Bullock's Pasadena, in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commerci ...

, is a 240,000-square foot (21 368 m²) Late Moderne architectural style building. Built in 1947, it is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

History

Design

The building was designed by noted Los Angeles architects Wurdeman & Becket, a partnership between

Welton Becket Welton David Becket (August 8, 1902 – January 16, 1969) was an American modern architect who designed many buildings in Los Angeles, California. Biography Becket was born in Seattle, Washington and graduated from the University of Washingt ...

and Walter Wurdemen. In addition to the building itself, the architects oversaw the design and installation of all aspects of the store's interior, from the wallpaper and display cases, to the unique mechanical conveyor system that delivered purchases directly to the parking lot. This attention to detail reflected the architect's philosophy of "total design," or taking responsibility for master planning, engineering, interiors, fixtures and furnishings, landscape, signage and graphics. The department store was purposely crafted to evoke an atmosphere of a "home" or that of an exclusive

country club A country club is a privately-owned Club (organization), club, often with a membership quota and admittance by invitation or sponsorship, that generally offers both a variety of recreational sports and facilities for dining and entertaining. Ty ...

, in keeping with the company president's vision. The design and merchandising of store were unique and stood in contrast to many older department stores of the time. Bullock's Pasadena was among the first department stores in the country to be located outside of a downtown area and was intended to appeal to the emerging "carriage trade," or those shoppers arriving by automobiles. As such, the store was oriented toward an unheard of parking lot located behind the structure.Conyers, Patrick; Phillips, Cedar; and the Pasadena Museum of History''Pasadena: A Business History.''San Francisco, CA: Arcadia Publishing, 2007.

Notability

The store's promoters touted it as the "store of tomorrow" and Arts and Architecture magazine described it as "one of the world's most modern buildings." In fact, the design was recipient of an AIA Merit Award in 1950. The store's elegance and prestige was the impetus for a surge in commercial development on both sides of South Lake Avenue following the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Previously a residential street bounded by houses, the street was soon dotted with upscale shops, boutiques, national retailers and restaurants and became known as one of the premiere shopping destinations in the

San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...

Decline

The South Lake Avenue shopping district, in which Bullock's Pasadena was a major player, began to lose its luster in the late 1980s. While Pasadena's once-seedy

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

district was reborn as a trendy shopping and entertainment district, once-proud South Lake Avenue lost much of its distinction. It is, however, still considered a distinctive and more exclusive shopping district with surrounding boutiques, starred restaurants and enjoys the patronage of the nearby California Institute of Technology and the affluent community of San Marino.

Current use of building

On July 12, 1996, the building was listed on the

as No. 96000776. In May 2000, the city of Pasadena's Design Review Board granted approval for a redevelopment of the building's surrounding area as part of a new shopping destination called "The Shops on Lake Avenue," a $33 million (~$ in ) project, featuring specialty shops, of new restaurants and a new 300-space-parking garage, increasing parking capacity to nearly 1,200 spaces. Developed by Cleveland, Ohio-based Forest City Development California, Inc. and owned by Federated Department Stores, the project opened in the spring of 2002 and currently houses a Macy's department store in the original Bullock's location.

References

External links

{{Macy's history Art Deco architecture in California Streamline Moderne architecture in California Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Pasadena, California Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California History of Los Angeles Department stores on the National Register of Historic Places Bullock's Late Moderne architecture