Pasadena Heritage Announces 2019 Walking Tours Schedule

710/Markham District Walking Tour. – Courtesy photo/ Pasadena Heritage

Throughout 2019 Pasadena Heritage will offer several walking tours of Pasadena Landmark Districts. Tours include exteriors only. Starting locations and parking information will be available upon purchase of tickets:

Old Pasadena Historic District 

This tour is scheduled for the first and third Saturday of every month from 9 to 11:15 a.m. Old Pasadena has gone from drab and dingy to a shopping and dining destination. Without Pasadena Heritage, this National Register Historic District would have been destroyed! Now it is one of the finest examples of downtown revitalizations in_ the country. Let one of our trained docents lead you through the historic neighborhood and reveal its many hidden and unusual architectural details, old alleyways, and historic signs.

Arden Road Neighborhood (New in 2019!)

This tour is scheduled for Saturday, March 9, June 8, September 14, Dec. 14 from 9 to 11:15 a.m. Arden Road is a prestigious address in Pasadena and is at the northern edge of the Oak Knoll district, named for the multitude of giant oaks growing here when the land was settled. Arden was relatively undeveloped until the 1920s when the majority of the gracious homes which line the street were built. A number of Pasadena’s best known and most highly respected architects designed homes here. Styles range from Craftsman to Mediterranean, English Tudor and Monterey Colonial which were popular in the 19020s and 30s. At the time most of these homes were built, Pasadena was the wealthiest community of its size in the country. Many residents had made fortunes elsewhere and came to Pasadena in early retirement or to begin new ventures. The Arden Road Tour explores this neighborhood and its wealth of great architecture, soon to be a designated Landmark District.

Madison Heights Neighborhood

This tour is scheduled for Saturdays, Feb. 9, May 11, August 10, Nov. 9 from 9 to 11:15 a.m. This neighborhood is one of Pasadena’s most historically and architecturally significant.Almost every one of Pasadena’s famed designers is represented in this neighborhood. Greene & Greene, Frederick Louis Roehrig, Sylvanus Marston, Reginald Johnson, Heineman & Heineman, Hunt & Grey, and Louis B. Easton all designed homes in Madison Heights. Many other homes in the neighborhood were contractor-built, with the result that the neighborhood became a showcase for the builders to demonstrate what could be done on a modest scale. As a result, many of the houses have rich detail without being showy or ostentatious.

710/Markham Place Neighborhood

This tour is scheduled for Saturdays April 13, July 13, Oct. 12 from 9 to 11:15 a.m.The Governor Markham Landmark District is one of the oldest neighborhoods in the City of Pasadena, and residences included in the District parallel Pasadena’s growth from incorporation as a city in 1886. Ninety-four percent of the homes were constructed between 1891 and 1933. This area became an official Landmark District in 2005 and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012, nominated by Pasadena Heritage. In the path of the long-debated 710 Freeway extension, this neighborhood has been threatened for decades, and many of the homes have been owned by Caltrans for years. The demise of plans for a destructive tunnel, announced at the end of 2018, now offers the promise that these homes will be sold, and this historic neighborhood returned to livability. Hear the latest on the Freeway fight as you enjoy the distinctive architecture on this walk.

Old Pasadena Pub Crawl

This tour is scheduled for the fourth Saturday of every month except March. 2 to 5 p.m. Experience the history of a few famous _and infamous Pasadena watering holes and haunts. This guided tour of Pasadena’s original downtown includes stops at a handful ofpubs, distinctive for their history, architecture, and beer. Tour-goer’s can delight in beer tastings plus little known facts and forgotten lore—a great way to get to know historic Old Pasadena!