There are restrictions when you own a home in a Landmark District. You can't just slap on aluminum siding whenever you want to. (Hallelujah, I say.) In Bungalow Heaven, you cannot "change any exterior feature (except painting)" without a permit and perhaps a Certificate of Appropriateness from the city, whatever that is.
Living in a neighborhood like Bungalow Heaven isn't for everyone. I think those who do take pride in it, and I don't blame them. It's a beautiful part of Pasadena, a pleasure to stroll its tree-lined streets.
25 comments:
Hoorah for heritage! It looks an idyllic neighbourhood, Petrea.
It seems weird, however, to hear the phrase bungalow heaven, when over here (where the damned things spread like a plague after the war) we tend to think of them as bungalow hell, and the planners would never allow one in an historic or beautiful location.
Certificate of Appropriateness. I think a great many things could benefit from such a requirement, not the least tradies' shorts. Bungalow Heaven sounds like a lovely area for a stroll!
An, but Dive—you have the advantage of us. Please, just a few centuries & we'll have caught up culturally. (I'm being serious.) But by then, who knows where England or the rest of Europe will be, around questions of aesthetics in daily life; preservation of the oldest houses, etc.? So over here, where nearly everything appears to have been built after 1950, we find value where we can. It's all … compromise.
..its intresting to read this ..
The wooden bungalow style came from Australia. Sydney's full of charming Victorian and Edwardian bungalows with similar woodwork. Very different from those ugly 60s bungalows that blight the UK. The owners don't seem to like having trees and shrubs around them, just bare lawn.
It's partly the street trees that make Bungalow Heaven so heavenly. I'm so happy to see that the ones in your photo survived the windstorm.
my first thought, without reading your post, was....yes, yes it is.
I think they should add painting in the approval process. We've got a couple of sunglasses needed homes in this neighborhood of neutrals.
And this is why I love the Pasadena area!... Trees and architecture! Its definitely a slice of heaven!.
Similar rules in South Pasadena.
As a former Preservationist in Providence, RI, I applaud those who are willing to live in a place that strives to hang on to a building's architectural dignity. It creates such a wonderful sense of place.
I believe those trees are live oaks? We have them here and the older ones are so curvaceous and sinewey. (Is that word?) I love them.
Many years ago my parents had friends who lived in bungalow heaven. I was just a kid and I would play with their kids. They were a large family and now I wonder how they all fit comfortably into such a small house. I guess that was the norm back them. It's a really lovely area of Pasadena. Many of the neighborhoods up here in Seattle remind me of Pasadena because of the very pretty bungalows we have.
Bayside Life, they could be Live Oaks (I'm no expert) or Camphors. Camphors do the same sort of twisty thing.
Interesting discussion. These houses are pre World War II, mostly built in the 1920s. The word "bungalow" comes from India.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bungalow
Wikipedia's article is very good. It intimates, though, (and more clearly here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Bungalow) that the bungalow went from California to Australia and not the other way around.
This I can't verify, nor had I ever thought of it before this morning. Of course I cant' say I'd ever thought of tradies' shorts either. Had to look them up.
Heaven was where we landed when we moved to Pas a long time ago. It is a great place to live -- about 900 homes, park in the middle of the neighborhood, interesting neighbors, parties in the summer, and the annual walking tour. There are a lot of neighborhoods in town that are landmark districts, but Bungalow Heaven was the first.
I think it does look like heaven.
Any trees in that district succumb to "timber!" from the Paul Bunyan winds we had a few weeks ago?
No more restrictions on taking
photos among the bungalows?? ;)
Beautiful photo. I need to walk down that sidewalk.
Whenever there are proposed changes to a residential, commercial or public building that is an individual landmark property or in any landmark district in Pasadena, in addition to going through a review process with Planning Department staff, the changes have to be reviewed by the Historic Preservation Commission. If the commission deems that the changes are worthy, a Certificate of Appropriateness is issued stating that the changes meet the criteria in chapter 17.62.090 of the Pasadena Zoning Code and the California State Historical Building Code.
Actually, they had a lot of damage in Bungalow Heaven in the wind storm. Several homes were damaged by fallen trees and many trees were lost. Apparently not on this block, though.
Cafe, there may be restrictions on taking photos inside the homes or while standing on private property, but it is perfectly legal to take photos when strolling on a public sidewalk or a public street. Don't let anybody tell you different.
Thank you for the excellent information, PIO!
@Petrea: i googled and if those trees give off a dark berry then they are camphors... i be they are.. google showed similar trees like the one u posted. oaks tend to have massive trunks that will peel.. camphors are more graceful like your photo.
Love the variety of planting in this street shot. Those gorgeous shapely trees and all the ground cover. Is there a neighbourhood gardener I wonder or does everyone look after their own patch?
I was going to say I used to walk Tommy here all the time before I moved to Altadena, but I realize I was in the Historic Highlands, just north of Bungalow Heaven. It's heavenly there too, with beautiful trees and old (for Pasadena) homes. Your photo is perfect, Petrea.
I can't imagine any law that would prevent taking pictures of anything that can be seen from a public street. A friend of mine was taking pictures in Old Town one day and a security guard told her it was illegal. I think the was full of bull; don't even know why he would say that.
Ain't it lovely? Some of the residents have put heart and soul into their restoration projects.
Probably Camphors, Kalei. The bark looks right (it turns a gorgeous gray-black when it's wet).
Everyone looks after their own patch, Deb, but I wouldn't be surprised if word gets around, like "I've got this great gardener..." and soon several people on the street hire the same person.
Susan, I don't have many pictures in that area. Good suggestion!
Right you are, Mister Earl. It's important (especially these days) to know your rights when taking pictures. If you are standing on public property, in most cases you are free to take a picture of whatever you see. If you want to know more, just search "photographers' rights" online. There are several good sites.
True, Karin. Living in a Landmark district must be a labor of love. I'm so glad they do it so well.
Looks like a lovely place to walk. The trees are wonderful!
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