Explore
Pasadena Architecture
Few American cities of this size carry as much architectural weight. Pasadena's building history runs from the Craftsman movement through the Revival boom of the 1920s to post-war modernism — and much of it is still standing, still lived in.
Explore the data
Map every designated building
Pasadena has thousands of designated historic properties. Search them by address, filter by landmark district or designation, and open the full record for any building.
Architecture Map
An interactive map of the city's designated historic properties, built from the City of Pasadena open data program.
Corridor Guides
Colorado Boulevard, Lake Avenue, Fair Oaks Avenue, Orange Grove Boulevard and Arroyo Parkway — mapped end to end with their historic architecture.
Styles
What you're looking at
Craftsman
Deep porches, exposed rafter tails, low-pitched gables and built-in woodwork. The Gamble House is the definitive local example, and Bungalow Heaven holds one of the largest concentrations of intact bungalows in the country.
Spanish Colonial Revival
Stucco, red clay tile, arched openings and interior courtyards — the dominant residential style of Pasadena's 1920s building boom.
Beaux-Arts + Civic
Pasadena City Hall and the surrounding civic center were built to a formal 1920s plan, with domes, colonnades and axial symmetry.
English Tudor Revival
Steep roofs, half-timbering and brick detail, scattered through the older established districts.
Mediterranean Revival
Symmetrical stucco facades with tile roofs and wrought iron, common on the larger southern and eastern lots.
Mid-Century Modern
Post-war infill with wide glazing and open plans, especially on hillside parcels above the arroyo.
Where to walk
Neighborhoods for architecture
Bungalow Heaven
A landmark district of more than a thousand Craftsman-era homes, best seen slowly and on foot.
South Arroyo
Large early-20th-century houses on the bluffs above the arroyo, including the Gamble House.
Old Pasadena
Restored 19th-century commercial architecture, alleys and courtyards across twenty-two blocks.
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