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State of California —The Resources Agency
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET
<br />by Leslie J. Neumann, Peter C. Moruzzt, SAIC
<br />B10. Significance (continued):
<br />Primary #
<br />HRI #
<br />Trinomial
<br />or # (Assigned by recorder) Whitson Nome
<br />'Date January 2, 2002 ® Continuation O Update
<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 PacfBc 10 anew depot on
<br />Fruit Skeet in Santa Ana in 1878, the expected commercial development of 'Santa Ana East' never materialized. Early
<br />gmwf and development of the town continued to be centered hitter west around Fourth and Main Sheets, with Me 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 />tnangular 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 1888. Following Its incorporation as a city In 1886, Santa Ana was
<br />recognized as one of the feading 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 wed 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
<br />along the treedined streets. By the 19203, most streets M the neighborhood were fu0y developed, although a few revival
<br />styled single family homes and duplexes were built during the 1920s, and a handful of apartments constructed in the 1930s.
<br />From the nineteenth century onwards, residents were a `IMho's Who "of early Santa Ana, and Included bankers, attorneys,
<br />doctors, businessmen, ranchers, teachers and others active in the civic and social life of the city.
<br />Once known as the "Nob Hit" of Santa Ana, French Park declined in the 1940s and 1950s as some homes were converted
<br />into rooming houses and others were allowed to deteriorate. In the 1960s and 1970s some houses were demolished and the
<br />properties redeveloped with muti-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. One of the activities undertaken in support of the historic district has been the relocation of several historic
<br />homes threatened with demolition to sites within the district boundaries.
<br />The Whitson Home fs an example of a recently moved house, originally constructed two blocks away at another French Park
<br />location. It contributes to the French Park Historic District through its architectural style and type, which are representative of
<br />the district during its period of growth and sfgnifrcance (established by the National Register nomination as 1877 - 1945). The
<br />Whitson Home is listed in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributor to the French Park Historic District, is
<br />therefore listed in the California Register of Historical Resources, and is located within the boundaries of the locally
<br />designated historic district. It is also included in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property and has been categorized as
<br />"Key.' Following its relocation in 1987, rehabdltation included the removal of asbestos siding, replication of a fireplace,
<br />interior restoration and new landscaping. The Whitson Home possesses substantial integrity from 1911, including built -In
<br />sideboard, bookcase, and bathroom cabinets and exhibits the horizontal proportions, dormer, clapboard siding, and gabled
<br />roof that characterize the Craftsman bungalow style. Ali original and restored exterior features of the Whitson Home are
<br />considered to be character defining and should be preserved. These features include, but may not be limited to: materials
<br />and finishes (siding); roof configuration and detailing, dormer, original windows and doors where extant; and architectural
<br />detailing such as rafter tads and braces.
<br />'B12. References (continued):
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encycl000dia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana An Mistated His forv. 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 />Whiffisn, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
<br />Historic French Park Holiday Home Tour, 1999.
<br />DPR 5?{L
<br />25A -8
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