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.