Entropy, 4

I haven't been able to get out much with my camera over the last couple of weeks, what with the holidays and Boz's surgery. So I hope you don't mind me digging into my (vast and growing) archives for this pair of pictures from the photo safari John and I took on Thanksgiving day.

If you pay for tickets to the Tournament of Roses Parade, and if your seats are along North Orange Grove Blvd., and if you're sitting near the top of the bleachers, you might be able to look behind you and see this curious view. In the foreground is a shallow and (at Thanksgiving it was, so I'm going to say it's still) empty pool, leading your eye to the empty Hulett C. Merritt mansion which is flanked by a pair of unfortunate (and hopefully empty) buildings that were added during the Ambassador College years.

It's hard to notice all this from the street because it's set back, but it's just south of where Orange Grove intersects with Colorado Blvd., right near the center of parade action in which, just FYI, our Pasadena PIO Ann Erdman will be sitting on a float this year!

In the picture you see John, doing pretty much what I was doing when I took the top picture.


11am:
Speaking of Ann Erdman, who is going to be IN THE PARADE, her office just sent out this press release. 

TRAFFIC SIGNALS TO BE ALTERED FOR 2012 ROSE PARADE

As an annual prelude to the Tournament of Roses Parade, 15 traffic signals will be altered so that tall floats needing clearance can make their way safely through Pasadena intersections. Alterations will begin this week.

Each year at this time signal mast arms extending over travel lanes are removed or replaced with shorter signal mast arms or with poles that have no mast arms.

Signals with left turn arrows will be removed at
·        Colorado Boulevard at Arroyo Parkway, eastbound and westbound approaches
·        Colorado Boulevard at Marengo Avenue, eastbound and westbound
·        Colorado Boulevard at Garfield Avenue, eastbound
·        Colorado Boulevard at Euclid Avenue, westbound
·        Colorado Boulevard at Lake Avenue, eastbound and westbound
·        Colorado Boulevard at Hill Avenue, eastbound and westbound
·        Colorado Boulevard at Sierra Madre Boulevard, eastbound

Long signal mast arms will be removed at
·        Orange Grove Boulevard at Green Street, northbound and southbound
·        Colorado and Orange Grove boulevards, eastbound
·        Sierra Madre Boulevard at Walnut Street, southbound
·        Sierra Madre Boulevard at Orange Grove Boulevard, southbound
·        Sierra Madre Boulevard at Pasadena High School student parking lot, westbound
·        Sierra Madre Boulevard at Washington Boulevard,  westbound and northbound
·        Washington Boulevard at PHS, administration parking lot, northbound
·        Orange Grove and Del Mar boulevards, northbound and southbound

The Pasadena Transportation Department urges motorists to drive safely during this period of traffic signal changes and increased pedestrian activity.

For more information call (626) 744-6900.


You might also find useful these safety tips sent out the other day by the Public Information Office.

PASADENA FIRE AND POLICE DEPARTMENTS ISSUE TIPS FOR STAYING SAFE ALONG ROSE PARADE ROUTE

As the 123nd Rose Parade approaches on Jan. 2, the Pasadena Fire Department and Pasadena Police Department are issuing safety tips for the thousands of overnight campers who will line the route on Jan. 1.

The parade route will be a safer place if everyone follows the rules and regulations intended for the safety of all parade-goers.

What You Can Do:

·        Overnight camping is permitted only on the night of Sunday, Jan. 1.

·        A permanent position on the sidewalk may be maintained along the parade route beginning at noon on Jan. 1.  The “Blue Line” is the honor line.  All persons and property such as blankets, chairs, etc., must remain on the curb until 11 p.m. on Jan 1.  At that time spectators may move out to the honor line.

·        Small, professionally manufactured barbeques elevated at least one foot off the ground are allowed on the parade route, 25 feet from buildings and other combustibles.  A fire extinguisher must be readily available.

·        Minors under the age of 18 may be on the parade route from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. only if they are under the supervision of adults.

·        Dress for cold weather.  Children and seniors may need extra layers of clothing to avoid hypothermia.

·        Drink healthy fluids and consume nourishing meals to avoid dehydration.

·        Report any suspicious activities and packages to emergency authorities along the parade route.

·        In case of emergency call (626) 744-4241 from a cellular phone or 9-1-1 from a landline phone and know the cross streets from which you are calling.


What You Can’t Do

·        Appearance in the parade is prohibited for any entries/marchers that have not been approved by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses.

·        Tents, sofas and boxes of any type that can be used as stools or seats are prohibited along the route.

·        Unoccupied chairs are not allowed.

·        Bonfires are strictly prohibited and considered illegal burns.

·        Fireworks are prohibited except as part of scheduled official events.

·        No items may be sold along the parade route without a permit.

·        No public areas – sidewalks, curbs, gutters, streets, ramps – may be cordoned or roped off.

·        No ladders or scaffolding may be used as elevation for viewing the activities.

·        It is illegal to buy, sell or give away horns on the parade route.

·        Pets are not recommended along the parade route because they are easily frightened with sudden, loud noises.

·        Selling space along the parade route, other than grandstand seating, is illegal.

·        Throwing any projectile into the parade, including seemingly harmless items such as tortillas, marshmallows, flowers, etc., is prohibited. Silly String and similar products are prohibited as well.

·        Vehicles obstructing emergency lanes will be towed.

·        Walking in the street is not permitted during the parade.

·        Open containers of alcohol are illegal on public streets, sidewalks and all other public areas.

·        Sale, possession and use of illegal drugs will not be tolerated.

Enhanced security measures will be in effect on the parade route and very evident. Because of large crowds, Pasadena police officers will resolve problems quickly and remove from the scene anyone who violates the law or disturbs the peace.

The Pasadena Fire Department responds to more than twice the number of calls on parade day than on average days. These calls include reports of hypothermia, illegal burning, miscellaneous medical issues, assaults and alcohol-related incidents.

For more information about safety along the Rose Parade route visit www.visitpasadena.com and click on Visitor Hotline, visit www.cityofpasadena.net/police or call the Pasadena Fire Department at (626) 744-7276.

 

Bring It

Well yay, we did not have another big horrible storm this weekend. Fingers crossed, I post at midnight and you never know what'll happen while I'm sleeping. But it looks like we can stop talking about "Hurricane Pasadena" as my neighbor called it, and move on to what's really important: the Tournament of Roses.

The giant logs on my street can wait. This is solely my opinion, of course. I don't know how the Hurricane Pasadena neighbor feels about it, or the California Cyclone neighbor, or the San Gabriel Gale neighbor (have at it, you have a thesaurus) or any other neighbor for that matter, I'm just talkin'.

The bleachers are up and they're not coming down 'til January. We are getting spruced up (spruce, okay, bad word choice)--we're (shut up! I'm not going to say that!)--my inner devil wants me to say "pining for yew to visit" but I'm not going to say it--we're going to be ready! Yes, Pasadena will be ready on time for the Tournament of Roses, both parade and game, and our fair city will look better than ever because this year every single tree has been trimmed for the occasion.

Your Weekend Calendar

How will you do it all this weekend?

It's

the culmination of the AxS (Arts and Science) Festival, running through October 16th (most events are free, some suggest reservations);

13th annual Latino Heritage Parade and Jamaica Saturday the 15th (free);

the 20th annual Craftsman Weekend put on by Pasadena Heritage, 14th-16th (not free but a Pasadena classic);

and

Pasadena's Arts Weekend, all weekend, all free.

I'm so torn I may have to leave town. I wish they'd check with each other (or with me!), but perhaps they're all vying for the most beautiful weekend with the best weather. In that case, everyone wins.

Cold Confection

I came across this gate back in April, then came across it again last night while looking through my photo files. It's on the property that once belonged to the Merritt Mansion and is now part of the Ambassador Campus. When you step through the gate, a little stairway takes you from the lower garden to an upper garden. I posted about the Merritt upper garden last May, soon after I wandered there taking photos.

For those who don't want to click the links: industrialist Hulett C. Merritt was one of Pasadena's early millionaires. He built his mansion on Millionaires' Row in 1905 for a cost of $1,100,000. That gives you a general idea of how fancy the house was, and still is. It's a big, old wedding cake of a place, one of the few surviving mansions along Orange Grove Blvd. You don't normally notice it from the street, though, because it's flanked by a couple of modern buildings that were built by Ambassador College when it bought the property.

Those ill-conceived flanks look like giant ice cube trays, which conceal the wedding cake in their chilling shadows. But you can stroll on the property at Green Street and Orange Grove Avenue and discover this remnant of Pasadena's past for yourself. Do it soon; the property has been purchased. Changes will happen. Let's hope they won't be drastic unless, for example, ice cube trays are removed to reveal wedding cakes.

Wander far enough and you'll find this gate. Let it lead you to the gardens. It only takes a little imagination on your part to enjoy a glimpse of its heyday.

Did I mention I like archways? I think I mentioned I like archways.

Then and Now: Merritt Gardens

Update: Please see the comments for corrections about this post.

A relative of Hulett C. Merritt emailed me after I posted about the Merrit Mansion last week. He was kind enough to send me clippings of obituaries and some lovely old post cards. Above, the sunken garden. Below, as it appears today.
To quote Mr. Merritt's relative:
"I was in Pasadena for a week in December 2008, the first time I had been back in nearly 25 years. I walked around both Hulett's mansion as well as Lewis' mansion [the nearby Tudor]. My great grandparents used to come out from the Midwest to spend the winter months in Pasadena back in the 1930s. To some degree, I found that parts of Pasadena still have that slow pace of life that attracted snow birds in previous times."

(If I've got it straight, Lewis was Hulett's father.)

The gentleman sent me even more great information which I'll save for another time. Perhaps we'll do a post about Lewis' mansion one of these days.

Maybe Koi, Maybe Not

I have more to tell you about Hulett C. Merritt and the property we've been talking about this week at what's locally known as the Ambassador Campus. But as I write it's much too late for me to formulate more than one or two coherent sentences, so I'll have to keep it short for now.

We're looking north (and perhaps a tad west) toward the second mansion of three that remain on the grounds. Pasadena Adjacent asked me the other day if there were still koi in the ponds. I didn't see any but if there are, I think they'd be in this stream that flows through the gardens from uphill to down, west to east.

Normally today I'd post the April Last Day photo. But normally I'd have my regular computer and my regular software and--well, today's not a normal day!

What Matters: Now

I'm usually more timid than I need to be when it comes to exploring, but my brother was visiting last weekend. Being with him made me bold. Together we climbed the steps of the Merritt Mansion (see yesterday's photo). As we drew near we realized the mansion was empty. Had that not been the case I surely would not have been so rude as to press my camera to the window to take this picture.

You can see "empty" doesn't mean "abandoned." Over the past hundred years or so as it's passed through different hands, this building has been well cared for.

I hope City Ventures plans to maintain that tradition. If they're to meet their goal of opening condos by the end of 2011 they should be building along Orange Grove Blvd. soon. This lovely old house will be spared if all goes according to plan. If I'm picturing it right, the condos will be in what was once the mansion's front yard.

The house my brother and I grew up in has also passed through different hands since my mother sold it more than twenty years ago, after my father died. The last time I visited, the hardwood floors were scuffed and dull and the driveway looked cracked and old.

You never know if the next owner is going to love your home the way you did. One day, like Hulett C. Merritt, you'll be gone. Will it matter then?

Empty Emissary

I was a little shocked the first time I stumbled upon this mansion. A mansion is not something one normally stumbles upon.

But there it was hidden in plain sight, invisible from Orange Grove Blvd. and the surrounding streets, yet accessible when I got out of the car and began strolling through the Ambassador Campus and stumbling upon things.

This is, or was, the Hulett C. Merritt Mansion, built on Millionaire's Row in 1905. It subsequently became part of Ambassador College in the 1950s. Still later, the whole area became the Ambassador Campus, which included three mansions, several fountains and some lovely gardens.

Now the mansions are empty. Some of the fountains are dry. The gardens, though well-tended, lie untrampled, awaiting their fate.

According to real estate blogger Brigham Yen, City Ventures has purchased the property for development. There will be some condos. But don't freak out. According to the current plans, the mansions will stay.

More tomorrow.