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: Cecil E. Tozier House
<br />*Recorded by Pedro Gomez *Date September 2, 2021 Continuation Update
<br />DPR 523L
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<br />*B10. Significance (continued):
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<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 selection
<br />as the seat of the newly created County of Orange in 1889, the city grew outwards, with residential neighborhoods developing
<br />to 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.
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<br />The Cecil E. Tozier 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), credited
<br />as 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 month,
<br />he began building custom homes in Santa Ana” (Orange County Register, September 15, 1981). The parcel chosen became
<br />the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. “When built in the 1920s, the Floral Park homes
<br />were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each” (Orange County Register, September 15,
<br />1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s and Floral Park
<br />showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival. The Allison Honer
<br />Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco styled Old Santa Ana City Hall, the El
<br />Toro Marine Base during World War II, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he had helped
<br />to create, at 615 West Santa Clara Avenue.
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<br />In the late 1920s and 1930s, another builder, Roy Roscoe Russell (1881-1965), continued developing the groves of Floral Park.
<br />An early Russell project was his 1928 subdivision of Victoria Drive between West Nineteenth Street and West Santa Clara
<br />Avenue. The homes were quite grand and displayed various revival styles, including Russell’s own large, Colonial Revival
<br />mansion at 2009 Victoria Drive. In the early post World War II years, Floral Park continued its development as numerous,
<br />smaller, single-family houses were built. Continuing in the Floral Park tradition, they were mostly revival in style. In the 1950s,
<br />low, horizontal Ranch Style houses completed the growth of Floral Park. Today (2021) Floral Park maintains its identity as the
<br />premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
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<br />The Cecil E. Tozier House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Histori cal Properties under Criterion 1 for its
<br />exemplification of the Spanish Colonial Revival style. Additionally, the house has been categorized as “Contributive” because
<br />it contributes to the overall character and history of Floral Park and is representative example of Spanish Colonial Revival
<br />architecture (Santa Ana Municipal Code, Section 30-2.2). Character-defining features of the Cecil E. Tozier House that should
<br />be preserved include, but may not be limited to: one-story massing; roof (cross-gabled configuration, clay barrel tile covering,
<br />overhangs where present); exterior finishes (hand-troweled stucco); front patio (half-height patio wall, arcade); covered front
<br />entry; attached chimney; recessed window and door openings; and original doors and windows, where extant.
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<br />*B12. References (continued):
<br />
<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 />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1905-2021.
<br />Newspapers.com (Santa Ana Register)
<br /> “Passes $1,000,000 Mark In Car Sales In Six Years Here.” Santa Ana Register, 20 October 1923.
<br /> “Experienced Instructors Will Join Teaching Staff At Beginning Of New Year .” Santa Ana Register, 12 July 1926.
<br />“C.E. Tozier, Orange County Boy, Member of Sousa Band Appearing In S.A. Tomorrow.” Santa Ana Register, 7
<br />November 1928.
<br />“Tozier To Speak On Oboe Saturday.” Santa Ana Register, 30 May 1940.
<br /> “Introducing…Cecil E. Tozier” Display Ad. Santa Ana Register, 14 September 1940.
<br /> “Cecil E. Tozier” Display Ad. Santa Ana Register, 5 October 1940.
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