Anaheim Packing House updates
The Anaheim Packing House was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places, joining the rank of about 150 properties and districts in the county with the designation and eight in Anaheim.
The building, built in 1919, was once the Anaheim Lemon and Orange Association. It was at the center of the city’s and county’s robust agriculture industry in the early 20th century.
One of the few remaining citrus packing houses in the county, the building was purchased by the city’s redevelopment agency in 2002. The city spent $10.4 million on the sale and the redevelopment of three acres encompassing the Packing House.
Since then, the property transformed into the foodie haven it is today, with more than 20 retailers and eateries spanning from dipped Popsicles and crepes to kettle-cooked cuisine and Indian food, largely thanks to operator Shaheen Sadeghi of LAB Holding. He’s also behind The Camp and The Lab in Costa Mesa.
“We think it’s worthy of preservation because, one, it’s a great local example of mission revival architecture and more importantly, it represents a very important period in not only Anaheim, but Orange County as a whole. That really is what qualifies it for the National Register,” said Brad Hobson, the city’s deputy director of economic and community development.
In more Packing House news, the building took home top awards at the oldest and largest design and planning competition, called the Gold Nugget Awards, put on by the Pacific Coast Builders Conference. It nabbed the top prize in four categories: Commercial Project of the Year, Best Rehab/Commercial Industrial Project, Best Sustainable Commercial Project and Best Infill or Rehab Site Plan.
“A gem for the city and its visitors. Great job by all,” the judge comments for Best Commercial Project read.
Ono Hawaiian BBQ comes to O.C.
Hawaiian BBQ restaurant Ono Hawaiian BBQ made its first foray into Orange County recently, opening up spots in La Habra and Buena Park.
The La Habra store at 1350 S. Beach Blvd. opened in August and the Buena Park store at 8309 La Palma Ave. a couple weeks ago.
The chain of restaurants was started in 2002 by brothers Joshua and Joe Liang in West Los Angeles and quickly spread across L.A. and the Inland Empire. Ono Hawaiian BBQ now has 53 locations across California and Arizona.
The restaurant is best known for its Hawaiian barbecue chicken and chicken katsu. It recently added fresh coconuts, which can be sliced open for water and coconut pudding called “haupia.”
“I’m very excited about Ono Hawaiian BBQ expanding to the O.C.,” Joshua Liang said in a statement. “Our loyal fans have been requesting it for some time now and O.C. is such a promising trade area with such a diverse population.”
Ono Hawaiian BBQ in Buena Park is having a grand opening celebration from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 6. There will be Hawaiian dancers, buy one get one free all day and a raffle of $100 gift cards.
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