A couple of days ago I posted a photo of the Universalist Church on N. Raymond Ave in Pasadena. A follower of my main Facebook page, Nick Lewis, posted this photo in the comments, which I felt was worth featuring. Known as the Wooster building, it was built in 1887 as the home of Throop University (forerunner to Caltech) and stands on the corner of Fair Oaks Ave and Kansas St (now Green St) in Pasadena. What a marvelous testament to 19th century architecture, and how builders back then took so much care to imbue their projects with texture, details, and individuality.
Nick L. says: “The chimneys were/are functional. When the Wooster Block was annexed into the Hotel Green Complex, it was for longer staying guests. The rooms/apartments had fireplaces. Coal and wood were used.”
Remarkably this building is still around. These days, it’s part of the Castle Green Hotel complex. This image is from June 2022.
Note the power pole in front of the building with just two wires and the carbon arc street light hanging over the intersection. Hard to see but it is over the left side of the building covering the 4 story window. AC power did not become standard until the late 1890’s so DC was probably still common when this photo was taken.
Thanks for posting this separately, because I didn’t see it in the other post.
As soon as I saw the modern photo, I knew the building, but it’s hard to see some of these buildings when you’re driving by at street level. I remember when I’d go to the Doo Dah Parade, it was nice to sit in one place and appreciate the buildings. And then to go for a nice stroll afterwards.
I didn’t realize this portion of The Castle had been converted/updated. The rounded corner used to have a lovely mushroom shaped dome/cap on it. It was removed sometime within the last 20 years and I have been waiting for it to be reinstalled but sadly the wait continues…
It could possibly have been an earthquake safety issue.