June 21: Pasadena
Dear Friends and Relatives,
I’m giving my phone camera a respite of about an hour, as I took another large quantity of photos this morning and afternoon. Alexandra and I got up relatively early today, as we had two tours to take this morning and afternoon—the neighborhood of the Gamble House in Pasadena, and then the Gamble House itself. The house and its neighborhood are about half an hour’s drive from Los Angeles.
Before the first tour of the neighborhood, we stopped at a coffee shop and had cappuccino (Alexandra) and Assam tea (myself), and shared avocado toast, which was splendid. From there we joined a tour of about 12 for the neighborhood tour, which was later cut down to about 5 for the tour of the actual house itself.
The Gamble House is an internationally recognized masterpiece of the turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts movement in America. Built for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company, the house is the most complete and original example of the work of brother architects Charles and Henry Greene (the Dallas Museum of Art has the Greene and Greene front doors, which since I first saw them have intrigued me—now I have, luckily, seen them in situ!).
The house is a unique statement of the life and character of Southern California. It has wide terraces, sleeping porches, and overhanging eaves. Wood is celebrated inside and outside through joinery and structural timbers that blend with the architecture. Furniture, built-in cabinetry, panelling, wood carving, rugs, lighting, leaded stained glass, accessories and landscaping are all custom-designed by the architects and created in the handcrafted spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Between the first, neighborhood tour and the second house tour, we visited the Gamble House bookstore, which is located in the original garage adjacent to the main house. The neighborhood tour was as enlightening as the house tour, since, in this Arroyo Terrace neighborhood, a National Register Historic district, there are no less than nine Greene & Greene houses.
The house itself (outside) was reminiscent, as one looked at it from the left side, of a Swiss chalet. On the right it harkened to Japanese architecture. Interiors were stunning—nothing an afterthought, everything humanly proportioned, attention-getting but not garish in any way—a perfect synthesis of art and science. Very satisfactory, and I could have moved in in a moment!
After our extensive touring, we were hungry and headed down to Urbane Cafe, a restaurant specializing in soups, salads, and sandwiches. I had a fantastic soup of turkey, kale, and other vegetables, seasoned perfectly and accompanied by foccacia bread. For dessert we headed to Yogurtland, where I had a hazelnut yogurt with maraschino cherries and kiwi. It has turned warm again, and skies are cloudless. Glorious day!
I am finishing this blog while Alexandra is soaking up rays in her newly acquired chaise longue. Tonight we will probably finish watching “Sweet Bird of Youth” with Paul Newman and Genevieve Paige, and will have some take-out Thai food. At this time tomorrow I will be winging my way to Phoenix and then to Dallas, arriving late Sunday night. A few days of organizing myself and my effects, and some really well-thought-out packing schemes to keep my luggage down to a minimum, I will be off to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and France on June 28, staying until July 12. This will probably be the last time I blog until June 29, and the format will be the same as it has been for the California sojourn. Stay tuned, and God bless you all! As ever, SV
I’m giving my phone camera a respite of about an hour, as I took another large quantity of photos this morning and afternoon. Alexandra and I got up relatively early today, as we had two tours to take this morning and afternoon—the neighborhood of the Gamble House in Pasadena, and then the Gamble House itself. The house and its neighborhood are about half an hour’s drive from Los Angeles.
Before the first tour of the neighborhood, we stopped at a coffee shop and had cappuccino (Alexandra) and Assam tea (myself), and shared avocado toast, which was splendid. From there we joined a tour of about 12 for the neighborhood tour, which was later cut down to about 5 for the tour of the actual house itself.
The Gamble House is an internationally recognized masterpiece of the turn-of-the-century Arts and Crafts movement in America. Built for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter and Gamble Company, the house is the most complete and original example of the work of brother architects Charles and Henry Greene (the Dallas Museum of Art has the Greene and Greene front doors, which since I first saw them have intrigued me—now I have, luckily, seen them in situ!).
The house is a unique statement of the life and character of Southern California. It has wide terraces, sleeping porches, and overhanging eaves. Wood is celebrated inside and outside through joinery and structural timbers that blend with the architecture. Furniture, built-in cabinetry, panelling, wood carving, rugs, lighting, leaded stained glass, accessories and landscaping are all custom-designed by the architects and created in the handcrafted spirit of the Arts and Crafts movement.
Between the first, neighborhood tour and the second house tour, we visited the Gamble House bookstore, which is located in the original garage adjacent to the main house. The neighborhood tour was as enlightening as the house tour, since, in this Arroyo Terrace neighborhood, a National Register Historic district, there are no less than nine Greene & Greene houses.
The house itself (outside) was reminiscent, as one looked at it from the left side, of a Swiss chalet. On the right it harkened to Japanese architecture. Interiors were stunning—nothing an afterthought, everything humanly proportioned, attention-getting but not garish in any way—a perfect synthesis of art and science. Very satisfactory, and I could have moved in in a moment!
After our extensive touring, we were hungry and headed down to Urbane Cafe, a restaurant specializing in soups, salads, and sandwiches. I had a fantastic soup of turkey, kale, and other vegetables, seasoned perfectly and accompanied by foccacia bread. For dessert we headed to Yogurtland, where I had a hazelnut yogurt with maraschino cherries and kiwi. It has turned warm again, and skies are cloudless. Glorious day!
I am finishing this blog while Alexandra is soaking up rays in her newly acquired chaise longue. Tonight we will probably finish watching “Sweet Bird of Youth” with Paul Newman and Genevieve Paige, and will have some take-out Thai food. At this time tomorrow I will be winging my way to Phoenix and then to Dallas, arriving late Sunday night. A few days of organizing myself and my effects, and some really well-thought-out packing schemes to keep my luggage down to a minimum, I will be off to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and France on June 28, staying until July 12. This will probably be the last time I blog until June 29, and the format will be the same as it has been for the California sojourn. Stay tuned, and God bless you all! As ever, SV
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