National Register of Historic Places

Orange County Courthouse

Santa Ana, Orange County, California
Listed
August 28, 1977
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
77000321

About this property

The Old Orange County Courthouse, at one point also known as the Santa Ana County Courthouse, is a Romanesque Revival building that was opened in September 1901 and is located in Santa Ana's Historic Downtown District on Civic Center and Broadway streets. The Old Orange County Courthouse is officially recognized as California Historical Landmark No. 837 and is also on the National Register of Historic Places. The city of Santa Ana was established in 1869 by William Spurgeon on 74.27 acres (300,600 m2) of land purchased from the old Spanish land grant, Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana. Orange County, California, was formed in 1889 by William Spurgeon and James McFadden and Santa Ana was chosen as the county seat of government because of its larger growth as a town over surrounding towns, especially Orange. The courthouse now stands as a museum and has been used as a favorite location for different movies and television shows. It features as the exterior of Briarcliff Manor in American Horror Story: Asylum. In 1949 the courthouse exterior and interior were used for location filming for The File on Thelma Jordan. National Register of Historic Places listings in Orange County, California McDevitt, Ray (2001). Courthouses of California: an Illustrated History. Berkeley, CA: California Historical Society. p. 365. ISBN 1-890771-49-X.

Location

211 W. Santa Ana Blvd.
Santa Ana, Orange County, California
33.75045, -117.86938

Categories

LAWARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
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The Soldiers
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Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
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The Community
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Rivers & Rail
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Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Nearby Historic Sites

Young Men's Christian Association-Santa Ana-Tustin Chapter
Industrial
0.1 mi
Smith-Tuthill Funeral Parlors
Industrial
0.1 mi
Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts (North, Government/Institutional and South, Retail)
Listed
0.1 mi
Rankin Building
Civil War
0.2 mi
Howe-Waffle House and Carriage House
Industrial
0.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Orange County Courthouse listed on the National Register?

Orange County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 28, 1977.

What type of historic resource is Orange County Courthouse?

Orange County Courthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Orange County Courthouse?

The period of significance for Orange County Courthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Orange County Courthouse?

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