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Event> Happy 125th, Pasadena!

Event> Happy 125th, Pasadena!

Pasadena is celebrating its 125th Anniversary today and will continue partying all month and into the fall. Now a significant city with over 140,000 residents, it was a rural settlement when it decided to become the fourth city to incorporate in Los Angeles County on June 12, 1886. While many know Pasadena for its Rose Bowl, Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena Playhouse, and California Institute of Technology, the city is also home to “Bungalow Heaven,” a 16-block Historic Landmark District neighborhood featuring nearly 1,000 Craftsman bungalows. This month features tours of these homes and more.

Pasadena was one of the hubs of the American Arts & Crafts movement, which emphasized simplicity of design, hand-made craftsmanship, functionality and natural elements. Typical one-and-a-half story Craftsman bungalows were designed with an open floor plan, wide verandas, broad roofs and polished wood interiors and seamlessly linked the indoors with the out. Perhaps the most famous practitioners of the style were architecture firm Greene & Greene. Established by brothers Charles and Henry Greene, the early 20th century duo designed their bungalow and ultimate bungalow style houses for well-to-do residents. Nine Greene & Greene homes including the Gamble House, the Blacker House, the Freeman Ford House, and the Duncan-Irwin House pepper the city.

Special walking tours of these Arts & Crafts homes led by Gamble House docents will take place Saturday, June 18 and Saturday, July 16 at 10am. Admission is $15 and reservations are required. For more information, visit here. In addition, brochures for a self-guided walking tour are available at the Gamble House bookstore.

To honor its 125th anniversary as a city, Pasadena began celebrating with a birthday party extravaganza at the Pasadena Museum of History yesterday, followed by concerts, fireworks and more in the summer and fall. For a list of other 125th celebration highlights visit the City of Pasadena website.

 

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