A stunning fountain, 60-feet in diameter with shimmering arches of water reaching heights of 24 feet in the air will soon create a dramatic new visual element at the entrance to the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. The design by Michael Maltzan Architecture and Fluidity Design Consultants reflects the iconic Grand Portal arch of Segerstrom Hall, the sweeping curves of the glass façade of the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall and circular elements of the staircases and café of the new plaza and Center for Dance and Innovation.
Featuring a reflecting pool with an infinity edge, the new fountain can be illuminated at night with LED lights that can display the full spectrum of color. The fountain was made possible by an additional gift from Julianne and George Argyros, whose original $13.5 million lead gift to the Center’s Next Act campaign funded the dramatic transformation of the Center’s plaza and the Center for Dance and Innovation.
On Saturday, October 28, the public is invited to explore the Argyros Plaza on its official opening day. Ribbon-cutting will be at 11 a.m., followed by a full day of free performances, concerts, events and tours of the theaters. And there will be plenty to discover on opening day: a lively, full-service café, a stage for the free year-round performances, friendly, shaded seating and picnic areas with Wi-Fi, and an observation deck atop the café where visitors can take in the plaza ‘scene’ or pose for selfies.
Center President Terrence Dwyer said, “Our beautiful new fountain animates the entrance to the Julianne and George Argyros Plaza and creates a breathtaking and almost theatrical sense of arrival. We can’t thank Julia and George enough; their generosity and commitment to community in supporting the plaza, and now this stunning new fountain, has established an important and welcoming new public gathering place at the Center, accessible and attractive to all of Orange County.”
The 30-plus weekends a year of free performances and events on the Argyros Plaza and programs being developed in the Center for Dance and Innovation and Center Without Boundaries complement the many performances from the world’s greatest artists and companies who perform at the Center each year. The festive opening of the Argyros Plaza sets the stage for even more excitement to come from Segerstrom Center’s Next Act, a bold plan for the future that pushes the boundaries of what a performing arts center can do for its community.
Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution as well as a beautiful multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence, offering unsurpassed experiences and to engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring arts-based education and community engagement programs.
Segerstrom Center is a leader among the nation’s performing arts centers for providing education programs designed to inspire young people through the arts. The Center’s programs reach hundreds of thousands of students each year in five Southern California counties. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is also proud to serve as the artistic home to three of the region’s major performing arts organizations: Pacific Symphony, Philharmonic Society of Orange County and Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons performed at Segerstrom Center for the Arts. In addition to Segerstrom Center for the Arts as a presenting and producing institution, it also identifies the beautiful 14-acre campus that embraces the Center’s own facilities as well as two independently acclaimed organizations: Tony Award®-winning South Coast Repertory and a site designated as the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.
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