ANAHEIM : 2 Historic Homes May Be History

Since the 1800s, the Grimshaw House and its accompanying cottage have survived earthquakes, floods and termites, but unless their owner finds some money soon, they will probably be bulldozed.

Ron Waltz Jr., who has relocated and refurbished several other historical Anaheim homes, was given the homes six months ago by the landowners with the understanding that the structures would be moved by Saturday to make way for a fast-food restaurant or a convenience store. Waltz’s plan was to move both structures, fix them up, then sell the house and donate the cottage to a nonprofit museum.

But Waltz’s financing has fallen apart, leaving him $100,000 short, and he said he is fearful “that one or both houses are going to wind up as toothpicks.”

“I’ve gotten to the point where I would be willing to give the houses to somebody with a lot of money who would save the homes and fix them up,” Waltz said. “I just don’t want to see them torn down.”

The Grimshaw House was built in 1887 by the family of Daniel Kraemer, for whom a boulevard was named. The second story was added in 1902.

As for the cottage, only a handful of Orange County structures may be older. The cottage was erected in the 1850s and was moved from another city onto the Anaheim lot before the turn of the century. Alice Grimshaw, one of Kraemer’s daughters and a pioneer Santa Ana educator, eventually took possession of both the house and cottage, hence the property’s name.

The land is now owned by Ed Miller, San Diego County’s district attorney, and his brother, Don, who are descendants of the Kraemers and have plans to eventually build a business there. The homes are uninhabitable in their current condition.

“Sooner or later, we are going to need the land,” Ed Miller said. “But we want to do everything to help Ron. These are our old family homes, but they are causing us financial difficulties. . . . They bring in no income.”

Walking through the 5,000-square-foot, two-story Victorian house and the 500-square-foot cottage, Waltz’s voice flip-flops from excitement to disappointment as he talks of the homes’ history and their future.

Inside the cottage, which Waltz has vowed to save at all costs because of its age and unusual construction, he removes a piece of drywall installed in recent times to expose the structure’s original redwood wall. There are no support beams. The redwood is partially covered with the original turquoise and aqua oilcloth wallpaper.

“Look at the brilliance of the colors,” he said. “I get chills just looking at this stuff. I wonder who put this up and what they were about. If it gets bulldozed, it will be gone forever.”

The house has intricately hand-carved doors and jambs, a balcony, a sun deck and hardwood floors. A neighboring church once used the house as a recording studio because it is soundproof.

“We’ve got to save these homes for the future generations so they can see where they came from,” Waltz said. “There’s no way in the world I’ll let them tear down the cottage. If I have to, I’ll tie it to the back of my truck and haul it to my front yard. If I break the law, I break the law. But if none of us are willing to save history, there will be no history left.”