The land beneath Fashion Island's koi pond and designer storefronts once held 35,000 tents and more than 50,000 Boy Scouts.
In July 1953, Scouts from all 48 states, the territories of Alaska and Hawaii, and 26 foreign countries descended on a 3,000-acre stretch of the Irvine Ranch for the Third National Boy Scout Jamboree. It was the first such gathering held on the West Coast. OC Historyland records place the site above Pacific Coast Highway between MacArthur Boulevard and the Back Bay, covering what is now Fashion Island, Newport Center, and the communities of Big Canyon and East Bluff.
Bob Hope addressed the crowd. "It looks like the United Nations in short pants!" he told them.
The Irvine Company graded an eight-mile road to connect the Jamboree site, according to the Orange County Boy Scouts of America program archives. That road became Jamboree Road.
A champagne opening and a buried mystery
Groundbreaking for what was then called Newport Town Center came in 1966. During construction, workers buried a time capsule somewhere on the property. Its exact location remains unknown. Fashion Island's own historical timeline puts it plainly: the center's operators don't know where it is or what's inside.
The center opened on Saturday, September 9, 1967, with a charity gala that drew 18,000 guests. Time Magazine called it "the largest cocktail party in the world," according to Newport Beach Magazine.
Designed by architectural firm Welton Becket & Associates, the 909,000-square-foot center debuted with four anchor department stores: Buffums, The Broadway, Robinson's, and J.C. Penney. It also featured 52 specialty shops, two restaurants (Bob Burns and the Velvet Turtle), and parking for 5,500 cars.
"My first memory of Fashion Island is the opening of Robinson's in 1967 with my grandmother," said Gina Sammis, oral history director of the Newport Beach Historical Society. "I actually remember when those bells at Robinson's used to ring in the wind. It was a beautiful sound."
Koi, jesters, and a $100 million makeover
The iconic koi pond arrived in 1969: 20,000 gallons of water and roughly 80 fish that remain one of the center's most photographed spots, according to Fashion Island's timeline. That same year, the Irvine Company completed its headquarters at 500 and 550 Newport Center Drive, steps away.
Those three bronze figures soaring above Skydivers Court? They're actually jesters. Sculptor Aristides Demetrios drew inspiration from circus aerials when he installed the 12-foot figures atop 27-foot columns in 1967.
After J.C. Penney closed in 1985, Fashion Island expanded with Atrium Court and smaller boutiques. A 1989 renovation added 70,000 square feet of retail, three outdoor paseos, and a seven-screen theater. Then in the 2010s, the Irvine Company invested $100 million in a sweeping overhaul that brought new architecture, fountains, and more than 40 stores and restaurants including Nordstrom and True Food Kitchen.
The center's history is part of Visit Newport Beach's "120 Years of Welcome" exhibit, on view through October at the Balboa Island Museum, 210 B Marine Avenue on Balboa Island, open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
