Month: September 2018

Did you know California’s first state beaches were right here in Orange County? The Orange County Historical Society will explore the history of our southern State beaches at our season kick-off program, Sept. 13, 2018, at Sherman Library & Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Highway, in Corona del Mar.

A social hour and optional potluck of appetizers and desserts will begin at 6:30 pm, followed by the program at 7:30 pm.  Members are especially invited to this annual OCHS gathering after our traditional summer break.  The event is also open to the public.  (If you have a favorite dish you’d like to share, bring it along.  Potluck food items are encouraged but not required.)

Steve Long, founder and Board Advisor of the San Onofre Parks Foundation, and Blythe Wilson, Regional Interpretive Specialist for California State Parks’ Orange Coast District, will discuss the motivations behind the creation of the first state beaches in the California State Park System: Doheny State Beach (in Dana Point) and San Clemente State Beach. They will also highlight the legacy of natural and cultural preservation at nearby San Onofre State Beach and beyond.

California’s first state beach was donated for public use by oil tycoon Edward L. Doheny in 1931. It was officially named Doheny State Beach in 1963.

San Clemente has been a California state beach since 1937 and has long been a favorite spot for busy Orange Countians looking to escape for a while.

Governor Ronald Reagan established San Onofre State Beach in 1971. This state beach has three distinct areas: the San Onofre Bluffs, the San Mateo Campground and the San Onofre Surf Beach.

These California State Parks play a significant role in maintaining the coastal environment and providing important connections with our past.

Steve Long spent the last four years of his career with California State Parks as a Park Superintendent, responsible for all aspects of park operations at Doheny, San Clemente and San Onofre State Beaches. In that capacity, he identified groups and individuals who held these parks dear, and who would ultimately unite as the non-profit San Onofre Parks Foundation. The Foundation’s mission is to educate and interpret the natural, cultural, historical and biological diversity of San Onofre and San Clemente State Beaches; to promote environmental awareness and ethics; and to enhance the recreational experience at these coastal parks.

Blythe Wilson has worked for California State Parks since 2003 as an interpretive planner, historian, and district interpretive and educational leader. Blythe grew up in Southern California and holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies from California State University, San Marcos and an M.A. in Public History from California State University, Sacramento. She is currently working as a Regional Interpretive Specialist in San Clemente overseeing the education, community outreach, and volunteer program for six park units within coastal Orange County. Blythe serves as the cooperating association liaison with the San Onofre Parks Foundation.

Come spend an evening in a garden by the sea and learn the story of our historic beaches.

We all know the feeling of sadness when a beloved local landmark loses its battle with the wrecking ball. Preserve Orange County was founded to raise awareness and advocate the preservation of our architectural heritage, so that in the future, we won’t have to look back and say with regret, “Why didn’t someone save that wonderful old building?”

The county’s non-profit historic preservation organization- Preserve Orange County- is now in its second year. The young, volunteer-run organization has done some advocacy, some outreach and education, and some organization building.

Our guest speaker will be Krista Nicholds, who will discuss Preserve Orange County’s accomplishments to date, and goals for 2018. Krista will also share the organization’s point of view about the state of preservation in the county. This will be a bit of a Homecoming for Krista since POC’s roots are in the Orange County Historical Society.

Krista is founding president of the Board of Directors of Preserve Orange County. She’s a former business executive now studying toward a Master of Heritage Conservation at the University of Southern California. Krista also serves as preservation consultant for Kelly Sutherlin McLeod Architects in Long Beach.

Don’t miss this opportunity to hear about this important local preservation group and to find out how you can join.

Our meeting will be held on Thursday, May 10th beginning at 7:30 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. As always, members and the general public are cordially invited to attend.

While we may think that events in Orange County have, and do happen in a vacuum, sometimes we have to look beyond the geographic boundaries to fully understand our county’s history and those who have lived here. Keeping this in mind, it’s no surprise that we find Orange County stories about people and events — and artifacts — in museums or archives that may surprise us.

The Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum has an artifact collection of roughly 30,000 objects pertaining to greater Los Angeles, including Orange County, from 1830 to 1930. Members of the Workman and Temple families were involved with Orange County areas, such as the Anaheim Landing project in the late 1860s and early 1870s and oil prospecting at Huntington Beach in the 1920s, but the museum has other material relating to the county and its place in the region.

Paul R. Spitzzeri, the Homestead’s director, will discuss a selection of museum-owned objects dealing with Orange County, including a PowerPoint presentation and a small display of artifacts.

Our meeting will be held on Thursday, April 12th beginning at 7:30 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. As always, members and the general public are cordially invited to attend.

Preservation and adaptive reuse of Orange County’s wonderful historic commercial and public buildings is always a topic of interest for those who want to save and celebrate our county’s history.  We’re honored to feature long-time, local architect Don Krotee at our March meeting to speak about his work over the last 45 years in restoring and saving many historic properties in Santa Ana and other parts of Orange County.

Don and his company, the Don Krotee Partnership (DKP), usually do the entire planning and design work on projects – ensuring that it adheres to the Secretary of State requirements for National Register of Historic Places.  Sometimes this includes a real property easement around the front elevation of the building (later administering the sale of the easement to a Historic Trust).  In addition, they often coordinate the structural, mechanical, plumbing, and electrical engineering of the project itself.

Over the years, their projects have included the Arcade, Fogelman, and Yanez buildings in central Santa Ana.  He’s also worked on the Musselman Block buildings, YMCA building, and Old OC Court House, among just a few.  Under Don’s guidance, DKP has provided architectural and engineering services on over 550 publicly-bid projects serving more than fifteen municipalities, and multiple school districts and college campuses.

Don is also a recognized artist in both watercolor and line drawings.  He’s had the opportunity to use his talents to show off the beauty of many of his historic projects.  Some of those will be shown as part of his presentation.

Our meeting will be held on Thursday, March 8th beginning at 7:30 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange. As always, members and the general public are cordially invited to attend.

Orange County artist and muralist Emigdio Vasquez created over 400 oil paintings and 32 murals in the cities of Orange, Santa Ana, Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine, and Placentia.  At a young age, Emigdio began illustrating comic books and painting murals expressing his observations and studies. His paintings and murals evolved and primarily focused on working people, family, culture, and society.  He embodied his observations of the essence of everyday life and memorialized the Chicano working class struggle for survival and dignity.  Emigdio was often credited as the Godfather of Hispanic Art as a painter of reality and social commentary with universal themes, freezing a period of time which resonates even today.

Emigdio’s murals include the “Legacy of Cesar Chavez” at Santa Ana College and he was featured in a recent Getty-sponsored art show at Chapman University’s Guggenheim Museum which featured twenty of his paintings and his mural, “Proletariado de Azlan,” that is located on Chapman property.  Some of Emigdio’s murals were in excess of one hundred feet in length; and many of his murals can still be seen today.   Emigdio passed away several years ago, but his legacy lives on through his work and his children.

For the February meeting, his daughter, Rosemary Vasquez Tuthill, an oil painter and muralist in her own right, will present a video she and her husband created that highlights each of Emigdio’s murals.  In addition to answering questions, she will bring a few of her father’s artworks for audience viewing

The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 8th, beginning at 7:30 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange.  As always, members and the general public are cordially invited to attend.

The transition from Mexican ranchos to American communities came very quickly to the Santa Ana Valley. In fact, in just one year, 1868, most of central and northern Orange County all went on the market, as drought and debt forced the subdivision of the old ranchos.

In less than five years, half a dozen new towns were born, irrigation ditches dug, hundreds of farmers put the land to the plow, railroad surveyors were at work, and the drive had begun to create Orange County. Many of the cities we know today – Santa Ana, Orange, Tustin, Westminster, Garden Grove – were all born in that rush to subdivide and build, and the foundations were laid for Newport Beach, Placentia, Fountain Valley, and other communities. This sudden burst of population and prosperity set the stage for modern Orange County.

For our January meeting, historian Phil Brigandi will describe these momentous events, and discuss the different ways these towns were founded. Some began as real estate investments, pure and simple. Some were founded by men who dreamed of building a city. Some were organized as colonies, with settlers working together for the common good. And some of them just sort of happened as a growing population sought schools, stores, churches, and community.

The meeting will be held on Thursday, January 11th, beginning at 7:30 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange.  As always, members and the general public are cordially invited to attend.

Remember when a vacation stay meant an overnight escape to sparkling blue swimming pools, flashing neon signs, automatic ice machines and bleached white towels?  There was a time when these colorful road-side gems encircled Anaheim’s Disneyland and motels were more than just a place to check in for the night.

This month’s speaker is Heather M. David, a cultural historian and freelance writer. She is the author of the book “Mid-Century by the Bay” and numerous articles on American popular culture and historic preservation. She is an advocate for the preservation of mid-century architecture, art, and signage – with a focus on California Modernism.

Her latest book, “Motel California: A Pictorial History of Motels in the Golden State”, is the story of the rapid rise and subsequent decline of the individually owned mom-and-pop motel in The Golden State. Heather will have books available at the meeting for sale and signing.

Join us for a trip back to the days when Orange County’s roadside was a wonderland of colorful themed motels, restaurants, rooms, pools and signs.

Our meeting will be held on Thursday, November 9 beginning at 7:30 pm (back to our normal time) at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange.