The Pasadena Civic Center District is the

civic center A civic center or civic centre is a prominent land area within a community that is constructed to be its focal point or center. It usually contains one or more dominant public buildings, which may also include a government building. Recently, the ...

of and a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from c ...

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, 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 commercial district. I ...

. The district is roughly bounded by Walnut and Green Streets and Raymond and Euclid Avenues.

History

Construction on the buildings in the district was funded with a $3.5 million bond issuance in 1923. The plan was created by the Chicago firm of Bennett, Parsons and Frost. The elaborate designs of the buildings in the district were inspired by the

City Beautiful movement The City Beautiful Movement was a reform philosophy of North American architecture and urban planning that flourished during the 1890s and 1900s with the intent of introducing beautification and monumental grandeur in cities. It was a part of the ...

of the 1920s. . The district was listed in the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 1980.

Architecture

The

Pasadena City Hall Pasadena City Hall, completed in 1927, serves as the central location for city government in the Pasadena, California, City of Pasadena, California and is a significant architectural example of the City Beautiful movement of the 1920s. History ...

Pasadena Central Library Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, 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 commercial district. I ...

, and

Pasadena Civic Auditorium The Pasadena Convention Center is a convention center in Pasadena, California. It consists of three buildings. Pasadena Civic Auditorium The Civic Auditorium, one of the major structures in the Pasadena Civic Center District, was built in 1931 an ...

serve as the centerpieces of the district. The Beaux-Arts

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonial ...

City Hall building was designed by San Francisco architects

Bakewell and Brown Arthur Brown Jr. (1874–1957) was an American architect, based in San Francisco and designer of many of its landmarks. He is known for his work with John Bakewell Jr. as Bakewell and Brown, along with later works after the partnership dissolved ...

in the style of 16th-century Italian architect Andrea Palladio. The building resembles three of Palladio's domed structures—the church of

Santa Maria della Salute Santa Maria della Salute ( en, Saint Mary of Health), commonly known simply as the Salute, is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica located at Punta della Dogana in the Dorsoduro sestiere of the city of Venice, Italy. It stands on the narr ...

in Venice, the

Hotel des Invalides The Hôtel des Invalides ( en, "house of invalids"), commonly called Les Invalides (), is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as ...

in Paris and

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grad ...

in London. Without being a direct imitation, Pasadena City Hall is related to them all. The Pasadena Central Library was designed by

Myron Hunt Myron Hubbard Hunt (February 27, 1868 – May 26, 1952) was an American architect whose numerous projects include many noted landmarks in Southern California and Evanston, Illinois. Hunt was elected a Fellow in the American Institute of Archi ...

in 1924. The Central Library was dedicated on Lincoln's birthday (February 12), 1927, and was the first building completed of the new Civic Center Plan.CityofPasadena.net: Pasadena Central Library Architecture — "a brief history"
. accessed 4.24.2014 Part of the district prior to the 1920s are: the Pasadena Post Office, Turner and Stevens Company Building, YMCA, and the YWCA designed by

Julia Morgan Julia Morgan (January 20, 1872 – February 2, 1957) was an American architect and engineer. She designed more than 700 buildings in California during a long and prolific career.Erica Reder"Julia Morgan was a local in ''The New Fillmore'', 1 Febr ...

. After the Civic Center was formally planned, additional buildings were constructed in the area. These buildings include the American Legion Hall, the First Baptist Church, the Southern California Gas Company building, the Hall of Justice, the County Courts, All Saints Episcopal Church), and the Maryland Hotel Apartments. Memorial Park, the site of Pasadena's first public library, is also part of the district.

Gallery of images of Pasadena Civic Center

Pasadena YMCA Building (aka Centennial Place).JPG, YMCA Building, aka Centennial Place Pasadena Civic Auditorium.JPG, Pasadena Civic Auditorium Pasadena Post Office.JPG, Pasadena Post Office Pasadena City Hall.jpg, Pasadena City Hall Pasadena Public Library Central 04.jpg, Pasadena Central Library AllSaintsEpiscopalChurch Pasadena007 2009August30sm.jpg, All Saints Episcopal Church, August 30, 2009

References

External links

City Hall History and ArchitectureSite Plan Pasadena Civic Center
{{Pasadena Neighborhoods in Pasadena, California National Register of Historic Places in Pasadena, California Government buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in California Neoclassical architecture in California Palladian Revival architecture in California Mediterranean Revival architecture in California Beaux-Arts architecture in California

History

Architecture

Gallery of images of Pasadena Civic Center

See also

References

External links