The Pasadena Museum of History, at 470 Walnut Street, will be hosting a Curator’s Tour of “Starting Anew: Transforming Pasadena, 1890-1930,” a newly reopened exhibition, on Friday, June 3, starting at 11 a.m.
“Starting Anew” was on display at the Museum November 2019 through July 2020, and has reopened with enhanced content showing Pasadena’s growth and development through the years, and the City in the midst of world crises.
During the tour, PMH Curator Brad Macneil will guide guests through the exhibition as he talks about the stories of Pasadena’s transformative years.
“The exhibit presents an overview of a slice of Pasadena history,” Macneil said. “There are so many themes covered and many could merit a separate exhibit and more in-depth research. I believe they will be pleased with the variety of artifacts and ephemera displayed including examples of changing technology and fashion.”
Macneil said the exhibit follows a chronological order that will allow people to see how Pasadena changed over the forty year time period. Five video screens will be displaying historic images from the archives to help people see the changes that took place.
“One new component added to the exhibit in the last year explores how Pasadena was impacted by World War I and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic,” Macneil said. “This section addresses the question of how the community came together during times of need. I hope people will spend some time to see the many parallels in history that we are facing today.”
Macneil has been working at the PMH over the last two decades and has had plenty of time to explore the City’s early history. Through his research, he said he was amazed at the rapid growth of the population from 1890 to 1930, which the exhibition covers.
“The population of Pasadena grew from less than 5,000 to over 76,000 inhabitants and the community was transformed from a small agricultural town to a popular winter resort and thriving city,” he said.
“I looked at the data related to the rapid growth of the city compared to other communities around Southern California. If you look at percentage growth during that time, it surpassed Los Angeles. After 1930 and the economic downturn caused by the Depression, the percentage growth of the Crown City leveled off.”
Today, Pasadena’s population is 141,398 based on projections of the latest U.S. Census estimates.
Macneil also talks about what attracted people from all across the U.S. to come to Pasadena – first, for its being identified as a “Winter Resort,” and later on, for the wide range of opportunities Pasadena opened for people to grow and prosper in the community.
“The city was marketed and advertised as a great destination spot through numerous publications from organizations that included the City’s Pasadena Board of Trade, the resort hotels, the railroads, real estate companies, and famously, the Tournament of Roses,” Macneil said.
“As the city grew, it needed to have goods and services to support that growth. Pasadena offered many opportunities for professionals and entrepreneurs. Population growth meant more jobs and opportunities to create a business! An ethnically diverse population moved here taking advantage of the multiple opportunities that the City offered.”
With Pasadena’s population included African-Americans, Mexican-Americans, Japanese-Americans, Chinese-Americans along with Euro-Americans in the 1900s, discrimination and racial inequities were a part of reality, but the opportunities offered hard-working individuals a chance to prosper.
Macneil’s research also led to numerous stories of motivated people who came to Pasadena with meager financial resources and then created successful businesses while contributing to the community.
As the population expanded and new buildings were designed and constructed, the City’s appearance also changed, with new homes and commercial buildings being constructed, and talented architects and craftsmen practicing their trades here and deciding to stay.
“Pasadena is famous for being part of the arts and crafts movement and many architectural gems still exist that were built during that time-period,” Macneil continued. “Pasadena leaders embraced the City Beautiful Movement which developed from the 1893 Chicago’s Columbian World Exposition that featured the ‘White City.’ This inspired City leaders to create an ambitious city planning effort that led to the construction of many beautiful public buildings including the Civic Center. In those four decades, Pasadena and the surrounding area rapidly changed in appearance.”
Besides Friday’s Curator’s Tour, Macneil is scheduled for two other tours, on July 8 and August 19.
Tickets are $10. Space is limited and advanced reservations are required. Take note also that the Museum requires guests and staff to wear masks during the tour.
To purchase tickets, go to www.eventbrite.com/e/curators-
For more information, visit www.pasadenahistory.org/
