South Coast construction on track
Marie Ekberg
SOUTH COAST PLAZA -- Where once there was controversy, now there’s
construction.
Work on the sculpted pedestrian bridge linking South Coast Plaza and the
former Crystal Court is on schedule, said Debra Gunn Downing, executive
director of marketing at South Coast Plaza. The much-debated removal of
trees along Bear Street also has occurred, and the replacement Cuban
royal palms are in place.
“We have finished tearing apart the buildings and are now continuing to
put up the new stone-skin facade on the buildings,” said David Wilson,
who works in C.J. Segerstrom & Sons’ Community and Government Relations
Office. “The facade will have more three-dimensional features compared to
Crystal Court’s former flat-looking surface.”
Most of the construction projects at the former Crystal Court are
scheduled to be finished by the end of 1999, but the construction work on
the 600-foot long Kathryn Gustafson-designed bridge will run into the
spring of 2000.
“The construction of the bridge will be suspended between mid-November
and early January so as not to hinder the heavy holiday traffic,” Wilson
said.
An accident last month in which a 70,000-pound crane tipped over hasn’t
delayed the work.
Crate & Barrel, which plans to open a new 42,000-square-foot store in the
new west wing Nov. 4, will keep both its new and old South Coast stores
open over the holidays, and feature an added home furnishing department
at its new location, said Stacy Jaswell, Crate & Barrel’s office manager
Macy’s, on the other end of the former Crystal Court, is scheduled to
close its doors in January for a complete renovation of its three-level
189,000-square-foot store.
“It will be a state-of-the-art furnishing store that will, in a unique
manner, meet the lifestyle of the Orange County customer,” said John
Goarham, Macy’s senior vice president/director of stores. The store will
reopen in Aug. of 2000. Businesses in the center part of Crystal Court
are open during the construction work.
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