Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts

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It has been suggested that Downtown National Register District be merged into this article. (Discuss) Proposed since August 2010.
Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts (North, Government/Institutional and South, Retail)
Old Orange County Courthouse
Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts is located in Los Angeles Metropolitan Area
Location: Roughly bounded by Civic Center Dr., First, Ross, and Spurgeon Sts., Santa Ana, California
Coordinates: 33°44′54″N 117°52′5″W / 33.74833°N 117.86806°W / 33.74833; -117.86806Coordinates: 33°44′54″N 117°52′5″W / 33.74833°N 117.86806°W / 33.74833; -117.86806
Area: 24.5 acres (9.9 ha)
Built: 1877
Architect: multiple
Architectural style: Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals, Moderne, Mission/Spanish Revival
Governing body: Local, U.S. Postal Service
NRHP Reference#: 840004381
Added to NRHP: December 19, 1984

The Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts is a combination of local historic districts that was listed as one in the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It is a 24.5-acre (9.9 ha) area. Also known as Historic Downtown District in Santa Ana is roughly bounded by Ross to French streets and First to Civic Center streets.

Contents

North Institutional

  • Santa Ana City Hall (Civic Center Plaza)
  • Santa Ana Civic Center Plaza (Ross, Civic Center, Santa Ana Blvd, Flower)
  • Santa Ana Public Library (Civic Center Dr. & Ross)
  • Old Orange County Courthouse (Civic Center, Broadway, Sycamore, Santa Ana Blvd.)
  • Orange County Courthouse (Civic Center Plaza)
  • Orange County Public Law Library (Civic Center Plaza)
  • Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse (4th & Broadway)
  • Fourth District Court of Appeals (Civic Center Plaza on the corner of Santa Ana Blvd & Ross)
  • Office of the District Attorney (Near the corner of Ross & Civic Center)
  • Mexican Consulate (Near Civic Center & Broadway intersection)
  • Santa Ana Transit Terminal - OCTA (Santa Ana Blvd & Ross)

South Retail

A brief history

At one point in time, Downtown Santa Ana was the place to be in Orange County. The County's first theater, Walker's Theater, was built in 1909 on Main & Second streets adjacent to the old City Hall. Today, the Main Street Studio Lofts now stand where the county's first movie house used to.

Architectural styles

The Historic District in Downtown Santa Ana is characterized by a number of buildings in the Art Deco style as well as three old movie houses (The West End, Fox West Coast, and the Yost). Orange County's first Courthouse is also located here on Civic Center and Broadway streets. It is now a museum. The Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House and Medical Museum is also located in this district and it is now home to the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society.

Downtown Santa Ana today

The Historical Downtown can be thought of as being characterized by a northern Institutional section and a southern retail section. The retail section has two distinct business districts namely the Artist's Village and the Fiesta Marketplace.

In recent years, efforts have been made to revitalize and beautify the Downtown's southern retail section by attracting new businesses and a higher economic class. It for many years has been a place for low income consumption (specifically Fourth street and some surrounding streets) and it unfortunately gained a stigma for some time but now things and attitudes towards it are changing.

Images

  • The Yost Theater in its current state

  • The Old Santa Ana City Hall, an Art Deco structure

  • Main Street Studios. Designed in a complementary Art Deco style

  • Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle House

  • Minter House

  • Old Orange County Courthouse

  • Old Orange County Courthouse

  • First Presbyterian Church

  • The Santa Ana Performing Arts and Event Center

  • Masonic Symbol on The Santa Ana Performing Arts and Event Center

  • Clock Tower atop W. H. Spurgeon Building (as seen from 4th street, between Broadway and Sycamore Streets)

  • Broadway Street (seen as south from 3rd street) at Night

References

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. 
  2. ^ Galvin, Andrew (June 17, 2011). "Fiesta Marketplace to be rebranded ‘East End’". Orange County Register. Retrieved 30 November 2011. 

External links