A mosaic of many people and many perspectives, Garfield Heights celebrates itself, its neighbors, and its history. These celebrations take many forms, but always remain rooted in goodwill and camaraderie. That spirit inspired and guided the Historic Pasadena Bus Tour in 2022, which was an opportunity to learn more about each other and our often neglected, invisible, or untold histories.
On this tour, we visited several significant, cultural landmarks in Pasadena's historically marginalized communities. The historic homes, businesses, religious, and cultural sites on the tour are associated with the Japanese, Black, Armenian, Indigenous, and Mexican communities of Pasadena. |
In May 2023, Historic Bus Tour #2 was awarded First Place in the Social Revitalization /Neighborliness category at the Neighborhoods USA Neighborhood of the Year (NOTY) competition in El Paso, TX. The award recognizes exceptional projects that make neighbors feel connected and foster neighbors working together. Projects were judged on their innovation, community benefit, replicability, and grassroots involvement. Additionally, GHNA won the overall Grand Prize Neighborhood of the Year Award! Click HERE to read more.
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Neighbor, researcher, and tour guide Danny Parker on the mic.
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Stop #9. Bellefontaine Nursery (838 S. Fair Oaks Avenue.) The last remaining Japanese American owned nursery in Pasadena, the Uchida family founded Bellefontaine Nursery at its present location in 1939. The Uchida family was sent to the Gila River internment camp in Arizona from 1942 to 1945. During that time, the nursery was closed and friends watched the nursery. When the nursery reopened, it grew into a reliable resource for Japanese gardeners for equipment repairs as well as a place to congregate between jobs. The third generation of Uchida operates Bellefontaine Nursery today. (Photos from Bellefontainenursery.com.) https://www.bellefontainenursery.com/history |
Stop #2. Octavia E. Butler Magnet School (1505 N. Marengo Avenue.) In early 2022, Washington STEAM Multilingual Academy was renamed Octavia E. Butler Magnet School to honor and celebrate the acclaimed author and 1962 graduate of Washington Junior High (as it was known then.) A shy child, Octavia Butler found an outlet in reading and later channeled her talents and energies into writing. PUSD cited Butler as a "role model for our students...coming from a meager background, she persisted through struggling with a learning disability to a model of excellence, using skills such as creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, self-discipline, research, goal-setting, and resilience.” |
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Link to Pasadena Unified School District webpage Link to Pasadena Now article Link to LA Parent article "Tracing Octavia's Footsteps." Link to Octavia Butler Walking Tour (produced by Huntington Library.) |
Please watch this short documentary summarizing the milestones in OEB's life and writing career. >>> One of her most well-known books is Kindred, which in 2022, was adapted into an FX tv series of the same name. Link to Shondaland article about the tv adaptation of Kindred. Link to her last interview in 2005 just a few months before she died, in which she discusses race and climate change. |
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Stop #12. Octavia Estelle Butler Childhood Home (918 N. Marengo Avenue.) Located in Garfield Heights at the northeast corner of Marengo and Mountain is the childhood home of renowned science fiction author Octavia Butler. Her futuristic writing earned her the highest awards in science fiction, including prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, as well as a MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship in 1995. Link to article "Tracing Octavia's Footsteps." Link to Octavia Butler Walking Tour (produced by Huntington Library.) |
Just north of Garfield Heights, Alkebu-Lan enriches our community with African and Black history, arts and cultural programs. Neighbors take a tour of the exhibition space.
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Stop #4. Alkebu-Lan* Cultural Center (1435 N. Raymond Avenue.) The Center was established in 1989 as a community-based, non-profit cultural center. Its mission is to" awaken, inspire, motivate, and develop the multi-dimensional young minds of the under served students through culturally informed educational activities, which cultivate individual abilities and build confidence in social and artistic expression." https://alkebu-lanculturalcenter.com/ *"Alkebulan" is the ancient name for the continent of Africa, meaning "the mother of mankind." Click HERE to learn more about the meaning of Alkebulan. Speaker: Dianne Lewis is the CEO/Executive Director of Alke-bulan Cultural Center. Dianne is very passionate about her community and strives to ensure success among African American Youth. She provides educational programs centered around Black history and heritage, arts and culture, theater, music and African dance, |
#6. Jackie and Mack Robinson’s Childhood Home
(The Robinson site/plaque is located at 123 Pepper St. and the Kings Villages Apartments are visible on the opposite side of Pepper St.) Jackie Robinson attended Pasadena's Cleveland Elementary School, Washington Middle School (now named Octavia Butler Magnet School), John Muir High School, and Pasadena City College. He transferred to UCLA where he was the first athlete to letter in four sports: baseball, football, basketball and track. He is probably most known for breaking Major League Baseball’s racial barrier when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947. Jackie remained bitter about the racism he and his family endured growing up in Pasadena. A cross was burned on the Robinson's lawn and white neighbors tried to force them to leave the neighborhood. California Sun article Older brother Matthew Mackensie "Mack" Robinson won the Silver medal in the 200 meters at the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics finishing 0.4 seconds behind Jesse Owens under the glare of Adolf Hitler. He attended University of Oregon and won numerous track titles. Upon his return to Pasadena, however, the only work he could find was as a street sweeper. He performed the job while wearing his Olympic jacket. He became a community activist advocating for the creation of playgrounds, swimming pools, and libraries in Pasadena. The Lincoln/Orange Grove Post office is named after Mack Robinson. University of Oregon webpage on Mack Robinson The Jackie and Mack Robinson plaque is located on the sidewalk at 123 Pepper St. and marks the former location of their family home. The house standing there now replaced the Robinson home at 121 Pepper St. which was torn down.
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The Robinson family in 1925. Standing from left to right are Mack, Jackie, Edgar, Willa Mae, and Frank, Sitting is their mother Mallie Robinson. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Kings Villages Apartments
Originally called the Pepper Street Redevelopment Project and stretching from Washington Blvd to Mountain Street and from Fair Oaks to Sunset Avenue, the project now known as Kings Villages was conceived with anything but noble intentions. The project area included owner occupied, well-maintained single family homes and small, many locally owned businesses along Fair Oaks. The Pasadena city fathers hatched the plan in 1958 to “remove Negroes from Northwest Pasadena,” but were thwarted for close to 10 years by Emmett Mickel of First AME Church Pasadena. When Mr. Mickel’s efforts were finally exhausted and the City constructed and completed the project in 1968, no buyers were interested in the $18,500 townhomes. Unable to attract buyers, the project was converted into low income housing that attracted newcomers to Pasadena. Unfortunately if not predictably, the project triggered a negative ripple effect on surrounding neighborhoods that became crime riddled and several years later a hotbed for gangs. In 2021, Kings Villages was sold to the The Rose Affordable Housing Preservation Fund V. Pasadena Now article |
Additional Black Sites of Interest:
Friendship Baptist Church (80 W. Dayton St.) This is the last remnant of the Black neighborhood in Southwest Pasadena. The oldest black Baptist church in Pasadena, the church was founded in 1893 and the current location was built in 1925. Martin Luther King, Jr. visited Friendship twice. The church became the first African American-related Cultural Landmark designated in Pasadena. It is also a State of California landmark and in 1978 was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. |
Woods Valentine Mortuary (1455 N. Fair Oaks Ave.) Opened in 1928, this historic mortuary was originally located at 87 S. Vernon Avenue (where the 710 Freeway stub crosses Green Street). James Woods founded the mortuary; his nephew Fred Valentine and his wife purchased the mortuary in 1954. The Valentine family moved the mortuary to its present location in 1963 and continue to operate the mortuary today. Friendship Baptist Church and Woods-Valentine Mortuary were featured stops on the first Garfield Heights Historic Bus Tour in 2017.
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CLICK HERE to see a short video about the new monuments.
CLICK HERE to read the Pasadena Now article, "Unveiled Monument Reveals Pasadena's Hidden Racial History." CLICK HERE to see the map of the locations of the monuments. |
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Stop #3. John Pashgian Home (225 Grandview Street at Marengo Ave.) A member of the first Armenian family in Pasadena and founder of Pashgian Brothers Rug store, John Pashgian built a mansion one block north of Garfield Heights on Marengo Avenue. Mr. Pashgian was known as a skilled equestrian and served as the Tournament of Roses Parade Marshal for 21 years. The Pashgian home is now utilized by Grandview Foundation, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. Grandview owns and operates two additional buildings located within Garfield Heights on Marengo and Claremont, one of which serves as the GHNA gathering place for our quarterly general meetings. |
Pashgian Brothers Rugs
(993 E. Colorado Blvd.) Located just east of Lake Avenue and noted for its iconic rooftop sign, Pashgian Brothers Rugs is a Pasadena icon. Established in 1889, Pashgian Brothers Rugs is one of the largest and oldest oriental rug stores in the West Coast. |
Speaker: Danny Donabedian. A proud Pasadena resident since 1991, Danny lives in Garfield Heights and is a former GHNA Chair. An avid supporter of the Armenian American community, he is a member of the Armenian General Athletic Union and Scouts where he served on various executive bodies as well as a youth soccer coach; board member and chairperson of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) – Pasadena Chapter; and member of Hamazkayin (Armenian Cultural Society). Pasadena District Councilmember John J. Kennedy appointed him to serve on the Recreation and Parks Commission from 2013 to 2018. During that time period, he also served on the Hahamongna Watershed Advisory Committee, the Urban Forestry Advisory Committee, and the Robinson Park Community Center Renovation Steering Committee. |
Stop #8. Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial
(Memorial Park, Southeast corner of Walnut Street and Raymond Avenue.) Dedicated in 2015, the monument stands in tribute to the 1.5 million Armenians killed by the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923. "The monument consists of a metal tripod standing 16 feet tall, in remembrance of similar tripods which Armenian leaders were hung from during the genocide. From the top of the tripod, a drop of water falls every 21 seconds. Each year, 1.5 million drops of water — one for each of the genocide victims — will drop into a basin adorned with the ancient Armenian symbol for eternity." The monumental sculpture was designed by Catherine Menard while she was a student at Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design from a field of 17 entries. Pasadena Now article Garfield Heights neighbor Danny Donabedian tells the history of the Armenian Genocide and the deep roots of the Armenian community in Pasadena.
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Stop #5. Hahamongna Watershed Park
Located at the southeast corner of Oak Grove Drive and Foothill Blvd, the 1,300 acre park in the Arroyo Seco extends from Devil’s Gate Dam north into the San Gabriel Mountains. The park provides a glimpse into a time when the Hahamong’na tribe of the Tongva people lived off the land and were the original stewards of the upper Arroyo Seco, Pasadena, and Altadena. Hahamongna wikipedia Click on the map thumbnail below to see an enlarged map of Gabrieliño-Tongva Villages in the Southern California area.
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Speaker: Virginia Carmelo. A native of Orange County, Virginia Carmelo is paternally descended from Gabrieleño/Tongva and Digueno/Kumeyaay tribes. She is a former Tribal Chairperson of the Gabrieliño/Tongva Nation. Virginia studied indigenous dance under two prominent masters in the Los Angeles area and has researched the Tongva language. She continues to share the Tongva culture with her children as they endeavor to revitalize Tongva tribal song, dance, story, and regalia.
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Stop #11. Mijares Mexican Restaurant
(145 Palmetto Drive.) Founded in 1920 by Jesusita Mijares as a small tortilla and tamale factory, Mijares is now Pasadena’s oldest Mexican restaurant. The community institution uses authentic recipes to create memorable dining experiences for generations of Pasadenans. After the restaurant was destroyed in a 1978 arson fire, the family decided to rebuild it in 1984. The iconic restaurant remains family operated and includes 4th generation family members. Click to Watch the short documentary Speaker: Roberta H. Martinez. Born and raised in East Los Angeles, Roberta H. Martinez earned her BA in Music and MA in Music History from the University of California, Riverside as a re-entry student. She is an actor, historian, and writer. Her book, “Latinos in Pasadena,” was published in 2009. In 2019, CSPAN interviewed her on the history of the Latinos in the San Gabriel Valley. She has lectured at the Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens. Roberta curated, “The Past Lives Vividly in the Present” for the Pasadena Museum of History and recently curated the online exhibit “Latinx in Pasadena” for Pasadena City College. She is a founder of the Latino Heritage parade and jamaica. A Reader at the Huntington library, Roberta has presented her research in Los Angeles and Orange Counties as well as at the Huntington itself. Her recent talks include: “Beyond Jackie, Rosa, and Martin: Black Pioneers with Pasadena Connections,” “Community Migration,” Altadena: Homesteaders, Squatters, and Other Pioneers,” “Latina Legacies,” “Sites, Scenes, and Stories: Intersections of Architecture and the Pasadena Latino Community in the 20th Century.” |
Pictured above is the original Mijares Restaurant before the 1978 fire. Below, the 1984 building that exists today.
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Additional Mexican Sites of Interest:
Chihuahuita An historic Mexican American community that at one time covered a large portion of what is now East Pasadena, the remnant of that community is located in an area just outside the Pasadena city limits between Madre Street and Rosemead Blvd. and between Del Mar Blvd. and Colorado Blvd. LA Times article: "Growth Wiped Out Old Neighborhoods" Daily News article "Guest View: Pasadena's Historic Latino Neighborhoods" Our Lady of Guadalupe Church Located at the northwest corner of Raymond Avenue and California Blvd., this church was a hub of the Mexican American community. Built in 1912, it burned down in the 1970s. An original tile mosaic from the church was salvaged and later given to Mijares Mexican Restaurant, where it is permanently on display on a patio wall. Tile mosaic is pictured below with Historic Bus Tour Guide Brian Biery and featured speaker Roberta H. Martinez |
Can We All Get Along? The Segregation of John Muir High School, is a documentary about desegregation of Pasadena's John Muir High School. CLICK HERE to watch a short trailer. website: https://www.getalongfilm.com/ |