Description
From citrus trees to spring breakers, Transforming the Irvine Ranch tells the story of Orange County窶冱 metamorphosis from 93,000 acres of farmland into an iconic Southern California landscape of beaches and modernist architecture. Drawing on decades of archival research and their own years at the famed Irvine Company, the authors bring a collection of colorful characters responsible for the transformation to life, including:
- Ray Watson, whose nearly century-long life took him from an Oakland boarding house to the Irvine and Walt Disney Company boardrooms
- Joan Irvine Smith, a much-married heiress who waged war against the US government and the Irvine Foundation's reactionary board and won
- William Pereira, the visionary architect whose work became synonymous with the LA cityscape.
Spanning the history of modern California from its Gold Rush past to the late 1970s, Transforming the Irvine Ranch chronicles a storied family窶冱 largely successful attempts to remake the vast Irvine Ranch in its own image.
Table of Contents
Preface. Introduction. 1. A Decade of Determination. 2. A Planner's Path: Early Life, Education and Real Work. 3. Ray Arrives at a Company on the Brink of Change. 4. "We are not Gods." 5. Athalie. 6. Joan. 7. The Birth of UC Irvine. 8. Inclusions, Exclusions and the Campus that Never Was. 9. Pipes and Plans. 10. Defending the Borders. 11. The Campaign for Cityhood. 12. The New City: Partners of Antagonists, or a Little of Both? 13. The Magic of Planning. 14. From Plans to Reality: Eastbluff and Newport Center. 15. The Tax Reform Act of 1969. 16. Acceleration. 17. Conflicting Visions of the Upper Newport Bay. 18. Politics and media. 19. Low-Cost Housing: "A Problem from Day One." 20. The Jewel in the Crown. 21. The Best of All Possible Coasts. 22. Town and Gown. 23. Joan Redux. 24. Buying Time. 25. Schout's Honor. 26. Wise (and Rich) Men from the East. 27. Going All In. 28. Ray Departs. 29. Villains No More. 30. The Bigs Plans of William Pereira. 31. Reasons for Success. 32. Epilog - Follow the Money. Bibliography.
