After 28 years, Pasadena Heritage’s Craftsman Weekend has been renamed “Preservation Pasadena: Craftsman to Modern” and reimagined with a broader frame to celebrate Pasadena as home to some of the most notable examples of architect-designed properties, from Craftsman style to Mid-Century, and everything in between. Sunday is the third day of the weeklong activities.
The virtual 10-day celebration of preservation and architecture still includes tours, lectures, panel discussions, and conversations with artists and collectors. It’s a chance to explore architectural style and design over five decades and to learn the connections and differences that illustrate how architecture changed through time.
The celebration will include over 15 programs throughout the week, which you can join from the comfort of your own home.
All events are $12 for members and $15 for nonmembers. A package for all the events is available for $138 for members and $175 for non-members.
Sunday, November 8, will feature David Nufer in “Hispanic Influence on Pasadena and California Architecture,” 12 to 1:30 p.m.. He examines how the Spanish/Hispanic/Latino architectural design vocabulary evolved over a thousand years, across four continents, and how it has flourished here in Pasadena.He will explore venerable examples, such as the San Gabriel Mission, Castle Green, Caltech campus, Civic Center, and 1920s Spanish Colonial Revival houses designed by George Washington Smith, Wallace Neff, and many others. Also studied here are more recent Hispanic-influenced projects, such as the Del Mar Metro Gold Line Station.
From 5 to 6:30 p.m., author and TV producer Stephen Gee will explore “The Legacy of Architect John Parkinson.” The master architect’s buildings have provided memorable backdrops for Hollywood blockbusters, played center stage for two Olympic Games, and welcomed presidents and royalty.
On Monday, November 9, David Nufer returns with “200 Years of Black Pioneers in Pasadena and Los Angeles,” 6:30 to 8 p.m., where he explores the stories — some little known — of six pioneering African American individuals and communities. Featured are The Pobladores, the original, 1781 settlers of the Pueblo of Los Angeles, over half of whom had some African blood; Pio Pico, the last Mexican governor of California, of African and Mestizo ancestry; Biddy Mason, a midwife who, in 20 years, went from newly freed slave to one of the largest commercial landowners in Los Angeles; Paul R. Williams, the first licensed African American architect west of the Mississippi, responsible for almost 3,000 buildings throughout Los Angeles and Pasadena, among them mansions for Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, and Barbara Stanwyck; and Pasadena’s own Jackie Robinson, who starred in four sports at John Muir High School and Pasadena City College, and at UCLA.
On Tuesday, November 10, Pasadena Heritage invites you to meet creative craftspeople and experts from around the country who specialize in antique and contemporary furnishings and decorative arts in the spirit of the Arts and Crafts Movement. “Social: Meet and Greet the Artists and Experts” begins at 5 p.m. Prior to the online meeting you will have the opportunity to view a video presentation about the artists and experts. A complete list of artists and experts will be emailed to you after you register.
This event continues on Thursday, November 12, at 5 p.m. Presenters will attend only one of the presentation days.
Also Tuesday, 6:30 to 8 p.m., Jennifer Trotoux, the Director of Collections and Interpretation at The Gamble House, presents “A Century of Stickley at The Gamble House,” an insider’s look into the priceless collection of furniture designed by Greene and Greene at The Gamble House. Stickley furniture has always been present to supplement these pieces and plays an important role in the presentation of the House’s interiors today.
On Wednesday, November 11, “A Woodworker’s Journey: Discovering Sam Maloof,” a 90-minute, pre-recorded, online exploration of the life and times of America’s most famous woodworker, premieres. The link will be active until November 15. In the video, the not-for-profit Sam and Alfreda Maloof Foundation for Arts and Crafts team of presenters share the journey of a uniquely American craftsman.Viewers learn of the essential role played by Pasadena-born artist Alfreda Ward who, as Mrs. Maloof, first advocated the establishment of the Maloof workshop, which she shaped and managed for nearly half a century. The link to view the video is only available with the purchase of a ticket. Visit the Sam Maloof website, www.malooffoundation.org, and receive a 10 percent discount on all online purchases starting November 11.
On Thursday, November 12, join Pasadena Heritage for a presentation that will change the way you look at playgrounds and public space. “Historic Playgrounds: Letting the Future Play on the Past,” 6:30 to 8 p.m., will feature preservationists and educators JC Miller and Senya Lubisich who will discuss the works of architects and artists who created enduring play-experiences and the efforts of communities to protect them.
Friday, November 13, features an exclusive for Pasadena Heritage Q&A with director PJ Letofsky, Pasadena’s own Neutra Scholar Barbara Lamprecht, Alan Hess, and Raymond Neutra as they discuss “Neutra: Survival Through Design,” a screening of the comprehensive documentary that delves into the life, work, and times of Austrian/American Architect Richard Neutra (1892-1970.) This film will take you ‘inside’ his most important works- the Luckenwalde Forest Cemetery, his first built ‘house’ design in Berlin, working with Frank Lloyd Wright at Taliesin, Rudolph Schindler’s Kings Road House, the family home VDL House in Los Angeles, and the Palm Springs Kaufmann House. Limited tickets are available for the 8 to 9 p.m. event.
Saturday, November 14 features “Making Martinis with The Raymond 1886,” a Dr. Robert Winter Memorial Lecture that pays tribute to the legacy of Dr. Winter, affectionately known as “Bungalow Bob,” for his passion and contributions to the Arts and Crafts Movement and the bungalow, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Dr. Winter was also known for his love of a great martini. The event is a fun, social virtual Happy Hour where you will learn from a professional bartender from the historic Raymond 1886 bar how to make the perfect martini – dry, wet, shaken or stirred. The lecture will be presented by John Brinkmann, founder and publisher of American Bungalow magazine. Tickets for this event are $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers.
The final event of Pasadena Heritage’s Preservation Pasadena, “Neutra’s Experience in Japan: Finding Common Ground,” will be a presentation by architectural historian Dr. Barbara Lamprecht, the author of three books on Modern architect Richard Neutra, 5 to 6:30 p.m. She will relate Neutra’s experience in Japan when he visited there in 1930; how he and other Southern California Modernists discovered an approach to design, materials, and landscape that resonated with and confirmed their own; and how that resonance can be seen in Neutra’s interpretation of Modernism.
For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.pasadenaheritage.org/
