Favorite Places: Noguchi's Hidden Sculpture Garden

A favorite place to visit in Orange County is Isamu Noguchi's sculpture garden in Costa Mesa, California Scenario...

california scenario / isamu noguchi, 1982

Tucked between office buildings, the 1.6 acre sculpture garden is hidden from street view, providing for an unexpected sanctuary the amidst the glass and steel landscape of the commercial district.

noguchi garden / approach

california scenario / water source

Completed in 1982, the work represents an abstracted representation of California's varied terrains, featuring seven sculptural installations that integrate the natural with the manmade, from a flowering cactus garden to meditative meadow surrounded by redwoods.

california scenario / forest walk

california scenario / forest walk detail

The interactive public space engages visitors and invites users to interact with the built geometry of the forms rising from the ground plane to the stream that bisects the large courtyard.

california scenario / water use

california scenario / desert land

california scenario  [with jason for scale]

Best enjoyed on a sunny day or during the evening, when the walls and water are magically illuminated, this hidden sculpture garden has been a longtime favorite place to visit in Orange County...

california scenario / water use

isamu noguchi's california scenario / costa mesa, ca

For more of our favorite places, view the collection of Buildings We Love here at MYD blog, and find additional information and visitation details on California Scenario here. More on the work of Isamu Noguchi, a favorite artist and designer, at noguchi.org.