Shaping Suburbia: The Modern Era & Early Suburban Design

Shaping Suburbia: The Modern Era & Early Suburban Design

Join us as we examine the evolution of Pasadena's suburbs through the decades and tour historic tracts dating from the 1920s to the 1960s!

By Pasadena Heritage

Location

Various Venues

Please Consult Eventbrite Confirmation Email for Meeting Location and Event Details 160 N Oakland Pasadena, CA 91101

Refund Policy

Contact the organizer to request a refund.

About this event

  • 1 day 6 hours

Annandale Road Walking Tour (1920s and 1930s)

Saturday, June 22nd | Tours leaving at 10:00 AM, 10:30 AM, and 11:00 AM

Tickets: $20 members* | $25 nonmembers

Explore the Weston-Bungalowcraft Landmark District, a small subdivision of tract houses designed in the English Cottage Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style. One of the earliest examples of tract development in Pasadena, these spec houses were all built to five designs from Rex Weston's Bungalowcraft pattern book.

This event will take place rain or shine. For the comfort of all our guests, dogs are not permitted on walking tours.

Presentation & Reception - "Living the Suburban Dream in Hastings Ranch" by Alan Hess

Saturday, June 22 | Lecture from 4:00 - 5:00 PM; Reception from 5:00 - 6:30 PM

Tickets: $35 members* | $40 nonmembers

Alan Hess has written twenty-one books on Modern architecture and urbanism in the mid-20th Century and has long been active in the preservation of postwar architecture. Join us for a presentation on the development of Hastings Ranch, where Hess lived as a young child, and the relation between Ranch Style and modern tract houses. The lecture will take place in A Noise Within's theatre and will be followed by a casual reception in the historic Stuart Pharmaceutical Building.

Lower Hastings Ranch Walking Tour (1940s to 1960s)

Sunday, June 23 | Tours leaving at 10:00 AM, 10:30 AM, and 11:00 AM

Tickets: $20 members* | $25 nonmembers

Annexed into the City of Pasadena in February of 1946, Lower Hastings Ranch was the first of Hasting Ranch's housing tracts to be developed. Its managing agents, Fritz Burns and Fred Marlow, were partners in one of the most prominent land development firms in Southern California. Join us as we explore its Minimal Ranch-Style homes and several Character Ranch-Style multifamily buildings with Polynesian flare. This tour will feature the works of Harold Bissner, Theodore Pletsch, and Harold Zook.

This event will take place rain or shine. For the comfort of all our guests, dogs are not permitted on walking tours.

Presentation & Book Signing - The New Suburbia: How Diversity Remade Suburban Life in Los Angeles after 1945 by Dr. Becky Nicolaides

Sunday, June 23 | Lecture from 2:00 - 3:00 PM, w/ book signing to follow

In-Person Lecture Tickets: $20 members* | $25 nonmembers (lecture only); $45 members* | $50 nonmembers (with book)

Zoom (Virtual) Lecture Tickets: $15 members* | $20 nonmembers

Historian Dr. Becky Nicolaides has studied the development and evolution of suburban neighborhoods in Los Angeles and the surrounding communities over the course of the last half-century. Join us for a special presentation on her research findings, LA's changing suburban landscape, and how Pasadena's many historic suburbs fit into the greater context. Dr. Nicolaides will touch on several topics including race relations and social themes.

This is a hybrid presentation and will be available both in-person and via Zoom. The in-person lecture will take place at the historic Blinn House. A recording of the lecture will be shared with all event attendees. Those attending in person have the option of purchasing a ticket that includes Dr. Nicolaides' book.

* PASADENA HERITAGE MEMBERS: To redeem your membership discount, click the orange "Get Tickets" button and type the discount code MEMBER in the promo code field at the top of the ticket window and click "Apply." If you have difficulty purchasing your member tickets, please contact Kristen Norton at knorton@pasadenaheritage.org or 626-441-6333 x.118.


Special thanks to our sponsors!

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$20 – $50