One of the developers behind LAB Anti-Mall and Packing House will share his experience reusing a historic Orange County building in a talk Saturday afternoon at the Donald Dungan Library.
The event begins at 2:00 pm and is hosted by the Costa Mesa Historical Society. Her guest speaker is Linda Sadeghi, a developer known for incorporating existing buildings into modern retail spaces for local businesses.
“Her approach is to preserve and reuse them rather than demolish them all, even if they weren’t the most iconic buildings,” said Barbara Becks of the Costa Mesa Historical Society.
Exterior wall murals by Gabriella Cole line the lanes of LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa was recently named a Top Destination for Public Art by Men’s Journal magazine.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
The first space she developed with her ex-husband Shaheen Sadeghi was LAB Anti-Mall. Prior to its purchase in 1993, it was a manufacturing facility for military night vision goggles.
Both were project managers in the apparel industry at the time and wanted to create a store that would allow a friend who designs surf apparel to bypass big corporate retailers, Linda Sadegi said in a short interview Friday.
“If you can believe it, I needed security clearance to tour the lab,” she said. But you better stop now before someone else attacks you.”
Linda Sadeghi still owns LAB and says it took decades to become a success. She said revitalizing the old building instead of building a new one came with additional maintenance and zoning issues that took time for her team to navigate.
“Because you have to be there practically every day, you get to know the residents and meet a lot of them,” says Linda Sadeghi. “You can’t be an absentee landlord when something goes wrong in a 100-year-old building.”
A mother and daughter overlook a tunnel through bushes filled with old music CDs at LAB Anti-Mall in Costa Mesa. Costa Mesa was recently named the Top Her Destination for Public Art by Men’s Her Journal magazine.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Linda Sadeghi was then hired as a consultant on the renovation of Anaheim’s Packing House, which reopened in 2014. Now a trendy shopping and dining center, it was originally built in 1919 for the Sunkist Growers Company and is the last surviving facility. A historic citrus packing warehouse in the city.
“The city had already been bulldozed down and residents were flocking to ask for help,” said Linda Sadeghi. “It’s really thanks to the community that the building still stands.”
She plans to thank the Historical Society and local residents for their efforts to preserve Orange County’s historic buildings in a leading chat next Saturday. We will also discuss the progress of the restoration of The building will be revived as a performance center for live music, drama, movies, and private events.
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