Anaheim Center’s First Building Completed : Bank Will Occupy Two Floors of 10-Story Office Structure in Redevelopment Area
The first phase of construction has been completed at Anaheim City Center, the ambitious mixed-use project that will eventually occupy 13 acres in downtown Anaheim and cost more than $200 million.
The newest branch of First Interstate Bank, the anchor tenant in the 188,000-square-foot Phase 1 office building, will open Aug. 25. The bank will occupy 8,310 square feet on the first floor of the 10-story building and take up another 9,392 square feet on the second floor.
Anaheim City Center is being developed by the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency and Meyer Investment Properties Inc. The project is master-planned and designed by Los Angeles-based Langdon Wilson Mumper Architects.
The first building, at 222 S. Harbor Blvd., was designed to create an urban look similar to those of downtown areas in Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York.
The new structure is sheathed with rose-colored granite from Saudi Arabia. Reflective laminated glass with emerald green mullion accents line the exterior windows.
Inside, walls and floors of the lobby are made of polished marble.
“Phase 1 establishes the overall project feel,” said Hans Mumper, Langdon Wilson Mumper’s partner-in-charge. “The building was designed to have a light, pleasant appearance, appropriate for Orange County’s largest downtown area.”
About 40% of the rentable space in the $25-million structure is leased or committed, according to Fred Saah, marketing director for the Meyer firm.
High-Rise Hotel
When the entire development is completed in 1993, it will include three or four office buildings, a high-rise hotel, three parking structures, theaters, retail shops, restaurants and commercial facilities.
“Since Anaheim is the largest city in Orange County, officials wanted to build a recognizable downtown,” said Dennis Kelly, the redevelopment agency’s project coordinator.
Richard Meyer, chairman of Meyer Investment Properties, said the ambitious redevelopment program should spur more building activity downtown.
“We expect the overall center to set a standard for commercial development and encourage other commercial construction,” Meyer said. “Anaheim City Center will become the nucleus of downtown Anaheim and foster a rebirth of the city’s central core.”
