Preservation Pasadena Part I: Modern Marvels - Architecture 1945 - 1977

Archibald Quincy Jones, known as “Quincy”, was born in Missouri but grew up in Southern California. After receiving his Bachelor degree in Architecture from the University of WA, he worked for various firms including Honnold and Russell. During World War II, he served in the Navy, and after the war, opened his private practice in 1945. From 1950-1969, he formed a partnership with Frederick E. Emmons and then took over the sole ownership of the firm. Jones’s accomplishments are predominantly in the field of residential, particularly merchant-built houses. His major projects include Case Study House # 24, and steel houses in San Mateo, CA, for builder Joseph Eichler. Recipient of numerous awards, the firm received the Award of the American Institute of Architecture. Jones also taught at the University of Southern CA and served as the Dean of the School of Fine Arts. Learn more about Quincy Jones with author, architect, house restorer and neighborhood preservationist, Cory Buckner. After restoring her 1949 home designed by Jones, she spearheaded a preservation movement in her neighborhood and successfully had 15 houses designated Historic/Cultural Monuments with the City of Los Angeles.

She was awarded the 2002 Los Angeles Preservation Award, "For the inspiring effort to protect and restore the original Mutual Housing Association homes in Crestwood Hills, preserving important examples of Southern California Modernism, and enhancing the sense of community in a unique neighborhood." In 2002 Buckner published a beautiful and comprehensive book on A. Quincy Jones that traces his life and career, including a synopsis of key projects, period photographs and renderings by Jones himself.

Join us at the beautiful Hixon House for a reception and tour through this home designed by A. Quincy Jones. Adelaide and Alexander Hixon commisioned Jones to to design a place for entertaining, workshops, meetings with dignitaries and guests. The home has amazing views overlooking the Arroyo and is the perfect spot for an evening to celebrate. Pasadena Heritage will provide a shuttle from Brookside Park parking lot up to the house and back. The reception includes wine, hors d'oeuvres, live music, and a chance to experience this amazing setting as it was intended. Guests will get to explore the home for approximately 1.5 hours before boarding the shuttle to return to Brookside Park.

Tickets for downloadable PDF of tour: $10 Member / $15 Nonmembers

Get your kicks on Route 66 with a drive down historic Colorado Boulevard that includes three distinguished Googie-style buildings: Denny's, the Asto Hotel, and the former Swiss Lodge (now La Casita Hotel.) This tour can be taken at any time and provides descriptions of some of our best commercial-designed mid-century architecture in Pasadena.

Route 66 Game: Take a selfie with 5 or more of the locations on the drive-yourself tour and come to the Author Talk “Googie Modern” to receive a prize and a chance to win a “Googie Modern” book. Must show your selfies to one of Pasadena Heritage staff members at the Author talk.

Googie Modern: Architectural Drawings of Armet, Davis ,Newlove highlights the never-before-seen architectural drawings of the trio dubbed the "fathers of Googie." Beloved by architectural historians, enthusiasts, and casual passers-by, their atomic-age coffee shops, diners, and restaurants are iconic in Southern California—the Googie look that spread across the nation. The drawings show the firm’s high-concept designs, and demonstrate how Googie captured the culture of the time, and gave the US innovative, practical, gorgeous monuments of everyday life. Text by renowned architectural historian Alan Hess places Armet, Davis, Newlove and Googie architecture atop the highest echelon of mid-century modern design and architectural history. Author/designer Michael Murphy brings the work to life, showcasing the fabulous drawings as important mid-century artwork.Alan Hess is author of twenty books on Modern architecture including the landmark Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture in 1985. His other subjects include Oscar Niemeyer, Frank Lloyd Wright, Ranch houses, Las Vegas, and Palm Springs. He serves on the California Historical Resources Commission, and the Preserve Orange County and Palm Springs Modernism Week boards. Buildings he’s landmarked include CBS Television City, Bullock’s Pasadena, Norm’s La Cienega, and the nation’s oldest McDonald’s stand. He’s received the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Honor Award, Docomomo/US’s Award of Excellence, and the Los Angeles Conservancy’s President’s Award.Michael Murphy is a former agency creative turned independent designer and real-estate entrepreneur. He met Victor Newlove and viewed his first Googie renderings when he was still in junior high, and those images were locked in his brain. They would eventually define his passion: Googie Modern. Prior to creating this book, Murphy designed Vedem Underground, an exhibition that Smithsonian magazine hailed as one of the ten “Don’t Miss…” exhibits of 2017/2018. Murphy curated and designed two exhibitions with companion books about Santa Monica, and the book Los Angeles: A Look Back to Postcards of the 1930s & 1940s from Today with his colleague, photographer Jens Lucking.

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