State of California—The Resources Agency Primary 4
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION- HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />Page 3 of 3 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) 2544 North French Street
<br />'Recorded by Brian Mafuk "Date September 7, 2017 [K Continuation ❑ Update.
<br />'810. Significance (continued):
<br />'Santa Ana was founded by William Spurgeon in 1809 as a specutatrve: town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as
<br />Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. The civic and commercial corn of lho community was conterod 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, ffrd,cily grow outwards, with rosidontial neighborhoods'
<br />developing to lite, north, south, and oast of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in Rhe outlying areas, with
<br />cultivated fields and or dotted with widely scaltered farmhouses.
<br />'2644 North French Street is located in the Park Santiago na,'ghbo(hood, hear the present northern city limits of Santa Ana
<br />and substantially horth of the original city coro. Thd neighborhood is bounded by Santiago Creek and Park on the iionli,
<br />East Seventeenth Street on the south, North Lincoln Avenue on the east, North Main Street on the wosi, and the 1-5 freeway
<br />on the s6uthwes7., In large part, these boundaries reflect the transportation fines that were constructed towards the end of
<br />the nineteenth century and at the beginning of the twentieth century, when the Pacific Electric interurban rarfroad ran up
<br />Main Street; the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fri tracks followed Lincoln; and the Southern Pacific Railroad dghf-of-way
<br />mirrorod the frcowayrouto. This aroa remaiped prrmatilyagrfcurtural wellinto tlhe 1920s. As of 19051 the'cify directories
<br />fisted around twenty households on East Santa Clarh, Twentioth'Stroot, "C Street" (row North Santiago Street), North Bush
<br />Strout and Noah Main Avenue, the only streets in the area at the lime.. The vast maidrity of the residents were ranchers. By
<br />1911, the number of households had increased to about thirty, and Edgewood Road and Vakincia Street had been partially
<br />laid out, but most residents continued to list "mnchor"or "fruit grower"as their occupation In the city directories. This pattern
<br />of land use was eWdent on the 1912 plat map of the City, which illustrated two small, Craftsman -era subdivisions atong Bush
<br />north of Santa Clara and on Valencia and Poinsettia south of Twentieth Stroat, with the remaining area divided into larger
<br />agdrulfural parcels hold by approximately forty landowners.
<br />While the nroa cast cf Santloge Strout was not subdivided until after the mid -1920s, most of the present day streets wast of
<br />Santiago hart beehlaid out when the City was mapped in 1923. Ranching continued to he the most prevalent occupation In
<br />the neighborhood, but increasing numbers of professionals, small business owners, merchants, and people in service
<br />professions such as painfors, electricians, and carpenters made their homes in lire wesfern half of the neighborhood (luring
<br />the 1920s and 1930s. The area also attracted several city and county oflrcials, including the City Attorney (Z.B. West, Jr.,
<br />321 East Santa Clara Avenue), Counly Supervisor, First District (C.H,Chapman, 2315 North Santiago Street), County
<br />Surveyor (E.H. Irwin, 2407 North Santiago Street), and County Auditor (Voifram C. Jerome, 2422 Pcinsaltla Street). B9 April
<br />1942, when the Sanborn Company first mapped the western half of the area, most of the lots had been improved with
<br />single-family homes, many in the revival styles popular during the 1920s and 1930s- Subsequent development of the
<br />eastern haft of the neighborhood and infill construction in the wostorn half displayed the simplified ranch style that emerged
<br />following World War 11.
<br />2544 North French Street qualinos for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion i for its
<br />exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the Ranch style. Additianally, the house has boon catogori2od as
<br />"Contributive" because it `is a good example of period architecture"in itspresenlation of the Rench style. Ail original
<br />exfodor foatures of 2544 North French Street are considered lobe character deffning and should be preserved. Theso
<br />feafpres Include, but may not be limited to., materials and finishes (siding); roof configuration, materials; and treatment
<br />massing and composition; fenestration (doors anti windows); and architectural detailing (exposed tenors).
<br />`B12. References (continued):
<br />McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to Amerirnn Houses. Now York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
<br />Plational Rogfsfor Sultetin 1SA. "Hari to Complete the National Register Registration Foan."'Nasiiingtan DC: Natrona!
<br />Register Branch, National Park Service, US Dept. of the Interior, 1991.
<br />Office pf Historic Preservation. "instructions for, Recording Historical Resources." Sacramento: March 1995.
<br />Orange County Plat Maps- 1912.
<br />Santa Arn and Orange County Directories. 1956-1980.
<br />Sania,Ana History Room Collection, Santa Arra Public, Libnhry.
<br />Md/fun, Marcus. AmanGan Architecture Since 1780.Cambridge: M1T Press, 1969.
<br />DPR 523L
<br />25A-38
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