US Post Office Station-Spurgeon Station
Why it's listed
Spurgeon Station is a post office at 605 Bush Street in downtown Santa Ana, designed in 1930 and completed in 1933 by the Office of the Supervising Architect under James A. Wetmore and Louis A. Simon. Its classical, symmetrical form carries Spanish Colonial Revival ornament, including a central arched entrance, four arched lobby windows, wrought iron grills, terracotta quoins and frieze, and a cast terracotta eagle. The poured concrete building has a tile roof, pink limestone wainscoting, terracotta tile floors, original lobby furniture and fixtures, and eight semicircular murals in the vaulted lobby ceiling. It is considered significant as an example of early 1930s federal post office design built under the Keyes-Elliot Act, a type few California survivors retain in original form. Its size falls between a small post office and a large combined federal building, and it did not follow a standard plan. Alterations, including a 1969 access ramp and north entrance, are minor, and the building remains an important element of old downtown Santa Ana.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues it is a good example of early 1930s designs by the Supervising Architect's office and a late, idiosyncratic Spanish Colonial Revival monumental post office. It is also one of few buildings from the Keyes-Elliot Act era in California to survive in near-original form. It forms an important part of the old downtown urban fabric.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 85000134, listed January 11, 1985. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 605 Bush St., Santa Ana |
|---|---|
| County | Orange County |
| Listed | January 11, 1985 |
| Reference number | 85000134 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- |
| Architect / builder | OSA/James A. Wetmore, Louis A. Simon |
| Architectural style | Spanish Colonial Revival (applied to a classical, symmetrical Beaux-Arts composition; Starved Classicism with Mediterranean Revivalism) |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Occupied and in use; excellent structural condition and very well maintained, with interior restoration scheduled. |
| Acreage | 1.3 |
| Coordinates | 33.75132, -117.86637 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 85000134.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q133343034
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.