From Top clockwise: Magnolia House, House of a Thousand Dreams, F.W. Griffith House, Villa Verde
As Coronavirus pandemic case numbers begin to rise yet again, the 53rd Annual Pasadena Holiday Look-In Home Tour joins the long list of local events which are going virtual this year.
The online tour is narrated by Pasadena Symphony conductor David Lockington, with music by members of the Pasadena Youth Symphony Orchestras, and features its own Holiday Look In Boutique, supporting the Pasadena Symphony and Pops.
Four Pasadena homes are featured this year, all decorated for the holidays by noted local floral designers.
Magnolia House
This Federal style home was built in 1912 by architect Reginald Johnson. It features a large colonnaded veranda and is sheltered by both a large magnolia tree and a towering pine tree. Appropriately located on Magnolia Street , the house is filled with Magnolia tree artistic embellishments. The present owners have updated the home, with an appreciation of the richness of the past, with a nod to modern family living.
House of a Thousand Dreams
This Basque country villa was designed in 1929 by Edward M. Fowler as an homage to the Basque estates in the Pyrenees. Situated in the Linda Vista neighborhood of the Upper Arroyo in Pasadena with a view of both the Pioneers and the Colorado Street Bridges. The 7500 square-foot home features low-pitched red tile roofs, half-timbered walls, heavy wooden beams and stonework, rustic interior striated walls, barrel-vaulted ceilings and large fireplaces. The home was designed around a central courtyard providing a view of the garden from almost every room of the house, including the original stone tiles that carry over into the loggia.
F.W. Griffith House
This sublime Mediterranean-style home was designed in 1925 by Roland E. Coate, one of the most distinguished designers of Spanish architecture in the 1920s.
Originally built for F.W. Griffith, it is an example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, featuring textured white-washed adobe exteriors, mission-style arches and batten shutters. The house is centrally located in Pasadena’s Landmark Oak Knoll District, adjacent to the Langham Hotel.
The 3800 square foot home faces inward to a courtyard, arched loggia, Spanish-tiled fountain, refreshing pool, and spa. A crepe myrtle tree provides shade and flowers when in bloom. This outdoor living space provides a peaceful sanctuary for relaxing and entertaining.
Villa Verde
Villa Verde, a Mediterranean estate, was created in 1927. In 1984 the house was placed in the National Register of Historic Places as the best representative of architect Sylvanus Marston’s architectural style. The landscaped grounds overlook the Arroyo Seco and afford 40-mile views over Pasadena, Mt. Wilson and Old Baldy.
The free online tour begins December 5 and runs through December 31.
Registration for the online link is now available at www.PasadenaHolidayLookIn.org. The Pasadena Symphony and Pops and San Gabriel Valley musical education programs are also gratefully accepting donations.
