The space feels less like a traditional museum and more like a gallery crawl, with its elaborate structure of sweeping glass and concrete. It sprawls across a 53,000-square-foot plaza, featuring a grand staircase reminiscent of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Thirteen visionary women founded this museum in 1962, originally as the Fine Arts Patrons Pavilion Gallery, convinced Orange County needed a venue for important art. Today, its new building, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Thom Mayne, features a Grand Staircase inspired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, intended as a community gathering point.