Guest Opinion | The Board of the Madison Heights Neighborhood Association: Giving Thanks and Continuing to Protect Pasadena’s Historic Architecture

“The Pasadena we live in and enjoy is the gift of past generations, a singularly fortunate creation born of careful choice and  thoughtful building within a striking environmental setting….” 

— Katie Harp McLane, co-founder of Pasadena Heritage 

This Thanksgiving, the Madison Heights Neighborhood Association (MHNA) would like to give thanks to all those in Pasadena who have worked tirelessly over the years to preserve the beauty and charm that make Pasadena the city we love. We especially want to thank local activists who, in the 1970s-80s, saved the historic buildings of Old Pasadena from the wrecking ball. People like Katie  Harp McLane, Claire Boggard, Bill Ellinger and John Merritt, who together founded Pasadena Heritage, and Sue Mossman, its long serving current Executive Director.

Every generation of Pasadenans plays their part in preserving the aesthetic that makes Pasadena one of the most unique and charming cities in the state. SB9 (State Senate Bill 9) now adds urgency to our generation’s call to preserve historic architecture from demolition.

MHNA has long been working to protect Pasadena’s cherished architecture and character by helping to get the Madison Heights  Landmark District designated, which would prevent destruction of its historically significant houses. Landmark Districts apply to the  street-visible exterior structure of properties, and ensure that historical features are retained while changes are in keeping with the home and area. Pasadena has over 25 Landmark Districts dotting every corner of the city, ranging in size from the large Bungalow  Heaven to the tiny Marengo-Pico of just six properties.

SB9 goes into effect January 1st. It will allow the destruction of historic architecture in order to build up to four new units where one home had been, while splitting lots into two (if each subsequent lot can be 1,200 square feet or more — which would apply to nearly  every property in Madison Heights). It will also reduce setbacks, allowing these new units to be just four feet from neighbors’ side  and rear property lines. SB9 has no provision for affordable housing, and given the sale prices we’ve seen for lots much smaller than  most potential split lots would be, it seems clear affordability is not part of the equation. Moreover, we already permit ADUs and  junior ADUs to increase housing in single-family neighborhoods (with incentives for affordable units), and Pasadena continues to be  a leader in expanding needed housing, even if we must do better with affordable housing.

Instead, SB9 is a boon for developers, who have already been targeting Madison Heights homeowners, asking to purchase their homes and even offering them one of the four new units they’re eager to build. SB9 requires anyone who would split a lot to sign an  affidavit stating they intend to reside in one of their new units for at least three years, but this provision includes no penalty if broken, and is essentially meaningless.

The good news: those who drafted SB9 recognized the value in preserving significant historic architecture and neighborhoods, so  they included an exemption for designated Landmark Districts (and other historic landmarks).

Establishing a Landmark District is the only way to protect that which makes this neighborhood so special. There’s a reason people travel from all over the world to tour our streets. History, aesthetics, and artful architecture are of great value to people and cities. Ever since a massive concrete structure replaced a historic bungalow on Los Robles Avenue in Madison Heights, residents have been concerned that we are not protected.

In the spirit of those who worked so hard before us, we all need to help now. A majority of homeowners within a proposed  Landmark District must sign a petition approving the designation. If you live in Madison Heights, you can check if you’re included on the map here: mhnapasadena.org/landmarkmap, and use that site to request the petition. Individual petition pages will be delivered  to those who haven’t yet signed.

Madison Heights is full of architectural gems by Greene & Greene, Arthur & Alfred Heineman, Wallace Neff, Frederick L. Roehrig,  David M. Renton, Sylvanus Marston (including work from Frank Lloyd Wright’s design), John William Chard, Reginald Davis Johnson,  et al., and many significant works by lesser known architects.

Once gone, that history and character will be erased forever.

“There’s nothing like this anywhere else in California,” once said William Bogaard, former Mayor of Pasadena and current Chair of  the Pasadena Housing Task Force, speaking generally about “the unique charm of Pasadena” and its historic architecture.

We give our thanks to those who have helped preserve this amazing, finite resource, and to those helping to protect it now.