A peaceful March night in the City of Orange was interrupted by a car chase that caused damage to historic property and required preservation attention…
Originally a dirt patch used as a trash dump, The Plaza was the first site and exact center of the City of Orange in 1871. The Plaza is located at the intersection of Glassell Street and Chapman Avenue, acting as a roundabout. Three women from the neighborhood took it upon themselves to beautify the area and develop Plaza Park in 1886. They had two separate fund drives for the park and a fountain at the center.
The first fountain was brought from New York in 1910 and cost $585. The Victorian-era fountain had three tiers made of cast iron and had birds spouting water. It was relocated a couple of times and now sits at the Orange Public Library. In 1938, it was replaced by an Art Deco cast iron electric fountain from Ohio costing $1,840. Originally silver in color, the fountain pedestal has long been painted white and sits in the middle of a large basin of water. Under the lip of the fountain are colorful, waterproof globes which classify the fountain as electric. The basin consists of a poured-in-place reinforced concrete wall clad in blue, red, orange, yellow, and green glazed ceramic red clay body tile. Around the central fountain are walking paths, benches, and landscaping for public use.
The original cast iron fountain in the middle of the park was installed in 1910 and after a couple of relocations, now sits at the Orange Public Library
The 1938 the electric fountain pedestal was silver in color and water flowed over the edge of the tile clad basin into a lower-level pool
Plaza Park is located within the Plaza Historic District and itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its important place in California history. It is a rare example of a late nineteenth century midwestern American town square in California. The architectural form and character of the surrounding buildings date from the Orange County settling boom of the 1800s. As emigrants poured into California from the Midwest, familiar architecture was used to attract new residents with a midwestern image. Retaining a strong sense of time and place, The Plaza continues to serve as the heart of the city to this day.
In order to maintain the integrity of this special place, the Plaza Preservation Project was initiated in the early 2000s to rehabilitate and make improvements to The Plaza and Plaza Park. Chattel was engaged to collaborate on the design, review the plan for conformance to the Secretary’s Standards, and oversee contractors engaged to implement the approved plan. One of the improvements was a replica of the original porcelain drinking fountain fabricated in concrete. The park continued to serve the community as a serene and restful space amongst the busy commercial streets… until March 2023.
Around 5:00 a.m. on March 13, 2023 an Orange Police Department officer noticed a suspicious Hyundai Sonata driving with their headlights off. When the officer tried to stop the car, the suspect sped away down Chapman Avenue. Surveillance cameras caught the car as it drove straight into Plaza Park, hitting the tile clad basin of the fountain, and flipping over before coming to rest upside down at the other end of the park. It was discovered that the suspect had stolen the car and was already on probation for vehicle theft.
The crash created a large hole in the side of the fountain, destroying a section of the tile basin wall. Residents and city officials alike wanted the fountain restored to its original design to maintain its historic character. Chattel was once again brought on by the City of Orange to provide guidance on restoration and reconstruction of the fountain. Chattel engaged materials conservator RLA Conservation to comprehensively assess all the tile, not just the area damaged by the crash, since it was showing some wear. California Pottery and Tile Works fabricated replica custom glazed red clay body tile.
Salvaged tiles were cleaned and used to color match new tile. Mark McCandless, grandson of Charles McCandless who originally laid the fountain tile, installed the new tiles using his grandfather’s original tools. 100% more replica tile than was needed for the reconstruction was ordered allowing for enough new tile to replace long-damaged tile from other parts of the fountain. Additionally, a fine vertical crack made visible by the mineral deposits it created was repaired. All of the tile, new and old, were cleaned with an IBIX micro abrasion system to maintain a continuous, weathered look. RLA Conservation also conducted testing on the cast iron fountain pedestal and found that IBIX was also effective in stripping the old paint, allowing appropriate preparation and repainting.
Crash-rated bollards lit from small in-ground luminaires and additional up-lighting of trees at the park perimeter, a project that had been in the works before the incident, were completed to help decrease chances of future accidents. Just over a year after the collision, the restored fountain was unveiled at a celebratory event on April 19, 2024 attended by Orange City Council members, the Orange County Board of Supervisors, the team involved in the project, and community members.
