YMCA Building, Santa Ana
YMCA Building (1923)
Frederick Eley, architect
205 W Civic Center Drive, Santa Ana
Listed on the Santa Ana Historic Register and the National Register of Historic Places
Santa Ana YMCA Building (1923), 205 W Civic Center Drive at Sycamore, designed by local architect Frederick Eley in the Mediterranean Revival style. Ralph Smedley was the first director of this YMCA. It was here that Smedley established Toastmasters International in 1924, the nonprofit that teaches public speaking and leadership skills and is still in existence today.
UPDATE July 3, 2021
In 2020, the City of Santa Ana sold the YMCA building in downtown Santa Ana to Caribou Industries, a local property developer. Caribou intends to develop the property into a hotel. The agreement with the City requires Caribou to address immediate security and maintenance issues within six months of sale closing. The remediation steps include “painting of main structure on the Property; replacing all windows on the main structure of the Property; installation of exterior lighting of the main structure on the Property; landscaping; and securing of all structures on the Property.” (5.1 Agreement of Purchase and Sale)
In consultation with Preserve Orange County, Caribou hired an historic resources consultant to guide the remediation effort to ensure the building’s historic fabric and features are maintained. The City has assured Preserve Orange County that any project associated with the building including the remediation will be reviewed by the historical division of the City’s planning department and assessed against the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation.
RELATED DOCUMENTS
