The Sandi Simon Center for Dance received a prestigious award from the California Preservation Foundation. The building is recognized with the 2023 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation for transforming a 1920s industrial packinghouse into a state-of-the-art dance studio. This project balanced the needs of a modern dance center with the goal of maintaining the integrity and connection to the original Sunkist packing plant at a level that met the strict requirements needed to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
College of Performing Arts Dean Giulio Ongaro and Department of Dance Chair Julianne O’Brien welcomed students to the space during interterm, and their excitement was a testament not only to the success of the project for Chapman University, but also for the broader community. Chapman has a long history of rehabilitating buildings and homes within the City of Orange and bringing them to life in new ways while maintaining the integrity of their historic place in the city.
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Harold Hewitt, Vice President of Campus Planning and Design Collette Creppell, Vice President of Facilities Management Rick Turner, architectural partners Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects and many others have been deeply involved with this important work. Ron and Sandi Simon’s generosity and vision have made this a possibility.
The Chapman Newsroom and website have more information on the history of this building, the transformational gift that made this possible, and the key leaders involved in bringing the Sandi Simon Center for Dance to life. The next rehabilitation project, the historic Killefer School, will take the same care with this important feature of California history.
