He left his mark, and his name

Jennifer K Mahal

His name is everywhere. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Stage and the

up-coming Segerstrom Concert Hall. From South Coast Plaza to the

Orange County Performing Arts Center, it can be said that Costa Mesa

owes its soul to the vision of Henry T. Segerstrom.

“He thinks into the future,” said Bob Wilson, who as mayor cut the

ribbon on South Coast Plaza in 1966. “The way he can put a team

together to make it successful ... he knows when and how to use

people.”

The son of Anton and Ruth Segerstrom, Henry was born into a family

that had made its fortune as lima bean farmers.

He grew up in Orange County, getting an education in the Santa Ana

school system before joining the armed services in World War II. As

an officer in the artillery, Segerstrom was awarded the Purple Heart.

He spent two years in the hospital recovering from a wounded arm.

Segerstrom went to Stanford University, earned earning a degree in

business and then went on to joined the family’s agriculture

business.

In the late 1940s, Segerstrom made his first major deal, leasing

several buildings to Charlie Pearson’s Anaheim Truck and Transfer Co.

He went on to lease more buildings to Western Canners in Newport

Beach. The leasing process brought him in front of the Orange County

Board of Supervisors, giving the family its first exposure to zoning

and governmental land use policy.

That came in handy in 1950, when C.J. Segerstrom & Sons applied

and received industrial zoning on an 800-acre tract, which was

marketed as the Segerstrom Industrial District.

Henry Segerstrom, the firm’s managing partner, led the family’s

transition from agriculture to retail. He lobbied the state to have

the San Diego Freeway pass through Costa Mesa and developed his

family’s farm land into South Coast Plaza. He persuaded retailers

such as May Co. and Sears to come to Costa Mesa, offering them land

for $1 to get their business in the center.

South Coast Plaza’s total sales is estimated to be close to a

billion dollars a year. In 1998, Costa Mesa made roughly $8.5 million

in sales tax off the property.

In 1975, Segerstrom started his second major contribution to Costa

Mesa by donating an acre of land, parking and $50,000 to David Emmes

and Martin Benson for South Coast Repertory. In 1979, the family donated land and $1 million to start the Orange County Performing

Arts Center. Segerstrom and his family’s commitment to both

organizations continues to this day.

In 2000, Segerstrom donated $40 million and six acres of land to

the Center for the construction of a 2,000-seat concert hall. The

Segerstrom family and foundation donated close to $3 million in

property and funds for the recent SCR expansion and renovation.

His influence in the area is far from finished, as those watching

the Home Ranch project rise from the former lima bean fields off the

San Diego Freeway will attest.

* Do you know of a person, place or event that deserves a

historical LOOK BACK? Let us know. Contact James Meier by fax at

(949) 646-4170; e-mail at [email protected]; or mail at c/o

Daily Pilot, 330 W. Bay St., Costa Mesa, CA 92627