Plaza Park, also known as the Orange Plaza, or colloquially called The Circle, is a public park in
Orange, California
Orange is a city located in North Orange County, California. It is approximately north of the county seat, Santa Ana, California, Santa Ana. Orange is unusual in this region because many of the homes in its Old Town District were built before ...
. It is the centerpiece of
Downtown Orange, as Orange, unlike most other cities in the area, was built around the
roundabout
A roundabout is a type of circular intersection or junction in which road traffic is permitted to flow in one direction around a central island, and priority is typically given to traffic already in the junction.''The New Shorter Oxford En ...
the park creates. The park is most commonly recognized by the fountain in the center.
In 2018, it was designated as a "Great Place in America" by the
American Planning Association
The American Planning Association (APA) is a professional organization representing the field of urban planning in the United States. APA was formed in 1978, when two separate professional planning organizations, the American Institute of Pla ...
.
History
By the 1870s, the intersection of
Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street within the settlement that would soon become Orange was a trash-filled vacant lot. Robert L. Crowder, a local merchant, planted trees in the square and the lot became a hitching post adorned with water troughs where farmers and ranchers could leave their sheep and horses while they shopped in the stores in the settlement's central business district.
An early problem with the square was that roaming flocks of chickens created a hazard to the horse and buggy traffic in the area. The women of the town wanted to beautify the square and create a more attractive center of town, and other citizens additionally supported the campaign. On May 15, 1887, the
Los Angeles Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors (LACBOS) is the five-member governing body of Los Angeles County, California, United States.
History
On April 1, 1850 the citizens of Los Angeles elected a three-man Court of Sessions as their first ...
approved the plans for the Plaza (
Orange County
Orange County most commonly refers to:
*Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area
Orange County may also refer to:
U.S. counties
*Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando
*Orange County, Indiana
*Orange County, New ...
was not yet incorporated, and was previously considered part of
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles, and sometimes abbreviated as L.A. County, is the most populous county in the United States and in the U.S. state of California, with 9,861,224 residents estimated as of 2022. It is the ...
). The community then laid out its first park, and surrounded it with
barbed wire
A close-up view of a barbed wire
Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire, is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strands. Its primary use is t ...
. It was eventually decided that a fountain would beautify the park, and citizens raised the necessary $535 through various fundraisers, including bake sales and a play.
In February 1887, the new fountain arrived. The design incorporated birds with beaks spouting water, and in the years following, other features including, trees, shrubs, flowers, and concrete cubing were added. Later on, gravel pathways were added, and plants, the flagpole, and the outer perimeter chain railing as well as the benches were replaced.
In 1937, a new electric tile fountain was installed.
The Plaza Historic District was placed in the National Register of Historic Places on March 19, 1982.
The Plaza remains the center of the city's downtown area, with an assortment of business, residential, and retail establishments surrounding it.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plaza (Orange, California)
Geography of Orange, California
Historic districts in California