Irvine : Ceremony to Celebrate Old Town Center Project

A festive ground-breaking ceremony is set for noon Thursday for the restoration of the historic building of Old Irvine’s town center, once the hub of the huge Irvine ranching and farming operations.

A lima bean warehouse built in 1895 and a general store, a blacksmith shop, tenant farmhouses, an automotive garage, a granary silo and a hotel are all being restored and converted for commercial uses as a motel, restaurants, shops and offices.

It is all part of the Old Town Irvine project, a joint venture between an Irvine Co. subsidiary and several partners.

The buildings, some of which are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, are located near the intersection of Sand Canyon Road and the Santa Ana Freeway.

The granary, built in 1947, will be converted into a four-story La Quinta motor inn, while the automotive garage is to become restaurant space, Mary Kushner, a spokeswoman for the project said.

The other buildings will house a variety of commercial and retail uses, she said.

Ground breaking on the project will be highlighted by an art show featuring local artists and a display of antique farm equipment. Construction is expected to last about a year.