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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 4 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Watkins-Cooke House
<br />'Recorded by Deborah Howell-Ardila *Date October 21, 2008 ~ Continuation ^ Update
<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 />The Watkins-Cooke 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 the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls,
<br />New York in 1922 (Talben, 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 architecture 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 between 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 11 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 (2008), Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Watkins-Cooke House lies in the northern section of Floral Park historically known as North Broadway Park. Bounded
<br />by Riverside Drive, Santa Clara Avenue, North Broadway, and North Flower Street North Broadway Park, subdivided in
<br />1923, has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Keeper of the National Register
<br />found that "North Broadway Park reflects the City Beautiful planning movement in Southern California during the early
<br />twentieth century. The vernacular adaptations of period revival styles, curvilinear street patterns, street furniture, and
<br />landscape combine to create a cohesive and pleasant middle class suburban neighborhood environment which is unique in
<br />the early historical development of the city of Santa Ana. "' Under the regulations implementing the California Register of
<br />Historical Resources, the Watkins-Cooke House, which is a contributor to the National Register district, has been listed in the
<br />California Register.
<br />The Watkins-Cooke House also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 for its
<br />exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the English Revival style. Typical features illustrated by the house
<br />include its asymmetrical composition; use of brick; multi-level cross gables; wood-framed casement windows; and use of
<br />arches for openings and windows. Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Contributive" because it `contributes to
<br />the overall character and history" of Santa Ana, and, as an intact example of the English Revival style in the Floral Park
<br />neighborhood, `9s a good example of period architecture." Character-defining exterior features of the Watkins-Cooke House
<br />that should be prese-ved include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (brick and wood); roof configuration and
<br />detailing; original windows and doors where extant; attached chimney; architectural details such as the brick header courses
<br />accenting window, door, and vent openings.
<br />' Determination of Eligibility, February 25, 1980.
<br />DPR 523E ~ 5 NPa~ 4 of 5
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