In Friday’s (2/20) Los Angeles Times, David Ng reports that California real estate developer and philanthropist Henry Segerstrom died on Friday. “His namesake Segerstrom Center for the Arts … remains one of his most important legacies as an arts philanthropist. Segerstrom … was a towering figure in Orange County real estate and culture. As a developer, he and his family were the force behind South Coast Plaza, the upscale retail shopping center that is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S. Across the street, the Segerstrom Center for the Arts continues to be the county’s hub for the performing arts, presenting classical music, dance and theater. Outside of Orange County, Henry Segerstrom was a trustee of Carnegie Hall in New York, and was an avid fan of classical music and dance companies around the world…. The Segerstrom Center for the Arts was first known as the Orange County Performing Arts Center, created out of farmland that the Segerstrom family donated in 1979. OCPAC formally changed its name to the Segerstrom in 2011 in recognition of the family’s support over the years. The 2,000-seat Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall opened in 2006 at the center.”
Posted February 23, 2015
