In aptly named Orange County, California, the citrus industry boomed between the 1880s and late 1940s. Groves of Valencia oranges, the predominant variety, eventually covered more than 67,000 acres, and, at the peak of this “gold rush,” at least 60 major packing houses crated and shipped produce for local growers. Among them, the Santiago Orange Growers Association in the town of Orange—a 1918 facility, strategically sited by citrus magnate C.C. Chapman along the railroad tracks—became one of the highest-volume fruit packers in the nation, handling as much as 60 million pounds of oranges in a single year. But the industry shifted after World War II, as migration to Southern California spurred rising real-estate values in Orange County, where housing tracts gradually supplanted groves, prompting some growers and packers to relocate to other counties. By 2004, when Chapman University purchased the former Santiago plant from its second owner, it was Orange County’s sole surviving citrus-packing plant. The historic warehouse did, however, gain state and national landmark designations, and Chapman University—renamed in 1934 for its lead benefactor, C.C. Chapman, the “California Orange King”—was committed to celebrating that legacy. But several years would pass before the university, focused on other expansion projects, would implement an adaptive-reuse plan. Finally, in early 2021, Los Angeles–based Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) won the commission to transform major sections of the interior (along with seismic, acoustic, and foundation upgrades, plus light exterior restoration). In January, the old packing house was reborn as the Sandi Simon Center for Dance, a three-level, 33,400-square-foot study-and-performance venue.

A dynamic sense of motion permeates the entire structure. Photo © Eric Staudenmaier, click to enlarge.