| Between 1885 and the 1930s Pasadena became a favorite
winter retreat for wealthy Easterners, including chewing gum magnate William Wrigley and
Procter & Gamble's David Gamble. Both built magnificent mansions in Pasadena, as did
Henry Huntington, one of the leaders in the transcontinental railroad. Many of
Pasadena's mansions are open for touring. They are also favorite shooting locations and
can be seen in feature films, television series and commercials. The City of Pasadena
issues more than 550 film permits each year.
The ornate Italian Renaissance Wrigley Mansion, built between 1908 and
1914, is located on 4.5 acres. Today, the home is the headquarters for the Pasadena
Tournament of Roses Association. The home, with it's warm wood paneling, Italian marble
fireplace and brocade wallpaper, is open from February through August. The fragrant
gardens, which contain hundreds of varieties of roses, camellias and annuals, are open to
the public year-round.
The Gamble House, once the home of David and Mary Gamble of
Procter
& Gamble fame, is the most complete and best preserved example of the work of
internationally noted architects Greene and Greene. Built in 1908, the mansion features
rare and exotic woods hand-rubbed to a satin finish in each room. The house still contains
its original furnishings, also designed by the architects. Film companies frequently use
the home. Christopher Lloyd ("Doc") lived in the Gamble House in Back to the
Future.
The Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanical Gardens is
located on the 207-acre estate of the late Henry and Arabella Huntington. The gallery,
once the home of the Huntingtons, contains an extensive collection of 18th and 19th
Century British and French paintings, sculpture and tapestries including Gainsborough's Blue
Boy and Lawrence's Pinkie. The library features renowned literary works
including Canterbury Tales and the Gutenberg Bible. The botanical
gardens span 150 acres with 14,000 varieties of plants from around the world.
The Huntington Library's grounds are one of the most sought after filming locations in
Southern California. The estate can be seen in Coming to America, MacArthur
and War and Remembrance.
Castle Green is another famed Pasadena landmark. Built in 1898 as a
fine hotel, this elaborate Moorish-style structure is highlighted by a grand staircase.
Although Castle Green is now a residential apartment complex, the elaborate building
remains virtually unchanged and still contains most of its original interior furnishings.
Its unusual architectural style makes it a popular filming site. It can be seen as the
Hotel de Nacional in Bugsy, a Russian consulate office in Sneakers, a
restaurant in The Marrying Man, and it's where "the sting" takes place
in The Sting starring Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
The Beaux Arts-style Fenyes Mansion, now home to the Pasadena
Historical Museum, was once owned by the Finish Consul. The home, built in 1907, offers a
glimpse of the extravagant lifestyle that existed on Pasadena's "Millionaires'
Row" at the turn-of-the-century. Scenes from Newsies, Eleanor and
Franklin and Being There were filmed at the mansion. Tours of the mansion
and the Finish Folk Art Museum are available.
Other famous Pasadena homes include the Batman mansion, Father of the
Bride house, and the Carrington Mansion from Dynasty. Fox selected a home on
Oakland Avenue to double as the Drysdale and Clampett estates for the 1980s feature film
version of The Beverly Hillbillies. The estate was once the home of Dovie Beams, the mistress of the late Ferdinand Marcos, deposed president of the
Philippines. The home mysteriously burned in 1988.
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