Garden Grove -- Centrally located 6 miles
from the beach near Disneyland, California Adventure, Knotts Berry Farm,
Soak City, Little Saigon and The Block in Orange, Garden Grove
is the easiest of locations to access the attractions tourists seek most
often in Orange County, California. A namesake Garden Grove
Freeway known as the "22", runs through the city East - West approximately
8 miles and transports travelers any place they want to go as it connects
to four major freeways.
Throughout the world people know about
Garden Grove as they watch religious services in a program called HOUR
OF POWER, broadcast weekly from the breathtaking Crystal Cathedral.
One of Southern California's finest architectural monuments, it was designed
by American Institute of Architects gold medal winner Philip Johnson
with his partner John Burgee. The Cathedral building's shape is a
four-pointed star, and is larger than the cathedral of Notre-Dame in Paris. It has more than 10,000
windows of tempered silver colored reflective glass that are held in place
by a lace-like frame of white steel trusses, allowing 8% of outside light into
the church for an interior "underwater" appearance. The supporting
structure is a triodetic steel frame that's engineered to work as a giant
chimney, allowing heat to rise out of the building and preventing a greenhouse
effect. Two 90 foot tall doors open electronically behind the pulpit, exposing
the sky and air from outside for the beauty and comfort of up to 3,000 people at
one time. A bell tower called Tower of Hope is comprised of highly
polished stainless steel prisms houses a 52 bell carillon with a chapel located
at the base of the steeple. The church grounds include gardens, reflection
pools and numerous statues. There's also a gift shop with books, CD's, videos
and more. Tours are provided free Monday - Saturday, beginning at 9:30 AM with the last tour at 3:30 PM. Address: 13280 Chapman Avenue, Garden Grove, California 92840, Information: 714-971-4000. crystalcathedral.org
Historical background of Crystal Cathedral: On March 26,
1955, a 26-year old Reverend Robert Schuller and his wife Arvella climbed
into a temporary handmade staircase of two-by-fours to the roof of the snack
bar in a drive-in move theater in Orange to conduct their first church
worship service. Arvella played the organ, Robert gave the sermon and a
collection plate passed around the parking lot yielded $83.75. Two years of
parking lot services and Schuller's continuing popularity attracted the
largest crowd ever in 1957 when America's best-selling author, Dr. Norman
Vincent Peale spoke to the drive-in congregation. Then in 1961, architect
Richard Neutra designed the world's first walk-in/drive-in church structure
to accommodate a congregation that now exceeded 4,000 in two Sunday morning
services. In 1968, the world's first church-sponsored 24-hour live telephone
crisis and suicide prevention hotel was established and operated out of the
8th floor of the newly constructed Tower of Hope, another Richard Neutra
designed-building. In 1970 the Hour of Power television broadcast was born
and and today is seen by over 20 million people weekly on TV stations
throughout the world.
Historical background of Garden Grove: After California
gained its independence from Mexico and became a state in 1850, a
man named Abel Stearns bought large tracts of land in Southern California
in 1868 and divided some of it into smaller lots to sell to settlers. In
1874, Alonzo Cook purchased 160 acres of land in the area for about $15
an acre. Recognized as Garden Grove's Founding Father, he later donated
land north of Main Street and Garden Grove Boulevard for use as the site
of the first schoolhouse and post office. Cook suggested the name "Garden
Grove" for the school and surrounding village. Though it did not look like
the descriptive title, in a few short years he was able to turn it into
a beautiful spot befitting its name.
Garden Grove grew and changed, losing its
groves as most of Orange County has. After World War II ended and the the
community began to take shape as a modern day city, it was incorporated
on June 18, 1956. With over 1,000 people per month moving to and settling
there, Garden Grove was named the fastest growing city in the United States
in the late 1950's. Today, many of the children born and raised in Garden
Grove during the 50's live there as adults, raising their families. Communities
with names such as "Garden Park" hold special meaning to those who love
their neighborhoods and never want to leave.
Like the quiet residential enclaves off
bustling streets with modern day Costco and Home Depot chains, Main Street
is tucked away near Garden Grove Boulevard and Acacia. Colorful flower
baskets and American flags provide a patriotic atmosphere to this three-block
long row of shops and restaurants.
Tacos and burritos, burgers at an old fashioned
Tommy's Drive In and ethnic treats at Garden Grove's Korean shopping district
provide an international flair to this modern American tail of a city where
Anglos, native American Indians, Koreans and Hispanics work and reside.
Here are some special events and attractions
worth investigating in Garden Grove: Free Summer Concert Series in the park held
in the Village Green Park. Call 741-5280. Bring the whole family to enjoy
jazz, rock, pop and swing. Names such as jazz great, Pancho Sanchez, have
played in Garden Grove. The Stanley Ranch Museum - Owned and maintained
by the Garden Grove Historical Society, is a two-acre park with
several of Garden Grove's oldest homes and commercial buildings. The Ware-Stanley
House, built in 1892, is the focus home at the museum. Also included at
the site are homes dating from the late 1800s to early 1900s. Garden Grove's
first post office, opened in 1877, the Electric Shoe Shop/Barber Shop,
and Garden Grove’s #1 fire engine, a 1926 American La France are part of
the exhibits. One of the most popular attractions is the Walt Disney Studio
Garage which was relocated to the former ranch site in recent years.
Guided
tours of the museum facilities are provided on the third Sunday of each
month from 1:30 pm. For information, call 714/530-8871. (Always call
first before going. Information is subject to change without notice)
Strawberry Festival
is the largest community-sponsored event in the 13 western states has over
300,000 visitors and participants. A parade, celebrity autograph breakfast,
four-day carnival and an arts and crafts fair and is held Memorial
Day weekend on the Village Green. The Strawberry Festival Association for
information 714-638-0981 Tet Festival Sponsored by the Vietnamese Community
of Southern California, celebrates the arrival of spring and the first
day of the lunar year. The event is held in the Garden Grove Park. The
park is located on Westminster Blvd. between Magnolia and Brookhurst. Korean Festival Celebrating Korean history,
tradition and culture, this family oriented event features a parade, and
carnival, the event includes an open-air market. Korean Chamber of
Commerce 714-6381440.
