Architect Alan Hess has some strong feelings about the planned reconstruction of Dana Point Harbor, which he calls in this recent Orange Coast Magazine piece "one of the best examples of authentic, 1970s California modern design on the Pacific Coast."
Hess is clearly passionate about the place, and goes on to essentially say that the harbor is like the Empire State Building of OC. He's not as much against the redevelopment, though, as he is by the idea of bulldozing over buildings that future generations may ask, just what the hell were those people in 2013 thinking? From the piece:
"Like ’50s-modern architecture, ’70s-modern is on track for a return. Across the country, established historians and preservationists are starting to consider the era’s historical significance. It’s overdue. We should be honoring an excellent example such as Dana Point Harbor, one of the best, largest, and most intact examples of 1970s architecture in the state. Inexplicably, the project’s 2012 Environmental Impact Report ignored any mention of the significance of these structures."
Hess also gives a call-to-arms tour -- map included -- of the harbor's architectural jewels.
The destruction could start by the end of next year.
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