|
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) Bryte House
<br />*Recorded by Hally Soboleske *Date August 12, 2009 O Continuation 0 Update
<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
<br />developing to the north, south, and east of the city center. Agricultural uses predominated in the outlying areas, with
<br />cultivated fields and orchards dotted with widely scattered farmhouses.
<br />The Bryte House is located in Floral Park, a neighborhood northwest of downtown Santa Ana bounded by West Seventeenth
<br />Street, North Flower Street, Riverside Drive, and Broadway. Groves of oranges, avocados and walnuts, and widely scattered
<br />ranch houses characterized this area before 1920. Developer and builder Allison Honer (1897 - 1981), credited as the
<br />subdivider and builder of a major portion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falls, New York in 1922
<br />(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
<br />homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each" (Orange County Register,
<br />September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and 1930s; Floral
<br />Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival styles. The Allison
<br />Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco - styled Old Santa Ana City
<br />Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War 11, and the 1960 Honer Shopping Plaza. Honer lived in the neighborhood he
<br />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 Il 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 Bryte House lies in the northern section of Floral Park historically known as North Broadway Park. Bounded by
<br />Riverside Drive, Santa Clara Avenue, North Broadway, and North Flower Street, North Broadway Park, subdivided in 1923,
<br />has been determined eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places. The Keeper of the National Register found
<br />that "North Broadway Park reflects the City Beautiful planning movement in Southern California during the early twentieth
<br />century. The vernacular adaptations of period revival styles, curvilinear street patterns, street furniture, and landscape
<br />combine to create a cohesive and pleasant middle class suburban neighborhood environment which is unique in the early
<br />historical development of the city of Santa Ana. "' Under the regulations implementing the California Register of Historical
<br />Resources, the Bryte House, which is a contributor to the National Register district, has been listed in the California Register.
<br />The Bryte House also qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1 for its
<br />exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the Monterey Revival style. Typical features illustrated by the house
<br />include its symmetrical composition; two -story, cross - gabled massing and configuration.; differentiation of cladding materials
<br />on first and second stories (with stucco on first story and vertical wood - cladding on the second); French doors flanked by
<br />false shutters; and covered porch. Additionally, the house has been categorized as "Contributive" because it "contributes to
<br />the overall character and history' of Santa Ana, and, as an intact example of the transitional period in the mid to late 1930s in
<br />the Floral Park neighborhood, `is a good example of period architecture." Character - defining exterior features of the Bryte
<br />House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (stucco and wood); roof
<br />configuration and detailing; original windows and doors where extant; attached chimney; architectural details such as the
<br />decorative shutters and goose lamp wall lanterns.
<br />' Determination of Eligibility, February 25, 1980,
<br />DPR 523L
<br />25A -425
<br />
|