The Palm Court Arts Complex is home to the Great Park Gallery and the Great Park Studio. This civic space also features Hangar 244, a 10,000-square-foot event center; a shaded outdoor performance plaza enhanced by 54 Canary Islands date palms; and the Great Park’s first site-specific permanent public art installation.

Visitors will discover that the Marine Corps Air Station El Toro’s World War II-era atmosphere and architecture have been preserved by means of adaptive reuse of existing buildings, a strategy that aligns with the park’s ecological values. The Palm Court’s repurposed military structures now form a cultural campus supporting the development of a fresh approach to establishing an interdisciplinary, public arts program.

Exhibitions

The Great Park Gallery, Great Park Studio, and Hangar 244 tie the history of the park with its future through a robust exhibition calendar. 

Ghost Building 243

The park's original planners first memorialized the base with the design of Ghost Building 243 located in the center of the Great Park Palm Court Arts Complex. In the park's first site-specific art installation, strips of aquamarine glass embedded in the pavement mark the exact location of exterior and interior walls of an original MCAS El Toro building that was removed to make way for the one-acre Palm Court Plaza and outdoor performance space. Visitors can walk the space, with each Ghost Building room labeled by plaques in the ground.

Terraced Lawn

The Terraced Lawn connects the Great Park Sports Complex to the Palm Court Arts Complex and Great Park Balloon area, and serves as an outdoor performance venue for many Great Park events including the annual summer tradition, Movies on the Lawn.