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State of California—The Resources Agency Primary #
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />Page 3 of 3 Resource Name: Neff House
<br />'Recorded by Hally Soboleske 'Date October 06, 2016 O Continuation ❑ Update
<br />"810. Significance (continued):
<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 de 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
<br />selection 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 Flelds and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
<br />The Neff 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
<br />scattered ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897-1981), credited as
<br />the subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in
<br />1922 (Talbert, pages 353-356). "Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land. And that
<br />month, he began building custom homes In Santa Ana" (Orange County Register, September'15, 1981). The parcel chosen
<br />became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. "When built in the 1920s, the Floral
<br />Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" Oran e County Register,
<br />September 15, 1981), Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s;
<br />Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival styles. The
<br />Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco -styled Old Santa Ana
<br />City Hall, the EI Toro Marine Base during World War Il, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the
<br />neighborhood he had helped create, 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 at2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post -World War II 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 (2007), Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Neff House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, for its representation
<br />of the distinguishing characteristics of the English Revival style. Additionally, the house has been categorized as
<br />"Contributive" because it is a" good example of period architecture". Character defining features include cross -gabled root
<br />configuration, arched entry, original windows and all exterior materials.
<br />'B12. References (continued):
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana, An Illustrated History. 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 />Whiffen, Marcus, American Architecture Since 1780. Cambridge: MIT Press, 1969,
<br />Armor, Samuel. History of Orange County. Los Angeles: History Record Company, 1921, page 989.
<br />Park Santiago Neighborhood Association. "The Gingerbread Lande Holiday Home four, 1999." Brochure.
<br />Rischard, Maureen McClintock. "People Behind Places: Enderle Center." Orange Countv Genealogical Society Quarterly,
<br />December 1993, pages 4-7.
<br />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1905-1930.
<br />Historic Maps, Santa Ana History Room, 1912, 1923, 1932, and 1955.
<br />SPR 523L 25F-46
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