Downtown Lofts in Pasadena? The Burton says ‘Yes’

With a contemporary design and an easy walkability, the Burton, one of Pasadena’s newest upscale housing developments, is bringing a bit of Downtown to town. The idea is to create a sense of big-city living with an easily navigable neighborhood—in this case, Colorado Boulevard and the nearby Pasadena Playhouse district.

The Burton, on South Los Robles, is the second phase of a three-phase development by developer Patrick Chraghchian, of American General Contractors (AGC). The project architect is Glenn de Veer of American General Design. AGC purchased not only the Burton, but the next-door Livingston apartment building, with a possible eye on its neighbor, the Stanley (Yes, like the explorers). The first-phase Livingston was completely renovated inside, whereas the Burton is new from the ground up, built over the last 18 months, according to sales manager Brian Parsons of Keller Williams, who is handling the deal. The third phase includes the development of the building directly to the north of The Burton, a building which once served as the home of iconic new wave radio station KROQ-FM.

‘This is basically a Downtown loft in Pasadena,” says Parsons, “It’s got the light concrete floors with the warmth of a traditional (loft) style. Lofts are great, but sometimes they might have a cold feeling, so we’ve made sure to add a lot of natural light.”

“We wanted a modern interpretation of these traditional buildings,” said Chraghchian, “which is why we called it the Burton (Sir Richard Francis Burton was a contemporary of the explorers Henry Morton Stanley and David Livingstone.). And we also wanted to create a situation where the sides of the Livingston were more prominent, so we pulled  our building back to allow the Livingston to stand on its own.”

“What we’ve done here is emphasized a contemporary architectural feel to the development,” says architect  De Veer. “Straight lines and angles, but with little touches to honor and emphasize our connection to the Livingston.” De Veer pointed out the terra cotta-styled siding of the Burton, which reflects the brick and mortar design of the Livingston.

In addition to the natural light and loft design, each of the 34 ADA-accessible units (studios, plus one and two bedrooms) features dual glazed windows, double insulated common walls, custom glass railings, 9-foot ceilings and reserved underground parking for each unit. The units also have free wi-fi and stackable washer/dryers, Italian custom cabinetry and polished concrete floors.

Units range from $408, 120 for a studio to $775, 000 for a two-bedroom.

The Burton is at 133 South Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena. www.theburtonpasadena.com. (626)204-3363.