The sanctuary was established in 1935 in honor of Emma Dickinson, a Pasadena resident and bird advocate, and laid out as a quiet spot for birdwatching and panoramic views. The fountain’s tile was made by Ernest A. Batchelder, the Arts and Crafts-era tilemaker who lived and worked in the Lower Arroyo Seco.
Time has worn the site down. The fountain no longer runs, the historic stone retaining walls need stabilizing, and the overlook has no safe pedestrian link to the Lower Arroyo trail system.
On Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m., the One Arroyo Foundation, the City of Pasadena and landscape architecture firm RJM Design Group open the first of two public workshops on what to do about it. The session convenes at Brookside Golf Club, 1133 Rosemont Ave. A second workshop follows Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the same location. The planning effort was announced in a joint news release from the City of Pasadena and the One Arroyo Foundation.
The release describes this stage as input-gathering rather than a presentation of finished plans: feedback from the survey and the two workshops is meant to help shape the project’s vision before design work advances. Rossman, in the release, described the effort as a once-in-a-generation chance to restore the landmark.
The long-term vision runs well past the fountain: restoring the fountain, tile, benches and stairways; stabilizing and repairing the historic stone retaining walls; improving accessibility and pedestrian safety; building a new trail connection to the Lower Arroyo trail system; expanding native habitat for birds and pollinators; and producing a park site master plan to guide construction and fundraising.
According to the release, the One Arroyo Foundation, not the city, is funding this planning and design phase, with donor support. RJM Design Group, established in 1987 and based in San Juan Capistrano, previously designed the recently completed One Arroyo Trail Critical Linkages Project, which repaired and reconnected deteriorated paths across the Arroyo Seco. The One Arroyo Foundation grew out of a community Arroyo Advisory Group convened in 2017.
Residents who cannot attend are asked to complete the project survey.
The One Arroyo Overlook community workshops will be held Saturday, Aug. 1 from 9 to 11 a.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 26 from 5 to 7 p.m. at Brookside Golf Club, 1133 Rosemont Ave. in Pasadena. RSVP links for both workshops, the community survey and additional project details are posted at onearroyo.org; the foundation says workshop RSVPs are handled through Eventbrite.
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