Orange County Almanac
Buena Park got its start in 1887 as a crossroads along Grand Avenue (now Beach Boulevard). For years, the 108-foot-wide road was considered the widest in the state.
Beside the famous berry farm owned by the Knott family, the city developed a popular downtown area that by the 1930s included clubs, bars, restaurants and boutiques on Grand Avenue and Artesia Boulevard.
But much of downtown Buena Park was destroyed when the Santa Ana Freeway was constructed through the heart of the city in the 1950s and 1960s. To increase retail business, city leaders pushed in the 1960s for the construction of the Buena Park Mall.
Today
Broadway actor Peter Mark Richman will take on the personas of a fundamentalist preacher, a grieving father, a former Gestapo officer and a concentration camp survivor for the premiere of his one-man play “4 Faces” at Chapman University at 8 p.m.
Richman--also known for his role as the Rev. Snow on “Three’s Company”--uses the play to explore the impact of change on four different characters in crisis.
Information: (714) 997-6812.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
