Suburban Renewal : In a Rural Patch of Mid-Town Santa Ana, a Couple Are Committed to Helping the Community Revitalize and Reach Its Potential

It was the sense of neighborhood that lured Socorro and Ernesto Vasquez to their 4,000-square-foot house in a rural pocket of Santa Ana.

“We were attracted to this area with its privacy, big trees and quietness because it reminded us of established areas, like those in Pasadena,” says architect and urban planner Ernesto Vasquez. “I like this house because of the tranquillity. There is something about coming home to that after day-to-day life.”

The Vasquezes, who have two children, bought the house 12 years ago at a repossession sale.

“It had been totally thrashed because no one had lived in it for a year,” Vasquez recalled. “I think people had repaired motorcycles in the living room. We looked at it and knew the house was a makeover. Luckily, Socorro is a great project manager, because we only had six weeks to fix the house up and move in.”

Working on a tight schedule, the Vasquezes renovated night and day.

“We met our deadline,” Socorro Vasquez said, “but now I realize that sometimes you have to live in a house for a while to find out what you really want. We’ve actually changed some things since the first go-round. But working that fast really does make you efficient.”

Because the house was in bad shape, the Vasquezes had to have it re-roofed and re-mechanicaled, which means that the “moving parts” of the house were so worn out that they needed to be replaced. Fortunately, the basic structure of the house, which was built in the late 1950s, was good.

From the outside, the Vasquez house looks similar to the other one-story houses sitting on large lots near downtown. It’s not until you enter that you see the clever blending of architectural elements and art.

“We took advantage of the floor plan and just changed the walls,” Ernesto Vasquez said. “The new plan created a sense of entrance that was missing before, since originally you entered directly into the family room.”

Vasquez constructed a low wall to block the direct entry into the family room. The wall acts as an art gallery for pictures by Fullerton artist Mary Zarbano and also lets in light from the back courtyard. When you enter the house now, you go left to the living room and then right into the dining room and family room.

A marble floor was added to match the marble hearth and nook in the living room’s fireplace area.

“I removed the flat ceiling out in the family room and created a 14-foot-high vaulted wood ceiling that opened up the whole room. We added French doors all the way around the back of the L-shaped house,” Vasquez continued.

The landscaping was also changed, except for the courtyard swimming pool. The reddish Arizona flagstone adds a touch of warmth to the outside and continues the artful atmosphere found inside the house.

The house brims with contemporary and folk art. There are Mexican sculptures, a large contemporary painting of an eagle kachina by Native American artist Dan Namingha, a wood sculpture from Italy, Australian paintings and formed-glass bowls and large pots from Greece in the living room.

“We’ve always traveled together as a family to special places,” said Socorro Vasquez, of her husband and children, Monica, 25, and Miguel, 21. “Much of the art on display reminds us of our trips. When we buy it, I sometimes wonder how it will look, but it all goes together. I just wish this house had more walls.”

Art and community are two big parts of both Ernesto and Socorro’s lives. She is on the committee for tonight’s La Fiesta fund-raiser at Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. The event opens the exhibition “Visions of Guadalupe: Selections from the Museum of the Basilica de Guadalupe.”

Ernesto Vasquez is a new member of the Bowers’ board of governors.

“The theme of Santa Ana is arts, culture and education. The energy of Bowers has anchored the community and that energy continues on to MainPlace [mall],” he said. “Santa Ana now has an opportunity to have a good mid-town.

“We’ve seen Santa Ana go through a lot of changes since we’ve lived here. Right now there’s a real effort to reinforce the center of the city with some vitality, with some fabric of community.”

It’s this commitment to the city and the community that keeps the Vasquezes in Santa Ana.

“Our kids went to school here. It’s central and it offers everything we need,” Socorro Vasquez said.

Adds her husband: “The city’s getting a lot of undeserved comments. I hear people in the Newport Beach area say they don’t want to drive by Santa Ana.”

Ernesto Vasquez is the managing principal and vice president of McLarand, Vasquez and Partners Inc. and president of MV&P; International--both are architectural and urban-planning firms in Costa Mesa.

His work has taken him around the world and familiarized him with urban renewal and with cities’ needs to revitalize themselves. His firm designed the 28-story headquarters for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority in downtown Los Angeles, which is a part of the redevelopment of East L.A.

Socorro Vasquez has brought these experiences home.

“Our travels have opened up our eyes to the great potential here in Santa Ana. We’re really excited about staying here and helping create the vision.”