When Irvine Ranch land was transforming into a vibrant new kind of place, its Master Plan dared to reimagine what a downtown could look like. The answer was Newport Center. It would have all the pieces of a traditional downtown: workplaces, shops, hotels, theaters, restaurants and, especially, places for people to gather. But it would look nothing like Chicago’s Loop or Pershing Square in Los Angeles.

For the Master Plan vision to become reality, its forward-looking ideals had to be balanced with practical concerns. Could the plan adapt when commercial demands and public tastes changed over the decades? That’s a question that a good plan is intended to address.

So at Newport Center, the pieces of a traditional downtown were reimagined and rearranged. The shops were gathered together at the center of a ring road. Offices, hotels, financial and health services and other amenities were arrayed around the edge of the ring, bringing potential visitors nearby.

This was new. A typical shopping center of the times was lined up along the edge of a parking lot and looked out at a commercial strip. Fashion Island’s shops looked inward to attractive landscaped spaces where people could stroll, sip coffee, enjoy the open air, feel the ocean breeze and relax in the heart of this new downtown.

The Master Plan called for high-quality design, so outdoor garden plazas adorned with sculpture were created to different themes by famed landscape architect Peter Walker. The ever-popular koi pond was one of those early ideas.

The unconventional ring road organizing shops and offices at Newport Center echoed Master Plan architect William Pereira’s concept for the UC Irvine campus nearby. Its center is the natural landscape of Aldrich Park, and the buildings around UCI’s ring road house each of the academic departments.

Fashion Island’s department stores followed the guidelines for good architecture. On the north end, the Broadway (now Bloomingdale’s) with its elegant modernist colonnades and gleaming tiled surface was designed by Welton Becket, the prominent architect of The Music Center in Los Angeles. On the south end, Pereira’s design for Robinson’s (now Macy’s) marks each entrance with graceful columns. Its modern bell tower by artist Tom Van Zant remains a distinctive local landmark, a nod to the region’s Spanish heritage.

The office and commercial buildings around the ring road weren’t going to imitate the typical office park of the day, either. They boast designs by noted architectural firms Gin Wong, Ladd & Kelsey, Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM).

Pereira himself designed the striking reverse-pyramid for Pacific Mutual and the midcentury masterpiece buildings where Irvine Company has its headquarters. With well-proportioned modern lines reflecting their concrete structure, the towers are among the most elegant office buildings in Southern California.

As conditions and tastes changed by the 1980s, Newport Center avoided becoming a hodgepodge of random additions. Fashion Island hired another innovative architect, Jon Jerde, to design a major expansion to maintain its unified character.

Jerde extended the concept of outdoor landscaped plazas with a network of shaded walkways and fountain courts. His formal Mediterranean architecture with prominent cornices and classically symmetrical façades blended perfectly with the original center’s clean, modern lines.

Following the opening of The Resort at Pelican Hill in 2008, the architecture and landscape of Fashion Island transitioned again, moving away from the aesthetic of the 1980s in favor of modern classicism inspired by Italian Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio. The evolution continues today with the opening of a significant new building for RH and ongoing design and landscape enhancements throughout Fashion Island and Newport Center.

The vision for Newport Center also evolved. Today, there is a library, civic center and public park featuring large-scale sculptures. Residences are a draw for a live, work and play lifestyle. Open space opportunities nearby add nature, beauty and recreation.

While many downtowns and city center shopping districts across the nation struggle to remain relevant, Newport Center thrives. One reason: continuing reinvestment as part of a deep commitment to a Master Plan that evolves with the times while keeping its original strengths.