The “Big Reveal” as Pasadena’s Showcase House Opened for Media Preview

The much-anticipated “big reveal” of Pasadena’s Showcase House of Design yesterday under gorgeous sunny skies made a gem of a house sparkle as media got a first sneak peek at what dozens of regional designers have been busily creating in the 100-year-old English Tudor Revival situated near the La Loma bridge.

The 2017 Pasadena Showcase House of Design is one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden “makeover” tours in the country.

This year’s wondrous estate holds deep roots with both Pasadena and the glitz and glamour of old Hollywood, having been first owned by local lawyer-turned-actor Samuel Hinds whose prolific career includes co-founding the Pasadena Playhouse and screen credits in more than 200 films.

The annual fundraiser sponsored by Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts selects an estate of architectural significance to then have completely renovated by prominent designers using the latest color trends, concepts, products and technology to help fund various programs that promote music education for San Gabriel Valley youth.

“English Tudors have always been very popular and this house has been in movies and it’s kind of a mystery to people because of the park like setting that we’re in. The one hundred year old trees are so dense that it’s hard to see in. Many people have been curious about seeing the inside of it,” said 2017 Pasadena Showcase House of Design Benefit Chair Dana Marevich.

The sprawling 7,479 square foot main residence English Tudor was designed by the prominent architectural firm of Marston & Van Pelt and was constructed in 1916 for $25,000 for Hinds and his wife, is best known for playing Peter Bailey, the father of James Stewart’s character and the founder of the Bailey Building and Loan, in “It’s a Wonderful Life” (1946).

The estate features six bedrooms, four bathrooms and two half-baths. The sizeable two-acre compound includes a pool and badminton court on park-like grounds that is surrounded by a dense urban forest of more than 100 species of trees.

Most recently, the house served as a set for several movies and television shows including the multi-award winning film “La La Land”, “Beaches”, the 1985 version of “Alice in Wonderland”, along with television episodes of “Columbo”, “Parks and Recreation” and “Mad Men”.

“The style that we have now for the Showcase House is of course Tudor, but the artwork and a lot of the flavor is a little bit more edgy,” said Marevich.

Approximately twenty interior designers and six exterior and landscape designers participated in this year’s showcase, leaving their personal and artistic appointments in various rooms.

From hi-tech LED bulbs equipped with color changing capabilities and built in speakers to a state of the art kitchen remodel that merges classic antique fixtures with cutting edge appliances–the Showcase House is truly a one of a kind sight to be seen.

“We are very excited about the designers we have this year and we think that the public will really enjoy what we’ve done with the house,” said Marevich.

The entry features the main stair hall, a grand space with an intricately carved balustrade and halfway up the stairs, an impressive window. The first floor includes the living room, library, dining room, conservatory, half bath, kitchen and laundry room. The second floor contains the servants’ quarters—two bedrooms and a bath—plus three children’s bedrooms, two baths and a sleeping porch, now enclosed.

The master bedroom has a sitting room, which was also a sleeping porch, along with several closets and a bath, according to a press release.

“Attending Pasadena Showcase House in itself is just a wonderful outing. It’s charming to see the groups of people go through,” said Marevich.

Attendees will be able to experience over 22 vendors and an onsite “pop up” restaurant.

“The whole atmosphere of Southern California is so beautiful and it’s wonderful to spend a day walking through gorgeous gardens and touring a beautiful house and then having a lovely lunch,” said Marevich.

“It’s anything from wonderful herbal soaps to beautiful jewelry. The shopping experience is really a lot of fun to just stroll and look at all the wears,” Marevich added.

Founded in 1948, and formerly known as The Pasadena Junior Philharmonic Committee, PSHA adopted the Pasadena Showcase House of Design as their annual benefit in 1965. Now in its 53rd year, the Pasadena Showcase House of Design is one of the oldest, largest, and most successful house and garden tours in the United States.

About 80 women and men with a myriad of backgrounds accomplish the feat of producing the Pasadena Showcase House of Design each year.

PSHA’s collective goal is to provide funding to programs that benefit the community through diverse music programs that nurture the study and appreciation of music, provide music as a vehicle towards health and healing, offer music education knowing that the study of music enhances other academic subjects, as well as cultural enrichment, and ensure that music is available to a broad range of audiences, according to the PHSA website.

The success of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design has enabled PSHA to make cumulative donations of $20+ million to support community music and arts programs throughout the community.

“Each time you come to Pasadena Showcase whether you’re having lunch, whether you’re shopping in our shops or just enjoying going on the tour–you’re helping music education in the San Gabriel Valley and surrounding areas,” said Marevich.

The estate will be open to the public starting April 23 and go until May 21. Hours of operation are Tuesdays and Sundays 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Wednesday through Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Garden Tours are provided at 10:00am and 1:00 pm daily except for Mondays.

Parking and complimentary shuttle service is at Pasadena Rose Bowl Lot I located at 360 North Arroyo Boulevard.

Tickets cost between $35-45 and can be ordered by mail, online at PasadenaShowcase.org or by calling (714) 442-3872.

For more information, visit http://www.pasadenashowcase.org/