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® Building ❑ Structure ❑ Object <br />MOVED" ® No ❑ Yes ❑ Unknown <br />❑ Site <br />Date: <br />❑ District ® Element of District ❑ Other <br />Original Location: <br />STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme. <br />period, geographic scope, and integrity.) <br />Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative townsite on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho <br />Santiago de Santa Ana. Early growth and development was stimulated by the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1878 and the <br />Santa Fe Railroad in 1886. By the end of the 1880s, Santa Ana's downtown business district was defined by five city blocks of brick <br />commercial buildings on Fourth Street, with the heart of the city at the intersection of Fourth and Main Streets (Thomas, 8:1). <br />The period of 1911.1915 saw many characteristic new business blocks or remodels along Fourth Street, and by the 1920s Santa Ana's <br />downtown had expanded in each direction to include both commercial and civic development. By the late 1920s and early 1930s more <br />modern architectural styles had come into vogue, including the Art Deco and Streamline Modeme. While several new buildings were <br />constructed in this style, many older buildings were remodeled to these styles following the 1933 Long Beach earthquake, which <br />caused extensive damage to many of the storefronts in Santa Ana's downtown. <br />The Empire Market Building is architecturally significant as one of the best examples of Art Deco commercial architecture in <br />downtown Santa Ana. The building retains a high degree of integrity, and displays the characteristics typical of the style including <br />stucco walls, full- height piers separating bays on the first and second floors; ornamented window heads; decorative grillwork; and the <br />zig zag design at the parapet. <br />Due to the remarkable integrity of this resource, most exterior features are considered to be character- defining and should be <br />preserved. They include, but are not limited to: exterior finishes; bay divisions articulated by piers and pilasters; parapet; fenestration; <br />storefront configuration and materials; wrought iron grilles; hexagonal tile flooring; and zigzag ornamentation. <br />gummwakfIdAl 1 <br />This building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984 as a contributor to the Downtown Historic District. Under <br />the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the building is also listed in the California Register. As <br />an example of the Art Deco styling which was fashionable during the 1920s and 1930s, the building satisfies Criterion I for inclusion <br />in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property. Additionally, the property has been categorized as "Key" because it has a <br />"distinctive architectural style and quality" and "is characteristic of a significant period in the history of the City of Santa Ana" <br />(Municipal Code, Section 30- 2.2(2)). <br />OWNER AND ADDRESS: SBR&G Ltd Partners <br />4241 East La Palma Avenue <br />Anaheim CA 92807 <br />Page 3 or4 <br />nMNAa,k' nphW,\BmAdw y 202 \ IE,,O,r Wko <br />sre,ni <br />25E -8 <br />