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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 4 Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) Harmon -McNeil House
<br />-Keeorded by Les/le J. Heumann, SAID
<br />*B6. Construction History (continued):
<br />'Date December 31, 2001 LxJ Continuation ❑ Update
<br />March 17, 1976. Install dry wall, repair flooring & foundation.
<br />October 26, 1986. Grading permit.
<br />October 28, 1986. Relocation of single-family dwelling.
<br />October 20, 1988. Repair foundation on relocated residence.
<br />December 2, 1988. Three -car garage with loft and workshop.
<br />December 6, 1988. Six-foot high wall.
<br />*P3a. Description (continued):
<br />extremely tall and narrow, one -over -one, double -hung sash, arranged singly or in pairs. Window trim includes corbel
<br />accented jambs, lintels punctuated by pyramidal blocks, and paneled spandrels. The porch features turned wood columns
<br />with capitals embellished in a drip pattern and lacy, jigsawn brackets. A railing with stylized oval and quatrefoil cutouts
<br />encloses the porch space. The main entry, a double door with two tall, arched windows set over panels, is located at the
<br />south end of the porch and is topped by a transom window. Wooden stairs with a simple wood balustrade and decorative
<br />newel posts, lead up to the porch in front of the entry. Another doorway, also topped by a transom, is located on the north
<br />elevation at the east end of the porch. Since the relocation of the house, the property has been enclosed by a wood picket
<br />fence and enhanced by landscaping. Despite the move, the house retains an extraordinary degree of integrity of its original
<br />appearance.
<br />*610. Significance (continued):
<br />retained ownership of the house until the mid 1970s, subdividing it into rooms for let in later years. An extensive restoration
<br />was undertaken by Cecil Warren in the mid 1970s and early 1980s. The City of Santa Ana stepped in when the house was
<br />threatened with demolition at its original location at 322 East Chestnut Street, moved the structure to French Park in 1967,
<br />and selected the proposal of the Houghton family to restore the house. A new foundation was built, new roof provided, the
<br />porch rebuilt, some new systems installed, and the exterior was scraped and repainted in colors selected by the Historic
<br />French Park Association.
<br />The Harmon -McNeil House dates from the real estate boom of 1886-1888. Founded by William Spurgeon in 1869 as a
<br />speculative town site on part of the Spanish land grant known as Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana, Santa Ana initially grew
<br />slowly, albeit steadily. Development was stimulated by the arrival of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1878 and the Santa Fe
<br />Railroad in 1886. Following its incorporation as a city in 1886, Santa Ana was recognized as one of the leading
<br />communities in the area in 1889 when it became the seat of the newly created County of Orange. Southern California,
<br />including Santa Ana, experienced a phenomenal spurt of growth as a result of competition between the two railroads in the
<br />second half of the 1880s. Most of the houses constructed during this period were Queen Anne in style. The Harmon -
<br />McNeil House is distinguished from most of its counterparts by the incorporation of elements usually labeled "Eastlake,"
<br />including its rectilinear massing, turned wood columns, and extensive use of carved ornament.
<br />Since its relocation in 1987, the Harmon -McNeil House has contributed to the historic significance of French Park through its
<br />architectural style and type, which are representative of the district during its period of growth and significance (established
<br />by the National Register nomination as 1877-1945). The French Park neighborhood is the result of an 1877 subdivision by
<br />Spurgeon, who, along with James McFadden and James Fruit, formed the Western Development Company with the
<br />intention of bringing the Southern Pacific Railroad from its then terminus in Anaheim into Santa Ana. Thinking to capitalize
<br />on commercial growth around the railroad, the partners purchased 160 acres adjacent to the eastern city boundary at
<br />French Street. Although they were successful in luring the Southern Pacific to a new depot on Fruit Street in Santa Ana in
<br />1878, the expected commercial development of "Santa Ana East" never materialized. Early growth and development of the
<br />town continued to be centered further west around Fourth and Main Streets, with the result that the legacy of Santa Ana
<br />East is an angled street plan whose intersection with the original city is marked by a small, triangular parcel, developed in
<br />the 1890s as Flatiron Park, now known as French Park.
<br />Beginning in the 1880s and continuing well into the twentieth century, the area around the park began to be developed with
<br />many of the finest homes in Santa Ana. Examples of Victorian era, turn of the century, and Craftsman homes were built
<br />along the tree -lined streets. By the 1920s, most streets in the neighborhood were fully developed, although a few revival
<br />styled single-family homes and duplexes were built during the 1920s, and a handful of apartments constructed in the 1930s.
<br />From the nineteenth century onwards, residents were a 'Who's Who" of early Santa Ana, and included bankers, attorneys,
<br />doctors, businessmen, ranchers, teachers, and others active in the civic and social life of the city.
<br />(See Continuation Sheet 4 of 4.)
<br />DPR 523L
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