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State of California —The Resources Agency Primary #.
<br />DEPARTMENT of PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />by
<br />*810, Significance (continued):
<br />or if tAssignea uy recoreer) Arens Mouse
<br />*Date duly 18, 2015 ® Continuation ❑ Update
<br />Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as
<br />Rancho Santiago do Santa Ana. The civic and commercial core of the community was centered around the intersection of
<br />Main and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and Incorporation as a city in 1886, and selection
<br />as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods
<br />developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with
<br />cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses,
<br />The Arens House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West Seventeenth
<br />Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados and walnuts, and widely scattered
<br />ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897 - 1981), credited as the
<br />subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in 1922
<br />(Talbert, pages 353 -356). "Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that month,
<br />he began building custom homes in Santa Ana" (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became
<br />the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creak. "When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park
<br />homes were the most lavish and expensive In the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange Countv Register,
<br />September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 19306; Floral
<br />Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival styles. The Allison
<br />Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 An Deco-styled Old Santa Ana City
<br />Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War 11, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he
<br />had helped crania, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
<br />In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Ray 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 i/ years, Floral Parlc 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 Rench Style houses completed the growth of Floral Pan(, Today (2007), Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Arens House qualifies for listing In the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 3 because it embodies
<br />the distinctive characteristics of the Colonial Revival style (French Regency Variant). Typical features of the Colonial Revival
<br />(French Regency Revival) elements, including the building massing, a consistent fenestration pattern, the use of dormers and
<br />a bay window, and covered front porch. Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Key" because it possesses
<br />"distinctive architectural style and quality." Charactor- defining exterior features of the Arens House that should be preserved
<br />include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (stucco, stone, and wood siding); cross gabled roof configuration
<br />and detailing; casement windows, and architectural details such as diamond patterned windows and sidelights, dormers, and
<br />fenestration pattern.
<br />OPR 523L
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