Building History

Thom Mayne (b. 1944) of the Los Angeles architectural firm, Morphosis, won the commission to design the Orange County Museum of Art. Construction began in 09/2019, and was scheduled for completion in 2022. The museum's web site said of its design in 2021, just before its opening: "With 25,000 square feet dedicated to galleries, OCMA will be able to simultaneously showcase its collection and major traveling exhibitions. Additionally, a sculptural wing hovering over the lobby atrium creates a prominent location for the 10,000 square foot education center that can be configured as a black-box theater or a light-filled studio. Beyond its functionality, the building is exceptionally community-oriented. Large sets of public stairs and a roof terrace are central features that connect OCMA to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts and its Julia and George Argyros Plaza and serve as communal hubs for gathering. A distinctive façade of undulating bands of terracotta panels wrap the exterior and continue inside the museum beckoning visitors to enter." (See Orange County Museum of Art.org, "An architectural gem for Orange County," accessed 12/07/2021.)

PCAD id: 24276