Sandi Simon Center for Dance | © Eric Staudenmaier In the heart of Orange, California, a structure once dedicated to the packing and shipping of citrus has been carefully transformed into a center for movement, expression, and learning. The Sandi Simon Center for Dance, designed by Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) for Chapman University, represents a compelling case study in adaptive reuse that challenges conventional preservation strategies while reasserting architecture’s role in reframing historical narratives through contemporary use. Sandi Simon Center for Dance Technical Information Architects1-8: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects | LOHA Location: Chapman University, Orange, California, USA Area: 6,689 m2 | 72,000 Sq. Ft. Original Construction Year: 1918 Renovation Completion Year: 2023 Photographs: © Eric Staudenmaier This project was an opportunity to demonstrate how architecture can preserve the soul of a historic structure while carving space for new rhythms of use—light, movement, and community. – Lorcan O’Herlihy Sandi Simon Center for Dance Photographs © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier © Eric Staudenmaier Context and Historical Framework Initially constructed in 1918 as the headquarters for the Santiago Orange Growers Association, the building is a rare example of early 20th-century industrial vernacular architecture in Southern California. Defined by its post-and-beam timber construction and sawtooth clerestory roof, the building embodies a utilitarian clarity characteristic of its time. Its later occupation by the Villa Park Orchards Association extended its industrial use well into the mid-century. Chapman University’s acquisition of the building—and their decision to maintain its historic envelope—offered a unique opportunity: not simply to restore, but to recontextualize. The university’s brief called for creating a dynamic educational and performance facility while retaining the structure’s historic significance. This dual ambition necessitated an architectural approach mediating between preservation and transformation. Sandi Simon Center for Dance Design Intent A precise and deliberate spatial incision guides LOHA’s intervention. By cutting through the building’s original floor plate, the design team effectively introduced a vertical circulation core and reorganized the formerly singular volume into three stratified levels. This act of subtraction—rather than addition—serves as the project’s defining move. The void becomes a connective spine, allowing light, air, and human movement to represent the newly internalized public realm. Rather than treat the historic structure as a static artifact, LOHA engaged it as a generative framework. The exterior shell remains largely intact, preserving its listed status, while the interior spatial logic has been entirely reimagined. This strategy balances reverence for the building’s past with a contemporary dance center’s functional and pedagogical demands. The program is distributed across the newly formed levels: five large studios, a black-box performance space, classrooms, offices, and informal social areas. The spatial configuration emphasizes visual and physical permeability, allowing for spontaneous interaction among students and faculty. This is not merely a building for instruction but facilitates a culture of exchange and creative dialogue. Spatial Qualities and Material Tectonics The original sawtooth clerestory windows, oriented north to diffuse direct sunlight, are instrumental in crafting the interior atmosphere. With the newly introduced atrium, this soft daylight is allowed to cascade through all levels, lending the space a quiet luminosity appropriate for both focused training and performance. Polycarbonate panels, chosen for their translucency and ephemeral character, line key interior walls and openings. Their mutable surface qualities—reflective, luminous, and soft—resonate with dance’s performative nature and underscore the project’s conceptual alignment between movement and architecture. Equally significant is LOHA’s material sensitivity. The design preserves and reuses the building’s original timber flooring, integrating it into the new interiors as a surface and memory. Massive historic trusses, once concealed in the lofted ceiling, are left exposed, rendering the structural system legible and tactile. These elements, made visible from both above and below, establish a dialogue between the building’s industrial lineage and its new cultural function. Integrating environmental systems was carefully aligned with the building’s historic fabric. Existing clerestory windows were retrofit with actuators and connected to the HVAC system, allowing for passive ventilation when conditions permit. This sustainable strategy further demonstrates how architectural heritage can be leveraged to meet contemporary performance and environmental goals. Architectural Significance and Urban Relevance At its core, the Sandi Simon Center for Dance embodies an architectural proposition: that movement, memory, and matter can be orchestrated in ways that elevate both spatial and social experience. The building does not simply house the art of dance—it participates in it, offering a sequence of volumes that mirror choreography in their fluid interconnection. The project contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding adaptive reuse in American cities. At a time when institutions are increasingly seeking to align sustainability with cultural stewardship, LOHA’s work demonstrates how a profoundly contextual strategy can yield both functional vitality and architectural clarity. The building’s hybrid identity—simultaneously warehouse, performance venue, and educational facility—reflects a nuanced understanding of architecture as both artifact and agent. By carving new life from old form, the Sandi Simon Center resists the binary of preservation versus innovation. Instead, it stands as evidence that architecture, when attuned to context and driven by thoughtful transformation, can transcend its time without losing its place. Sandi Simon Center for Dance Plans Floor Plan | © Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects Sandi Simon Center for Dance Image Gallery About Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects Founded in 1994 by Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA, Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) is an award-winning architecture and urban design firm with studios in Los Angeles and Detroit. LOHA engages the complexities of the urban landscape, embracing architecture’s role as a catalyst for change. Their diverse portfolio includes art galleries, bus shelters, large-scale neighborhood plans, mixed-use developments, supportive housing, and university residential complexes. Credits and Additional Notes Architect: Lorcan O’Herlihy Architects (LOHA) Principal in Charge: Lorcan O’Herlihy, FAIA Project Director: Ghazal Khezri Project Leads: Joe Tarr, Abel Garcia Project Team: Morgan Starkey, Kathryn Sonnabend Project Assistants: Kevin Murray, Wentao Guo Client: Chapman University Program: Dance School, Performing Arts Theater, Classrooms, Dance Studios, Study Spaces, Offices