|
State of California—The Resources Agency Primary#
<br /> DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
<br /> CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br /> Page 3 of 3 Resource Name or# (Assigned by recorder) Wilson House
<br /> *Recorded by Leslie J. Neumann, Peter C. Moruzzi, SAIC *Date July 8, 2002 Cl Continuation ❑ Update
<br /> "1310.Significance(continued):
<br /> Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on pail of the Spanish land grant known as
<br /> Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. In 1877, Spurgeon, along with Jai-nos McFadden and James Fruit, formed the Western
<br /> Development Company with the intention of bringing the Souther 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 park 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 along
<br /> the free-lined streets. By the 1920s, most streets in the neighborhood were fully developed, although a few revival styled
<br /> single family homes and duplexes were built during the 1920s, and a handful of apartments constructed in the 1930s, From
<br /> the nineteenth century onwards, residents were a 'Who's Who"of early Santa Ana, and included bankers, attorneys, doctors,
<br /> 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 roorning houses and others were allowed to deteriorate. in the 1960s and 1970s some houses were demolished and the
<br /> properties redeveloped with multi-family housing. However, a grass roots preservation effort begun in the late 1970s led to
<br /> 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 Wilson 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 /> iocally designated historic district. it also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 1
<br /> as an intact and representative example of a Colonial Revival residence from the early 1920s. Additionally, the house has
<br /> been categorized as"Key"for its distinctive architectural style and quality. Characteristic Colonial Revival features include
<br /> the clipped, side-gabled roof(also known as a jerkinhead roof), boxed cornices, broad front-gabled porch with Tuscan
<br /> supports, and exterior brick chimney. Character-defining exterior features of the Wilson House that should be preserved
<br /> include, but may not be limited to:sheathing(clapboard);roof configuration;massing;windows,porch;and architectural
<br /> details such as boxed cornices and Tuscan columns.
<br /> "1312. 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 /> DPR 523L
<br />
|