Mid-Century Modern Eichler Houses in the City of Orange

I just had an opportunity to participate in an Eichler House tour sponsored by the AIA-Orange County Chapter. This was a great chance to see an amazing assortment of Eichlers, meet the owners who care for them, and mingle with aficionados who made the pilgrimage to admire these mid-century modern houses made in the early 1960s. For those who might not know, the City of Orange has about 350 of the nearly 600 Eichlers that were built in Southern California, which makes Orange one special city! If you want some more specific information about Eichlers in Orange, please read my earlier blog. I also recommend this article by Elisabeth Deffner. Here are some of the highlights of my tour in the Fairhaven Tract:

Fashion Island's Towers Elevate Newport Beach's Skyline

Newport Beach's premier shopping center, Fashion Island, is surrounded by various office and medical towers. Steadily built since the late 1960's, these towers have established a recognizable skyline in Orange County's wealthiest city. At this point it seems these towers have reached a saturation point, but only time will tell. At 315 feet tall, the tower at 520 Newport Center is Orange County's tallest building. Although very small compared to national and international standards, it should be measured in context with the rest of Orange County which was developed as suburbia.

520 Newport Center Dr., Newport Beach

Irvine Spectrum Under Construction

Orange County's newest tower at 200 Spectrum Center is almost finished and will certainly be the centerpiece of the Irvine Spectrum. The tower is 21-stories tall and it is partnered with a 6-level (1459 stall) parking structure.


200 Spectrum Center, Irvine

Anaheim Resort District Construction Update

The Anaheim Resort District is undergoing a wave of construction that is showing steady progress by replacing old buildings and filling up empty lots. Here is the recently completed Springhill Suites which replaces an old gas station.


Marriott Springhill Suites -- 1801 S. Harbor, Anaheim

Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center

The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) had its grand opening in December 2014. It is centrally located in Anaheim on Katella Avenue at the 57 Freeway directly adjacent to the Honda Center and Anaheim Stadium. It supports Amtrak, Metrolink, OCTA buses, Greyhound buses, ART buses, and of course taxis. Designed by HOK architects it really is a world class transportation center.

Downtown Santa Ana: Artists Village

The Santa Ana Artists Village is an approximate 10-block area located in downtown. It is a unique artsy part of Santa Ana that is full of art galleries, restaurants, and loft style housing for people interested in an urban lifestyle. It is a radical cultural shift from the Fourth Street Historic Area discussed in my earlier blog.

Santora Building -- 207 N. Broadway, Santa Ana

Ghost Town Found in Buena Park's Knott's Berry Farm

With Halloween right around the corner, I thought I would make a visit to Knott's Berry Farm's Ghost Town in Buena Park. Interestingly, this town was based on the Calico Ghost Town and other Ghost Towns across the Western United States. As a bonus, this ghost town has been decorated for Knott's Scary Farm, which is an annual Halloween event held at Knott's.