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CONSTRUCTION HISTORY: (Construction data, alterations, and date of alterations)
<br />March 1923. Office & storage warehouse.
<br />May 2, 1924. Alterations.
<br />February 18, 1925. Alterations.
<br />January 18, 1929. Alterations.
<br />May 8, 1933. Re-anchoring firewalls, repair stone cornice.
<br />June 1, 1937. Repair garage.
<br />August 24, 1937. Repairs and alterations.
<br />May It, 1944. Repair fire damage.
<br />July 22, 1944. Alteration to business building.
<br />April 13, 1973. Saloon & restaurant.
<br />July 27, 1973. Mezzanine.
<br />August 12, 1982. Remove interior partitions & skylights.
<br />September 20, 1982. Seismic reinforcement (completed
<br />August 30, 1983).
<br />December 28, 1984. Remove interior partitions.
<br />January 31, 1985. Tenant improvements.
<br />RELATED FEATURES: (Other important features such as barns, sheds, fences, prominent or unusual trees, or landscape)
<br />Enclosed yard east of building
<br />DESCRIPTION: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, settings, and
<br />boundaries.)
<br />Facing south onto Second Street, this is a one and a half story multi-colored brick building in the Georgian Revival style. The raised
<br />parapets of the end walls flank a side gable roof. Crowned by an iron-railed deck, (lie roof features three identical dormers topped by
<br />segmental arch roofs and pediments. The three bay division is carried through to (lie fagade, articulated by slightly raised plastered
<br />piers with decorative caps. A denticulated frieze, which bears the legend "Southern Counties Gas Company," tops the piers. Each
<br />bay contains a large, arched opening accented by a keystone; boarded over windows are located in the side bays and the pilaster
<br />framed entry in the center bay. Additional arched openings are located on the side elevations. The building retains strong design
<br />integrity on the exterior; (lie principal alterations appear to be the "Victorianization" of the entry and the boarding of the windows.
<br />Note: This property has a fa?ade easement with Heritage Orange County.
<br />HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS:
<br />The Southern Counties Gas Company building was constructed in 1923 to a design by one of the premier architectural firms of Los
<br />Angeles, Walker and Eisen. Other well known commissions by this renowned firm include San Gabriel City Hall (San Gabriel,
<br />1923), the Fine Arts Building (Los Angeles, 1925), the Beverly Wilshire Hotel (Beverly Hills, 1926), the El Cortez Hotel (San Diego,
<br />1926), the Title Insurance and Trust Building (Los Angeles, 1928), Upland City Hall (Upland, 1939), and the San Luis Obispo County
<br />Courthouse (1940). Builders of file $50,000 improvement were Clark Bros, of Los Angeles. The new building occupied the site of
<br />the Santa Ana Gas and Electric Light Works, established at this location in 1891. In 1911 the utility was purchased by the Southern
<br />Counties Gas Company. The Gas Company operated at this site from 1923 until the mid-1960s. From the early 1970s through late
<br />1980, Handlebars Saloon utilized the space.
<br />RESOURCE ATTRIBUTES: (List attributes and codes From Appendix 4 of Instructions for Recording Historical Resources, Office
<br />of Historic Preservation.)
<br />(HP 6) 1-3 story Commercial Building
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<br />cenlhistoric%templates Second 207 W (So Co Gas)
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<br />25C-8
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