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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 3_ Resource Name: W.D. Johnston House
<br />*Recorded by Pedro Gomez *Date November 4, 2021 Continuation Update
<br />DPR 523L
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<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
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<br />The W.D. Johnston 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), credited
<br />as the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in
<br />1922 (Talbert, pages 353-356). “Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that month,
<br />he began building custom homes in Santa Ana” (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became
<br />the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. “When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park homes
<br />were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each” (Orange County Register, September 15,
<br />1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s and Floral Park
<br />showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival.
<br />
<br />The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled Old Santa
<br />Ana City Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War II, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the
<br />neighborhood he had helped to create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
<br />
<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, homes in the neighborhoods were mostly
<br />developed in the revival styles. In the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today
<br />(2021) Floral Park maintains its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and
<br />prominent citizens.
<br />
<br />The W.D. Johnston House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, for its
<br />exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the Georgian/Federal variant of a Colonial Revival style home. Identifying
<br />features of this style include its two-story massing, symmetry, classically inspired detailing, formal portico, elliptical fanlights,
<br />and multi-paned fenestration. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Key” because it has distinctive architectural
<br />style and quality and is a good example of Colonial Revival architecture. (Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). Character-defining
<br />features of the W.D. Johnston House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: roof configuration, materials,
<br />and treatment (medium-pitched side gabled roof,enclosed soffits); massing and composition (two-story block
<br />design;symmetry); portico, brick exterior walls trimmed with wood; fenestration (entry door with elliptical fan and sidelights and
<br />original wood windows); architectural detailing (columns, frieze, balustrades, red brick detailing, and window shutters); brick
<br />entry pathway; and the one-story garage.
<br />
<br />*B12. References (continued):
<br />
<br /> City of Santa Ana Building Permits
<br /> Santa Ana History Room Collection, Santa Ana Public Library
<br /> Sanborn Maps
<br /> Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana, An Illustrated History. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994.
<br />McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
<br />National Register Bulletin 16A. “How to Complete the National Register Registration Form.” Washington DC: National
<br />Register Branch, National Park Service, US Dept. of the Interior, 1991.
<br />Office of Historic Preservation. “Instructions for Recording Historical Resources.” Sacramento: March 1995.
<br />Whiffen, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
<br /> “Alison Honer Dies at 84,” The Santa Ana Journal, September 21, 1981.
<br />“History of Floral Park.” http://www.floral-park.com/page2.html.
<br />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1941-1962.
<br />Santa Ana Daily Register, April 4, 1923
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