Hunt-Wesson, Inc. Headquarters - Hunt Center and Library - Fullerton, CA - NRHP Historic Districts - Contributing Buildings on Waymarking.com

"The original entrance to the Hunt Center remains at 1645 West Valencia Drive, located approximately 620 feet east of Brookhurst Road. Vehicular entry is through a curved metal gate supported by stone pilasters. The two-lane entrance, separated by a decorative landscaped median strip, leads into a large tree-lined parking lot, with a masonry wall and row of trees on the east side separating the lot from immediate adjacent housing. When the Hunt Center was completed in September 1962, there was enormous vehicular pressure on the facility, which employed hundreds of workers, and parking was deliberately placed on the periphery. Additional parking is available in a lot off Brookhurst Road and in spaces on the west and north sides of the Hunt-Wesson, Inc. Headquarters Building. The only direct vehicular access inside the district is via a small service road off Commonwealth Avenue that leads directly to the basement on the east side of the headquarters building.

The main parking area is situated on the south side of a flood control channel, and it is not part of the district. From this parking lot, visitors are channeled toward a concrete arch bridge, with metal railings on the east and west side, over the flood control channel, toward an open plaza where the 4-story Hunt-Wesson, Inc. Headquarters building is dramatically positioned ahead. The plaza contains ten white concrete modernist bench seats affixed to the ground. Four steps lead up to a large rectangular-shaped concrete platform that until the 1990s contained an expansive reflecting pool. The platform features three square-shaped planters, one of which contains a modernist, circular-shaped concrete fountain lined on the inside with four-inch square black ceramic tiles. Two rows of Queen Palm (Syagrus romanzoffiana) trees—five on each side—line the east and west sides of the large planters. Another three steps leads up to another concrete platform that houses the headquarters building and ushers visitors to the main, south entrance. Ten hexagonal concrete planters, 20 inches in height, are positioned around the main entrance and platforms, providing additional plantings and vegetation. Metal post lights along the pathways and platforms illuminate the way to the headquarters building at night.

Rectangular-shaped, the four-story with basement headquarters building, with approximately 60,000-square-feet of space, faces south. The office building is an exemplary example of corporate International Style architecture, and along with the adjacent Hunt Library are the two best examples of the style in Fullerton. The headquarters building exhibits all the striking elements of the International Style: a structural steel frame; horizontal bands of metal windows set flush with exterior walls; large floor-to-ceiling curtain walls of glass; plain doorways set flush to the walls; and simple, unadorned surfaces. Entrance is through four automatic glass and aluminum doors on the south and north sides, and double glass and aluminum doors on the east and west elevations. The office building was designed on an elevated concrete platform for its entry, which dramatically sets off and showcases the glass and steel box in its parklike setting. An aluminum railing runs along the outside perimeter of the building.

The exterior features T-shaped metal columns and a flat roof, design elements mimicked in theHunt Library. The glass walls on the fourth floor are recessed, providing a sheltered walkway that extends around the office building. Recessed lights in the overhanging roof illuminate the walkway at night.

The headquarters building appears very much as it did when constructed. Although the building is air-conditioned, four of the stationary glass windows on the south side and one on the north side were converted into aluminum sliding-glass windows. A concrete ramp with metal railings was added on the north side in the 1990s by ConAgra to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act to provide access to the building’s elevated platform." (visit link)

Name of Historic District (as listed on the NRHP): Hunt Center and Library Link to nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com page with the Historic District: [Web Link] Address: 1645 W Valencia Drive (Hunt Center) and 201 S Basque Avenue (Library) How did you determine the building to be a contributing structure?: Other (Please explain in the Private Message field) Optional link to narrative or database: [Web Link] NRHP Historic District Waymark (Optional): Not listed

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