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| Landmark #1004 | Orange County | Visited: November 12, 2012 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | A collection of the original buildings from the city of Irvine! |
| What makes it historical? | THE GUIDE SAYS: Old Town Irvine stands today as a testament to the rich agricultural past of what has become one of California’s most heavily urban counties. Founded in 1887 as the distribution and storage center of the 125,000-acre Irvine ranch, Old Town Irvine was to develop over the years a bean and grain storage warehouse (1895) and granary (1947) known as the Irvine Bean and Grain Grower’s Building, a blacksmith’s shop (1916), a hotel (1913), a general store (1911), and an employees’ bungalow (1915). All of these structures have been rehabilitated for commercial uses and their exteriors have been painstakingly maintained.
OTHER TIDBITS: In 1868, Rancho Santiago de Santa Ana was divided into four pieces, one of which went to sheep rancher, James Irvine! Ten years later, he bought out his partner, and ended up with 110,000 acres spanning from the Pacific Ocean to the Santa Ana River! This historic area was built the year after Mr. Irvine’s death by his son, James Irving, Jr., who shifted the ranch’s specialty from sheep ranching to growing crops like olives and citrus! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| Where is this place? | LISTED DIRECTIONS: Sand Canyon Ave and Burt Rd Irvine, CA 92618 ANNOTATIONS: From Los Angeles: ~40mi (65km) — 0.7hrs |
| When should I go? | Whenever the mood strikes you! |
