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.

Crooker said the rear portion of the packing room is also reserved for university uses and includes the excavation of the large courtyard that will expose the basement level of the packing room to the sunken courtyard area. “This large courtyard provides an outdoor common area for residents of the new student apartment community adjacent to the Packing House.”

The exterior of the building will be restored to its appearance during the period of significance by removing some later additions, restoring the original paint colors and installing building signage that replicates the original Sunkist sign. An old railroad-spur alignment has been brought back to life and utilized to tie the site together, with materials and interpretive signage telling the history of the property. Landscape and hardscape designs in front of the Packing House were crafted by Bennitt Design Group. Interpretive signage was designed by Hunt Design, and Ruzika Design provided lighting design to showcase the Packing House.

The new student-apartment building was designed by architecture firm Togawa Smith Martin. The new residential building, which is being built next to the packing house, is designed to reflect the industrial character of the packing house and surrounding neighborhood. “In designing the new building, it was important to balance the demand for student housing with preserving the historic character of the site,” Ryan in the statement. He added that the new building needed to be large enough to accommodate the number of beds without overwhelming the adjacent Packing House.

Ryan also said that key to the project's approval was working with the City's historic resource advocates, City staff and the City of Orange's design-review committee.