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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.

October is the traditionally the month of harvest, so it’s the perfect time to feature one of Orange County’s most important agricultural pioneering families: The Segerstroms. From lima bean fields to a luxury shopping destination, The Segerstrom family has left an indelible impression on local history.

This month, we are honored to have Segerstrom Family matriarch, Mrs. Ruth Ann Moriarity as our guest speaker.  Mrs. Moriarity is the only sibling of the late Henry Segerstrom, developer of  South Coast Plaza and generous patron of the arts.  Our meeting will be held on Thursday, October 12 beginning at 7 pm at the Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., Orange.

Born in Santa Ana in 1923, Mrs. Moriarity has witnessed many changes in Orange County. As family historian, she was the major contributor to this summer’s exhibit during South Coast Plaza’s 50th Anniversary celebration: “Segerstrom Pioneering Spirit: An American Dream”

Mrs. Moriarity will share her personal recollections and show rare images from her vast collection of family photographs.

Don’t miss this special opportunity to hear a first-person account of Orange County’s early days! As always, our general meeting is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there!

The Sherman Library director Paul Wormser will present “Newport Beach Historical Treasures at the Sherman Library” at the Orange County Historical Society’s season kick-off program, Friday September 15th at Sherman Library & Gardens, 2647 E. Coast Hwy, in Corona del Mar. (Note that due to calendar conflicts, the meeting day is Friday and not our normal Thursday.)

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.  The event is also open to the public.  (Potluck food items are encouraged but not required.)

For more than fifty years, Sherman Library has sought to preserve the history of Newport Beach, a community that has gone from a sparsely populated beach town to a commercial center. The documentary history of the city is a testament to this transition.  Drawing upon Sherman Library’s extensive collections, of photographs, maps, postcards, documents and publications, Paul Wormser will share examples of items from Sherman Library’s collections to illustrate episodes in the history of Newport Beach.

Paul Wormser is the Library Director at Sherman Library & Gardens.  The Sherman Library is a non-profit research library, which holds an extensive collection of books and manuscripts related to the history of the Pacific Southwest.  Prior to working at Sherman Library, he worked for the National Archives for more than twenty years in a number of positions, including Archives Director for the National Archives’ Pacific Region, and Deputy Director of the Nixon Presidential Library and Museum. He has a bachelor’s and master’s degree in history from the University of California, Riverside.  He has been active in professional organizations, especially the Society of California Archivists, in which he has held a number of leadership positions, including President. He is currently a member of the California Historical Records Advisory Board, which acts as coordinating body for historical record activities statewide.