Costa Mesa’s history keepers mark 60 years of preservation with talks, tours and a party
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Just days into 2026, the Costa Mesa Historical Society is gearing up for an historic year ahead, marking its 60th anniversary with a calendar full of programming leading up to a birthday bash at the city’s oldest standing structure.
Fresh off the heels of a fall membership drive that notched up the head count of the volunteer-run nonprofit to just over 200, the group is in the throes of organizing its first public talk and annual board installation meeting at the city’s Norma Hertzog Community Center on Jan. 11.
The talk features Los Angeles Times columnist Gustavo Arellano, co-author of the 2022 book “A People’s Guide to Orange County,” which goes beyond the county’s more recognizable landmarks to document sites of oppression, resistance, struggle and transformation.
Arellano will explore the rich history of the county’s Latino restaurant pioneers whose culinary accomplishments helped make Costa Mesa a sought-out foodie destination, while serving as cultural touchstones in the local community.
“We’re really excited to have him,” said Mikelle Fish, president of the Historical Society. “We’re already getting people asking us how they can get tickets — it should be a good event.”
The presentation begins at 2 p.m. and will be preceded by a live acoustic performance by local musician Moises Vazquez and light refreshments. Admission is free for Historical Society members and $15 for non-members.
The bimonthly speakers series continues in March with a talk from Henry Nishii, president of the Historic Wintersburg Conservancy, an organization formed to preserve a 4.5-acre plot of land in Huntington Beach that is home to the oldest Japanese missions in Southern California.
Built near the current intersection of Warner Avenue and Nichols Street shortly after the turn of the 20th century, the site was designated in 2015 a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and features a Japanese church built in 1934.
In addition to the speaker series, the Historical Society also conducts walking tours that give locals a chance to see local history up close and curated live. In April, the group is hosting a tour of backstage areas at Costa Mesa’s Segerstrom Center for the Arts, according to Fish.
Other events include a special talk on Mother’s Day led by Greer Wylder — a former Daily Pilot columnist and blogger who compiled a list of county visionaries and entrepreneurs in the 2024 book “Born in OC” — and a 25-year commemoration of Sept. 11 featuring Angie Kardashian, a local restaurateur who fed New York City first responders in the wake of the national tragedy.
But the big event takes place in late August, coinciding with the founding of the Costa Mesa Historical Society in the summer of 1966, when local volunteers were entrusted with the care and keeping of the renovated Diego Sepulveda Adobe at the city’s Estancia Park, a landmark dating back more than 200 years.
“We’re trying to organize a catered dinner on the grounds,” Fish said Wednesday. “People will get an inside look at the adobe. It should be a beautiful outdoor evening.”
Aside from the scheduled events, the Costa Mesa Historical Society is planning new exhibits at its recently updated headquarters at 1870 Anaheim Ave., including a retrospective on 75 years of local elementary school history and an exhibit on women who served at the Santa Ana Air Base during World War II.
“That exhibit is nearly finished, we just need to get a few more things together for a grand opening,” Fish said.
