Segerstrom Center for the Arts turns 25

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts (formerly known as the Orange County Performing Arts Center) turns 25 this month. I wrote a brief history of the institution for Sunday’s Orange County Register. Click here to read the story and see a slide show.

classical music

Henry Segerstrom, Segerstrom Center for the Arts

September 11, 2011

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Deborah

Thank goodness for the Segerstroms, et al. I just wish they and the organizers overall had selected a better architect back in the early 1980s.

I’ve always been uneasy about the design of the original building, with its huge angled wall and arch stamped into it. That has long struck me as a clunky one-liner, as an unsophisticated design element somewhat analogous to “polyester.” And rather graceless next to Cesar Pelli’s neighboring concert hall.

But I prefer the design of what’s located near Bristol Street to what can be considered Segerstom’s counterpart in another major American metro area, that being the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. However, that location is only a skip and a hop from Manhattan, so I’m not sure if the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts actually is some kind of counterpart in the local region.

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September 11, 2011 1:24 pm
Paul Hodgins

Well done, Tim. You pried excellent quotes from some less-than-forthcoming interview subjects, as I’ve discovered in writing on similar topics over the years.

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September 12, 2011 11:30 am
- tmangan
  
  Thanks, Paul. What’s more, I wrote 10 celebrity columns during the same period I wrote the Segerstrom article. Yikes. Get me a LaPhroaig, please.
  
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  September 12, 2011 11:33 am
CK Dexter Haven

Some random thoughts:

– Wonderful article, sir. I know I’ve said this elsewhere, but it was worth saying again.

– I’m so glad that when they renamed OCPAC to “Segerstrom Center for the Arts,” they didn’t resurrect the short-lived “Artscenter” name. I never understand the rational behind that change, and thank goodness they killed it.

– I’ve got a nice bottle of Laphroig Quarter Cask that you’re welcome to use if/when needed.

– You know, if you link to your article about $0.60 magazines going on sale, I bet your hit count goes through the roof.

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September 13, 2011 1:22 pm
- tmangan
  
  That 60 cent article did rather well on my newspaper’s website, but not as well as a squib I ran on Levi Johnston’s new book. If you don’t know who Levi Johnston is, good for you.
  
  Today, I celebrate (if that’s the right word) my first anniversary as a celebrity columnist. I’ve been thinking about writing something on the experience, but I really don’t know what to say.
  
  Thank you for your kind words regarding my Segerstrom Center article.
  
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  September 13, 2011 1:39 pm