Tour Will Focus on Pasadena’s Old World Charm

In the 1920s, some architects dotted Pasadena with houses reminiscent of classic architectural styles of England and France, from peasant cottages to English Tudor manors.

Such homes, characterized as “Medieval Manor Houses of Pasadena,” are the theme of this year’s Pasadena Heritage spring home tour, which takes place March 25 and includes five homes representative of the picturesque styles. Participants will drive themselves to each house, where docents will provide tours highlighting interior and exterior features as well as the home’s history.

Pasadena Heritage, a nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation, has been conducting home tours for more than 24 years. This year’s includes strolling musicians performing Renaissance music. Hors d’oeuvres will be served at each house courtesy of the tour’s sponsor, Glabman’s Furniture in Pasadena.

Advance tickets cost $30, $25 for Pasadena Heritage members. For details, including securing tickets on the day of the event: (626) 441-6333 or https://www.pasadenaheritage.org.

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Coming up at the La Jolla location of the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, is “Design from X to Z: Jerry Hirshberg and Nissan Design.” Hirshberg was a trustee of the museum in the 1980s and is the founding director and former chief designer of the San Diego-based Nissan Design America.

The exhibition opens June 3 and continues through Sept. 3; it will reveal the behind-the-scenes design process of the Nissan Xterra--from doodles to handmade clay models. Also on display will be consumer products, such as a tricycle, golf club and ski boots created at NDA.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego, is at 700 Prospect St. Admission is $4 for adults, $2 for seniors and students. Information: (858) 454-3541. Closed Wednesdays.

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“Is it possible to touch somebody’s heart through design?” The answer will be given in a lecture with that title by Stefan Sagmeister, founder of New York-based Sagmeister Inc. on Monday at 7 p.m. The designer, originally from Australia, specializes in creating designs for the music industry with graphics and packaging for the Rolling Stones, Aerosmith and Lou Reed.

The lecture is hosted by the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena and is free to the public. It will be held at the school’s Ahmanson Auditorium, 1700 Lida St., Pasadena. Call (626) 396-2246 for directions and (626) 396-2380. Parking is limited.

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On Monday, Paul Warwick Thompson assumes his new post as director of New York’s Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, succeeding Dianne H. Pilgrim. Thompson, 41, was most recently the director of the Design Museum in London.

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Candace A. Wedlan can be reached at candace.wedlan@latimes.com.