Valencia Town Center - Valencia, CA (1992)
Designed by RTKL Associates
"This charming retail shopping center draws its inspiration from the rich agricultural history of the surrounding Santa Clarita Valley. The project integrates references of early ranching with the Mission and Victorian influences indigenous to central California coastal communities.
The center's Mediterranean exterior is a collection of towers and sloped terra cotta tile roofs. Inside, a planned "urban main street" takes customers past a series of handsome murals depicting "The Orange Grove", "Our Valley", "Ranch Life" and "The People of the Valley" - each a proud representation of the lifestyles of the people who founded the territory.
A wonderful graphic that takes its cue from the flourishing orange groves is the orange crate label. It pops up, deliciously, every-where: on shiny shopping bags, stationery and all promotion pieces. In addition, the orange crate label is interpreted on the exterior signage, food court signage and most dramatically on a huge, circular mosaic imbedded in the sidewalk at the main entryway to the mall.
One of the most entertaining and popular sites in the mall is the floor clock/time capsule. Patterned after early 20th century clocks, this timepiece's face is (of course) a great big Valencia orange. Encapsulated underneath it are a collection of historical objects which were contributed by area residents.
Towering palms and planters of abundant foliage, along with Spanish tile marble continue the staging of this lush, valley environment which successfully represents its historical past and unique identity."
Scanned from the books, American Shopping Centers 2 by I.M. Tao (1996), and Retail Image & Graphic Identity by Joan Salb (1995)
