Commissioned by Henry Segerstrom to create an outdoor sculpture garden in Costa Mesa, across the street from South Coast Plaza, artist and landscape architect Isamu Noguchi designed California Scenario to represent ecosystems found throughout the state – and the former lima bean farm that the development was replacing. The 1.6-acre space was transformed into seven loosely connected areas, notably including a California redwood patch, a 30-foot-tall sandstone water source, a mound of cactus-topped desert land, and a 12-foot-tall “energy fountain” made from stainless steel and granite.
Deliberately minimalist and designed to enhance office towers at the Pacific Arts Plaza site, California Scenario is exhibited in a largely open space with extremely limited seating and mostly stone surfaces. It’s accessible from nearby businesses, notably including the MoonGoat Greenhouse, a coffee, tea, bagel, and pastry cafe opened in summer 2025. Free to visit and explore, expect to see all of its attractions in 15 to 30 minutes, and avoid the overpriced adjacent parking garage and lot if at all possible.
