Irvine Ranch Historic Park

The county decided to keep all the buildings closed to the public. The original plan was to open them to the public, but they were turned into office space instead. What a shame for an historical site. Any old place can be office space, so to do this to an historical site is really very sad.

As the city of Irvine moves into its fourth decade, it’s clearly developing a complex and intriguing personality. Case in point: The bustling Irvine Market Place and the serene, tree-​laden Irvine Historic Ranch Park sit directly across Irvine Boulevard from one another, both representing wildly differing views of Irvine’s identity.
Although this park was officially established in 1996, it’ll be completely ready for its close-​up «in about three years,» according to Marie, a spokesperson for OC Parks.
The good news for fans of local history, however, is that IRHP is already a pretty terrific spot to spend a few hours. A nifty spot for lunch is inside the site’s gazebo or on the lone park bench with plenty of shade. (There are several other benches, but they’re not the greatest place to have your mid-​day repast on a hot summer afternoon, as they’re not protected by any shade trees.) No matter where you enjoy your meal, however, you’ll have a great view of the stately yet comfortable Katie Wheeler Library, the former home of city father James Irvine.
In roughly three years, the following buildings on the IHRP site will be ready for the public: the several one-​story homes along Foreman’s Row (1906 and about 1935), the mess hall for ranch workers and their families (1906), the bunkhouse for those folks (1917) and the private home built for ranch supervisor C.F. Krauss (1897). Until then, however, we beleagured geeks of local history must settle for one of OC’s loveliest sanctuaries.