New Page 1

durand productions

San Francisco, California

HOME / MICHAEL DURAND / EVENT PLANNING AND PRODUCTION / MUSIC / PHOTO & VIDEO / CONTACT

“A Perfect Day in Pasadena”

Bungalow Heaven, located in Pasadena, California, is a rare and mostly intact collection of over 800 homes built from the 1900s through the 1930s. The history of this neighborhood is woven from the threads of several rich and fascinating stories that include the settlement of Pasadena, the evolution of the American Arts & Crafts movement and social and cultural changes of the early 20th century.

The Bungalow: A Home for Southern California

In August of 1906 an area that now contains Bungalow Heaven was annexed by the city of Pasadena. A street grid and houses soon began filling in between the few farmhouses already present. The bungalow was a practical choice for these new homes for a number of reasons. The single-story structure was especially suited to a warm climate, with verandas for outdoor entertainment and overhanging eaves and multiple windows to provide shade and cross-ventilation in the days before air conditioning.

The modest size proved sufficient for young families who had no need for numerous bedrooms, large entertaining halls or servants' quarters. Built-in cabinetry, a prominent feature of the Craftsman home, was a space-saving innovation. And, while many of these homes might be too "cozy" during a long northern winter, Pasadena's year-round outdoor lifestyle put less of a premium on interior square footage.

While the Eastern architectural establishment sniffed at the bungalow as nothing more than a glorified cottage, the great achievement of the Craftsman builders was that they incorporated distinctive and innovative touches into homes the average citizen could afford.

The Bungalow Boom

With climate and economic opportunity drawing more people westward, homey Craftsman bungalows sprang up rapidly along these streets. For around $2,500 you could buy a brand-new home; or you could build it yourself from a kit for even less. Simple and affordable, the bungalow itself became part of the California myth.

Bungalow Heaven was part of a boom that saw Pasadena's population more than quadruple between 1900 and 1920 (from 10,000 to 45,000). Trolley lines soon ran up Lake Avenue into the foothills and eastward along Washington and Villa. A neighborhood was born.

The Ready-Cut Bungalow Company estimates it shipped over 40,000 kits in the Los Angeles area alone. For about $650 (plus another $150 for plumbing fixtures), everything you needed to construct a bungalow would be delivered to your lot.

from http://www.bungalowheaven.org/

photos below by Michael Durand