Thursday, April 26, 2007

Aliso Viejo, Lloyd Wright, Hobby City, etc.

Today’s photo is a 1968 view of what is now Alicia Parkway in Aliso Viejo. Just look at the total lack of crowded stucco boxes. This photo comes from the Orange County Archives.

Chris Epting has solved the mystery of Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr.’s Huntington Beach shopping center, and he writes about it in his inaugural column for the H.B. Independent. Read it first, and then watch his video on YouTube.

How did the streets, hills, creeks and communities of Orange County get their names? Historian Phil Brigandi will tell you at the May 24th meeting of the Orange Community Historical Society.

I'm writing a short article about Googie architecture in O.C. for Red County magazine. It’s hard do much with only 500 to 600 words, especially when I want to bring something new to the table. Ah well,… Any chance to share the gospel of Googie is a welcome chance.

I just visited the Doll & Toy Museum at Hobby City in Anaheim. Many of the shops at Hobby City are already closed, and the whole complex will probably fold around the end of the year. (It’s making way for condos, because we already have too many charming, family-run, roadside attractions in O.C.) Anyway, the point of my story is this,… The Doll & Toy Museum is worth seeing before it disappears. And you should also stop past the museum’s gift shop, where they still sell ViewMaster reels and packets of slides (depicting the museum exhibits) for 10 cents each.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi Chris,
That is very cool information about the Frank Lloyd Wright, Jr.'s shopping center. I have been there many time and my son and I had dinner there tonight. I will definitely look for the tombstone the next time.
Thanks for the research.
Diane