ORANGE, CA—The City of Orange has approved the development of a 402-bed student-housing building for upperclassmen and adaptive reuse of a local historic asset for use as a museum and student-services center for Chapman University. The project, owned and developed by Chapman University, will utilize the Villa Park Orchards Association Packing House, a historic resource in Old Towne Orange.
The packing house was originally built for the Santiago Orange Growers Association in 1918 and became the world's largest exclusive shipper of oranges, shaping the development of this area of Old Towne. In addition to a museum and student-services center, adaptive reuse of the packing house allows for the conversion of the historic packing room into classrooms and offices for the university.
KTGY Architecture + Planning has been involved in planning and collaboration for this project, which has been taking place for the last four years. Ken Ryan, KTGY principal and head of the firm's community planning and urban design studio, tells GlobeSt.com that universities have relied on repurposing historic structures for a variety of reasons, including financial, environmental and expansion limitations. “The best college towns are known for their intellectual, cultural and economic focus as well as historic preservation.” He adds that Chapman University, located within one of the largest Historic Districts in the west, is a leader in this regard and “embraces the opportunity for a true town and gown interaction. Repurposing historic structures is part of that effort.”
KTGY's role in the development was to ensure project consistency with KTGY-prepared specific plan design guidelines, to coordinate with the various design firms, to provide design recommendations and to shepherd the project through a complex approval process, Ryan says. Since 2001, Ryan and his studio have represented Chapman University as design advisors and project representatives for nearly 40 projects.
“The front portion of the main packing room allows for classrooms, offices and the possible relocation of Chapman University's Hilbert Museum of California Art, which is currently located near Ruby's and the train station in Old Towne Orange,” said Ryan in a prepared statement. The Hilbert Museum is home to a collection of paintings from the “California Scene” movement of the 1920s through the 1970s and beyond, including paintings by Millard Sheets, a relative of Ryan's, KTGY's Johanna Crooker, studio director overseeing the project, added.
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Carrie Rossenfeld
Carrie Rossenfeld is a reporter for the San Diego and Orange County markets on GlobeSt.com and a contributor to Real Estate Forum. She was a trade-magazine and newsletter editor in New York City before moving to Southern California to become a freelance writer and editor for magazines, books and websites. Rossenfeld has written extensively on topics including commercial real estate, running a medical practice, intellectual-property licensing and giftware. She has edited books about profiting from real estate and has ghostwritten a book about starting a home-based business.
