State of California-The Resources Agency Primary #
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />rayc ~ ~~ 4 resource name or ~ ~ASSignea by recorder) Lewis House
<br />*Recorded by Leslie J. Heumann and Deborah Howell-Ardila *Date July 27, 2006 O Continuation ^ Update
<br />*P3a. Description (continued):
<br />flanked by wooden shutters. Brick caps the patio wall, and trims the sill of the large picture window. A stucco covered
<br />chimney is attached to the north elevation; a second, interior chimney straddles the ridgeline of the side gable. In the
<br />southwest comer of the property, a garage with a second story appears to date from the same period as the house.
<br />Alterations to the property do not compromise the integrity of the house, and include the additions of a stucco garden wall with
<br />brick coping and wrought iron trim, and wrought iron gates at the entry and Porte cochere.
<br />*610. 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. The civic and commercial core of the community was centered around the intersection of
<br />Main and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and incorporation as a city in 1886, and selection
<br />as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
<br />developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with
<br />cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
<br />Since the second half of the twentieth century, the neighborhood in which the Lewis House is located has been known as
<br />West Floral Park. Located northwest of the historic core of Santa Ana, this residential neighborhood is bounded by Santiago
<br />Creek on the north, West Seventeenth Street on the south, North Flower Street on the east, and North Bristol Street on the
<br />west. Prior to World War ll, the area was agricultural, divided into a few large landholdings devoted primarily to the cultivation
<br />of oranges, walnuts, and apricots. Traces of this early era remain in the form of two original farmhouses (1911 Westwood
<br />Street and 2402 North Flower Street) and in a few large parcels along Flower Street. During the 1920s and 1930s, a handful
<br />of houses were erected on Baker, Bristol, and Flower Streets, and two municipal facilities, the City Water Works pumping
<br />plants and the City/County Animal Shelter, were built at 2315 and 2321 North Bristol Street.
<br />West Floral Park acquired its current identity as a neighborhood of expansive, California Ranch Style houses in the years
<br />following 1947. Development started slowly, with around two dozen homes being built on Baker, Olive, Towner, and
<br />Westwood Streets between 1947 and 1950. Construction boomed during the 1950s and 1960s. One builder in particular
<br />has come fo be associated with West Floral Park: Roy Rodney Russell. The son of Roy Roscoe Russell, who developed
<br />much of Victoria Avenue in Floral Park, Roy Rodney Russell formed a partnership with his father in 1945; the partnership was
<br />called Roy Russell and Son, Builders. They began building homes on speculation, usually around fifteen or twenty each
<br />year. Following the death of his father in 1965, Roy Rodney Russell continued to build, mostly custom homes and many of
<br />them in West Floral Park. He retired in 1993.
<br />Flower Street itself ended at Seventeenth Street during the agricultural period. North of Santa Clara, Hannah Street (also
<br />spelled `hlanna'~ was renamed Flower between 1912 and 1915. Sometime later, the north and south sections of Flower were
<br />joined, but the area between Seventeenth and Santa Clara remained agricultural. By 1929, according to the city directories,
<br />there were nine houses on the west side of Flower north of Santa Clara in the Fisher Park neighborhood (the 2600 and 2700
<br />blocks), and only one (2330) in West Floral Park. By 1931, five houses had been constructed on Flower south of Santa Clara
<br />on this street of orange and walnut orchards.
<br />The Lewis House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 3 for its exemplification
<br />of the distinguishing characteristics of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Typical features of this style illustrated by the
<br />house include its tiled roof with low pitch and shallow eaves; asymmetrical massing; decorative use of brick and wood,
<br />smooth plaster finish and lack of ornamentation; and arched openings. Additionally, the house has been categorized as
<br />"Contributive" because it `contributes to the overall character and history" of Santa Ana, and, as an example of the Spanish
<br />Colonial Revival style, `5s a good example of period architecture. " Character-defining exterior features of the Lewis House
<br />that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (stucco, wood, brick); roof configuration
<br />and detailing; original windows and doors where extant; chimneys; Porte cochere; architectural details such as the attic vents
<br />and bargeboards.
<br />*B12. References (continued):
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encvclooedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana. An Illustrated Hisforv. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994.
<br />McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide fo American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
<br />DPR 523E ~ ~~ 4~ 5
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