Advocacy Watch List

Pasadena Heritage continuously works, both proactively and in response to specific threats, to preserve and protect historic resources throughout the City of Pasadena. Below is a list of some high-priority buildings, sites, and development projects that we are monitoring closely.

SB 79 Advances—Next Stop: Appropriations Committee

Senate Bill 79, the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, has now passed out of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and was sent back to the Committee on Appropriations on July 17.

While the bill aims to address California’s housing crisis by encouraging dense development near transit, it still does not include protections for historic resources—a serious concern for preservationists across the state.

We are urging key amendments to protect our heritage:

Exclude projects that would demolish federal, state, or locally designated historic resources.
Delay implementation to allow cities to adopt policies that align housing goals with preservation.
Prevent development incentives from applying across major infrastructure barriers, like freeways.
Ensure consistency with existing density bonus law and review standards.

Without these changes, SB 79 risks fast-tracking development that could permanently alter or erase irreplaceable historic cultural assets.

The bill now proceeds to the Assembly Local Government Committee for further review. Pasadena Heritage will continue advocating for these critical amendments—and we encourage you to reach out to your legislators to make your voice heard as it moves through the next stages.

Roosevelt Elementary School

The Pasadena City Council denied landmark designation for Roosevelt School in early June.

Pasadena Heritage strongly supported the nomination because Roosevelt School Matters:

Designed with purpose: Opened in 1953, Roosevelt School was one of the first schools in the nation specifically and masterfully designed to serve students with special needs—a groundbreaking concept at the time.
Community-driven nomination: The landmark application was initiated by parents of former students, showing strong grassroots support and personal investment in the site’s preservation.
Architectural and educational significance: The school is a rare example of a site that holds both architectural value and educational importance, representing a key chapter in Pasadena’s history.
Landmarking allows for future use: Landmark status does not prevent Pasadena Unified School District from building housing on the site. Redevelopment can move forward with key historic structures being adaptively reused instead of demolished.

Draft Citywide Historic Context Statement Released

The Planning and Community Development Department has released the draft Citywide Historic Context Statement for public review and comment. This important milestone marks the completion of Phase 1 of the Historic Places Pasadena: Completing Our Story project.

The Historic Context Statement is a carefully researched narrative that outlines the key patterns and themes that have shaped the physical and cultural development of Pasadena. It serves as a foundational planning tool to help identify properties and neighborhoods that may be historically significant and eligible for designation.

Pasadena Lawn Bowling Club

Established in 1921, The Pasadena Lawn Bowling Club was built during Pasadena's resort era as part of the Hotel Green (Castle Green today). The clubhouse is a historic structure designed in the 1920s by renowned architect Wallace Neff. In 2022, a hundred-year-old Eucalyptus tree fell on the clubhouse. It is the responsibility of Pasadena Parks to repair the historic structure. The City has taken positive steps, including conducting a building study approving funds, and producing plans. However, after three years, it has yet to be repaired. It is the oldest Lawn Bowling Club in the Western US, and still very active. The club provides free lessons on Saturday mornings from 8:30 to 11 AM for the public.

Former YWCA (78 N. Marengo Ave.) and Civic Center

The 1923 Julia Morgan-designed building is a contributor to the Pasadena Civic Center Historic District. It has been vacant for more than 15 years and is in dire need of rehabilitation. Now owned by the City, the building’s condition has seriously deteriorated, despite our constant urging to better secure it from vandalism and rain. After the City Council received more background on the Civic Center and its original Bennett Plan as well as economic analysis of various future uses for the former YWCA in 2019, a hotel proposal was selected. Litigation stalled the project, but it has since been resolved. Preliminary concepts were presented to the Design Commission months ago, but no updated design has yet come forward. We hope the project can move forward soon, because the building continues to be threatened when it sits vacant.

Paseo Hardscape Renovations

The new owner of the Paseo mall, Onni Group, has hired AO (formerly Architects Orange) to redesign the outdoor portions of the complex. The initial version of the project has some elements that are in conflict with the Reciprocal Easement Agreement (REA), which Pasadena Heritage helped to create, that reopened the visual axis of the Garfield Promenade. We are concerned about the effects on the view corridor and have urged the City to require a compatible design. Though some painting and other minor improvements have been done, there is no new information on the Garfield paseo.

Swanson & Peterson Furniture Factory (Rusnak Porsche)

After a lengthy negotiation, the final plans for Rusnak’s new Porsche dealership include retention and rehabilitation of the Swan & Peterson Furniture Factory building. Pasadena Heritage and neighbors worked hard to see that this early “daylight industrial” building remains. We await more information on restoration plans and a new use for the structure.

Civic Center Senior Affordable Housing

Pasadena Heritage met with developer National Core and Onyx Architects on multiple occasions to make recommendations on the design of this senior affordable housing building just west of City Hall. We expressed concerns about previous versions of the project, which we found incompatible with the Civic Center, but found the final version acceptable. The approved project is still seeking the last of its funding.

Colorado Street Bridge

This iconic, National Register-listed bridge constructed in 1912 has unfortunately drawn negative attention due to suicides. A Task Force worked for over a year to provide recommendations for an effective, permanent solution to this ongoing and challenging problem. In the meantime, temporary fencing has been installed to deter suicides. Donald MacDonald Architects was chosen to develop alternatives, but none have been met with approval from the community. Pasadena Heritage and the Institute for Classical Architecture & Art provided some alternative approaches, and the City is now working with a new team of consultants, Apexx Architecture, Chattel, Inc. and PacRim Engineering, who have developed and refined new concepts. Mock-ups of the two top choices are currently being constructed, and we are anxious to see them.

First Trust Building (595 E. Colorado Blvd.)

This historic bank building in the Playhouse District was designed by noted Pasadena architecture firm Bennett and Haskell and features interior murals by American impressionist Alson Clark. The storefront was vacated by Bank of the West and the building owners are looking for a new tenant. Spectra, a well- regarded preservation contractor, has undertaken some restoration work including the cleaning of the ceilings. We hope a new tenant who will preserve the interior can be found.

Space Bank Site (3200 E. Foothill Blvd.)

The site of a formal Naval ordinance testing facility was to be redeveloped with housing, but that project stalled and is currently for sale. The property is an eligible historic district, but due to contamination, most of the site would have to be cleared. Working with Pasadena Heritage, the developer had agreed to retain some artifacts and the monumental torpedo-testing tank, and to place them on the site in the public spaces. The site is currently on the market, and we are waiting to see if that previous plan will move forward or if a new development plan will emerge.