The Morgan Group Adds Its Indelible Signature to Downtown Fullerton

What happened to Whiting Ave.
The monster that swallowed Whiting Ave.

Almost ten years ago the Morgan Group developers contributed this gem to downtown Fullerton’s inventory of beautiful buildings. For some reason Fullerton’s leaders thought the idea of another faux-Renaissance palazzo built of wood studs, stucco, and styrofoam details was just what the doctor ordered.

Well maybe the doctor did order it. Sometime check out the contributions made by partners of the Morgan group to Dick Jones’ 2000 city council campaign. Hmmm.

Well, we got more high-density, crappy architecture,  more traffic on an already deficient intersection, the aesthetic engulfment of the beautiful and historic church next door, etc., etc.

A picture is better than a thousand words
A picture is better than a thousand words

What did The Morgan Group get? Free land, plus a gift of a public street (the 100 E. block of Whiting – an original street from the 1886 town site grid) and who knows what else. Who approved this disgrace? Let’s have a looksee:

Don Bankhead (current Councilmember)

Dick Jones (current Councilmember)

Jan Flory (former Councilmember)

Chris Norby (former Councilmember and current County Supervisor)

Julie Sa (twice elected former unintelligible Councilmember, current whereabouts unknown)

9 Replies to “The Morgan Group Adds Its Indelible Signature to Downtown Fullerton”

  1. Call yourself a developer, hire a crappy architect that likes stucco and styrofoam, contribute $$$$$ to councilmembers or their favorite charity, hire a lobbyist to schmooze staff and the Chamber, get a few shills and Teresa Harvey at the council meeting to stand up and say what a wonderful developer we have and how much we need the business and what a great bla, bla, bla….

  2. Question: How many “tables” does the “developer” buy in order to get the Chamber to throw other business’ “under the bus” at the Chambers EXTREMELY boring State of the City luncheon?

  3. Admin, “EXTREMELY boring” isn’t even close. Did you see how many people were left in the room after Bankhead got done with his script, it was embarrassing and gut wrenching. I actually felt sorry for him.

  4. anonymous, once I realized that the Chamber would throw my business under the bus for some developer’s lobbyist who bought two tables to the Chamber’s State of the City luncheon versus my one seat, I quit the Chamber. But, I do remember how boring those luncheons were, you’d have to pay me to go to another one.

  5. We moved to Fullerton from New Jersey just three years ago, I just found your blog by accident, but you raise some good points. Why does a City that seems to have an appreciation for history continues to approve projects like the one above with no regards for respecting historic buildings? That does not happen where we come from.

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