{"nrhp_refnum":"84000917","name":"Brea City Hall and Park","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"401 S. Brea Blvd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brea","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.914266171000065,"lon":-117.90219570699998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1984-05-24","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 4.47-acre city park complex at 401 South Brea Boulevard in Brea, Orange County, California. It contains the 1928-29 City Hall, a 1928 municipal plunge and bathhouse, and a 1931 American Legion Hall.","why_significant":"The nomination ties the complex to the early development of Brea and the California oil industry. The City Hall was the first facility in Orange County to bring all municipal functions, including a public library, under one roof. It is also cited for combining Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival styling and for being planned as one unit with its park and plunge, an unusual setting in Southern California.","narrative":"Brea's old City Hall sits in a 4.47-acre city park on South Brea Boulevard, once the main street of the town's original downtown. Completed in 1928-29 and designed by Los Angeles architect Allen Ruoff, the two-story stuccoed concrete block building blends Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival details. Ruoff also designed the adjoining swimming plunge, bathhouse and park as one plan. A 1931 American Legion Hall in Spanish Revival style completes the historic group. Brea was an oil town, and voters approved a $60,000 bond in 1927 to pay for the park, pool and hall. The City Hall was the first in Orange County to house every municipal function, including the library, jail, fire department and council chambers, in one building. The park served as the social center of early Brea, hosting band concerts and community barbecues. Later additions, a playground, courts and a gazebo are considered non-contributing.","period_of_significance":"1922-1929","architect_builder":"Allen Ruoff","architectural_style":"Art Deco and Spanish Colonial Revival","criteria":[],"status_note":"City offices have moved to a new civic complex, and the form lists the property as partly unoccupied. The plunge was still operating, and the park remains in public recreational use.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:26.79513-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/84000917.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000917/3e8ee5fdfc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/84000917/3e8ee5fdfc-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"shwalamazula","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brea_City_Hall_and_Park_2012-10-05_18-13-26.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">shwalamazula</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:Brea_City_Hall_and_Park_2012-10-05_18-13-26.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860173","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brea_City_Hall_and_Park","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4959082"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/brea-city-hall-and-park-84000917/"}