Dream Homes in Bungalow Heaven : Pasadena: New landmark status protects character of more than 900 bungalows. Young couples find them attractive alternatives to a tract.
When Felix and Kathryn Orona set out to buy their first home, they discovered that what they could afford and what they wanted were two different things. They could afford a condo or a townhouse in Los Angeles County, or a tract home in Orange County.
“I grew up in Monterey Hills where one developer built 400 or 500 (identical) houses,” Felix Orona said with disillusionment. “We didn’t want that.”
All they wanted was a single-family home with a little individuality, a little character. They found it in Pasadena’s Bungalow Heaven.
Driving up and down the streets of Bungalow Heaven (from Mentor Avenue east to Chester Avenue; from Washington Boulevard on the north, and Orange Grove Boulevard on the south) it’s easy to see how this old Pasadena neighborhood got its name.
There are more than 900 cozy bungalows--one-story, single-family dwellings--in this historic six-block district, which in November, 1989, became the first Pasadena neighborhood to be designated a landmark district.
“I was drawn to the area because of the style of architecture,” Orona said. “That seems to be what most people like--the character of the houses and the neighborhood.”
The 38-year-old CPA and his wife bought their 1,850-square-foot colonial revival-style home in 1986 for $129,000.
“We walked in here and nearly fell over. You walk into any of these homes and you’re struck by the size of the rooms, the little detail work you don’t find in newer homes,” Orona said.
Pasadena’s propensity to be both “with it” and relaxed was another draw for the Oronas. While a student at UCLA, Orona said, he got his fill of trendiness. Those who live in Pasadena, he said, “know what’s going on. There are professionals, there are yuppies, but it’s more laid back and the people are real. It’s not as superficial as the Westside.”
But Pasadena is changing, Orona noted. Old Town, south and west of Bungalow Heaven, on Colorado Boulevard, is becoming a mecca for trendy shops and restaurants.
Bungalow Heaven seems a safe distance from all that. It’s the type of place where he feels he can raise his two young children properly.
Most of Bungalow Heaven sprang up just after the turn of the century, at a time when modest homes were popping up all over California.
Today it has one of the largest collections of bungalows in Southern California, said Robert Winter, author of “The California Bungalow” and a professor of American history at Occidental College.
Because of their humble architecture, bungalows once had a poor reputation, Winter said. But, ironically, it’s the architecture and craftsmanship--along with lower prices--that are now drawing people to Bungalow Heaven.
“There are a lot of younger people buying here because it still has one of the lower price ranges,” said June Davidson, a Pasadena broker. “They take their money, love and effort, and restore these homes.”
The average house in Bungalow Heaven sells for just over $200,000, said Davidson, who has worked out of her Realty World office on Washington Boulevard for 30 years.
On the high end, there is a restored five-bedroom, two-story farmhouse/bungalow with fireplace and 2,159 square feet listed at $399,500, Davidson said.
Right smack in the middle of the community sits McDonald Park, a former water reservoir transformed by the city into an oasis for outdoor activities. There are plenty of shade trees, swings and enough running and playing space for a pick-up softball or soccer game.
Homes border the park on all four sides, giving it the feel of a small community town square. North on Washington Boulevard is an elementary school; a small branch of the Pasadena Library is next door.
Bob Kneisel, a 43-year-old resident and the muscle behind the push for landmark status, says that although the bungalows were built to house working-class families, they “are not all cookie-cutter homes.”
“These are charming, well-built houses,” said Kneisel, an economist for the South Coast Air Quality Management District. “The builders built two or three at a time, but each has individual characteristics. You see the difference immediately when you look down the street.”
Looking down the street also gives you a sense of the melting pot of ages and ethnic and economic backgrounds. The driveways hold everything from old junkers to BMWs. This diversity is something both Orona and Kneisel said they like.
But the diversity also means the condition of the homes and yards is not uniform, though the majority are well-maintained. A small portion of the homes are rentals.
One Bungalow Heaven retiree, Sid Gally, calls Bungalow Heaven an integrated neighborhood that is “definitely on the upgrade.” Sid and Helen Gally bought their home in 1951. It is the same house Sid’s grandfather purchased in 1921, when the home was just a few years old, and homes in Bungalow Heaven were selling for around $1,000 and less.
“The area has been maintained pretty much intact,” said Gally, a 69-year-old retired engineer. “In the last few years, a lot of younger couples have moved in,” and there has been “a lot of upgrading, particularly since it’s recognized as a landmark district.”
Since the designation was made, Kneisel says the newly established neighborhood association is turning its attention toward other issues, such as organizing a Neighborhood Watch program.
A spokeswoman for the Pasadena Police Department says crime in the Bungalow Heaven area is about average for the city--one burglary (from a truck) has been reported so far this year. Residents say they feel safe here: “You go out and walk your dog, talk to your neighbors; it’s very peaceful and secure,” Kneisel said. “(Crime) is not a pressing problem, it’s not a declining area . . . it’s getting better.”
. With help from the city, the nearby shopping center at Lake Avenue and Washington Boulevard was eventually revived with the opening several years ago of a supermarket, along with smaller retail shops.
“For a long time, the area was considered a cheap place to live,” said Kneisel, a Bungalow Heaven resident since 1983, “but many (of the homes) were designed by name architects.” Kneisel and his brother bought a bungalow in 1983 for $75,000, fixed it up and sold it when Kneisel got married. He and his wife, Kate Cross, bought a home two blocks away in 1987 for $118,000.
“Norman Marsh designed my house and about 10 others in the neighborhood,” Kneisel said. The Marsh-designed Craftsman-style bungalows are typical of the area: each has a unique design with low, sloping roofs, open rooms, two or three bedrooms and a fireplace.
Kneisel’s job brought him to the Los Angeles area in the early ‘80s. Because of Pasadena’s reputation for “nice old houses,” he recalls, he settled here. “I gravitated toward the city because of its architecture and beauty--there are lots of trees, and the people are friendly.” Besides, Pasadena reminded him of home--Louisville, Ky.--where Kneisel says there are “lots of Craftsman bungalows.”
It was Kneisel’s appreciation of the workmanship in his Craftsman bungalow that encouraged him to organize hundreds of his neighbors to push for landmark status.
The need to ensure the preservation of the area’s character was recognized after residents got a peek at the direction new construction was taking when one of the bungalows was torn down “and a really tacky apartment building was built,” Kneisel said.
The boxy stucco building at the northern border of Bungalow Heaven stood almost as a warning to neighbors that their cozy neighborhood might be in jeopardy.
With landmark district status, the newly formed neighborhood association has a say in the kinds of construction, renovations and additions that will be allowed in Bungalow Heaven.
Ann Scheid, senior planner for the city of Pasadena, said the main concern for residents here is that “additions be compatible and that new construction be compatible” with the existing structures.
That Bungalow Heaven became the first neighborhood to be named a landmark district has stirred a mixture of pride and amazement in the planning office. Scheid can’t say enough about the efforts of the residents who organized the neighbors into a cohesive group and collected more than 400 signatures. “I don’t think anyone thought a neighborhood this size would do it,” Scheid said.
One hurdle the neighborhood overcame was Pasadena’s owner consent law, which requires permission from the owner before a building or property can be designated a landmark. In the case of this landmark district, 51% of the 800-plus homeowners had to agree to the designation.
Though some residents dislike the idea of being told what to do with their property, “most people are willing to put up with the minor restrictions and keep the appearance of the neighborhood the same,” Kneisel said.
The preservation effort has even brought residents closer together, said Orona, who is block captain of his street. The residents “share a sense of pride in their homes,” he says, and the success of the landmark district effort stems from “an outgrowth of what people feel for their houses.”
AT A GLANCE Population 1989 estimate: 2,446 1980-89 change: 13.9% Median age: 32.4 years Racial/ethnic mix White (non-Latino): 47.9% Latino: 30.9% Black: 13.1% Other: 8.1% Annual income Per capita: 11,499 Median household: 26,185 Household distribution Less than $15,000: 28.7% $15,000 - $30,000: 26.9% $30,000 - $50,000: 27.3% $50,000 - $75,000: 12.4% $75,000 + 4.7%
