The Rancho Roots of Mission Viejo

How did a 1960s master-planned suburb use its century-old rancho heritage to form a new vernacular? The story of Mission Viejo spans so many issues–the founding families of modern Southern California, the transformation of our built environment, historical romanticism and cultural appropriation, the overlooked heritage of Orange County, and the need to preserve it. Recent alum Krista Nicholds shares with producer Willa Seidenberg tales from her thesis, The Enduring Romance of the Rancho: Mission Viejo, 1964 to 1967.

Transcript

Rancho Santa Margarita ranch house, ca. 1887. The vineyard dates to the mission period. The adobe ranch house is a historic house museum located on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton near Oceanside CA. Photograph by Herve Friend, San Diego Historical Society.
Pio de Jesus Pico, original grantee (with brother Andres Pico) of the Rancho Santa Margarita y Las Flores, 1844 to 1862. Portrait by H. Frey from the Bowers Museum Collection, Santa Ana, CA.
The landscape before Mission Viejo: undulating grassland and chaparral, and home to cattle and cowboys. Orange County Archives, ca. 1968.
New southbound freeway through southern Orange County, Interstate 5, ca. 1963. Orange County Archives.
The northern portion of the Rancho Santa Margarita (known historically as the Rancho Trabuco and Rancho Mission Viejo) was retained by the O'Neill family following the break up of the land in 1942. It later became known as the Mission Viejo Ranch (no. 5 on the map) and today includes the communities of Mission Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Ladera Ranch. “Orange County: It’s Economic Growth, 1940-1980” by the Southern California Laboratories of Stanford Research Institute, 1959.
From King of Spain to Mission Viejo Company: presenting chain of title to Donald Bren (middle), President, Mission Viejo Company, 1965. Mission Viejo Library Collection.
Entrance for new town by landscape architects, Linesh and Reynolds (1965) with mature olive trees and the "Mission Bell Luminaire" street lamp, ca. 1966. Mission Viejo Library Collection.
The white stucco, red tile roof and Spanish colonial mission plan of the first church in Mission Viejo, Mount of Olives Lutheran. Photograph by Julius Shulman, 1967. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
Early California style of La Paz Plaza by Pickard, Burke, Kober, Nicolais, Archuleta Architects (1967). Photograph by Julius Shulman, 1968. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
One of the first amenities of the master planned community, the Mission Viejo golf course. Photograph by Julius Shulman, 1967. © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10).
Deane Homes was the first tract in Mission Viejo. This Marquis floor plan was the U-shaped "Spanish Villa" elevation (1966) with courtyard, white stucco walls, red tile roof and decorative pipe vents in gable. Photo by K. Nicholds.
Close-up of a Spanish-themed ad for the second tract in Mission Viejo, La Paz Homes, developed by the Mission Viejo Company. Tustin News, September 22, 1966.
La Paz Homes' San Velarde plan, C model (1968) with stucco cladding, projecting vigas, arched wing wall, carved wood entrance doors and clay tile roof combined with late 60s features such as split level layout, integrated garage and varied roof form. Photo by K. Nicholds.
Up until the late 1970s, the 1000th home buyer in a new tract was given a 1000 lb steer by the Mission Viejo Company. Photograph taken in 1975. Mission Viejo Library Collection.

Krista Nicholds works as an architectural historian and preservation advocate. She is the Executive Director and founding President of Preserve Orange County in Santa Ana. She completed the graduate program in Heritage Conservation at USC in 2020. Krista was born and raised in Ottawa, Canada and has lived in San Juan Capistrano with her husband and two kids since 2011.

Our producer Willa Seidenberg recently interviewed Krista. Not only is she a long-time professor of radio journalism for the USC Annenberg School of Communication and Journalism, but she is also earning her Master’s degree in Heritage Conservation.

Podcast Breakdown

- - [4:29] Brief history of Orange County
  - [6:06] Founding of Mission Viejo/Rancho Santa Margarita
  - [11:24] Suburban development in the 1950s-60s
  - [21:48] Marketing and cultural appropriation
  - [27:33] Preserve Orange County

Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:

Thesis: The Enduring Romance of the Rancho: Mission Viejo, 1964 to 1967, by Krista Nicholds

Preserve Orange County

The Mediterranean House in America, by Lauren Weiss Bricker (New York: Abrams, 2008)

USC Heritage Conservation Programs

Special Thanks

Special thanks to Mariachi Arcoiris de Los Angeles for allowing us to use some music from two of their songs, “El Crucifijo de Piedra” and “Cielo Rojo.” Watch them on YouTube!

Season 1, Episode 8

The Rancho Roots of Mission Viejo

Podcast Breakdown

Want to know more about some of the ideas and places mentioned in this episode? Check out:

Special Thanks

More Credits on About page

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