Orange County from Mission to Late Modern

This page is an early stage repository for talks, articles, and scholarly presentations that provide deeper insight into the historic built environment of Orange County. You will find reflected in the material some of the best research about the architectural and cultural heritage of the county, from the beginnings of human habitation to the present day. 

The images in the banner above illustrate one era of the Orange County story: the booming mid-twentieth century and two influential leaders on the covers of Time Magazine December 27, 1954 (left), and September 6, 1963. The 1954 cover article reported that Disneyland was under construction in Anaheim, and in 1963, Time was interested in the master plan that William Pereira was designing for the Irvine Company.

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Modern Architecture Beyond the Orange Curtain
Modern Architecture Beyond the Orange Curtain

“Beyond the Orange Curtain: Modern Life, Work and Play in Orange County,” presented at Modernism Week in Palm Springs by Preserve Orange County, February 17, 2020.

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Eichler Romanza: Midcentury Modern Tract Housing in Orange
Eichler Romanza: Midcentury Modern Tract Housing in Orange

On May 18, 2019, Preserve Orange County hosted a panel discussion about the historic Eichler Homes developments (1960 to 1964) in Orange.

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Land of Promise and Despair: Spanish and Mexican California
Land of Promise and Despair: Spanish and Mexican California

Presented by Dr. Rose Marie Beebe and Dr. Robert Senkewicz, Santa Clara University

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Junipero Serra: The Man Behind the Myth
Junipero Serra: The Man Behind the Myth

Presented by Dr. Rose Marie Beebe and Dr. Robert Senkewicz, Santa Clara University

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O’ What a Tangled Web We Weave: The Archeology of Objects and Materials in the California Missions
O’ What a Tangled Web We Weave: The Archeology of Objects and Materials in the California Missions

Presented by Dr. Rubén G. Mendoza, California State University, Monterey Bay

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Saint Junipero Serra and the Dream of California
Saint Junipero Serra and the Dream of California

Presented by Dr. Rubén G. Mendoza, California State University, Monterey Bay

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Late-Modern Mirror Glass Architecture, 1970-1985: A Lecture by Daniel Paul
Late-Modern Mirror Glass Architecture, 1970-1985: A Lecture by Daniel Paul

Daniel Paul explains the architectural origins of mirror glass as a material for office buildings in the US, and highlights its early use in Los Angeles and Orange County.

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“Seeing Orange County” with Tom Zoellner and Elaine Lewinnek
“Seeing Orange County” with Tom Zoellner and Elaine Lewinnek

Published online in February 2018 in Boom California, from the University of California Press, this is an insightful exchange about Orange County between English Literature professor, Tom Zoellner, and American Studies professor, Elaine Lewinek. Though they’re addressing the built environment, their perspective comes from outside the field of historic preservation.

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Architects Choose Most Significant Buildings in Orange County
Architects Choose Most Significant Buildings in Orange County

In 2007, the Orange County chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIAOC) celebrated the 150th anniversary of their national organization. One way the chapter commemorated the anniversary was to compile a list of the most significant architecture in the county in the last 150 years.

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