Item 13 - Historic Property Preservation Agreement

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HRCA No. 2024-11, HRC No. 2024-09, HPPA No. 2024-13 — Halsell House (2424 N. Oakmont Avenue) January 29, 2026 Page 2 DISCUSSION Project Location and Site Description The subject property is located on the west side of the 2400 block of N. Oakmont Avenue in the Park Santiago neighborhood in Santa Ana. The site contains a 2,600-square-foot residence, in addition to a detached garage and detached shop building, on an 18,700- square-foot residential lot (Exhibit 3). Analysis of the Issues Historical Listing In March 1999, the City Council approved Ordinance No. NS-2363 establishing the Historic Resources Commission and the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The Historic Resources Commission may, by resolution and at a noticed public hearing, designate as a historical property any building or part thereof, object, structure, or site having importance to the history or architecture of the city in accordance with the criteria set forth in Section 30-2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (SAMC). This project entails applying the selection criteria established in Chapter 30 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code (Places of Historical and Architectural Significance) to determine if this structure is eligible for historic designation to the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties. The first criterion for selection requires that the structures be 50 or more years old. The structure identified meets the selection criteria for inclusion on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties pursuant to criteria contained in Section 30-2 of the Santa Ana Municipal Code, as the structure is 88 years old, is a sound example of period architecture, and is associated with a significant individual in Santa Ana history. No known code violations exist on record for this property. The Halsell House is architecturally significant as an intact example of a Colonial Revival - style house in Santa Ana. The original building permit is dated May 25, 1937, and indicates the property was developed as a residence and garage for owner Oliver L. Halsell, at a value of $7,000. The original architect and contractor are unknown. Halsell played a central role in the development of Santa Ana's Fairhaven Memorial Park, which at the time of its opening in 1911, was notable locally for its park -like planning. In the 1920s and 1930s, Halsell served an officer of the Santora Company, a Santa Ana - based land development firm responsible for constructing numerous commercial properties and establishing many residential subdivisions in Santa Ana and Orange County. Among his duties with Santora, Halsell served as "tract manager" of the Oakmont Park tract, in which the Halsell House is located. Originally platted for residential development in 1923, the tract was touted at the time of its initial development as one of