After Five-Year Push in East Pasadena, Rusnak Breaks Ground on Porsche Dealership

Rusnak Auto Group broke ground Wednesday on a new 61,000-square-foot Porsche dealership in East Pasadena, a major expansion for the luxury car company in its 60 years in the city and the culmination of a project that spent five years navigating planning disputes and historic preservation.

The facility, at the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Sunnyslope Avenue, will replace Rusnak’s current Porsche location on West Colorado Boulevard. Company leaders say it will increase local employment, generate new sales tax revenue for the city, and include a public art installation designed by students at ArtCenter College of Design — all on a 4.4-acre site where a 1929 industrial building will be preserved rather than demolished.

“As we mark 60 years in Pasadena, we look ahead with excitement to construction of this new facility, which is going to be state of the art,” Paul Rusnak, the company’s founder, chairman and CEO, said at the ceremony.

He added that the dealership will “create new jobs and strengthen our local economic impact.”

Mayor Victor Gordo said the project could spur further development along East Colorado Boulevard. “I believe with this beautiful dealership … you will have started that development and planted a seed that I think will take off along the rest of the avenue and improve our city,” Gordo said.

Councilmember Gene Masuda, who represents District 4 where the dealership is located and who made the motion to approve the project, said the economic impact would be significant. “They’ve been one of the largest sales tax providers in the city for a long time,” Masuda said. “It’s going to be a huge plus for our city.”

Victoria Rusnak, the company’s president and dealer principal, said in a written statement to Pasadena Now that the company anticipates approximately a 30 percent increase in employees, with positions across sales, service, parts and administration.

She said the company is establishing a partnership with Pasadena City College’s Automotive Technology Program to offer internships and training for students pursuing careers in automotive service.

The two-story sales and service building will sit adjacent to the existing Audi Pasadena dealership, which Rusnak also owns.

The project includes a 4,800-square-foot car wash and rooftop parking above the second floor. A sculptural installation, designed by an ArtCenter student team that included Isaac Xu, Xiyu Chen and Brian White, will be set back 43 feet from the property line along Sunnyslope Avenue. The design draws on the principles of biomimicry, according to an ArtCenter press release.

Rusnak first proposed the project in 2021. The original plan called for demolishing all existing structures on the site, including the Swanson and Peterson Furniture Manufacturing building, a two-story brick structure built in 1929 and designed by architect McNeal Swasey. Community members and Pasadena Heritage objected, calling the building the best remaining example of a “daylight factory” in Pasadena. Rusnak revised plans to keep the building, which will house service operations for classic Porsche vehicles, according to the company.

The Pasadena Planning Commission recommended denying the conditional use permit in a 5-2 vote, but the City Council unanimously approved the project in July 2024. The Pasadena Design Commission gave final design approval in August 2025.

Rusnak Auto Group, a family-owned company, opened its first Pasadena dealership — a Chrysler/Plymouth franchise — on Colorado Boulevard in 1966. Paul Rusnak opened his first Porsche dealership in 1970. The company now operates six luxury brand locations in Pasadena and describes itself as one of the city’s largest sales tax generators, according to company materials. It is the title sponsor of the Pasadena Pops summer concert series and sponsors the Distinguished Speaker Series, according to the company.

The new dealership is expected to open in 2027.

Brian Beatt, the company’s president and chief operating officer, said at the ceremony: “We break ground on our new flagship Porsche facility, an investment in both our future and the Pasadena community.”

After the ceremony, Paul Rusnak stood on the sidewalk chatting about his history in the city. Asked how many Porsches he personally owned, he quipped: “Well, they’re all mine, until I sell them.”