[Last updated 3/5/20 6:30 PM PT regarding new management]
Pasadena was founded in the 1870s by families from Indiana looking to escape Midwestern winters, and since became a destination for Middle American industrialist magnates like William Libbey of Libbey Glass. They built winter homes that occupied a large horizontal footprint, but from the outside appeared almost
modest—despite the tremendous investment they required.
And so Pasadenans are known to say, "If you're not comfortable in Los Angeles, you'll be comfortable here."
And I, being from a town as Midwestern as Central New York can get, feel very comfortable in Pasadena, too.
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One of its many architectural marvels is The Gamble House, commissioned by David Gamble of Proctor & Gamble.
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Most people would recognize The Gamble House as the setting for Doc Brown's house and workshop in
Back To The Future (particularly the garage).
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The garage once housed several (electric!) cars at the time of the Gamble family—but now it's the visitor's center and gift shop where the house tours begin.
It was designed by the architectural partnership of Charles and Henry Greene in 1908, at the height of the Arts & Crafts movement...
...which was somewhat of a predecessor to
Art Deco, but with a focus on open-air and outdoor spaces.
Many of its characteristic designs are quite geometric.
But there's also an embrace of elements of nature—particularly Asian flowers and trees (like gingko, dogwood, and other Japanese plants).
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These themes are repeated not only in the art glass doors and windows...
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...but also the lighting fixtures designed by both Greene & Greene and Louis Comfort Tiffany.
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Electricity was still relatively new at the time of the Gambles' arrival to Pasadena, and no one was entirely sure how safe it was. Most bulbs were of a low wattage, and most of the fixtures either directed the beams away from people's faces (and up towards the ceiling) or provided some kind of shield.
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The low lighting and mixture of deep brown woods (maple, Honduras and Santo Domingo mahogany, black walnut, etc.) make the inside of the house incredibly dark—so much so that the Gambles couldn't find any prospective buyers for it who didn't want to paint everything white to brighten it up.
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So, to preserve the integrity of the interior, the Gamble family initiated the process of converting their private home into public property...
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...gifting it to the City of Pasadena in 1966.
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Its educational activities now as a house museum open for tours are managed by USC, whose strong ties to the
California Arts & Crafts Movement along the Arroyo Seco date back to the late 19th century.
[Ed: As of March 2020, The Gamble House is managed by a newly-formed non-profit organization, The Gamble House Conservancy.
]
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The Arroyo was pretty wild back at the turn of the last century—but now, the area of Westmoreland Place and Orange Grove Boulevard (a.k.a. "
Millionaire's Row"), just 0.3 miles from the "dry river," has been tamed into manicured lawns and lotus ponds.
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A red-eared slider turtle is about as wild as it gets now.
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The Gamble House is one of many Craftsman homes in Pasadena, enough worthy for a whole walking tour of the neighborhood.
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But on its own, the Gamble House is so huge and its design is so intricate, you've got to tour it several times just to see everything.
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I've been twice, and I still feel as though I've only scratched the surface.
But fortunately, the photography restrictions have recently been softened—which means I'll be back.
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Photo Essay: The House of Chewing Gum and Roses
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The Gamble House has a very mysterious aura that reflects history and seclusion. I love the garden pictures, it looks peaceful there.
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