Item 19 - Approval of Historic Property Preservation Agreements

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HRCA No. 2022-13, HRC 2022-6, HPPA No. 2022-3 – Gibbs-Wasley House September 8, 2022 Page 2 2 6 1 6 DISCUSSION Project Location and Site Description The subject property is located on the northwest corner Benton Way and Bonnie Brae, in the Floral Park neighborhood. The site contains a 3,784-square-foot, Tudor Revival style residence and detached garage on a 15,700-square-foot residential lot (Exhibit 3). Analysis of the Issues Historical Listing In March 1999, the City Council approved Ordinance No. NS-2363 establishing the Historic Resources Commission and the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The Historic Resources Commission may, by resolution and at a noticed public hearing, designate as a historical property any building or part thereof, object, structure, or site having importance to the history or architecture of the city in accordance with the criteria set forth in Section 30-2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). This project entails applying the selection criteria established in Chapter 30 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (Places of Historical and Architectural Significance) to determine if this structure is eligible for historic designation to the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The first criterion for selection requires that the structures be 50 or more years old. The structure identified meets the minimum selection criteria for inclusion on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties pursuant to criteria contained in Section 30-2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code, as the structure is 94 years old and is a good example of period architecture. No known code violations exist on record for this property. The Gibbs-Wasley House is architecturally significant as a characteristic example of the Tudor Revival architectural style in Santa Ana. It was built in 1928 for $15,000. According to City directories, the first owners were William Isbell Gibbs and his wife Jessamyne Gibbs. They lived in the home for 16 years from 1929 to 1945. Mr. Gibbs was a partner at Gibbs and Scott Auto Repair in the rear of 726 S. Main Street in downtown Santa Ana. The Gibbs were enthusiastic participants in the Santa Ana social scene in the 1930s and entertained in the home often. Mrs. Gibbs was involved in local women’s organizations. The home was sold in 1947 to rancher Glenne E. Mathis and his wife Charlotte, who lived in the home for a short time. In 1954, the home was sold to Dr. William L. Wasley and his wife Ruth. William had several advanced and post- graduate degrees and was a research chemist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In 1962 the home was occupied by local realtor George Frazier and his wife Vernelle Frazier. The Gibbs-Wasley House is a two-story single-family residential building constructed in the Tudor Revival style. Asymmetrical in design, the house exhibits a steeply pitched Historic Resources Commission 1 – 2 9/8/2022