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State of California -The Resources Agency Primary # DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI # CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial rage ,s yr ~ resource name or ~ (,assigned by recorder) Webster House 'Recorded by Leslie J. Neumann and Deborah Howell-Ardila *Date July 27, 2006 O Continuation ^ Update *610. Significance (continued): Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The civic and commercial core of the community was centered around the intersection of Main and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and incorporation as a city in 1886, and selection as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses. The Webster House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West Seventeenth Street North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados and walnuts, and widely scattered ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897-1981), credited as the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in 1922 (Talbert, pages 353-356). `Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that month, he began building custom homes in Santa Ana" (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. "When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s; Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival styles. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco-styled Old Santa Ana City Hall, the EI Toro Marine Base during World War ll, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he had helped create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue. In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral Park. An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa Clara Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell's own large, Colonial Revival mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post-World War ll years, Floral Park continued its development as numerous smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style. In the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2006), Floral Park maintains its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens. The Webster House lies in the northern section of Floral Park known as North Broadway Park. Bounded by Riverside Drive, Santa Clara Avenue, North Broadway, and North Flower Street North Broadway Park, subdivided in 1923, has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Keeper of the National Register found that: `North Broadway Park reflects the City Beautiful planning movement in Southern California during the early twentieth century. The vernacular adaptations of period revival styles, curvilinear street patterns, street furniture, and landscape combine to create a cohesive and pleasant middle class suburban neighborhood environment which is unique in the early historical development of the city of Santa Ana. "' Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the Webster House, which is a contributor to the National Register district, has been listed in the California Register. The Webster House also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 3 for its exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the Tudor Revival style. Typical features of this style illustrated by the house include its combination of stucco cladding, decorative half-timbering, and brick facing; its gabled massing, and its emphasis on vertical features such as the gables and the prominent chimney. Additionally, the house has been categorized as `Key" because it has a distinctive architectural sty/e and quality. "Character-defining exterior features of the Webster House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (stucco, wood, and brick); roof configuration and detailing; original windows and doors where extant; chimney,' architectural details such as the half-timbering in the gables and herringbone-patterned brick work around entryway. "B12. References (continued): Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998. Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana. An Illustrated History. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994. McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide fo American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984. National Register Bulletin 16A. How to Complete the National Register Registration Form." Washington DC: National Register Branch, National Park Service, US Dept. of the Inferior, 1991. Office of Historic Preservation. "Instructions for Recording Historical Resources." Sacramento: March 1995. (See Continuation Sheet 4 of 4.) ' Determination of Eligibility, February 25, 1980. DPR 523E ~ C ~~~f 5