At John Wayne Airport on June 22nd, California State Senator John Moorlach presented resolutions to Alberto Treviño Jr., Fred L. Emmert, and the Irvine Company for their efforts to document the development of Newport Center/Fashion Island. Situated on land that served as the tent city called “Jamboree Town” for the 1953 National Boy Scout Jamboree, Newport Center/Fashion Island has evolved to a premiere shopping, entertainment, and business district in Newport Beach.
Newport Center was designed by William Pereira and Welton Becket in the 1960s as part of Pereira’s master plan for the Irvine Ranch. Today, it is known as the home of such businesses as PIMCO, Acacia Research Corporation, and Cadence Aerospace, in addition to Fashion Island, an open-air retail hub owned and operated by The Irvine Company.
Treviño, Emmert, and The Irvine Company each have a rooted connection to Newport Center/Fashion Island. As a principal planner for The Irvine Company, Treviño designed Fashion Island from 1961-1965. He advocated for the open-air mall concept central to Fashion Island’s design. Emmert is a well-established professional aerial photographer who has spent over 60 years documenting Orange County. Emmert, along with Richard N. Frost, co-authored a series of books that present the ongoing 50+ year development history of real estate projects in Newport Center/Fashion Island.
The resolutions presented in June correlated with Emmert’s generous donation of aerial photography documenting Newport Center/Fashion Island to UCI Libraries Special Collections & Archives. University Librarian Lorelei Tanji was on hand at John Wayne to congratulate the resolution recipients and thank them for supporting the Libraries. UCI is also the steward of Mr. Treviño’s archival collection. Both of these collections are complemented by Special Collection & Archives’ holdings related to the development of Newport Beach/Fashion Island, and the legacy of the Irvine Company.
Interested in learning more about the history of Newport Center, Fashion Island, Newport Beach, and the Irvine Company? Visit Special Collections & Archives and ask for:
Fred L. Emmert and Richard N. Frost’s 2015 book, Newport Center/Fashion Island : Newport Beach, California. Charleston, S.C. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
Fred L. Emmert collection of Newport Center/Fashion Island aerial photographs (forthcoming). This collection included photographs and other materials documenting the development history of Newport Center/Fashion Island from the 1950s to the present.
Alberto F. Treviño, Jr. papers (MS.R.186). The collection comprises the extant files from Treviño’s career as a planner.
The Collection on the Development of Newport Beach California (MS.R.142). This collection includes municipal documents and other materials related to the planning and development of the City of Newport Beach.
Raymond L. Watson papers (MS.R.120). This collection comprises the extant files of Watson, former President and CEO of the Irvine Company.
Labagnino (Lars) Collection of Newport Beach Real Estate 1928-1961 (MS.R.068). This collection consists of real estate documents, housing development brochures, local maps, sales listings, periodicals, community association documentation and correspondence collected by Newport Beach real estate developer Lars Labagnino.
For more information about the UCI Libraries’ Orange County & Regional History Collections, please contact Krystal Tribbett, Curator for Orange County Regional and Research Librarian for Orange County at ktribbet@uci.edu or 949- 824-9027.