Our Goal
The Old Towne Preservation Association, a public benefit non-profit organization, was established in February of 1986 to preserve, protect and enhance Old Towne, Orange, California. This one square mile area contains over 1,400 structures built before 1940. In 1997, Old Towne Orange became a national historic district and was placed in the National Registry of Historic Places. This makes it the largest residential historic district in the state of California.
The OTPA works to maintain the historic integrity and economic viability of the area through education, community involvement, and service projects which support the concerns of Orange residents to maintain this neighborhood for future generations.
Our History
Dale H. Rahn, OTPA Founder and First President gives the following account of how it all began...
" 'If you don't do it, nobody else will' Those were challenging words to me in January of 1985. Neighbors next door to Chapman University (then Chapman College) posed that statement to me when I met them about organizing the community to protect our neighborhood. I considered that challenge over the next two weeks. I contacted some other fledging preservationists in the Old Towne community I had met over the successful fight to save the Welch House and its three other neighbors from the Library expansion the year before. I made a flier and invited five people whom I considered supportive, with driving personalities, in this new venture. On the last Saturday in February this group consisting of myself, Robert Boice, Laren Gartner, Tita Smith, Bill Trousdale and Russ Barrios met at Watsons Drug & Soda Fountain for breakfast and hatched an organization with a community meeting scheduled for mid-March. We each put in $20.00 seed money and an organization initially called "Voters for Old Towne Preservation" was born. We met on March 20th of that year with a huge overflowing public response at the Library Community Room. Over the next few weeks with the power of the community behind us, we gathered others to our cause. We also changed the name to Old Towne Preservation Association. Our wish was to have it spell something but to no avail, we stuck with OTPA.
Those early years were acrimonious to the established power structures in the city, but with new ideas and a far more creative vision we persevered. We cared little for politics and we had even less concern for establishing another organization. I would say we had a missionary zeal and not a care for what others perceived us to be; we were brash and assertive, sort of street fighters. Many organizations go through a similar infancy process and mature as OTPA has into a multi-faceted, multi-cause group. The years have been good to OTPA; a sign of dedicated people committed to the treasure the Southland now calls, Old Towne Orange."
Accomplishments
Through the tireless efforts of our members and volunteers, OTPA has quite a few success stories:
1986 - Saved the historic Welch House from destruction during the Orange library expansion.
1988 - Helped ensure the passing of the first Design Guidelines for the Old Towne local historic district by attending meetings, planning sessions, study groups, etc. These guidelines were passed and adopted as standards by the City Council in 1995.
1989/90 - Took part in all phases of the drafting of the first Chapman Specific Plan passed into ordinance that outlined design guidelines for the campus and its future planning.
1991 - Recipient of the William T. Glassell award from the Orange Historical Society recognizing OTPA's contributions to the preservation of the Old Towne area.
1993 - Secured the nomination of the Orange Unified School District building (future Law School Building) to the National Registry of Historic Places.
1997 - A four year effort that culminated in Old Towne Orange being placed on the National Registry of Historic Places (NRHP) securing its title as the largest residential historic district in California.
2001 - Contributed to and supported the efforts that helped refine the move of an historic home from a spot on W. Chapman where it sat neglected to a revitalized area on S. Harwood.
2001/02 - Served on the Plaza Renovation Committee that was responsible for keeping the Plaza renovation historically accurate.
2002 - Established a "Save The Fountain" fund to help raise funds to fix and restore, the original Plaza Fountain dating from the 1870s, that now sits neglected and unused in front of city hall.
Interested in being involved? See our Membership Page.
Have more questions on Preservation? See our FAQ Page.