Orange leaders have committed to preserving the city’s collection of Eichler homes with new rules and guidelines to protect the mid-century modern style.

The Orange City Council recently designated three Eichler tracts as a historic district, akin to Old Towne Orange. Those tracts consist of more than 300 homes, many built in the early 1960s. The residents have advocated for the designation for more than a decade.

“It’s a quantum leap forward,” Douglas Wade, an Eichler homeowner, said in making sure the homes known for their open-air atriums and floor-to-ceiling windows keep their beloved style . Wade has been a member of the advisory committee helping the city develop the standards for the district.

Art Ellsworth walks through the atrium of his Eichler home in Orange, where he’s lived with his wife Ann since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Art and Ann Ellsworth inside their Eichler home in Orange, where they’ve lived since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

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Art and Ann Ellsworth inside their Eichler home in Orange, where they’ve lived since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Art Ellsworth walks through the atrium of his Eichler home in Orange, where he’s lived with his wife Ann since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

A butcher block-toped cabinet in Art and Ann Ellsworth’s Eichler home in Orange, where they’ve lived since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Ann Ellsworth walks through the backyard at their Eichler home in Orange, where they’ve lived since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Ann Ellsworth walks stands in her kitchen, largely all original, at their Eichler home in Orange where they’ve lived since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Art and Ann Ellsworth’s Eichler home in Orange is mostly still original. They’ve lived there since 1969. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Robert Imboden, Eichler homeowner, stands in the kitchen of his home in Orange. Eichler homes are known for being particularly visually striking both inside and outside. Photographed in Orange, CA on Friday, March 31, 2017. (Photo by Kevin Sullivan, Orange County Register/SCNG)



Post-war developer Joseph Eichler built the homes to be stylish, yet affordable housing for the growing middle class. The homes are noticeable for their geometric shapes with flat and low-sloping A-framed roofs and their general feeling of openness.

The standards focus on retaining those distinct features.

But, Eichler owner Anna Marzolino expressed concern the guidelines are too lengthy for homeowners to understand and could unnecessarily increase the cost of future home repairs and improvements.

“How in the world does someone even remotely know what you have to bring to (the city) for approval?” she said about the more than 100-page document.

Wade said much of the standards are recommendations on how the homeowners can repair and renovate their homes while preserving the historic aesthetics.

For instance, applying high-quality clear film to the homes’ original single-pane glass is recommended to improve the safety and energy efficiency.

“It’s not preservation for the sake of preservation,” Wade said of the standards.

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Saratoga Eichler home added to heritage list The rules will only apply when homeowners want to modify their homes, Orange’s historic preservation planner Marissa Moshier said. Existing homes are not required to make any changes.

Much of the discussion on the rules revolved around whether to allow the addition of two-story structures. Some residents had said the taller structures would invade their privacy, given the homes’ expansive rear windows.

The City Council ultimately approved allowing the additions in a limited circumstance, subject to evaluation by the city’s Design Review Committee.

The historic district designation also allows the homeowners to apply for a Mills Act contract, which provides a property tax deduction for rehabilitating and preserving their homes.