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Sfrate of California The Resourpes Agency Primary t
<br /> t�EPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI II
<br /> pol4TINUATi4N SkEE7 Tnromral
<br /> Page 3 of 3 Resource Name or# (Assigned by recorder) Cooper House
<br /> *Recorded by Leslie J. Neumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date March 25, 2002 I Continuation 0 Update
<br /> *B10. Significance(continued):
<br /> Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as
<br /> Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. In 1877, Spurgeon, along with James McFadden and James Fruit, formed the Western
<br /> Development Company with the intention of bringing the Southern Pacific Railroad from its then terminus in Anaheim into
<br /> Santa Ana. Thinking to capitalize on commercial growth around the railroad, the partners purchased 160 acres adjacent to
<br /> the eastern city boundary at French Street. Although they were successful in luring the Southern Pacific to a new depot on
<br /> Fruit Street in Santa Ana in 1878, the expected commercial development of"Santa Ana East"never materialized. Early
<br /> growth and development of the town continued to be centered further west around Fourth and Main Streets, with the result
<br /> that the legacy of Santa Ana East is an angled street plan whose intersection with the original city is marked by a small,
<br /> triangular parcel, developed in the 1890s as Flatiron Park, now known as French Park. Santa Ana continued to grow,
<br /> stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad in 1886. Following its incorporation as a city in 1886, Santa Ana was
<br /> recognized as one of the leading communities in the area in 1889 when it became the seat of the newly created County of
<br /> Orange.
<br /> Beginning in the 1880s and continuing well into the twentieth century, the area around the path began to be developed with
<br /> many of the finest homes in Santa Ana. Examples of Victorian era, turn of the century, and Craftsman homes were built
<br /> along the tree-lined streets. By the 1920s, most streets in the neighborhood were fully developed, although a few revival
<br /> styled single family homes and duplexes were built during the 1920s, and a handful of apartments constructed in the 1930s.
<br /> Fmm the nineteenth century onwards, residents were a "Who's Who"of early Santa Ana, and included bankers, attorneys,
<br /> doctors, businessmen, ranchers, teachers and others active in the civic and social life of the city.
<br /> Once known as the"Nob Hill"of Santa Ana, French Park declined in the 1940s and 1950s as some homes were converted
<br /> into rooming houses and others were allowed to deteriorate. In the 1960s and 1970s some houses were demolished and
<br /> the properties redeveloped with multi-family housing. However, a grass roots preservation effort begun in the late 1970s led
<br /> to the establishment of a local historic district in 1984 and the listing of the neighborhood in the National Register of Historic
<br /> Places in 1999.
<br /> The Cooper House was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1999 as a contributor to the French Park Historic
<br /> District. It is therefore listed in the California Register of Historical Resources and is located within the boundaries of the
<br /> locally designated historic district. It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion
<br /> 1, as a representative example of the distinguishing characteristics of an architectural period, the eclecticism of the early
<br /> twentieth century. Further, the house qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 4b,
<br /> for its association with Cooper, a prominent citizen of Santa Ana. Additionally, the house has been categorized as
<br /> "Landmark"for its unique architectural significance. Possessed of substantial integrity from 1900, the house displays
<br /> characteristic elements of the Colonial Revival style such as the near symmetry of the facade and Tuscan porch supports
<br /> with the surface complexity and wooden ornamentation of the Queen Anne. All original and restored exterior features of the
<br /> Cooper House are character-defining and should be presented. These features include, but may not be limited to:
<br /> materials and finishes;roof configuration and detailing;massing and composition; dormer;bays and projections;porches;
<br /> doors and windows(including surrounds);architectural detailing(woodwork);and low concrete curb and step at the
<br /> sidewalk.
<br /> *B12. References(continued):
<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 /> Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. 1921.
<br /> Guinn, James Miller. Historical and Biographical Record of Southern California. 1902.
<br /> Historical Landmarks Inventory Form, November 18, 1976(Santa Ana History Room).
<br /> "Preserving the Past in French Park" The Register, February 12, 1983.
<br /> DPR 523t.
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