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State of California — The Resources Agency Primary #
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #-
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />by Lesfie J. Hournann, SAID
<br />*810. Significance (continued):
<br />or # (Assigned by recorder) Axworthy House
<br />*Date July 28, 2003 ® Continuation ❑ 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
<br />selection 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 Axworthy House is located in Washington Square, a neighborhood located northwest of the city center bounded by
<br />West Seventeenth Street on the north, West Civic Center Drive on the south, North Flower Street on the east, and North
<br />Bristol Street on the west. Most of this area was owned by the family of Jacob Ross, who had purchased portions of the
<br />Rancho Santiago do Santa Ana in 1868 and 1869. Walnuts and other crops were grown in the area during the late
<br />nineteenth and early twentieth conturies, with a few farmhouses, most notably the Ross - McNeal House at 1020 North Salter
<br />Street, dotting the landscape, By 1905, Baker and Towner were the only streets in the neighborhood, which extended from
<br />Hickey (now Civic Center) only as far as Washington and which contained only about a dozen homes, The status quo had
<br />not changed much by 1915, when a brick yard was located at the northern terminus of Olive Street at Hickey. In 1925, the
<br />beginning of the development that would convert this largely agricultural area into a middle class neighborhood of single-
<br />family homes over the next 25 years had begun. In the late 1920s and early 1930s, the Tudor Revival and Spanish Colonial
<br />Revival homes were the standard, with American Colonial Revival saltboxes and ranch style homes favored in the years
<br />before and after World War ll. During the 1930s, many of the homes were built by local contractor Emmelt Rogers, who
<br />sold lots and built homes according to standard plans, which individual property owners could customize to their tastes
<br />("Washington Square: A Neighborhood of Pride," Washington Square Neighborhood Association). With the return of
<br />servicemen following the war and the accompanying demand for homes in southern California, the development of
<br />Washington Square was all but completed.
<br />The Axworthy House qualifies for listing in the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion 1, as a building
<br />with the "distinguishing characteristics ofan architectural style orperiod." Stylistic signatures ofthe Spanish Colonial
<br />Revival such the stucco exteriors, filed roof, asymmetrical composition, arched openings, and pierced stucco grille are
<br />notable In this regard. Additionally, the house has been categorized as ' Contributive" because it 'contributes to the overall
<br />character and history" of the Washington Square neighborhood and is a 'good example of period architecture" as a highly
<br />intact example of a one -story Spanish Colonial Revival home from the 1920s. Character defining exterior features of the
<br />Axworthy House that should be preserved include, but may not be limited to: materials and finishes (stucco, wood, wrought
<br />Iron); roof configuration and treatment, massing and composition; doors and windows; porch; garage; architectural detailing
<br />(grilles); and chimney.
<br />*B12. References (continued):
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, Now 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 Ilia Interior, 1991.
<br />Office of Historic Preservation. 'Instructions for Recording Historical Resources." Sacramento: March 1995.
<br />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1905 -1930.
<br />"Washington Square: A Neighborhood with Pride." Washington Square Neighborhood Association, no data.
<br />DPR 523L Page 4 of 4
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