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Good evening Mayor and City Council <br />This development would include the historic 1931 Orange County Title Company building. The <br />Orange County Title Company became what is today the iconic Santa Ana based First American <br />Company. <br />It is understood by most that the beautiful "Art Deco" style of the facade remains behind the <br />metal cladding. The Art Deco facade was not removed as it is incorporated into the structure. <br />The art, history & culture are one with the structure. <br />The Art Deco style had an important impact on architecture and design worldwide in the 1920s, <br />1930s and 1940's. In Mexico City many of the city's highly recognized Art Deco structures were <br />severely damaged during the 2017 earthquake. There is an effort underway to return these <br />buildings to their original glory - much of which had been chipped away by insensitive updates <br />over the decades even before the earthquake struck. Architects and planners are scouring <br />historic photographs and records to rebuild them. It would be a shame to lose one of Historic <br />Downtown Santa Ana's few Art Deco treasures to an Irvine style development, while other <br />major cities proceed to rebuild and preserve that same art, history and culture. <br />It will be said that historic groups have agreed to a plan which "might" preserve only a portion <br />of the building and facades. I say "might" because the agreement includes the term "if feasible," <br />And it is left largely up to the developer's discretion to determine feasibility. The developer, in <br />the reports before you, has disparaged both this fine historic structure AND Santa Ana's First <br />American Company as NOT historically significant. The architectural rendering presented with <br />this partial facade plan is not complimentary to either the art of the original structure — or to the <br />Irvine style development. I don't believe that this developer has any intention of finding <br />preservation of 2 partial facades as "feasible." <br />Bottom line — if this development is approved as it is presented to you tonight — the developer is <br />guaranteed his Irvine style development and the art, history and culture of Historic Downtown <br />Santa Ana (and Orange County) are guaranteed only a shiny nameplate which declares that <br />something wonderful once stood here. <br />Please delay the implementation of the approvals for this development for further investigation <br />and discussions which, I believe, should lead to making the entire historic and beautiful 1930's <br />Art Deco Orange County Title Company building a shining jewel of this development and Historic <br />Downtown Santa Ana. <br />Thank you, <br />Mike Tardif <br />Santa Ana <br />