Old_World_Village

Old World Village

Old World Village

Mixed-use village in Huntington Beach, California, United States

Old World Village is a German enclave in Huntington Beach, California. It features shops, restaurants, a chapel, and a hotel.[1][2] Many of the proprietors of its businesses live above their establishments. This live-work arrangement is unusual for Orange County.[3][4]

Quick Facts Country, State ...

About 40 families live in the village.[5] When it opened in 1978, the proprietors were primarily from Germany and Austria, but the Village has become more ethnically diverse over time.[6]

History

In 1952, Josef Bischof emigrated from Germany to the United States.[1] He was inspired by Ports O' Call Village in San Pedro, to create the shopping center Alpine Village in Torrance in 1965.[1] Wanting to have spaces to both live and work in the same place, he split with his business partners from Alpine Village to found Old World Village in 1978.[1][7]

In the 1980s, the Village had an internal feud, with owners of the live-work establishments accusing Bischof of a "reign of terror".[7] An initial $2.1 million judgment in favor of the merchants was later reduced to $1.25 million (equivalent to $3,474,000 in 2023).[8]

Festivals

The Village holds annual German events, including an Oktoberfest[9] and dachshund races.[10] Over time, events for other ethnic and cultural groups have been held at the Village, including Greek,[11] Irish,[12] Scottish,[13] and South American[14] festivals. The village also hosts weddings[15] and quinceañeras.[16]

Legacy

Old World Village was parodied in the television show Arrested Development as the English enclave "Wee Britain".[17] It also served as Switzerland in the Hulu series Welcome to Chippendales.

References

  1. [1]
    Burris, Annie (March 18, 2008). "What's to become of Huntington's Old World Village?". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on March 22, 2008.
  2. [2]
    Lee, Gregory (1993). The Best of Orange County California. Jasi. ISBN 978-1-881409-05-2.
  3. [3]
    Young, Karen (June 10, 1988). "Old World Village Captures Bavarian Flavor". Los Angeles Times. p. OC_E5.
  4. [4]
    O'Dell, John (February 23, 1991). "Piggyback Apartments Work Elsewhere in County". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif. p. 5.
  5. [5]
    "Old World Village". Los Angeles Times. September 16, 1989. p. OC_G2.
  6. [6]
    Westcott, John (September 22, 1988). "Old World village brings a taste of Europe to OC". Orange County Register. Santa Ana, Calif. p. b02.
  7. [7]
    Lucas, Greg (April 29, 1986). "Old World Village Suit to Go to Jury: Business Owners Accuse Developer of 'Reign of Terror'". Los Angeles Times.
  8. [8]
    Spano, John (June 18, 1986). "Shopping Center Award Excessive, Judge Rules". Los Angeles Times. p. OC_A2.
  9. [9]
    Kinsler, Robert (September 29, 1995). "Old World's Oktoberfest a Deutsch treat". Orange County Register. Santa Ana, Calif. p. 63.
  10. [10]
    "Corrections". The Orange County Register. Santa Ana, Calif. October 28, 1994. p. A02.
  11. [11]
    "Old World Village". Los Angeles Times. June 8, 1990. p. OCF22.
  12. [12]
    Perry, Susan (March 17, 1988). "Ways to Go for the Green: Irish-Heritage Celebrations Take a Festive Turn". Los Angeles Times. p. G12.
  13. [13]
    "Old World Village Scottish Festival (advertisement)". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 1988. p. OC_A6.
  14. [14]
    Pasles, Chris (July 20, 1988). "Harpist Taps a Multi-Ethnic Background to Make His Music". Los Angeles Times. p. EOC13.
  15. [15]
    "Old World Village Serves as Wedding Center". Los Angeles Times. February 14, 1992. p. OCE12.
  16. [16]
    "Heels over head". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif. March 29, 2000. p. 5.
  17. [17]
    Coker, Matt (May 23, 2013). "Arrested Development's Orange County". OC Weekly.
Share this article:

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Old_World_Village, and is written by contributors. Text is available under a CC BY-SA 4.0 International License; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.