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The current 45-degree angle of Santa Ana Boulevard and Civic Center Drive reflects the layout of
<br /> this tract, which consisted of 5a-foot-wide lots oriented to the Southern Pacific's diagonal swath. In
<br /> addition to encouraging residential settlement, the Lacy neighborhood's proximity to the railroads
<br /> brought numerous industrial concerns to east Santa Ana, including lumber yards, foal-packing and
<br /> canning plants, furniture warehouses, and other manufacturing plants.
<br /> Two early tracts are located in the vicinity of the Station District area, The "Fruit Addition" and
<br /> "James H. Fruit Addition to Santa Ana East" are associated with increased residential development
<br /> in the vicinity of the new railways that reached Santa Ana during the late 18oDs, providing vital
<br /> connectivity to the City. Due in part to their proximity to the railroad and the downtown business
<br /> district, centered at Fourth and fain Streets, the buildings in these tracts represented a mix of
<br /> residential and industrial uses. The earliest buildings were typically modest vernacular cottages that
<br /> housed Santa Ana's working-class residents ~e.g., building contractors, dry goads salesmen,
<br /> carpenters, clerks, and milliners at the turn of the twentieth century. By 1900, the basic structure
<br /> of the central core of Santa Ana, including the Lacy neighborhood, was well established and
<br /> largely as one sees it today ~~011}, with a cluster of commercial buildings at Fourth and Gain
<br /> Streets, residential areas radiating outward, and a network of interconnecting railway lines, flanked
<br /> by a variety of industrial and manufacturing buildings, defining the eastern sector of the Lacy
<br /> neighborhaad.
<br /> The Lacy neighborhood continued to expand during the pre-World war 1 period, with an increase
<br /> in residential development accompanied by the construction of many cultural, civic, and religious
<br /> buildings, clustered in the neighborhood's northwestern portion. A historical map from 1906
<br /> depicts a neighborhaad comprising primarily single-family dwellings intermingled with occasional
<br /> undeveloped lots. The 192~s brought a new focus to the neighborhood when a large number of
<br /> auto sales and repair shops were established in Lacy's southwestern area, By 1927, at least 12 auto
<br /> sales and repair shops were clustered between Third and Fourth Streets, and French and Lacy
<br /> Streets. By the 193os, the neighborhaad was fully developed as a residential community
<br /> comprising single-family and multi-family properties interspersed with neighborhood services and
<br /> commercial uses that included agricultural supply businesses.
<br /> In the post-World War II era, the construction of large multifamily dwellings began to alter the
<br /> character of the area toward higher-density residential uses. In eastern Lacy, recent redevelopment
<br /> projects have begun to change the area's formerly industrial character and have brought a new
<br /> wave of settlement to the neighborhood.
<br /> The Lacy neighborhood is in proximity to numerous historic properties with local, state, and
<br /> federal designation, including the City of Santa Ana's two NRHP Districts: Downtown Santa Ana
<br /> and French Park. The City of Santa Ana's original downtown business district was listed in the
<br /> NRHP as the Downtown Santa Ana Historic District in 1984. The district is roughly bounded by
<br /> Civic Center on the earth, Spurgeon Street on the east, First Street an the south, and Ross Street on
<br /> the west. Reflecting a wide diversity of property types, contributors to the NRHP-listed district
<br /> include the U.S. Post Office X601 North Bush Street, also individually listed in the NRHP and
<br /> CRHR and as a landmark in the SARHP}, Episcopal Church of the Messiah ~~14 North Bush Street,
<br /> also listed in the SARHP in the "Landmark" categary~; the Shaffer-Wakeman Building ~1o8--11~
<br /> East Fourth Street, listed in the SARHP in the "Key" category}; the Brunner Building ~ Old City )ail
<br /> X116 East Fourth Street, listed in the SARHP in the "Contributive" category); and the Odd Fellows
<br /> Hall X309 North Main Street, also individually listed in the CRHR/NRHP and as a landmark in the
<br /> ~ Sanborn Map Compar~y~ 18881189511946119.25 l 1949. Insurance 1Nap~° of Santa Anna, California. Colorado Springs, CO.
<br />
<br /> Station E~istrict Project Historical Assessment
<br /> May 6, Za1 I Sa~~hos Environmental, inc.
<br /> W:IPROJEC~51147111411-~a71E7ocr~mentsl~listorical AssessmentlFinall5 ~'es€.d l~ p. I?~c Page 5-2
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