Does Art Lie Beneath All That Cracked Tile?

It takes a stretch of the imagination to see the front entrance of the Orange County Courthouse in Santa Ana as a work of art.

But it once was. A towering white- and gray-marble building, the courthouse is the subject of a debate over artistic integrity and compromise.

Civic leaders and city and county officials agree that the dried-up basin of cracked cement tile is an eyesore and in dire need of repair. They just can’t agree on how to restore it.

Some prefer refilling the basin with water to preserve the vision of the building’s renowned architect, Richard Neutra--a tranquil, shallow pool with glistening water that surrounded two large boulders. Others propose filling in the basin with a landscape made of either reflective tiles that simulate the effect of water or a garden with a walkway.

So far, the county appears to be tilting toward the latter idea, which would cost half as much and has the backing of the courthouse Facilities Committee. The Board of Supervisors already has approved the hiring of an architect to explore landscaping the spot.

Those who pass the trash-filled basin each day want to see some kind of improvement, and soon.

“It’s embarrassing every time I come in to work and see the empty pool,” said Judge Frederick P. Horn, assistant presiding judge of the Superior Court in Santa Ana and a member of the Facilities Committee.

Horn is one of thousands of visitors, jurors, court employees and justices who flow in and out of the courthouse on Civic Center Drive each day. All that is left of the architect’s original scenic design are the two boulders at the center. The area is generally used for smoking breaks or recess.

“I’m glad to see the county will do something about it,” Horn said. “We’ve finally got the county to commit some funds to beautify the front of the courthouse.”

But the judges face opposition from the Civic Center Commission, an advisory group on development and restoration projects made up of appointees from the city and county and civic leaders. The commission has strongly recommended restoring the shallow basin to a reflecting pool.

“It’s a dry pond that looks as ugly as sin,” said Ann Avery Andres, a member of the commission who has worked on the project for the last year. “The Civic Center Commission opposes the landscape proposal because we want the water to be there.”

Avery Andres has seen the results of cost-cutting measures that she says compromise artistic values. Although the focus lately has been on restoring the front pool, Neutra designed a similar pool on the south end of the courthouse that is now filled with a garden of lush tropical plants, flowers and a pebble stone path.

The garden, similar to the one now proposed, is attractive, Avery Andres admits, but it’s no reflecting pool.

“The pond reflects the building and seems to extend it to infinity. All his architecture has a water element,” Avery Andres said, adding that the commission voted unanimously in July last year to keep the water because it is integral to the Neutra design.

Neutra was one of a few leading architects including Rudolph Schindler and Raphael Soriano who adapted the modernist tradition of Frank Lloyd Wright. Neutra, who emigrated from Austria in 1923 and died in 1970, is said to have studied under Wright. Remnants of his vision are found in a few other buildings, including the Huntington Beach Library, Orange Coast College and a cluster of church buildings in Garden Grove near the Crystal Cathedral.

Restoring and maintaining a reflecting pool would cost $900,000 to $1 million, said Bob Wilson, director of management services for the Public Facilities and Resources Department. By comparison, landscaping would cost $400,000 to $500,000.

“My understanding is that there were a number of attempted fixes to refill the pool in the past that have been less than satisfactory. It’s not as simple as caulking the pool,” Wilson said, referring to repair efforts in 1978, 1987 and 1993. The pool leaked into the basement parking garage.

“That’s the reason the pool is now empty,” Wilson said. “Certainly the original concept has been lost by now.”

The decision will be made by the Board of Supervisors, which will consider the matter in late summer or early fall.

‘It’s a dry pond that looks as ugly as sin.’