Sunkist Sunsets

The former Sunkist citrus packing plant in Ontario, which was built in 1926, was razed this week.
For 82 years the plant remained in operation. In 2008 it was shuttered.
The closure came in conjunction with Sunkist’s decision to relocate its California packing operation to the Central Valley and the city of Ontario redevelopment agency’s move to purchase the 11.5 acres of ground on which the facility sat for $24 million.
The redevelopment agency is now seeking to attract another industrial use to the site.
As part of the land sale, Sunkist is required to demolish the buildings and clear the property. Though the Southern California citrus industry has been in ever greater eclipse for three decades, the demolition of the Sunkist plant knells in a definitive way the death of a way of life in what was once called California’s Citrus Belt.
As a nostalgic gesture of respect to the region’s agricultural roots, the city is allowing the plant’s water tower, which was designated a historical landmark by the city planning commission and which yet has the Sunkist logo emblazoned across it, to remain.