May is Preservation Month! Learn more about our mission and visit us at pasadenaheritage.org to get involved.
#historicpreservation #pasadena
Historic Preservation | Pasadena
🚨 Our historic PUSD campuses are not only important schools, but also visual and cultural anchors within the community.
With Eliot Middle School and San Rafael Elementary School threatened, we need your help to send a clear message: demolition is not the only answer.
We recognize and sympathize with the serious financial and enrollment challenges facing PUSD. However, we strongly reject the narrative being advanced that demolition is the best or only viable option for these campuses.
With decisions regarding school consolidations and closures still pending, these demolition proposals feel premature and deeply concerning. Pasadena’s historic schools are irreplaceable community assets. Once lost, they cannot be rebuilt.
✍️ Sign the petition at link in bio.
@pasadenaunified
#historicpreservation #pasadena #altadena #pusd #eliotmiddleschool
Historic Preservation | Pasadena | Altadena
Join us for a Member Appreciation Open House on May 19th for an evening of connection and a look at what’s ahead. This is our chance to thank you for your continued support and involvement!
Enjoy light refreshments, connect with fellow members, and meet our team. Our docents will be available to share information and insights about the historic Blinn House. Whether you’ve been with us for years or just joined, we’d love to see you there!
This event is complimentary for members and by reservation only. To RSVP, or to ask questions about membership, please email [email protected].
If you are not currently a member, join or renew at pasadenaheritage.org/membership by May 19th to receive an invitation to this event!
#historicpreservation #pasadena #membership #openhouse
Historic Preservation | Pasadena
Altadena Revealed is back this month ✨📚 Featuring a conversation between two friends and celebrated Altadena authors. Michelle Huneven will be joined by Michele Zack to discuss her most recent book Bug Hollow and why Altadena is such fertile ground for a novelist.
Join us for an evening of good company, conversation, and refreshments hosted at the @eatonfirecollaborative .
Friday, May 29th 7-9pm! Register link in bio 🔗
#thefoothillcatalog #altadenarevealed
Join us for Playhouse Village Walking Tour: A Roaring 20s Exploration on Sunday, May 31st at 10am!
👟The Pasadena Playhouse Historic District includes approximately 34 buildings that tell the story of Pasadena’s eastward growth in the 1920s and 1930s, as the city shifted from its agricultural roots into a center of tourism, culture, and design.
On this tour, we’ll stop at landmarks like the Scottish Rite Cathedral, the United Artists Theatre, and the Warner Building, along with other buildings that reflect the energy and optimism of the period.
🎟️ Tickets and details available at link in bio.
Love the 1920s? Celebrate the era all weekend! This walking tour is part of Roaring 20s Weekend, which kicks off with Poker Night at the Blinn: A Roaring 20s Fundraiser on Saturday, May 30th from 5pm - 10pm. Learn more at pasadenaheritage.org. See you there, old sport!
@playhousevillage
#historicpreservation #pasadena #roaring20s #artdeco
Historic Preservation | Pasadena | 1920s | Art Deco
In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, we’re highlighting the story of the USC Pacific Asia Museum building:
In 1924, Grace Nicholson hired Pasadena architectural firm Marston, Van Pelt and Maybury to translate her vision into a building. Her illustrations were incorporated into a design that carefully followed the Imperial Palace Courtyard style, used in the construction of major buildings in Beijing (Peking). Nicholson made sure every detail was correct by having the roof tiles, stone and marble carvings, and bronze and copper work imported directly from China, or faithfully executed by Pasadena area craftsmen, following plans and photographs of authentic Chinese examples.
Once opened, the building became a center for the arts in Pasadena. The first floor consisted of galleries, and the second floor housed more galleries, an auditorium for exhibition, education and lectures, as well as Nicholson’s private apartment.
Nicholson gave the building to the City of Pasadena in 1943 for art and cultural purposes, with the stipulation that she would retain her private rooms until her death. She shared the building with the Pasadena Art Institute until she passed away in 1948.
In 1954, the Pasadena Art Institute changed its name to the Pasadena Art Museum and occupied the building until 1970, when it moved to its new location and became the Norton Simon Museum.
The Pacificulture Foundation moved into the building in 1971. In 1987, the Foundation bought the structure and became Pacific Asia Museum. In 2013, the museum partnered with USC to become USC Pacific Asia Museum.
The building is an important and extraordinary example of Chinese architecture. It has been designated a Cultural Heritage Landmark by the cities of Pasadena and Los Angeles. In 1976, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places, and in 1989 was declared a Historical Landmark by the State of California.
Today, the museum’s mission is to further intercultural understanding through the arts of Asia and the Pacific Islands.
📷: Photos and story courtesy of @usc_pam
#historicpreservation #pasadena #aapiheritagemonth
Step inside history at the Regional Restoration Expo ✨
On Saturday, June 13, the beautiful Blinn House in Pasadena becomes a gathering place for homeowners, preservationists, designers, artisans, and anyone passionate about historic homes and thoughtful restoration.
Spend the day:
• Exploring exhibitor booths throughout the grounds
• Meeting restoration experts, architects & craftspeople
• Enjoying engaging talks & presentations
• Connecting with fellow lovers of history, homes & design
Plus, don’t miss the special “What’s It Worth?” valuation experience presented by John Moran Auctioneers.
📍 Blinn House & Grounds - Pasadena
📅 Saturday, June 13
⏰ 10:00am–5:00pm
🎟️ Free to the public
Presented in collaboration with The Glendale Historical Society, Pasadena Heritage, Altadena Heritage, and the Altadena Historical Society.
Follow along here for more information as the event approaches!
🚨 Facing declining enrollment and a projected $30 million budget shortfall, PUSD is moving forward with actions that could result in the loss of some of Pasadena’s most iconic and architecturally significant school campuses. We need your help to send a clear message: demolition is not the only answer.
Last week, PUSD officials voted to move forward with using bond funding to demolish and rebuild San Rafael Elementary School, despite significant concerns raised by neighborhood parents and community members. A rehabilitation alternative was presented that would cost less than a total rebuild while retaining the original historic building, which is deeply valued as part of the surrounding neighborhood fabric.
Now PUSD has signaled its intent to demolish much of Eliot Middle School following damage sustained during the Eaton Fire. This historic campus is more than just a school building. It serves as a visual and cultural anchor within the community. Retaining the iconic tower and rehabilitating as much of the campus as possible would stand as a powerful symbol of resilience, continuity, and recovery for students, PUSD, and the broader community.
We recognize and sympathize with the serious financial and enrollment challenges facing PUSD. However, we strongly reject the narrative being advanced that demolition is the best or only viable option for these campuses. District officials have asserted that these schools are either not historically significant or have lost their significance, yet no evidence from qualified historic preservation professionals has been publicly presented to support those claims.
With decisions regarding school consolidations and closures still pending, these demolition proposals feel premature and deeply concerning. Pasadena’s historic schools are irreplaceable community assets. Once lost, they cannot be rebuilt.
Now is the time for the community to speak up in support of thoughtful rehabilitation, preservation, and long-term stewardship of these important public landmarks being a top priority.
✍️ Sign the petition at link in bio.
📷: Eliot Middle School. Photo courtesy of Pasadena Daily Photo/Petrea Burchard
Introducing my newest painting: Pasadena Route 66.
Route 66 is turning 100 this year all across the nation, and Colorado Blvd in Pasadena is celebrating it's 150th anniversary.
In collaboration with Pasadena Heritage and Old California Lighting, we wanted to celebrate these milestones with an original gouache painting that will hang in the historic Blinn House. I wanted to give a nod to the amazing architecture, and the preservation that's required to lovingly care for these buildings a century later. Castle Green, City Hall, and two of my favorite buildings on the corner of W Colorado Blvd. and Fair Oaks Ave are featured, along with a 1930s Ford Model A for the road trip.
While the original Route US 66 HWY sign is in the public domain, there are companies in New Zealand and Europe the own the copyright, so I had the opportunity to reimagine a different version for my artwork.
Prints are for sale on my website & ETSY.
/store/c313/PasadenaRoute66
/.../pasadena-ca-route-66-wall-art...
#thebungalowcraft, #julieleidel, #route66, #Pasadenheritage, #oldcalifornia, #oldcalifornialighitng, #pasadenaart, #pasadenacityhall, #CastleGreenHotel
♠️ Join us! Poker Night at the Blinn: A Roaring 20s Fundraiser on Saturday, May 30th from 5pm - 10pm
♥️ Step into a 1920s-inspired night featuring a Texas Hold’em tournament, live jazz, a roaming magician, and an outdoor cigar lounge
♣️ Your ticket includes craft cocktails, beer and wine, and food and small bites throughout the evening
♦️ Period attire encouraged
🎟️ General admission and tournament entry tickets are available, and space in the tournament is limited. Find tickets at link in bio!
All proceeds support Pasadena Heritage and our work to protect and preserve Pasadena’s historic places through advocacy and education.
#historicpreservation #pasadena #roaring20s #jazznight #pokertournament
Historic Preservation | Pasadena | 1920s | Jazz Night | Poker Tournament
🌎 As Earth Month comes to a close, we’re inviting you to deepen your connection to preservation and the places that matter most all year round.
🤝 Join or renew your membership with Pasadena Heritage by April 30th for a chance to win a Blinn House tote bag and a copy of The Original Busch Gardens by Michael Logan - a beautifully detailed look at one of Pasadena’s most enchanting historic landscapes.
To join or renew, please visit pasadenaheritage.org/membership or email [email protected] for more information.
#historicpreservation #pasadena #earthmonth
Historic Preservation | Pasadena | Earth Month
One more round of thanks to @pasadenaheritage for the invite, @mtn__view and their beautiful space for hosting, and everyone who came in the RAIN (!!) to let me gush about some of our great city's most impactful oddball geniuses. To paraphrase Jack Parsons, I was blown away. If you missed it, more coming. Thank you!
