Irvine’s The Spectrum shopping center turns 20

The Irvine Spectrum shopping center will celebrate its 20th anniversary Saturday with games and prizes.

Festivities will take place 2 to 10 p.m. in the courtyard by the Giant Wheel. The area will become a game central where guests can expect oversized Jenga, Bingo, a spinning wheel for prizes and complimentary rides on the Giant Wheel.

Since the Spectrum’s birth in 1995, the shopping location has matured from a center with a food court and movie theater into a venue with more than 130 entertainment, shopping and dining attractions.

“At the very beginning, it was really an entertainment and dining destination with a bit of retail sprinkled here and there,” Senior Marketing Director for Irvine Company Retail Properties Stacie Ellis said.

During the Spectrum’s infancy, the public came to enjoy the Edwards Irvine Spectrum 21 IMAX, a theater with 21 screens, and the Oasis Food Court, which had eateries such as Rubio’s Baja Grill and Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt.

The location then underwent its first growth spurt in 1998 when The Cheesecake Factory, The Improv Comedy Club, Crazy Horse saloon, Sing Sing Dueling Piano Bar, Dave & Buster’s and the NASCAR Speedway arcade were built on the southwest section of the property.

With the center’s location right off the 405 highway, these entertainment venues served as a destination for road-trippers and tourists.

At the turn of the millennium, a bigger retail footprint began to be felt with the expansion of shops such as Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Robinson’s-May, which transformed into Macy’s years later.

The center’s carousel, seasonal ice rink and a 108-foot-tall Ferris wheel, known as the Giant Wheel, also made their big debuts over the next three years.

During the Spectrum’s 10th anniversary in 2005, the destination celebrated with the opening of Nordstrom, Anthropologie, bebe, LOFT and other shops serving a more adult audience.

With this newfound spark for fashion shops, more retailers began moving into the spaces where restaurants once stood in the late 90s.

“The retail industry always goes through cycles,” Ellis said. “As the demographic has aged and grown, so has the center.”

Sloppy Joe’s, a nautical themed indoor bar from years past, later morphed into a space for 24 Hour Fitness. The Oasis Food Court eventually phased out as outdoor dining, such as the patio spaces attached to Tender Greens and Umami Burger, grew in popularity. This year, the Giant Wheel’s light bulbs were officially replaced with LED-lighting capable of creating around 16 million different color schemes.

Even through all the makeovers and years of discovering its identity, some, like Ellis, would say that the Spectrum has always been a place of enjoyment and human experience for visitors of all ages.

“You’re not dragging your kid to go shopping with you and you’re not worried about them not having fun there,” Ellis said. “If the kids can let mommy shop and try on the lululemon pants, then she can take the kids on the carousel after.”