Council to Decide on Landmark Status for Former Roosevelt School

The Pasadena City Council will decide Monday whether to grant landmark status to the former Roosevelt School at 315 N. Pasadena Avenue, placing historic preservation against housing development priorities.

City staff recommend denying the designation, citing extensive alterations that have eroded the campus’s architectural integrity. However, the Historic Preservation Commission voted 5–4 in April to support the designation under Criterion C of the Pasadena Municipal Code, recognizing the site as an example of Mid-Century Modern educational design.

Built in 1953 and closed in 2020, the school once served children with physical and developmental disabilities. It is now owned by the Pasadena Unified School District, which opposes the designation and plans housing on the five-acre site.

The landmark application, submitted in September 2024 by resident Rene Gonzalez, focuses on the school’s original finger/cluster layout and Mid-Century Modern features. City staff contend that multiple renovations—including a 1970s addition that merged previously separated wings and removed outdoor courtyards—compromised key elements of the architectural style.

Preservation advocates like David Bruder, a 25-year neighbor, argue the building should be “preserved and restored” and incorporated into any new project. Housing proponents, including Philip Taylor, counter that “we are in a severe housing crisis” and that landmark status would delay needed housing development.

The school was designed by architects Keith Marston and Eugene Weston Jr. Supporters say the campus reflects a key period in Pasadena’s educational and architectural history, while city planners argue too many original features have been altered for the property to qualify.

If approved, the designation could significantly impact redevelopment plans for the site. The matter is scheduled for consideration during the Council’s June 2 meeting.