Pasadena’s Old Town : Stroll Through City’s New Shopping District Shows Results of Trendy Transformation

Five years ago, Old Town Pasadena was a forgotten corner of the San Gabriel Valley. Roughly bounded by Pasadena Avenue, Del Mar Boulevard, Arroyo Parkway and Walnut Street, the historic district hosted dusty antique shops, used clothing stores, fast-food stands and cheap flats.

But today Old Town presents a different face. It has been transformed into a trendy, lively, popular commercial district. Evening throngs crowd its cafes and sidewalks. Two new municipal parking structures, a multiplex theater, boutiques and coffeehouses attract visitors from throughout the Southland. Old Town has become the Westwood or Melrose of the San Gabriel Valley.

The following two-hour self-guided walking tour explores both the architectural history and the energetic watering holes and eateries of Old Town. You may want to walk two hours before sunset and end with dinner or a film.

To get to Old Town Pasadena from Interstate 210 (Foothill Freeway), exit south on Fair Oaks Avenue and go to Colorado Boulevard. From the Pasadena (11) Freeway, drive north to its end and continue north on Arroyo Parkway to Colorado Boulevard. Several new municipal parking structures--one at Green Street and Fair Oaks Avenue--offer space at 50 cents per hour.

Begin the walk at the heart of old Pasadena: Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue. From 1888 to the 1920s, this intersection was the crossroads of the city. Once many of these commercial buildings hosted Victorian facades with bay windows, turrets and rooftop finials.

In 1929, however, as Colorado Boulevard was widened 14 feet on each side, the Victorian fronts were literally chopped off to provide setbacks. New commercial fronts were built, reflecting the prominent, popular styles of the day: Zigzag Moderne, Spanish Colonial Revival and Beaux Arts.

Walk east on Colorado Boulevard. As you stroll, look up and appreciate the fanciful facades. At 24-28 E. Colorado Blvd. stands the Fish Building, an excellent example of Zigzag Moderne design. Built in 1887 and remodeled in 1929, the two-story building’s facade is animated with swirling waves, florid shapes and star bursts.

Superb Beaux Arts buildings stand nearby. At 109-125 E. Colorado Blvd. rises a six-story steel-framed-and-brick building, designed in 1906 by John Parkinson and Edwin Bergstrom. Originally the Pasadena Chamber of Commerce Building, the recently renovated structure features an ornate overhanging cornice and geometric-patterned, colored brick.

As Pasadena grew in the 1920s, its prestigious commercial district moved eastward, as evidenced from the monumental Beaux Arts bank buildings at the corner of Marengo Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

Turn left on Marengo Avenue. Several commercial buildings at 24-38 N. Marengo Ave. display the decorative versatility of terra cotta, with their engaged columns and multicolored friezes.

Evocative of Italian Gothic cathedrals, the First Baptist Church overshadows Marengo Avenue north of Union Street. Note its massive scale and use of tracery.

At Holly Street, turn left. To the east stands the imposing, majestic Pasadena City Hall with its Italian Baroque dome inspired by Venice’s Santa Maria della Salute, creating a dramatic silhouette at sunset.

Nestled at the northwest corner of Marengo Avenue and Holly Street is an English Gothic brick structure. Built in 1922 as the Turner and Stevens Mortuary, the offices, chapel and gardens now host law firms and the Holly Street Bar and Grill, which offers dining in a romantic courtyard.

Continue west on Holly Street to Harper’s Livery Bar and Grill at 110. Built in 1903 as a hay barn, the brick building was bought in 1906 by John B. Harper for his horses and wagons, which were used for Pasadena City Market deliveries. In 1980, the building was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and now houses a restaurant.

At the corner of Raymond Avenue, look north. The Crown Theater at 129 N. Raymond Ave., built in 1920 as a legitimate theater, features Beaux Arts ornamentation. Farther north rises the landmark campanile of St. Andrews Catholic Church, its Medieval Romanesque design inspired by Santa Sabina Church in Rome.

Fashionable Crowds

One of Old Town’s most popular restaurants, Cafe Jacoulet, overlooks the sidewalk at 92 N. Raymond. At once a cafe, charcuterie , patisserie and small market, the restaurant attracts a fashionable crowd.

Continue west on Holly Street, which is lined with antique stores, boutiques, eateries and gift shops. Turn left on Fair Oaks Avenue and walk half a block. Note the empty 1887 Victorian commercial building at the southwest corner of Union Street and Fair Oaks Avenue; it served as Pasadena’s sixth city hall from 1893 to 1903.

After 72 N. Fair Oaks Ave., turn left into the parking lot and walk to the Loch Ness Monster Pub, a Scottish watering hole established in 1973.

Walk north through the pub’s patio into the open court. Suddenly you are in the midst of Pasadena’s remarkable Victorian alleyway network, which once provided delivery and service access to the area’s bustling businesses. Weathered brick walls combine with tall arched windows, narrow passageways, rickety balconies and fading shingles to reveal the district’s age. Turn right and follow the narrow Hayes Alley to the T and turn right down Kendall Alley to Union Street.

Pastries and Coffee

Turn left on Union Street and walk to Raymond Avenue. Across the street at 60 N. Raymond you’ll find one of Pasadena’s best bakeries, Cafe Sixty North. Its small covered patio provides a tempting place for pastries and coffee.

Turn right and stroll south on Raymond Avenue, crossing Colorado Boulevard. At 26-38 S. Raymond Ave. stands the Vandervort Block, built in 1894. With its heavy arches and squat columns, the two-story cream-brick commercial building has one of the area’s best Romanesque designs. The small alleyway behind it leads to the Expresso Bar, an amicable coffeehouse.

At 17 S. Raymond Ave. you’ll find Birdie’s, a San Francisco-style cafe that serves terrific baked goods and scrumptious breakfasts. Walk into the Braley Building at 35 S. Raymond Ave. and explore its four-story sky-lit atrium. Built in 1906, today the commercial building contains three restaurants and Robin Rose Ice Cream Shop.

Exit north from the Braley Building, turn left, and saunter down the alleyway. Recently recast with brick-lined paving, trees and lampposts, the lane’s new design models an exciting reuse of the alleyways.

Rose City Diner

At Fair Oaks Avenue, walk south to Green Street. Emblazoned with neon and blaring with jukebox melodies, the Rose City Diner at 45 S. Fair Oaks Ave. packs in a younger crowd.

Turn left at Green Street and walk east one block to Raymond Avenue. On the south side of the street towers the seven-story Hotel Green Annex, built in 1898 when Pasadena was a world-famous winter resort.

The original Hotel Green, built in 1887-91, stood at the southeast corner of Raymond Avenue and Green Street. It was demolished in 1935, and only the round corner entrance remains of the original hotel.

Turn right on Raymond Avenue, noting the massive scale and eclectic styling of the Hotel Green Annex. Round turrets with capped roofs mix with friezes of Moorish and (Louis Henri) Sullivanesque designs to create an imposing monument evocative of Bengali palaces in India. Jutting east from the hotel is a covered “Bridge of Sighs,” which once crossed Raymond Avenue to the original resort. Now the structure hosts apartments and senior housing.

Was Carriage Business

Turn right at Dayton Street and cross Fair Oaks Avenue. At 103 S. Fair Oaks Ave. stands the Doty Block, built in 1887. In the 1890s, this three-story red-brick building, now under restoration, housed the San Gabriel Valley’s largest carriage business.

Pasadena’s first fire station, built in 1889, still stands at 37 W. Dayton St. Note its cast-iron pillars and ornate tin cornice.

At DeLacy Street, turn right, walking north. Cross Green Street and turn into Fraser Alley along the north side of the new parking structure across from Brignole’s Fitness Training Club, 42 S. DeLacy St. At the end of the alley, walk into Tanner Market. Once a livery barn, the structure has recently been remodeled into boutiques and restaurants.

Walk straight through the market to the west exit. Beyond the Craftsman-style gazebo, turn right into the doorway leading to the Ritz Grill and its courtyard. Originally the Ritz Grill was a Spanish-style Texaco Station, built in 1930.

Turn right on Colorado Boulevard, and return to Fair Oaks Avenue. As you stroll, note especially the lively Spanish Colonial design gracing many of the commercial buildings. A number of popular eateries on West Colorado Boulevard include Ernie Jr.’s Taco House (at 126), Barney’s Ltd. (93), Chicago Rib’s (90), Pasadena Creamery (50), Rosicler’s (24) and Dodsworth Bar and Grill (2). And at 64 W. Colorado Blvd. is the new, Art Deco-styled United Artists Multiplex Theater.