Costa Mesa, California - Late '60s - early '70s
Ready to join the circus? Looks like that's where we're at here, doesn't it? What with those strikingly gaudy colors (including the clothes!), balloons, and that beautiful carousel. Wonderful old shots from this upscale Orange County shopping center.
Note, too, that great fountain on the left. Looks like another similar to the one in Topanga Plaza, with those illuminated fake waterfall tube deals running down from the cieling (glycerine dripping along filament line to appear like falling water). This fountain also reminds me a little at first glance, of the one in the Royal Hawaiian Shopping Center, in Waikiki. The bottom portion anyway.
History: 1962 - present
Architect: Initial design by Victor Gruen (1903-1980)
Current website: Here.
[photo courtesy of: Yesterday LA]
It's beautiful! Let's got there right now.
ReplyDeleteThirded!
ReplyDeleteBeing one of the busiest malls on the west coast, this mall has not gone through a lot of remodeling, and still retains a dated look in much of the mall. The mall, since being built in the 60's has undergone major expansion. In fact, this court is still there and doesnt look too different from this time, with the exception of the fountain which is long gone.
ReplyDeleteThe carousel is still there today, located in the original mall in what today is called carousel court.
http://www.southcoastplaza.com/
Thanks for the updates, Jeff! It's nice to know the carousel is still there. (I did have their site address in the post, btw)
ReplyDeleteI'd love some outside shots of the anchors, etc. of SCP ....any one have any??
ReplyDeleteThe South Coast Plaza Story
ReplyDeletesouth coast is my local mall- i'm so excited to see it on here! Although the actual layout hasn't changed much, (except they've added a whole separate wing across the street) the type of stores has changed a lot- they've grown considerable upscale, so all the shops are very high end, which for me, has changed the look overall. The carousel switches in and out depending on the season (ie. christmas time they move it) They've also added a lot more marble everywhere.
ReplyDeleteKeith, I too thought the bottom portion of the fountain looked alot like the one at Royal Hawaii. Great postcard!
ReplyDeletethanks for this photo - I remember the fountain from when I was a kid and it was pretty built up in my memory. Nice to see what it really was like
ReplyDeleteWow! I have dreamt of that fountain for years! I remember gazing up at it as a very small child and thinking it immense. We used to throw coins into it,and they seemed to disappear into the rocks. There used to be white, round modular planters in the middle of the mall that had seats carved into the sides. (Very "2001 A Space Odyssey.") There were vast floors of shiny, speckled linoleum, some of which is still there. (In the old part.) I grew up with this mall, and I still live only a few miles from it.
ReplyDelete