To some, the architecture of Orange County is a parade of plaster and plasticine, a cavalcade of chain stores and cookie-cutter homes.

“Oh dear, what is there to preserve?” quipped Melinda Rooney, who moved from Newport Beach to Long Beach, where she felt she could do so-called real preservation work.

Actually, the answer to her question is: plenty.

The county’s modern history extends more than 300 years, from conquistadors and missions to ranching, oil and surfing. And while it’s true that vast swaths of the county are cookie-cutter new, much of the county’s older culture is reflected in the structures in which we pray, work and live.

The conflict of preserving that history or developing it is a fight that’s raged for decades.

But now there’s a twist. Retail developers, homebuilders and others have discovered something rare for Orange County: History has value.

Consider:

• One of the county’s most successful new retail ventures is the Anaheim Packing District, a cluster of eateries and shops that incorporates Anaheim’s history as a center of citrus.

• In San Clemente and San Juan Capistrano, city planners have codified the idea that older homes, and architecture, preserve value for newer tracts as well.

• In Irvine, neighborhoods built near the Great Park are being marketed with historic themes and imagery.

Retailers and others are “realizing there’s a draw” to historic places, says Phil Chinn, a member of the Orange County Heritage Commission.

Economic studies back that up, suggesting that in addition to boosting arts and culture, historic preservation can lead to higher property values and taxes.

The county Board of Supervisors even seemed to acknowledge as much when it created a group that helped get more than 100 properties and several districts on the National Register of Historic Places.

Of course, there’s plenty of evidence that shows the opposite also can be true. New developments often thrive because they make more money than whatever it is they displace.

“Battles are happening all the time,” Chinn said.

How those battles play out can vary depending on the players, the community and the attitudes of everybody involved.

JAPANESE HISTORY IN SURF CITY

In Huntington Beach, a collection of six late-1800s and early-1900s buildings on more than four acres steeped in the history of Japanese pioneers is on the clock and could face demolition.

Last year, Historic Wintersburg, on Warner Avenue near Beach Boulevard, was listed as one of the 11 most endangered sites in the United States by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

The structures include the city’s last pioneer barn, an early Japanese Presbyterian church and property that survived the Alien Land Law of 1913 that banned Asians from owning property.

The property is owned by Rainbow Environmental Services, which also owns a waste transfer and recycling facility across the street from Wintersburg. In 2004, when Rainbow (since acquired by Republic Services of Arizona) bought the property, the idea was that it would provide a buffer between the dump and the neighborhood just to the east.

Now, the company might try something else.

Though the city initially approved a plan to demolish the buildings that has since been rescinded, Rainbow is allowing preservationists and experts from the Urban Land Institute to study whether the site can be bought or restored and sustain itself financially.

“We’ll let the process go through and see what comes out,” said Sue Gordon, community relations manager with Rainbow Environmental.

HISTORIC HOME FIGHT

In 2012, Tom and Jill Ammirato of Long Beach fell in love with a 1926 house in San Clemente.

The place had stunning ocean views. It was one of the houses developed by San Clemente founder Ole Hanson and once belonged to Gloria Swanson, the actress who played Norma Desmond in “Sunset Boulevard.”

Aware it was a historic home, Jill Ammirato said she consulted with preservationists and city officials before buying. She believed she had support for the alterations she envisioned.

Two and a half years later, after disputes with preservationists and several design changes, the retired teachers are still probably a year away from being able to move in.

Their dream home is empty, and Ammorito believes by the time the family moves in, the cost of the renovations will be about $1 million more than they paid for the house.

Last year, the planning commission finally voted to let the couple proceed with renovations, which include about 400 square feet of added space in the back, enlarging a couple of windows, installing French doors and adding a small side balcony to the home, located between two other landmark houses.

Ironically, the house is across the street from several contemporary buildings that were divided into condos.

“If I had known what we were up against, I never would have” bought the house, Ammirato said.

“I wanted to be the person who would preserve the beauty of what Ole Hanson had in mind,” Ammirato added.

“I’m not angry. (Preservationists) want to preserve the house. I want that too.”

LANDMARK SCHOOL

The Killefer School in Orange has a special place in history.

In 1944, three years before a court decision forced the integration of California schools, Killefer voluntarily desegregated; white and Latino students would be taught together at Killefer, then a rarity in Orange County and elsewhere.

The school, built in 1931, closed in the mid-1990s. It’s been vacant since, its history seemingly ignored by the community.

Last year, the Orange Unified School District sold the 1.7-acre property on the 500 block of North Lemon to The Olson Co. The new owner planned to build 30 townhouses on the property.

But that plan fell apart in November, when the Old Towne Preservation Association in Orange helped get the school listed on the state’s register of historical places. The new status severely limits what can be built on the property. Olson dropped the project.

Developers are now looking to see if a feasible plan can be worked out to build around the school, which would have to be restored and refurbished.

Contact the writer: gmellen@ocregister.com