Tag Archives: Pasadena
Fair Oaks Avenue and Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, New Year’s Day, 1950
By the masses of paper strewn across the intersection of Fair Oaks Ave and Colorado Boulevard, Pasadena, on New Year’s Day in 1950, I say that some big-time partying went on the previous night. I don’t know that time this … Continue reading
Mother Goose Pantry restaurant, 1959 E. Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, California, circa late 1920s
Most examples of mimetic architecture are just big examples of what they sell: a lemonade stand in the shape of a lemon, a florist in the form of a flowerpot. But the Mother Goose Pantry, which stood at 1959 E. … Continue reading
Orange Grove Blvd, Pasadena, California, 1912
When you see this 1912 photo of Orange Grove Boulevard in Pasadena, you can see how turn-of-the-century Northerners fled here to escape the winters. Wide-open streets, shady trees, lawns, smooth sidewalks, regularly-spaced street lighting, no over-crowding, no tenements, no snow … Continue reading
Colorado Blvd looking east from Oakland Ave, Pasadena, California, circa early to mid-1960s
In this circa early to mid-1960s photo, we’re looking eastward along the main drag of Pasadena, Colorado Blvd from Oakland Ave. This section of the boulevard is part of this historic Route 66 before it turns south on the Arroyo … Continue reading
Pasadena’s first telephone exchange, 1898, with Claude Braden, night operator
Spare a thought for poor Claude Braden, who got stuck with the job of night operator of Pasadena’s first telephone exchange in 1898. I don’t know how many telephones Pasadena had at the end of the 19th century, but judging … Continue reading
Tilton’s Trolley Trip streetcar, Pasadena, California, 1909
It took some digging to find what this streetcar was all about. The signage at the front says “Tilton’s Trolley Trip – from Sea to Orange Groves.” It turns out that it was a sightseeing trip (and/or real estate prospecting … Continue reading
Undated photo of Oneonta Park Station in South Pasadena, California
When I found this photo Oneonta Park Station, I had trouble locating where Oneonta Park was. Turns out that it was a development in South Pasadena centered where Fair Oaks Ave meets Huntington Drive. It must have been a fairly … Continue reading
The Feed Rack restaurant with oversized ice cream cones, 2626 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, circa 1930
This place started out life as The Cone, ice cream parlor at 2626 Colorado Blvd, Eagle Rock, but then I guess the Great Depression hit and nobody could afford the luxury of ice cream anymore. So it became a small, … Continue reading
A banjo traffic signal at the intersection of East Colorado Blvd and South Marengo Ave, Pasadena, 1936
When I first saw this photo of the intersection of East Colorado Blvd and South Marengo Ave, Pasadena in 1936, I didn’t think there was much of interest to talk about. But then I spotted that lollipop-shaped contraption in the … Continue reading
A Los Angeles-bound Santa Fe train crosses Colorado Blvd, Pasadena in 1928
My goodness! You’d certainly want to watch what you were doing while walking around Pasadena in 1928. This photo shows the Santa Fe thundering across Colorado Blvd, the main thoroughfare of Pasadena, as it was heading for Los Angeles. I’m … Continue reading