The Anaheim Packing District history starts in 1919, when the Anaheim Orange & Lemon Association built a citrus packing house beside the Southern Pacific rail line at 440 S. Anaheim Blvd. Packing ended in 1955. After years of vacancy, a motor company tenant and sporadic use, the building reopened as a food hall on May 31, 2014.
That is the short version. The longer story explains why the building still looks and works like a 1919 packing house, even when you are just stopping in for lunch. The outside was kept, the inside was turned into a food hall, and the layout still reflects a building designed around fruit, rail cars and shipping.
Built for citrus in 1919
According to SoCal Landmarks, the Anaheim Orange & Lemon Association built the structure in 1919 as a "second generation citrus packing house." Wikipedia, Clio and restoration firm Spectra Company all describe it as a Sunkist citrus packing house.
Where it sits was a practical choice. Clio places it at the edge of downtown, next to the Southern Pacific rail line, where citrus from local farmers was washed, graded and packed. Spectra adds that the packed fruit was then shipped across the country.
One detail you can still notice today: SoCal Landmarks says the lower floor is partly below ground, which lifts the upper floor to the height of a railcar for loading. That split level is part of why the food hall's two floors feel the way they do.
Sources describe the style in slightly different terms. SoCal Landmarks, Clio and Spectra call it Mission Revival, while Wikipedia calls it Spanish Colonial Revival. Size estimates also vary a little: Wikipedia and Clio say about 42,000 square feet, and SoCal Landmarks says almost 42,750 square feet across two floors.
1955 to 2000: not quite empty
Packing ended in 1955. Clio, which cites the National Register nomination, puts it this way: "The last encasing of citrus was packed in 1955." SoCal Landmarks gives the same year.
It is easy to assume the building sat empty from then on, but the sources tell a more mixed story. Clio says it was vacant for several years until Electra Motors took it over in 1960. According to Clio, the company removed many of the key agricultural features before leaving. SoCal Landmarks describes the building as "occupied sporadically" after 1955, until the Anaheim Redevelopment Agency bought it in late 2000.
From redevelopment to food hall
After the city's Redevelopment Agency acquired the property, work turned to making it safe and usable again. SoCal Landmarks says the seismic retrofit and restoration started in 2010. Spectra Company, the restoration firm, says its own work began in 2011. Clio reports that the redevelopment used funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
The approach was to keep the shell and reinvent the inside. Wikipedia notes that the facade was preserved while the interior became a food hall. That is the main reason the building still reads as 1919 from the street.
Opening day and the National Register
The Packing House reopened as a food hall on May 31, 2014. In its 10th anniversary article, Visit Anaheim reported about 5,000 visitors on opening day and nearly 30 food vendors on two floors as of 2024.
On July 7, 2015, the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places (reference no. 15000379) under its historic name, the Anaheim Orange and Lemon Association Packing House, according to Wikipedia. Spectra also confirms the 2015 listing. Wikipedia and Clio describe it as the only remaining citrus packing house in Anaheim and one of only a few left in Orange County.
The 10th anniversary, held May 30 to June 1, 2024, leaned into that past. Visit Anaheim says the events included historical tours by the Anaheim Historical Society, a classic car show and a Citrus Carnival in Farmers Park.
The Packing District today
The official Packing District visitor page describes the district as four historic landmarks around a 2-acre Farmers Park. It calls the Packing House "a former 1919 orange packaging facility that has been revitalized as a 2-story food hall."
Visit Anaheim names Shaheen Sadeghi as the owner of the Packing District. In that article, he described food halls as large gathering places and said his company thinks of them as projects that create "social equity." The official visitor page sends leasing questions to LAB Holding.
Planning a visit: what the operator says
These details come from the official visitor information page. The merchant lineup changes over time, so check the official site for current vendors.
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Address: 440 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, CA 92805.
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Parking: Self-parking in the Packing House lot and the Claudina lot south of the building, plus valet.
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Accessibility: ADA ramp at the north entry, with elevators near the east and west entrances.
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Pets: Not allowed, except ADA service animals.
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Food and drinks: No outside food or drinks.
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Hours: Each merchant sets its own hours. The district is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
Next time you're there, walk around the outside before you head in. The preserved facade and the raised upper floor, built to line up with railcars, are the clearest signs of the building's 1919 job.
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