The Chuck Jones Center for Creativity will be moving into its new home at SoCo (South Coast Collection) at 3321 Hyland Avenue, Costa Mesa, California in the next month or so.  Chuck Redux paid a visit to the new site this morning and is bringing you a sneak peek of what can only be described as — well, it's still a work-in-progress, so think of these photos as preliminary sketches for the Center's new home.

The front entrance with a mocked-up sign to give you a sense of the scale of the tower.  When you enter here you'll be greeted by a 25' tall mural designed by Chuck Jones…we won't tell you where it was used before, but it's going to be a wonderful introduction to the Center.

The main room seems to be about a football stadium in length, but is more like a half of one (joking, of course, but it is immense.)  The Center's partner is 24 Carrots, Orange County's premier catering company–they'll be using the space for large gatherings, weddings and business events.  

To give you a sense of the scale, that yellow arrow is pointing at Scott, who is 6'6" and Craig, who is 6' tall.  Big, isn't it?

Please ignore the dirt in the middle of the floor…this is the main exhibition wall which is about 50 running feet and 17' tall.  Expect to see lots of fabulous Chuck Jones art!

In the OC Mart Mix (just across the plaza from the Center) there's an awesome coffee shop, Portola Coffee, and this young man was quietly explaining to Craig and Scott about "the integrity of the grounds" and "it's a moral dilemma" at which point I stopped listening, but the coffee does smell terrific and tasted even better.  

The plaza entrance will have three glass 'garage' doors that roll up into the ceiling, allowing for a seamless experience between what is going on inside the Center and the magnificent plaza setting with its fountain, fire pit and umbrella-covered tables.

If you have a green thumb, you'll be impressed by the succulent plantings and the environmentally-sensitive landscaping around the entire SoCo complex.

P.S.  Watch this space for more news about our grand-opening tentatively scheduled for Saturday, January 28, 2012.