Newport Center
Encyclopedia
Newport Center is a business, shopping, and entertainment district located on a high bluff overlooking Newport Harbor in Newport Beach, California
. Newport Center is also famously dubbed "Fashion Island" amongst locals. It was created in the early 1960s as part of William Pereira
's master plan for the Irvine Ranch. Newport Center was created as the unofficial "downtown" of the Irvine Ranch, which at the time extended all the way down to Pacific Coast Highway.
. The event was held where Newport Center and Fashion Island
now sit. It was the third international jamboree; the first jamboree held west of the Mississippi River and had with 50,000 scouts from all 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii and 16 foreign countries. It was one of the first sites considered for Disneyland. During excavation of the site for the first buildings, a considerable amount of petrified wood
was discovered, indicating that a small forest once existed in the area.
The center was designed as part of a joint venture between Pereira and Welton Becket
, with an emphasis on International Style
architecture. The first building, at 400 Newport Center Drive, went up in 1967, with the majority of the center's buildings following in the 1970s. Although Newport Center's International Style design was mostly seen through to completion, Pereira broke his own rule by adding the futurist
Pacific Mutual building in 1972, which became one of Newport Beach's most well-known architectural landmarks.
, PIMCO, Acacia Research Corporation, and law firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth
.
. Adjacent to the complex is the very upscale Big Canyon Country Club community.
. These roads split the center into "superblocks", each of which were built and leased as separate properties.
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...
. Newport Center is also famously dubbed "Fashion Island" amongst locals. It was created in the early 1960s as part of William Pereira
William Pereira
William Leonard Pereira was an American architect from Chicago, Illinois, of Portuguese ancestry who was noted for his futuristic designs of landmark buildings such as the Transamerica Pyramid in San Francisco...
's master plan for the Irvine Ranch. Newport Center was created as the unofficial "downtown" of the Irvine Ranch, which at the time extended all the way down to Pacific Coast Highway.
History
It was the site used for the 1953 National Scout Jamboree of the Boy Scouts of AmericaBoy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
. The event was held where Newport Center and Fashion Island
Fashion Island
Fashion Island is an upscale open-air lifestyle center in Newport Beach, California . Fashion Island is owned by The Irvine Company.-History:...
now sit. It was the third international jamboree; the first jamboree held west of the Mississippi River and had with 50,000 scouts from all 48 states, Alaska, Hawaii and 16 foreign countries. It was one of the first sites considered for Disneyland. During excavation of the site for the first buildings, a considerable amount of petrified wood
Petrified wood
Petrified wood is the name given to a special type of fossilized remains of terrestrial vegetation. It is the result of a tree having turned completely into stone by the process of permineralization...
was discovered, indicating that a small forest once existed in the area.
The center was designed as part of a joint venture between Pereira and Welton Becket
Welton Becket
Welton Becket was an architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California.Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washington program in Architecture in 1927 with a Bachelor of Architecture degree .He settled in Los Angeles in 1933 and formed a...
, with an emphasis on International Style
International style (architecture)
The International style is a major architectural style that emerged in the 1920s and 1930s, the formative decades of Modern architecture. The term originated from the name of a book by Henry-Russell Hitchcock and Philip Johnson, The International Style...
architecture. The first building, at 400 Newport Center Drive, went up in 1967, with the majority of the center's buildings following in the 1970s. Although Newport Center's International Style design was mostly seen through to completion, Pereira broke his own rule by adding the futurist
Futurist architecture
Futurist architecture is an early-20th century form of architecture characterized by anti-historicism and long horizontal lines suggesting speed, motion and urgency. Technology and even violence were among the themes of the Futurists. The movement was founded by the poet Filippo Tommaso...
Pacific Mutual building in 1972, which became one of Newport Beach's most well-known architectural landmarks.
Economy
The center occupies a large city block between Jamboree, MacArthur and San Joaquin Hills roads, and Pacific Coast Highway. In the center of this block is a circular road, called Newport Center Drive, with high-rise buildings encircling the outside edge of the road. Numerous businesses are located along Newport Center Drive, including insurer Pacific LifePacific Life
Pacific Life Insurance Company is an insurance company providing life insurance products, annuities, and mutual funds, and offers to individuals, businesses, and pension plans a variety of investment products and services. Pacific Life also counts more than half of the 100 largest U.S...
, PIMCO, Acacia Research Corporation, and law firm Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth is a mid-sized southern California law firm with offices located in Newport Beach, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Barbara. The firm has approximately 100 attorneys, and its clients include area corporations, financial institutions and government...
.
Fashion Island
The center of the circle is occupied by Fashion IslandFashion Island
Fashion Island is an upscale open-air lifestyle center in Newport Beach, California . Fashion Island is owned by The Irvine Company.-History:...
. Adjacent to the complex is the very upscale Big Canyon Country Club community.
Transportation
Newport Center Drive is accessed from the outside by five roads, which are named after the Channel Islands of CaliforniaChannel Islands of California
The Channel Islands of California are a chain of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California along the Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of America...
. These roads split the center into "superblocks", each of which were built and leased as separate properties.