Pasadena Explore: Part 1 Walking Tour

I love architecture and the town of Pasadena is a treasure trove of wonder and we wanted to discover it all. Our destination, for today, was The Gamble House.

The Gamble House was designed in 1908 by architects Greene & Greene. It was commissioned by David and Mary Gamble, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a winter residence. We began at this entrance gate, constructed because Mr. Gamble wanted to prevent the relentless onslaught of tourist buses who, because of it, could no longer fit below the signage.

David Berry Gamble, a second generation member of the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, had retired from active work in 1895, and with his wife, Mary Huggins Gamble, began to spend winters in Pasadena, residing in the area’s resort hotels. By 1907, the couple had decided to build a permanent home in Pasadena. In June of that year, they bought a lot on the short, private street, Westmoreland Place, passing up the more fashionable address, South Orange Grove, known at that time as Millionaires’ Row.

At the same time the Gambles were selecting their lot on Westmoreland Place, a house designed by the firm of Greene & Greene was being built for John Cole on the adjacent property. Perhaps meeting the architects at the construction site, and certainly impressed with the other Greene & Greene houses in the Park Place neighborhood, the Gambles met with the brothers and agreed on a commission.

Part 1 of our day was a Green & Greene Neighborhood Walking Tour. "Enjoy a guided walk around the historic Arroyo Terrace neighborhood, a National Register historic district that is home to nine Greene & Greene houses as well as the works of other noted architects such as: Myron Hunt, Edwin Bergstrom, Elmer Grey, and D. M. Renton."

A little about Greene & Greene. Charles Sumner Greene (1868-1957) and Henry Mather Greene (1870-1954) were brothers born in Brighton, Ohio, now part of Cincinnati. The boys spent part of their childhood living on their mother’s family farm in West Virginia. The brothers developed a love of nature during those West Virginia years that would be ever-reflected in their art.

Their father decided for them that the two should become architects, and at his urging, enrolled at the School of Architecture of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

In 1893, their parents, who had moved to the “little country town” of Pasadena, requested that their sons move out to California and join them. The brothers did so, and the cross-country trip proved fortuitous: while passing through Chicago, they stopped at the World’s Columbian Exhibition and for the first time saw examples of Japanese architecture. Their immediate admiration of the style would become a strong influence on their later designs.

Soon after their arrival in Pasadena, Charles and Henry set up shop together, and the architecture firm of Greene & Greene was born. Their art would culminate between 1907 and 1909 with the construction of the “ultimate bungalows” — one of which is the Gamble House in Pasadena.

As we strolled around the neighborhood, we were given lessons about the unique components of a Greene & Greene house. So dang cool.

One famous element was Clinker bricks. These unique building tools are produced when wet clay bricks are exposed to excessive heat during the firing process, sintering the surface of the brick and forming a shiny, dark-colored coating. Clinker bricks have a blackened appearance, and they are often misshapen or split. Clinkers are so named for the metallic sound they make when struck together. They are denser, heavier, and more irregular than standard bricks. Clinkers are water-resistant and durable, but have higher thermal conductivity than more porous red bricks, lending less insulation to climate-controlled structures. They were everywhere. We found ourselves on a clinker brick hunt.

Their fascination with Japan was found throughout, too.

Our guide, Tina, was exceptional. I loved it as she shared images of before & after.

Our tour took us through the Park Place–Arroyo Terrace Historic District, a residential historic district which includes eleven contributing houses built from 1902 to 1912. Most of the houses in the district were influenced by the Arts and Crafts Movement, which was popular in Pasadena in the early 20th century; particular styles in the district include the American Craftsman house, the Craftsman bungalow, the Colonial Revival house, and the Prairie School house.

The Jas Culbertson House (1902) intrigued. It began as a two-story English country style home that was converted to a Craftsman in 1906. In 1914, it was transformed into an English Tudor, and was a continuous project until JC died in 1915.

Then in the 1950s, Whitney Smith was hired to remove the entire second story to turn the home into a mid-century modern. Wild!

One of the famous architects we 'met' on this tour was Myron Hunt (who is mentioned in the writings of Frank Lloyd Wright and other Chicago architects of the era as an early member of the group which came to be known as the Prairie School). Above is his Jesse Hoyt Smith home (1909).

In 1903, he moved to Los Angeles, where he entered into a partnership with architect Elmer Grey (1871–1963). Opening an office in Pasadena, the firm of Hunt and Grey soon became popular with the well-to-do denizens of that city, who were building many costly houses during that period. They were soon designing large houses in communities throughout Southern California. The above is his personal residence, built in 1905.

The Greene brothers eventually split up, with Charles pursuing an artist life in Carmel. He seemed to be the creative part of the team. This home, designed by Henry, appears to lack the specialness of traditional Greene & Greene homes.

This Dutch Colonial Revival (1904) was designed by Hunt and his partner Grey. What a different look.

This Queen Anne is the oldest in the neighborhood (1895).

And how different is this mansion? Robert Farquar designed the 1906/1907 residence for Eva Fenyes, a patron of the arts and a prolific artist herself.

I was intrigued by this post. Brookside Park was dedicated in 1914. It was renamed in honor of Mrs. Everett W. Brooks, who donated $3000 toward the construction of of a municipal plunge. Notable historic features of the park included the Bandstand, Rocker, the Pergola, and the picnic area. Next time!

This home was built by Buff & Hensman (c. 1970s) who created hundreds of contemporary homes during the postwar housing boom in Southern California. It seemed out of place somehow.

After strolling for an hour and a half, we found ourselves in Old Pasadena at Café Santorini. It was literally a hole-in-the-wall which opened up into an amazing dining space.