01 Jul Daredevil Developer
Ambitious downtown Santa Ana building projects are only part of Michael Harrah’s story
Called Santa Ana’s patron saint of the arts, Mike Harrah is more than his gruff exterior would suggest. Opening the OC Pavilion Performing Arts Center in 2005 at a cost of $28 million, Harrah has transformed a former bank building into a state of the art music venue that’s showcased such talent as Kenny G, Earth Wind and Fire, and Leann Rimes. Just above the music venue is Ambrosia, a fine dining restaurant the was first opened in the late 1960s on Balboa Peninsula. While Harrah has worked to make downtown Santa Ana arts and entertainment friendly, perhaps his most “saintly” act was his 5-month restoration of a vacant building in order for the Orange County High School of the Arts to keep its charter and open on time. Since the OCHSA’s move from its Los Alamitos location to downtown Santa Ana, Harrah has given the school $1.8 million of his own money and renovated the adjoining building, a former Christian Science church, into a 206-seat performance hall. Harrah is a self-proclaimed “ultimate-risk taker” and the largest tenant improvement contractor in Orange County, but he says it’s never been about the money. He enjoys knowing that he’ll be able to look back and see he gave back to the community.