{"nrhp_refnum":"78000732","name":"Smith-Tuthill Funeral Parlors","other_names":["Smith-Tuthill-Lamb Mortuary"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"518 N. Broadway","address_restricted":false,"city":"Santa Ana","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.74936165400004,"lon":-117.87012484099995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-05-19","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Health/Medicine","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A brick residence-turned-mortuary at 518 North Broadway in Santa Ana, California, built in spring 1885 for Dr. J.A. Crane and remodeled in 1910 with colonial revival additions.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as a Santa Ana local landmark, both architecturally and historically. It houses the city's oldest continuous business institution and is tied to a series of prominent local citizens. Its plain classical form was altered with neo-classical additions, and it is one of the few architecturally significant buildings left downtown.","narrative":"Built in the spring of 1885 as a residence and office for Dr. J.A. Crane and his wife, this two-and-a-half-story brick building at 518 North Broadway in Santa Ana began as a plain, unornamented classical structure with segmented arched openings and a hipped roof. In 1910 the Smith brothers, partners in a pioneer undertaking firm, bought it and hired contractor Chris McNeill to convert it into a mortuary. The remodel added a colonial revival rotunda, verandas, balconies and a pergola. Local press called it one of the handsomest structures in town. The property is regarded as a Santa Ana landmark and houses the city's oldest continuous business. Its grounds hold a pepper tree described as the city's oldest, Himalayan cedars, a magnolia and a native fan palm. A former coach house remains on the lot. It faces Heritage Square and is one of few architecturally significant buildings left downtown.","period_of_significance":"1800-1899","architect_builder":"Chris McNeill (contractor for the 1910 remodel)","architectural_style":"Modified Colonial / neo-classical revival additions on a simple classical brick structure, with Craftsman overtones","criteria":[],"status_note":"Described as in excellent condition and altered; occupied and in use as a mortuary, with a former coach house now used as a garage and storage. The property was reported as threatened by a federally funded public works project.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.164636-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000732.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000732/ac6c192cc9-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000732/ac6c192cc9-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cbl62","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smith-Tuthill_Funeral_Parlors,_Santa_Ana,_California.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Cbl62</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smith-Tuthill_Funeral_Parlors,_Santa_Ana,_California.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"84000438","name":"Downtown Santa Ana Historic Districts (North, Government/Institutional and South, Retail)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/downtown-santa-ana-historic-districts-north-government-institutional-and-south-r-84000438/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860342","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63987151"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/smith-tuthill-funeral-parlors-78000732/"}