Cindy and I ended our Santa Ana day, here at the Old Orange County Courthouse. What history!
In 1899, the southwestern portion of Los Angeles County was sliced into Orange County and Santa Ana became the county seat. The new board of supervisors bought a plot of land in 1893 for $8,000 from Santa Ana founder William H. Spurgeon on the condition that a courthouse be built within 10 years. First came a crudely built jail. With a deadline looming to construct a courthouse, the supervisors chose the design of Los Angeles Building Supervisor and architect Charles Lincoln Strange and hired builder Chris McNeill (the Balboa Pavilion).
The style, Richardsonian Romanesque, a form of Romanesque Revival, was popular at the end of the 19th century. Many mid-to-large city government and institutional structures were built in this style. Strange is said to have based his design for the Santa Ana courthouse on an Iowa Romanesque Revival courthouse, while its 63-foot-tall cupola was believed to be influenced by that of Boston's Trinity Church (the cupola was removed due to earthquake damage, sadly).
"The symmetrical 2½-story Orange County Courthouse is set on a rusticated granite basement and features wide front steps that climb to an entry centered in a three-bay arcade. It faces south onto landscaped grounds with mature palms and polished cannons. The facade features five bays; the center and end bays raised and topped by steeply pitched gables with wall dormers. A slightly overhanging cornice accented with corbel blocks encircles the building. Bands of windows are flat headed, arched, and recessed. Other distinguishing features include heavy, rock-faced stone; massive masonry walls; round arches; and a hipped and gabled metal roof that resembles tile. Materials were sourced locally: the Arizona sandstone was from a Santa Ana supplier, while the granite came from Temecula."
A little about the history of Temecula granite. Local Native Americans used the boulders as metates to grind acorns. That changed in the 1890s when the first railway entered the Temecula Valley. Entrepreneurs began to quarry and cut the granite, found in the hills surrounding town, for use as building blocks. Granite from the quarry can be viewed in Old Town Temecula and as far north as San Francisco. However, by 1915, the granite quarry had closed due to competition from the cement making companies. It was much simpler to pour concrete than to quarry granite blocks. But what a wonderful connection to Temecula still here 121 years later.
The courthouse, which occupied an entire city block, was completed in November 1901 and for years was considered the most impressive building in Orange County. Upon completion in 1901, the courthouse was considered the most impressive building in the county, and it served it well, until 1969 when the staff vacated the structure for a new 11-story facility. This National Historic Landmark has been restored to look like it did in the early 20th century, the 30,000-square-foot building is the oldest existing county courthouse in Southern California. It currently houses the Orange County History Center and is open for tours. In addition, it is a lovely wedding venue. We were there on 02/02/2022 and there were several weddings in queue to happen. What a great anniversary date.
We were here for its connection to films we have loved. Interestingly, the courthouse has been used for theatrical purposes and location shoots since 1915. “It’s looked old since the day it was built,” quipped historian Jim Sleeper. A play, The Bellamy Trial, was staged in the courthouse in 1935 and included four actual attorneys in its cast. The courthouse can also be seen in the films Frances, Catch Me If You Can, and Legally Blonde. In 2012, It became Briarcliff Manor, a former tuberculosis hospital-turned-insane-asylum, for FX’s American Horror Story: Asylum.
Legally Blonde with Reese Witherspoon
This video showcases a scene from Catch Me If You Can, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. In it, you get a fabulous tour of the courthouse. What a wonderful place to end our Santa Ana adventure.
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