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State of California-The Resources Agency Primary #
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />aa„o ~ ~f 4 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Warner House
<br />*Recorded by Leslie J. Neumann and Deborah Howell-Ardila *Date April 30, 2007 ~ Continuation ^ Update
<br />*P3a. Description (continued):
<br />embellished with decorative paneling and a small square opening that is covered with an iron grill. Side elevations repeat the
<br />tripartite arrangement of windows used on the facade. The north elevation displays an attached brick chimney. Alterations
<br />include a 256-square foot rear addition to the first floor and the addition of a 670-foot second story. Set back from the facade
<br />and topped by a compatible front gable, the addition is most apparent on the south elevation of the house. The materials and
<br />design utilized in the addition are consistent with the character-defining features of the house, but can be distinguished from it
<br />through use of modern aluminum-frame windows, as well as in the lower pitch of the gable. Other modifications include the
<br />addition of awnings on wrought iron supports, replacement of the original garage door, and hardscape improvements such as
<br />paving of the front steps and the addition of a white picket fence. Despite these changes, the house still effectively conveys
<br />the period of its signifrcance.
<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. 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 />The Warner 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),
<br />credited as fhe subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls,
<br />New York in 1922 (Talbert, pages 353-356). `Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land.
<br />And that month, he began building custom homes in Santa Ana" (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel
<br />chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. "When built in the 1920s, the
<br />Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange County
<br />Register. September 15, 1981). Revival archifecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and
<br />1930s; Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival
<br />styles. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco-styled Old
<br />Santa Ana City Hall, the EI Toro Marine Base during World War ll, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the
<br />neighborhood he had helped create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
<br />In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral
<br />Park. An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive befween West Nineteenth Street and West Santa
<br />Clara Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell's own large, Colonial
<br />Revival mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post-World War I! years, Floral Park continued its development as
<br />numerous smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style.
<br />In the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2006), Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Wamer House lies in the northern section of Floral Park known as North Broadway Park. Bounded by Riverside Drive,
<br />Santa Clara Avenue, North Broadway, and North Flower Street, North Broadway Park, subdivided in 1923, has been
<br />determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Keeper of the National Register found that:
<br />`North Broadway Park reflects the City Beautiful planning movement in Southern California during the early twentieth century.
<br />The vernacular adaptations of period revival styles, curvilinear street patterns, street furniture, and landscape combine to
<br />create a cohesive and pleasant middle class suburban neighborhood environment which is unique in the early historical
<br />development of the city of Santa Ana. "' Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources,
<br />the Warner House, which is a contributor to the National Register district, is eligible for listing in the California Register.
<br />1 Determination of Eligibility, February 25, 1980. QPage 4 of 5
<br />DPR 523E 25A-9
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