Historic Preservation Commission to Vote on Shakespeare Club Building’s Application for Historic Monument Designation

The Historic Preservation Commission today will consider an application by the Shakespeare Club of Pasadena to designate its building at 171 South Grand Avenue as a Historic Monument.

The two-story Shakespeare Club building, presently designated as a Landmark, was built in 1928 as a single family residence. Conferring Historic Monument designation would elevate the property’s cultural status.

“The main difference is that historic monuments denote regional, statewide or national significance while landmarks denote significance at the City level,” explained Pasadena Design & Historic Preservation Section’s Kevin Johnson. “Historic monuments can also include public or semi-public interior spaces in the designation (not proposed in this case).”

The building was originally home to Josephine Everett, known in Pasadena as a patron of the arts.

It was designed by architects Sylvanus Martson and Edgar Maybury, who also designed numerous notable residences in Southern California during the 1920s to 1940s.

The City’s Planning and Development Department in its report said that although the building has undergone minimal exterior alterations since it was built in 1928, the majority of the exterior materials and features that reflect the craftsmanship of early 20th century single-family residential design and construction were retained.

The department is recommending the approval of the Shakespeare Club of Pasadena’s application pursuant to the Pasadena Municipal Code which provides that properties associated with the lives of persons who are significant in the history and were designed by architects whose work is significant to the region are eligible for a Historic Monument designation.

“Everett was a significant person in the history of Pasadena, as the prior nomination for the property established, but the impact of her work extended beyond Pasadena to a regional impact and was felt in the County of Los Angeles, San Diego, and as far away as her native Cleveland, Ohio.”

“Likewise, while Sylvanus Marston and Edgar Maybury are widely known for their work in Pasadena, their design influence is visible throughout Southern California,” the department said in its report.

The Historic Preservation Commission meeting will be held virtually via Zoom on Tuesday, March 15 at 4:30 p.m. Members of the public can access the meeting by clicking this link https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81434776525

Members of the public may also submit correspondence to mtakeda@cityofpasadena.net.

Agendas and related documents are available for public review on the City website at: https://www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/historic-preservation-commission/