South Pasadena claims to have the oldest and most historic sites in the San Gabriel Valley. The Meridian Iron Works building is one of the town’s first structures, and it’s a charmer. It was built in 1887, about a year before South Pasadena became the 6th incorporated Los Angeles County municipality. First it was a grocery store and hotel, then later it was modified into a blacksmith and iron works shop. Today it serves as the South Pasadena Historical Museum . Funded and operated by the South Pasadena Preservation Society, the museum displays a permanent collection of artifacts from the earliest history of South Pas and the entire San Gabriel Valley. Occasionally the museum will show private collections. This past July, it hosted free outdoor movie nights on the adjacent lawn. It has a great selection of post cards, vintage photographs and other souvenirs.The museum is open from 1-4 on Saturday and 3-8 on Thursday. Admission is free. (Stop in after shopping the Farmer’s Market!)
11 comments:
Love the stop action of the woman's and girl's feet. Love your bio photo.
It's so clean, it almost doesn't look real. Thanks for all the background - too often, the story gets lost. I just recently learned that Willits incorporated in 1888 as well. A good year for little cities.
What a great little building, and how perfect that it has been made into a history museum! Nice shot!
There are so few buildings from the late 1800's left. This one really looks like I imagine a store and hotel should look like from the old west - except maybe neater and cleaner than it ever was back then.
Love the history lessons!
Love your blog. I am also a transplant from the west side. But I have come to admire and love this little city and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else right now.
Hi everyone!
Judy, it's so great to see you here! Thanks for the good words, oh photo master.
Elaine, I'll bet we have some similar architecture.
Keith, I agree. This building reminds me of something out of an Old West movie set. I'm so fond of it.
Hi Kelly! Thanks!
Welcome, neighbor Maureen. It's lovely to find haven from the hectic west side, isn't it? I had no idea how stressed I really was there until I moved here.
Jutilda looked at the feet of the passersby. I appreciate its history but at once I noticed the sign and my funny side wondered if they do indeed do ironing. Sorry.
They did some filming for 'Step Brothers' (the recent Will Ferrrel movie) outside this building.
I decided to find out where it was as the area looked so nice. Must put it on the list to visit sometime.
From the UK
Wait! I want to go back in time and stay in this building when it was a hotel! What must it have been like...
I just saw this building in a movie, Secret Window, with Johnny Depp. What a great building.
What timing! Just this morning, I saw this building in a rerun of the old "Streets of San Francisco" with Michael Douglas & Karl Malden...and I thought 'I've seen that building before,' and had to look it up, only to find it as the most recent post...Yes...Johnny Depp's "Secret Window!"
How very cool.
Thanks.
MJ
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