Downtown Anaheim is on the Rise: Part II

Downtown Anaheim is a very interesting place to explore because of its diverse built environment. In the past several years it has experienced a renaissance, likely because of its impressive stock of historic homes and close proximity to Disneyland, which is a major work center. There has also been an increasing sense of community among the local residents which genuinely care about their neighborhood.

Anaheim City Hall -- 200 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim, Ca.

Pictured below is one of several significant buildings in the area. It used to provide office space for AT&T, but now it is looking for new tenants. I don't expect it to be vacant too long since it sits on a prime spot on Center Street.


Office Building -- 200 W. Center St., Anaheim

Center Street is the center of activity for the New Downtown Anaheim. Pictured below is a small outdoor seating space for the Ink & Bean Coffee Saloon. The small Air Stream trailer has plenty of reading material for coffee patrons. This concept is similar to the "Parklets" which are being set up around Downtown Los Angeles.

Ink & Bean Coffee Saloon -- 155 W. Center St., Anaheim

The Carnegie Plaza is a large apartment building situated on Center Street. A portion of the Muzeo (Anaheim's museum) is located on the first floor.

Carnegie Plaza Apartments -- 160 W. Center Street Promenade

The Harbor Lofts is another downtown living option. It is situated at the corner of Harbor & Lincoln.

Harbor Lofts -- Harbor & Lincoln

Built in 1970, the Chase bank building is unique because of its beautiful mosaic and sculpture. This art was commissioned by the original owner, Home Savings of America.

Chase Bank -- 101 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim

This mosaic depicts the early history of Anaheim and is considered an important piece of public art in the city. These kinds of mosaics were typically commissioned by Home Savings on their bank branches across California. I provided two blog articles discussing this art in more details, first by Kevin Kidney, and the second on the Arenson Blog.

Chase Bank -- Mosaic

The St. Boniface Catholic Church Chapel was built between 1963-1964. This church has a very long history in Anaheim, which Chris Jespen discusses in more detail on his blog.

St. Boniface Church -- Lincoln & Harbor (120 N. Janss St.)

This sculpture is prominently affixed to the front of the chapel and it will easily catch your eye. I'm guessing the subject of the sculpture is St. Boniface himself, but this is not confirmed.

The Bank of America building was built in 1964 and is one of the most visible buildings in the downtown area.

Bank of America Building -- 300 S. Harbor Blvd., Anaheim, Ca.

The historic Five Points commercial building was constructed in 1928 and has served many purposes. After several years of intensive renovation, Ruby's Diner opened in 2010. It is located in Anaheim's Five Points Historic District. If you want a clear breakdown of Anaheim's several historic districts then I recommend this video produced by Anaheim resident and realtor Meghan Shigo.

Ruby's Diner -- 1128 W. Lincoln, Anaheim

The Hilgenfeld Mortuary is an Anaheim institution, having served the community for over 85 years. In 1942 this business was established at its present location at 120 E. Broadway. The chapel was built in 1963. Considering the history of this business in Anaheim, and the impeccable manner in which the facilities have been maintained, I could not help but include them in my blog.

Hilgenfeld Mortuary -- 120 E. Broadway, Anaheim, Ca.

Pictured below is Orange County's newest food hall, the Anaheim Packing House. I love how the rail cars were incorporated into this project as seating areas! I have already covered the Anaheim Packing House extensively in this blog article, but since this building is awesome here is another photo!


Anaheim Packing House -- 440 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim

The Packard building, built in 1925, is one of Downtown Anaheim's few remaining original commercial buildings. Instead of Packard automobiles, this Mission Revival building now houses an Umami Burger and the Anaheim Brewery.

Packard Building -- 336-338 Anaheim Blvd.

Hundreds of beautiful historic homes surround the downtown area. As a reminder, all of the Mills Act homes, which are qualified historic structures, are awarded a Mills Act plaque which the homeowners will proudly display just outside their front door. Look for this plaque to confirm the historic authenticity of the house.

Anaheim Colony Residence -- Clementine & Sycamore

Visitors can just stroll these neighborhoods and enjoy the ambiance of Anaheim's history. There is tremendous camaraderie among the historic home owners in the Anaheim Historic Districts. Additionally, the community has shown increased interest in Anaheim's history which is evidenced by the Anaheim Historical Society and web sites such as the Anaheim Colony.

Anaheim Colony Residence -- Clementine & Sycamore

Pictured below is the entrance to the Pearson Park Theater which was built in 1927. It can accommodate 2000 guests. Pearson Park is Anaheim Colony Historic District's central park, which is in walking distance to downtown. There are several other historic elements to this park which I will explore later.

Pearson  Park Theater -- 400 N. Harbor, Anaheim

Thanks for taking my virtual tour of the Downtown Anaheim area. It really is an interesting Orange County community which I hope you can visit in person someday.