Tracts

Preserve Orange County has been actively following a development project that in fall 2020 proposed relocation of the 1928 Christiensen and Grow gas station from its original site at 305 S. Main Street in Orange. Given the station’s location on the Old State Highway, once designated as the historic El Camino Real, POC took a deeper dive on the surviving roadside architecture along this historic route. The article that follows is the culmination of a windshield survey. We hope it will lead to further study. Read more.

Grass-roots groups in Newport Beach such as the Balboa Island Preservation Association and the Coalition to Protect Mariners’ Mile are protesting insensitive development of their neighborhoods and making some progress. The Corona del Mar Historical Society was founded with the same concerns in mind but with a different approach. In 2020 members began a process of identifying the remaining historic cottages of the beachside community.

Every city does preservation a little differently. Tustin disbanded its historic resources commission several years ago yet it is conducting a historic resources survey right now that will identify resources constructed up to 1976. This effort alone places it in the vanguard of Orange County cities. Read more.

Surveys are the backbone of a strong preservation program, yet most Orange County cities have not adequately taken stock of their building and landscape heritage. Here’s a brief description of surveys, their benefits and what’s going on in Orange County.

The original Taco Bell was saved in 2015 by the Irvine-based company, but we think this small, vernacular treasure is at risk again.

Little Saigon in Westminster in Orange County is known to many as a foodie destination. But it’s also a cultural heritage site and preserving it is a special challenge.

George Bissell (1927-2010) may be best known for the concrete “Horizon Home” in Laguna Niguel but his architectural imprint can be found throughout the county.

The respected two-week festival known as Modernism Week gives Preserve Orange County a platform for bringing OC’s own Modernist resources to the attention of a wider public.

The Brownell office stands as a masterpiece of modern organic architecture and the place from which the Newport Beach architect enjoyed an illustrious career.