Tuesday, March 10, 2009

O.C. Plaza, Black history, Bob Johnson, etc.

Remember my post, last March, about Orange County Plaza in Garden Grove? Me neither. But it garnered 23 comments. Just in time for the anniversary of that inexplicably popular post, alert reader Mike sent me the photo above. He writes, "During my countless hours of web surfing I ran across [this] Orange County Plaza photo from 1963. ...We are looking east on Chapman toward Brookhurst." Thanks for sharing this great image, Mike!
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Bob Johnson will discuss Orange County Black history in at the next meeting of the Orange County Historical Society, this Thursday, March 12, 7:30pm, at Trinity Episcopal Church, 2400 N. Canal St., in Orange. Bob has been active in Fair Housing and other civil rights issues in O.C. since the 1960s. He has been researching local black history for many years, and has just completed a book with Charlene Riggins entitled, A Different Shade of Orange: Voices of Orange County, California, Black Pioneers. The book is published by and available through CSUF's Center for Oral & Public History. To learn more about Bob and his book before attending see the recent article about him in the O.C. Register.
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I was concerned about the historic Wintersburg Japanese Presbyterian Church complex after reading that Rainbow Disposal Co. was bringing expansion plans to the city tonight. But it turns out that tonight's item was for a different parcel of property. The Notice of Preparation/Draft Environmental Impact Report for the historic properties will probably be released this summer, with a hearing scheduled at the end of 2009 or in early 2010. Thanks to Phil, Donna, Michael, and everyone else who's keeping an eye on this issue.

6 comments:

Chris Merritt said...

Wow - that photo makes me feel like a kid again...

Dave said...

Chris - Obviously, this was taken on a rough day, with all the flooding evident, but it's great to see this area (and era) in color. Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Great photo! I live right around the corner and the Chapman Car Wash is still kicking with what looks like the same sign.

walterworld said...

Thanks for the flashback to that post last year...I hope Anonymous found the name of that bar he was reminiscing about!

Love the sign and wish I could walk around for a couple of hours back then.

Take care---

Anonymous said...

Hi
I am writing from France and would like to know if Bob Johnson is Mister Robert August Johnson about 78 years old.
If he is , please could you tell him that I try to get a contact with him since 10 months because I try to reconstitue the story of an old 1958 car by searching the precedent owners, and so he may be was one of them.
here is my adress
rene.p.remond@wanadoo.fr
Thanks a lot
Regards

Chris Jepsen said...

Rene: I have forwarded your question to Bob.