|
State of California — The Resources Agency Primary If
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />Page 3 of 4 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Harwood House
<br />Kecordeo by Leslie J. Heumann, Hally Soboleske *Date November 4, 2014 ❑x Continuation ❑ Update
<br />*1310. Significance (continued):
<br />Clyde C. Downing and his wife Vera were the next occupants of the Heliotrope house. An attorney, Clyde Downing served
<br />as City Attorney and ran for the state Senate in 1932. By the late 1940s, rancher Robert O. Schildmeyer and his wife Phyllis
<br />were the residents of the property.
<br />The Harwood House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West
<br />Seventeenth Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados, and walnuts and
<br />widely scattered ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897- 1981),
<br />credited as the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls,
<br />New York in 1922 (Talbert, pages 353 -356). "Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land.
<br />And that month, he began building custom homes in Santa Ana" (Orange County Register September 15, 1981). The
<br />parcel chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. "When built in the
<br />1920s, the Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange
<br />County Register, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s
<br />and 1930s and Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial
<br />Revival. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled
<br />Old Santa Ana City Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War fl, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in
<br />the neighborhood he had helped to create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
<br />In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881- 1965), continued developing the groves of Floral
<br />Park. An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa
<br />Clara Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell's own large, Colonial
<br />Revival mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post World War l/ years, Floral Park continued its development as
<br />numerous, smaller, single - family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style.
<br />In the 1950s, low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2014) Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Harwood House has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a contributor to a
<br />North Broadway Park historic district that is bounded by Riverside Drive, Santa Clara Avenue, North Broadway, and North
<br />Flower Street. Comprising the northern end of the Floral Park neighborhood, North Broadway Park was subdivided in 1923.
<br />The Keeper of the National Register found that: "North Broadway Park reflects the City Beautiful planning movement in
<br />Southern California during the early twentieth century. The vernacular adaptations of period revival styles, curvilinear street
<br />patterns, street furniture, and landscape combine to create a cohesive and pleasant middle class suburban neighborhood
<br />environment which is unique in the early historical development of the city of Santa Ana. '° Under the regulations
<br />implementing the California Register of Historical Resources, the Harwood House has been listed in the California Register.
<br />It also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Property under Criterion 4 for its association with a locally
<br />famous person, Frank. R. Harwood, who would become Postmaster of Santa Ana for approximately thirty years. The house
<br />also contributes to the historic character of the Floral Park neighborhood through its age, architectural style, and scale.
<br />Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Key" because it "is associated with a significant person" in the city." All
<br />original exterior features of the Harwood House are considered to be character defining and should be preserved. These
<br />features include, but may not be limited to: materials and finishes (stucco); roof configuration, materials, and treatment,
<br />massing and composition; entry; doors and windows; architectural detailing (roof edges, attic venting); and chimney.
<br />"1312. References (continued):
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana An Illustrated Histo y. 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 />Whitten, Marcus. American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969.
<br />Alison Honer Dies at 84," The Santa Ana Journal, September 21, 1981.
<br />"Builder of Honer Plaza Dies," Orange County Register, September 15, 1981.
<br />"History of Floral Park." http./ /www.floral- park.com/page2.html
<br />Talbert, Thomas (editor -in- chief). Historical Volume and Reference Works Including Biographical Sketches of Leading
<br />Citizens, Volume L Whittier, Historical Publishers, 1963.
<br />Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. 1921.
<br />Determination of Eligibility, February 25, 198 ��� ��
<br />DPR 523E
<br />
|