A horticultural find

While looky-looing condos (a bad habit I admit I am powerless to resist), I stumbled across Pasadena's very well-hidden Arlington Garden.

Arlington Garden, Pasadena.

The property, on northwest corner of Arlington Drive and Pasadena Avenue, is now owned by CalTrans but was the former site of the 1901 Durand mansion, evidently a victim of the quixotic plan to link the 210 Freeway and the Pasadena Freeway (which has now reverted to its original and much more appropriate monker, the Arroyo Seco Parkway).

If anyone has photos of tnhe Durand mansion, please let me know—I can't seem to unearth any.

As deserted as Gethsemane.

There wasn't a single soul in the place on this late Sunday afternoon, but somebody's corn was high.

An informal planting of truck.

Next time, I will bring a book.

Hidden in plain sight.

More history here. The official website.


Very talented landscape designer Mayita Dinos evidently had something to do with the garden's layout and planting. Visit her website for some photos of other stunning gardens she has created.

Hollywood food shopping, then and now

Hollywood seems to have always catered remarkably well, both in the past and in the present, to the human demand for food and, more particularly, to its residents' demand for good foodstuffs.

Hollywood Farmers Market, then.

Hollywood Farmers Market, now.

A Hollywood market at night, then.

A Hollywood market at night, now.

A little remodel in Pasadena

This two-bedroom on Madia Street in Pasadena's Linda Vista neighborhood has just hit the listings at an optimistic $829,000.

1204 Madia Street, Pasadena

This little charmer is nothing if not cute and seems to be well laid-out in its plan, but I couldn't resist making it a bit . . . well, less ordinary.

1204 Madia Street, Pasadena (concept)

Funny how a remodel can make the spirit—and the sky—more rosy.

The Livingstone, I presume?

I got free run today of the open-house condos (including the fabu penthouse) at The Livingstone, the adaptive re-use conversion of the former Livingstone Hotel at 123 S. Los Robles Avenue in Pasadena. I neglected to take an exterior shot, but here's the building before the recent work.

The Livingstone, before the revamp.

This building had piqued my interest since seeing it mentioned on this Curbed post a few weeks ago. For anyone who grew up on the East Coast, it seems red brick buildings exert a natural attraction—earthquake danger be damned—and this one has real wooden sash windows to boot. I was hooked at first sight.

Real wooden sash windows.

A bit of history, courtesy of the flyer I picked up: The Livingstone and its twin building, The Stanley (located immediately to the south) were built in 1926 by long time Pasadena resident Woody Woodworth. Operated as a hotel for almost 80 years and reportedly facing demolition just a year ago, the building has been saved and converted into 32 residential units.

A generous studio.

Materials and finish are very fine throughout, and the epoxy floors are a nice touch.

Kitchen in a 2-bedroom.

Kudos to RVM Associates and its CEO Doug Huberman for having the vision to see what could happen here. RVM, by the way, stands for Rear View Mirror, indicating Huberman's penchant for historically significant properties.

Iffy hallway carpet is very last week. Oh well . . .

An ambitious Phase II of the project will see a 3-level subterranean garage constructed on the lot just north of the building, with ground floor retail and 3 stories of residential units above. The idea of pending construction only solidifies my opinion that the interior courtyard units (facing The Stanley) are the most desirable, with their charming brick porches and neighborhood-y vibe.

A shady porch on the courtyard.

The development team is amenable to buyer requests such as converting the (already generously-sized) studios to one-bedrooms or combining units into larger apartments. Move-ins are scheduled to start in early September.

Courtyard facing The Stanley next door.

If you make the trek, don't fail to find the secret door and staircase that lead up to the $1.399 million glass-encased penthouse.

The pricy hidden penthouse is worth finding.

Penthouse kitchen.

Penthouse master bath.

The building does indeed have a website, but not under the name The Livingstone. It's at LosRoblesCondos.net.

Then and Now on Bunker Hill

EDIT OF ORIGINAL POST

Thanks to Curbed L.A. for turning me on to an important video recently reposted by L.A. Observed, but which unfortunately has been deleted by Vimeo after copyright infringement complaints from the original production company, Milestone Film & Video.

The 1956 USC student film, Bunker Hill, 1956, by Kent MacKenzie, about the impending eviction of pensioners from Bunker Hill before the CRA's infamous decimation of that historic neighborhood, is a poignant piece of Los Angeles history, told from a firsthand point-of-view. Pity that the copyright holder is being so picayune.

I did manage to screen-capture a few stills from the 17-minute movie:

Bunker Hill then.

The new inhumanity:

Bunker Hill now.

If anyone finds this film surfacing again in cyberspace, let me know.

Crime of the Week

Crime and context.

853 N. Los Robles Ave., Pasadena

Some crimes would be less heinous in a different context. This disastrous and ill-maintained eyesore is smack dab in the middle of a Pasadena neighborhood of Craftsman and other early 20th-century houses, just north of the 210 Freeway.

The context

Admittedly, the neighboring structures are not necessarily in pristine condition, but at least they are appropriate to the streetscape.

In the same block

Given the context, there's no excuse for the blatant and egregious nature of the crime at hand.