Saving Howe-Waffle House Goal of Proposed Land Deal
County officials and the city of Santa Ana are poised next week to make a deal that would preserve the historic Howe-Waffle House, home to Orange County’s first female doctor.
The ornate Victorian mansion had been threatened with possible demolition because the county plans to sell the land underneath it.
On Monday, the Santa Ana City Council will consider purchasing the downtown parcel where the home sits for $140,000, and then leasing it to the Santa Ana Historical Preservation Society.
The city owns the house, which serves as the headquarters for the preservation society. But city officials and society members fear the house could be lost if they are not able to purchase the land.
A local attorney has submitted a competing bid of more than $140,000 for the property.
The Board of Supervisors will decide the matter Tuesday, though some members have previously expressed support for selling the land to the city.
At a recent Santa Ana City Council meeting, Councilwoman Lisa Mills indicated that it was in the city’s best interests to preserve the home named for Dr. Willella Howe-Waffle.
“We only have one Howe-Waffle House,” Mills said. “To destroy a house like this doesn’t make any sense.”
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