/cultural significance to the City of Santa Ana," and "has a unique <br />architectural significance" (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). <br />OWNER AND ADDRESS: <br />Page 3 of 4 <br />em\historidtemplatesTirch 313 N (American Legion Halt) <br />823/01 <br />