Pereira in the New Frontier: The Orange County Buildings, 1962 to 1975

As Southern California’s population and built environment expanded dramatically after the Second World War, so did the need for architecture and planning services. A large, full-service firm that catered to corporate and institutional clients, William L. Pereira & Associates (WLPA) was at the center of this growth. The firm designed office towers, college campuses, churches, libraries, and civic centers in International, Brutalist, and Late Modern styles, and was known for producing exuberant expressions in concrete. With historical perspective – most WLPA buildings are now over 50 years old – and as this era’s buildings are replaced by new construction (the high profile Los Angeles County Museum of Art but also Pereira’s earliest International style corporate campuses in OC), William Pereira and the architects he worked with such as Gin Wong have received more attention in recent years.

This is a multi-city tour that will take you in luxury coach and with a gourmet boxed lunch from one end of Orange County to the other. With historian Alan Hess and special guest, Monica Pereira, you will get a close up understanding of the buildings and of Pereira’s significance to the region.