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A native of Lincoln, England, distinguished architect Frank Lansdown left an indelible mark on the Santa Ana skyline. He also designed two of Santa Ana’s architectural gems: the Santora Arts Building and the Bowers Museum. Lansdown lived right in the heart of Pacific Park, on E. Grant Street, between Orange and Maple.

Born in the historic city of Lincoln, England on September 24, 1880, Lansdown studied at the Lincoln Technical School. He served his apprenticeship in the same town from 1898-1900 before leaving to work with Briggs & Wolstenholme, architects of Liverpool, and later Mortimer & Son, supervising their branch office in Essex. In 1907, Frank crossed the Atlantic to work in Alberta, Canada until 1922. He drafted designs for private contractors and architectural firms until joining the Alberta Public Works Department as Chief Draftsman. During that time, Lansdown gained valuable experience in the design of public buildings.

In 1923, Frank Lansdown moved to southern California and opened an office in Santa Ana. He moved into a new home on East Grant Street, only a block West of the Pacific Electric Railway on Maple St. The Lansdowns fit right in with Santa Ana’s energy and social scene in the roaring 20s. Frank became a member of the celebrated men’s choral group, the Santa Ana Cantando Club, and his avid sewer wife was the chair of production in the OC chapter of the American Red Cross. Lansdown’s talent for performance did not stop at singing, as he was an active member of the Santa Ana Community Players, a theatrical troupe headed by W.H. Spurgeon who regularly performed in a barn on Lacy Street.

Visionary, creative, and generous of spirit, Frank Lansdown left an indelible mark on the Santa Ana skyline and in local Arts & Culture. In designing art spaces like museums and performing arts venues or utilitarian buildings like a dairy and bakery his design dreams display an admirable range. He was a District Leader for the professional association Architects of Orange County several years in a row and a beloved part of Santa Ana’s musical world. Frank Lansdown’s story is woven into the fabric of Santa Ana’s architectural and cultural history.

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Photos from The Orange County Archives