Rejoicing in the “old” of Old Pasadena
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009
Grand Hotel on Colorado and Fair Oaks, ca. 1883
All of us here at OPMD particularly love the projects that celebrate the history of Old Pas. We each have fond memories of our early encounters with this place, and are passionate about sharing the past with Pasadena’s residents and visitors.
When I came to work for Old Pasadena Management a little over three years ago, one of my first big projects (and still one of my favorites) was based on the history of Pasadena’s early downtown. I entrenched myself in the archives of the Pasadena Museum of History to select vintage photographs that would cover the elevator doors of the three Park & Walk parking garages. The museum’s collection is extensive and rich, and the hardest part of the project was choosing only the dozen or so that we needed. The public portion of the Marriott Hotel garage on North Raymond features old store fronts, while the De Lacey garage features Rose Parade memories, and the Schoolhouse garage houses images of Pasadena landmarks and streetscapes.