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2State of California —The Resources Agency Primary If
<br />DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI #
<br />CONTINUATION SHEET Trinomial
<br />of 4 Resource Name or iP (Assigned by recorder) Hussell douse
<br />by Hally Soboleske *Date November 5, 2015 0 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 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 Russell 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 builderAflison Honer (1897- 1981),
<br />credited as the subdivider and builder of a majorportion of northwest Santa Ana, arrived in Santa Ana from Beaver Falis,
<br />New York in 1922 (Talbert, pages 353 -356). "Before nightfall on the day of his arrival, Mr. Honer purchased a parcel of land,
<br />And that month, he began building custom homes in Santa Ana " (Orange County Register September 16, 1981). The parcel
<br />chosen became the Floral Park subdivision between Seventeenth Street and Santiago Creek. "When built in the 1920s, the
<br />Floral Park homes were the most lavish and expensive in the area. They sold for about $45,000 each "(Orange County
<br />Register, September 15, 1981). Revival architecture in a wide variety of romantic styles was celebrated in the 1920s and
<br />1930s; Floral Park showcased examples of the English Tudor, French Norman, Spanish Colonial, and Colonial Revival
<br />styles. The Allison Honer Construction Company went on to complete such notable projects as the 1935 Art Deco- styled Old
<br />Santa Ana City Hall, the El Toro Marine Base during World War 11, and the 1960 Honor Shopping Plaza. Honer lived In the
<br />neighborhood he 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 11 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 (2008), Floral Park maintains
<br />its identity as the premier neighborhood of Santa Ana, historically home to many affluent and prominent citizens.
<br />The Rusself House qualifies for listfng In the Santa Ana Register of Historical Properties under Criterion f for its
<br />exemplification of the distinguishing characteristics of the Tudor Revival style. Typical features of this style are stucco
<br />cladding with a steeply pitched roof. Character- defining exterior features of the Russell House that should be preserved
<br />include, but may not be limited to, materials and finishes (stucco hand troweled cladding); roof configuration and detailing;
<br />original windows and doors where extant; architectural details such as the original wood front entry door.
<br />B12. References (continued):
<br />Armor, Samuel. History of Orango Countv. Los Angeles: History Record Company, 1921, p. 1306.
<br />Franklin, Don. "NW Santa Ana History: Roy Russell & Son, Builders." Unsourced article from the Santa Ana History Room,
<br />Historic House File, circa 1995.
<br />Harris, Cyril M. American Architecture: An Illustrated Encyclopedia. New York, WW Norton, 1998.
<br />Marsh, Diann. Santa Ana An Illustrated Histoty. Encinitas, Heritage Publishing, 1994,
<br />McAlester, Virginia and Lee. A Field Guide to American Houses, New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1984.
<br />McGuinnes, Liz, "A Fruitful Career: Mosquito Bite Changed a Life." Los Angeles Times September 24, 1980, part V, pp. 1
<br />and 8.
<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 />Santa Ana and Orange County Directories, 1932 -1954.
<br />(See Continuation Sheet 3 of 4.)
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<br />DPR 523E 25A -80
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