{"nrhp_refnum":"78000729","name":"Plaza, The","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Chapman Ave. and Glassell St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Orange","county":"Orange County","state":"CA","lat":33.787901057000056,"lon":-117.85312446799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-12-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Landscape Architecture","Exploration/Settlement","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Orange Plaza is a circular public town square of about 1.5 acres at the intersection of Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street in Orange, California. It sits at the center of the 1871 town plan and was developed as a park in 1886.","why_significant":"The nomination calls it a rare California example of a late 19th century midwestern town square, with strong design integrity and regional significance. It was used to promote the Orange County settlement boom of the late 1880s, resulted from a unified community effort in 1886, and its fountain served as a measuring point for area land transactions.","narrative":"Orange Plaza is a circular public square of roughly 1.5 acres at the crossing of Chapman Avenue and Glassell Street in Orange, California. Captain William T. Glassell surveyed the town in 1871 for Alfred B. Chapman, who deeded the central plaza to the community. For years it was an undeveloped dirt lot used for dumping, hitching and play. In 1886 citizens, led by three local women, cleaned it, surveyed the circle, planted grass, palms and pepper trees, and raised money for a fountain. The present electric fountain dates from 1937. The plaza is valued as a rare California example of a midwestern-style town square, created during the 1880s land boom when such an image appealed to prospective settlers from the Midwest. Its fountain also served as a measuring point for area land transactions. Surrounded by commercial buildings, it remains the heart of the city and keeps much of its original character.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Owned by the City of Orange and used as a park; the plaza retains its 1937 appearance with minor changes such as replaced trees, new sidewalks in 1970 and a 1976 plaque.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.24649-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000729.pdf"},"photo":null,"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"97000617","name":"Old Towne Orange Historic District","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/california/old-towne-orange-historic-district-97000617/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860318","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":null},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/orange-county/plaza-the-78000729/"}