IRVINE : Ranch Buildings May Go to Fairgrounds

Orange County Fair officials are interested in relocating some or all of the structures on the historic Buffalo Ranch to a site at the Costa Mesa fairgrounds.

The idea is outlined in a letter this week from the fair’s interim general manager to the Irvine Co., which owns the Buffalo Ranch.

Larry Thomas, the Irvine Co.’s vice president for corporate communications, said the company is “intrigued” by the proposal but has made no decisions on it yet.

“On the surface, it makes a lot of sense. The devil is always in the details,” Thomas said. “We will be sitting down with fair (officials) and seeing what their needs are and whether we can accommodate them and make it work out.”

The move, however, has concerned some preservationists working to have the ranch listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

“We have so few building sites of historic significance that have been set aside. It would be a shame to lose this one in Irvine,” Councilwoman Paula Werner said. “I’d love to see the (buildings) stay here and used for some public function, perhaps as a museum.”

A review of the site by the State Office of Historic Preservation found that the ranch would probably be eligible for the register.

The ranch--at MacArthur Boulevard and Ford Road--consists of more than a dozen buildings that in the 1950s made up a popular amusement park known for its display of live animals. In the 1960s, the ranch was the headquarters for the architects who designed UC Irvine, Fashion Island Newport Beach and parts of Irvine.

Until recently, the ranch buildings were rented out to business tenants. But the Irvine Co. has decided clear out the complex, in part because the upcoming realignment of Ford Road will limit auto access to the ranch from MacArthur Boulevard. The last of the Buffalo Ranch tenants is scheduled to leave the complex this weekend.

The Irvine Co. is interested in preserving the buildings but not necessarily on the current site, which is zoned for residential use in Irvine’s general plan, said Carol Hoffman, vice president of entitlements for the company.