Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena Named a California Preservation Foundation Award Winner

Mayfield Senior School in Pasadena is one of the 16 winners of the 2023 Preservation Design Awards announced Thursday by the California Preservation Foundation (CPF).

The awards recognize the best in historic preservation, restoration, adaptive reuse, and rehabilitation throughout the state. The winners will be formally recognized at the annual California Preservation Foundation Conference on Thursday, April 20n at the Fort Mason Center for Arts & Culture in San Francisco.

The Mayfield Senior School project demonstrated innovative responses to historic preservation in both the built and unbuilt realms of our heritage, prioritized equity and access, and opened the possibilities of historic preservation in new, broad, and inclusive ways.

The Foundation said each project is an exemplar of preservation excellence, and joins more than 600 projects recognized with a Preservation Design Award since 1983.

Winning projects are selected by a jury of top professionals that have furthered, to a notable degree, the purposes of preservation consistent with CPF’s mission.

The California Preservation Foundation exists to ensure that the rich diversity of California’s historic resources are identified, protected and celebrated for their history and for their valuable role in California’s economy, environment and quality of life.

Incorporated in 1978, CPF has grown from a small band of advocates to a statewide network of more than 18,000 members and supporters. CPF provides training to more than 1,500 individuals annually, responds to hundreds of requests for assistance each year, and is at the forefront of preservation advocacy from the state legislature to city halls across California.

The Mayfield Senior School Capital Improvements have been ongoing since 2007 and focused around Strub Hall, formerly the Marshall-Eagle mansion on a Millionaires’ Row estate in Pasadena. The rehabilitation of Strub Hall marked the completion of Phase 1 of the school’s Master Plan, and included restoration, a seismic upgrade, building systems upgrades, and classroom, faculty, and administration renovations throughout the building.

The multi-phased renovation carefully considered the preservation of Strub Hall as a cornerstone in the School’s legacy and the history of Pasadena.

Originally constructed as a single-family home, the School had recognized and retained the historic features over the years, but these elements were in disrepair and deterioration throughout the building after 100 years of continuous operation.

With the preservation aspect of this project the priority from the beginning, the planned intervention of seismic and MEP systems took a backseat to the historic spaces and features. Repairing, replacing, and matching the existing historic finishes were an important aspect of the project as well. The non-historic spaces were designed and constructed to blend into and showcase the historic spaces while providing a contemporary but timeless aesthetic. The result is a campus that showcases the rich history of the estate while creating an inspiring environment for the education of generations to come.

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