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State of California—The Resources Agency Primary #
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION FIRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />Page _3 of _3 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Wener House
<br />*Recorded by Ivan Orozco *Date November 7, 2016 OO 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 on the intersection of Main
<br />and Fourth Streets. Stimulated by the arrival of the Santa Fe Railroad and incorporation as a city in 1886, and selection as
<br />the seat of the newly created County of Orange in '1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods developing to
<br />the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated In the outlying areas, with cultivated fields and
<br />orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
<br />The Warier 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 parcel
<br />chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. "When built In the 1920s. the
<br />Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area, They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange County
<br />Re Ister, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture In a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and
<br />1930s; Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival
<br />styles. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco -styled Old
<br />Santa Ana City Hall, the EI Toro Marine Base during World War II, 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, 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 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 Wener House qualifies for listing on the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties due to its characteristics of the
<br />Ranch style of architecture. Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Contributive" because it "contributes to the
<br />overall character and history" of Santa Ana, and "is a good example of period arrhitecture." Character -defining exterior
<br />features of the Warier House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to, window design, materials and
<br />finishes; roof configuration and detailing.
<br />812. References (continued):
<br />McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
<br />National Register Bulletin 16A. "Flow 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 />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1932-1954.
<br />Whiffen, 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." Idte://www.floral-oark.com/gage2.html.
<br />Ancestry.com
<br />Newspapers.com (Santa Ana Register)
<br />OPR 523L 25B-122
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