History & OVERVIEW
The Armory Hall/American Legion Hall was built in stages, with the first construction taking place around 1910, a rear addition made in 1922, an entirely new façade created following the Long Beach Earthquake in 1934, and substantial rehabilitation occurring in 1983-84 (Thomas). It was constructed as the third home of Santa Ana’s Company L Armory (the first was up the street at 400 West Fourth Street, the second at 214½ East Fourth Street), and was utilized for that purpose from 1910 until the mid-1950s. Founded as the Santa Ana National Guard Company F in 1890, the unit changed its name to Company L when it was called to active duty during the Spanish American War in 1898. The organization played an important dual role in the community, as a vehicle for military service and as a community institution that sponsored social and civic events. Members of Company L provided assistance in the aftermaths of both the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire and the 1933 Long Beach Earthquake and went on to serve in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. During World War II, the building was utilized as the West Coast Army Training Center and was used as a broadcasting station. The name of the unit was changed to Company A, 161st Armored Infantry Battalion in 1954 (Marsh).
The appearance of this two and three-story brick building dates to its post-1933 earthquake reconstruction and substantial rehabilitation in 1984. An example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style, the building is asymmetrical in its composition, with exposed red brick exterior walls. The focal point of the design is the entry, a two-story-high archway located at the southwest corner of the building. The actual doorway is deeply recessed within the barrel-vaulted space. Set high up on the façade next to the opening, a single bull’s eye window is the only other feature of this wing, which is crowned by a red tile shed roof. To the north, the flat-roofed three-story wing features a row of arched windows beneath a projecting cornice over the first floor. Other notable details of this wing include a row of projecting bricks, which suggest a frieze below the roofline, and a shallowly recessed panel containing the current name of the building, “Santa Ana Veterans Hall” on a blue-tiled background. In good condition, the building has been modified from its 1934 appearance by the enclosure of some windows and the removal of its stucco facing.
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