City to Unveil New Robinson Family Memorial Plaque This Month

The City of Pasadena will host a public unveiling ceremony for a new memorial honoring the Robinson family — including trailblazing athletes Jackie and Mack Robinson — on Friday, May 9, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at 123 Pepper St.

Jackie broke the color barrier in major league baseball in 1947 when he was signed to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Mack helped destroy Hitler’s aryan superiority propaganda during the 1936 Olympics in Berlin.

Mack placed second in the 200 meters at the U.S. Olympics Trials in 1936, earning a place on the Olympic Team. He went on to win the silver medal at the Olympics in Berlin, finishing 0.4 seconds behind Jesse Owens.

According to urban legend, Owens received new cleats before the race, while Robinson did not.

The new five-foot-tall Robinson Family Home Memorial and Historical Marker replaces a previous plaque embedded in the sidewalk that was difficult to locate.

City officials have been working to upgrade a plaque for several years.

Robinson and his family moved to Northwest Pasadena in 1920. A plaque now commemorates Robinson’s residency in the City.

The current flat plaque which is on the sidewalk reads, “Jackie Robinson resided on this site with his family from 1922 to 1946.”

The plaque, which is the second one, at the site was installed incorrectly with the words facing the property instead of the street

The house was torn down in the 70s and even the address where Robinson lived no longer exists.

The updated installation features three plaques recognizing the entire Robinson family and is accompanied by improvements to the surrounding area, including an expanded concrete parkway, a freshly painted red curb designating a no-parking zone, and the replacement of landscaping between the memorial and the driveway.

City staff led the project with input from Robinson family members, the Northwest Commission, and other community stakeholders.

Pepper Street will be closed between Sunset Avenue and Fair Oaks Avenue from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to accommodate the event. Streets are expected to reopen as soon as possible after the ceremony.