Doing a Double Take on Pasadena

Somewhere late last century, local history really started to hit a stride in Southern California. With some communities well past the century mark and mid-century arrivistes starting to look venerable, a newfound self-consciousness about heritage and distinctive character has been yielding a bonanza for architectural tourism, historical museums, university presses and photo archives. Take “Cultivating Pasadena: From Roses to Redevelopment” at the Pasadena Museum of California Art. The exhibit looks at Pasadena’s shifting landscape through before-and-after perspectives on dozens of sites via archival photos juxtaposed with recent shots, augmented by oral histories, a DVD-ROM guide and more.

Not unlike the L.A. Neighborhoods photography project launched nearly 10 years ago by the Photo Friends of the Los Angeles Public Library to document the city’s metropolitan enclaves, “Cultivating Pasadena” is part of larger undertakings. The show is a cooperative effort between the Automobile Club of Southern California, which has a similar project in Riverside on the boards; and the Labyrinth Project at USC’s Annenberg Center for Communication, which is planning another multimedia effort documenting Koreatown. Now that the Southern California region actually has history, bring it on.

“Cultivating Pasadena: From Roses to Redevelopment,” Pasadena Museum of California Art, 490 E. Union St., Pasadena, (626) 568-3665, through Feb. 12.