Concert Review: Jose Gonzalez captivates Paramount crowd

by Sophia Barkalakis

The already enchanting music of Argentine-Swedish guitarist Jose Gonzalez was going to be complemented by the intriguing sound of The String Theory. The captivating music was to be paired by the historic Paramount Theater in Seattle which was packed full for this unique experience. Sometimes nothing else feels as right as getting your favorite songs arranged by a composer giving them new life. They released an album with the new arrangement titled Live in Europe and we can't get enough of it.

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Pasadena Heritage Discover Madison House in 1976 Film!

This summer, Pasadena Heritage staff discovered that the Madison House, bequeathed to us by the Madison family and used as our offices, made an appearance in Goodbye, Norma Jean. This 1976 film by Larry Buchanan is based on the life of Marilyn Monroe, played by Mistella "Misty" Rowe. The film opens with a scene depicting the Madison House as a foster home, one of many that Monroe spent her

childhood in. Both the exterior and interior of the home are captured in the film, and Pasadena Heritage staff were amused by what has and has not changed since 1976! Many of the Madisons' possessions remain, as they were donated to us along with the home.

The Madison House has had a long history and many different owners, the Madisons being the last. It was originally designed by Harry

Ridgeway, one of Pasadena's first recognized professional architects, and built in 1883 by contractor J. S. Blick for $3,500. The original owners were James H. Cambell, Sr., a retiree, and Caroline "Carrie" Cambell. Both were prominent in the local temperance movement. Their son, James Cambell, Jr., lived in a Ridgeway-designed home next door, built at the same time. 

(At the time of this writing, Goodbye, Norma Jean can be viewed on Amazon Prime. Please note that the film contains some nudity and violence and is only suitable for mature audiences.)

Future of Fuller Theological Seminary Remains Pending

The 1904 Behlow House, a contributor to the Ford Place Historic Distrct

In May, Fuller Theological Seminary announced the sale of its 13-acre Pasadena campus, its home since 1947, and said it plans to relocate to Pomona. The multidenominational evangelical graduate institution's campus includes the Ford Place Historic District, open space, and various institutional, multi-family residential, and office buildings.

We understand that Fuller has retained Los Angeles-based commercial real estate services and investment firm CBRE Group, Inc. to market the campus, which will be sold as various separate property groupings, and that the deadline for offers is October 26.

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LA Metro Discovers Whale Fossil While Excavating Regional Connector

BY ROBERTO AYALA

Earlier this summer, a discovery was made at the site of the future Historic Broadway Station, one of three new Regional Connector stations. While performing station excavation, crews discovered a large bone that likely belongs to an extinct Miocene-aged whale that lived approximately 10 to 15 million years ago.

With an appreciation for the scientific value of fossil preservation and various government regulations, Metro has hired paleontologists at each project to monitor excavation efforts and identify and preserve fossils when needed. To learn more about the discovery, we contacted Paleo Solutions’ principal paleontologist Courtney Richards, M.S. 

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EVENT: WALKING TOUR of South Marengo Historic District in Pasadena, California 6/3/17

WALKING TOUR
South Marengo Historic District

Saturday, June 3 | 9:00 - 11:00am

Tickets: Member $15 | Non-Member $18

South Marengo was once the address of Victorian Mansions and modest hotels, praised by President Teddy Roosevelt as a beautiful example of city planning. Pasadena Heritage nominated the Historic District to the National Register in 1982, then purchased and rehabilitated its first hands-on Prservation Fund project here. We also heped form the special business overlay zone, which allows some commercial uses in the restored homes. This tour will explore the people and stories associated with this turn-of-the-century Craftsman neighborhood.

EVENT: GO BEHIND THE SCENES @ the Pasadena Playhouse 5/13/17 (Members Only. Join Today!)

Go behind the scenes of this 1925 Mission Revival performing arts venue, designed by Pasadena artist and architect Elmer Grey, featuring a fire curtain painted by Pasadena artist Alson S. Clark. For over half a century, the Pasadena Playhouse was a vital force in the American theatre scene. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, it remains one of the city’s finest examples of Mission Revival architecture. Open to members only, join today!

BEHIND THE SCENES

at the Pasadena Playhouse

Saturday, May 13 | 10:00 am - 12:00 pm

Pasadena Playhouse, 65 South El Molino Ave.
Ticket: Members FREE. Join Here!

HISTORIC LANDMARK: Watts Towers (near Los Angeles) 1921-1954

The Watts Towers, Towers of Simon Rodia, or Nuestro Pueblo ("our town") are a collection of 17 interconnected sculptural structures within the Simon Rodia State Historic Park in the Watts community of Los Angeles. The tallest of the towers reaches a height of over 99 feet (30 m). The towers and walls were designed and built by Sabato ("Simon") Rodia (1879–1965), an Italian immigrant construction worker and tile mason, over a period of 33 years, from 1921 to 1954. The work is an example of outsider art and Italian-American naïve art.

The Watts Towers are located near the 103rd Street/Watts Towers Los Angeles Metro station of the Los Angeles County Metro Rail Blue Line, and off the I-105 Century Freeway. They were designated a National Historic Landmark and a California Historical Landmark in 1990. They are also a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument, and on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles.

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HISTORIC LANDMARK: Flatiron Building, New York City (1902)

The Flatiron Building, originally the Fuller Building, is a triangular 22-story steel-framed landmarked building located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper. Upon completion in 1902, it was one of the tallest buildings in the city at 20 floors high and one of only two skyscrapers north of 14th Street – the other being the Metropolitan Life Insurance Company Tower, one block east. The building sits on a triangular block formed by Fifth Avenue, Broadway, and East 22nd Street, with 23rd Street grazing the triangle's northern (uptown) peak. As with numerous other

wedge-shaped buildings, the name "Flatiron" derives from its resemblance to a cast-iron clothes iron.

The building, which has been called "one of the world's most iconic skyscrapers and a quintessential symbol of New York City", anchors the south (downtown) end of Madison Square and the north (uptown) end of the Ladies' Mile Historic District. The neighborhood around it is called the Flatiron District after its signature building, which has become an icon of New York City.

The Flatiron Building was designated a New York City landmark in 1966, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.

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EVENT: 28th Annual Bungalow Heaven Home Tour in Pasadena 4/30/17

28th Annual Bungalow Heaven Home Tour

Sunday April 30th, 2017 @ 10a to 4p 

Bungalow Heaven, Pasadena, California, United States

On Sunday, April 30, visitors can experience the beautiful historic neighborhood of Bungalow Heaven as they stroll through Pasadena’s first Landmark District. Bungalow Heaven is located north of the 210 Freeway, between Lake and Hill avenues. It is bordered on the north by Washington Blvd. and the south by Orange Grove Blvd. During the self-guided tour visitors will be invited to view the interiors of several homes with docent led commentaries. They will also be treated to demonstrations of restoration work, music, and refreshments. Food trucks will be on hand for those who wish to purchase lunch.

More information on the tour or on ordering tickets can be found online at www.bungalowheaven.org or by calling (626) 585-2172. Tickets are $25 per person if purchased in advance or $30 on the day of the tour. In addition the Bungalow Heaven trolley will again offer 45-minute narrated bus tours of Landmark District architecture for $10 per person. Tickets, maps and an informational tour brochure, will be available at McDonald Park at the intersection of Mar Vista Avenue and Mountain Street.

EVENT: Join Pasadena Heritage on tour through Architecturally-rich & Historic Churches 4/22/17

St. Andrew, First Baptist, All Saints, First Congregational, Fuller Theological, Pasadena Presbyterian, First United Methodist, and the First Church of Christ Scientist are all impressive examples of the many inspiring sacred spaces that can be found in downtown Pasadena. This guided walking tour will focus on the distinctive architecture and interior decorative devices that uplift the eyes and the spirit -- carved ceiling beams, hand-painted murals, and richly stained glass motifs. Our previous church tours have been sell-outs, and this one will offer the chance to enjoy work by leading, regional architects designing inspired ecclesiastical buildings.

WALKING TOUR

Churches of Pasadena

Saturday, April 22 | 9:00am - 12:00pm

Tickets: Member $20 | Non-Member $25
Please note that the tours include only exteriors.

RSVP HERE

Pasadena Heritage supports Kimpton Hotel Project in Civic Center

 Pasadena city officials this week put a hold on a Kimpton Hotel project proposed to occupy the vacant Julia Morgan-designed YWCA building on the edge of that city's historic civic center plaza after the developer sought more than $30 million in concessions.

Local preservation group Pasadena Heritage supports the hotel because, "it is an ideal reuse for the former YWCA building, which has sat vacant now for 20 years, complies with the original Bennett Plan that called for a future building in this location, would do much to enliven the Civic Center and provide public amenities, and increase pedestrian activity throughout the day and evening hours," the group said in its April newsletter.

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Gallery: Rare Photos of Historic Moments Around the World

Because we love to find good content on the internet, we were fortunate enough to discover rare photos of historic moments around the world. We find these photos strikingly interesting as they capture spontaneous moments you won't see much anywhere else. Enjoy.

Fritz, a television celebrity bulldog, is shaved by a Californian barber. April, 1961.

Construction of the Golden Gate Bridge in 1937.

 

The Statue of Liberty surrounded by scaffolding as workers complete the final stages in Paris. Circa 1885.

Dinosaurs are transported on the Hudson River to the 1964 World's Fair.

Two childhood friends unexpectedly reunite on opposite sides of a demonstration in 1972.

Crowds rush through the castle on Disneyland's opening day in 1955.

Construction of Hoover Dam in 1934.

OJ Simpson carries the Olympic Torch in 1984.

Washington-Hoover Airport which was demolished in 1941.  This is where the Pentagon stands today.

The earliest known aerial photograph, taken from a balloon over Paris in 1858.

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