Rosette, Shmosette

We spent hours at Urgent Care, and then even more hours in the Huntington Hospital ER with Little Bit last night. I'm worn out -- though not as worn out as a sweet 6 year old with 104 degree fever who had to have a chest X-ray, a bunch of lab tests and a near-miss with a lunatic Urgent Care doctor who tried to order a lumbar puncture and CT scan. Calmer heads prevailed at the hospital, and we're home with what looks like one hell of a nasty stomach bug.

It appears the Kindergarten Rhinovirus Fairy's 1st grade replacement is much more bad-ass, with a new slew of nasty illnesses in her arsenal.

At any rate, here's a lovely little detail from the recently restored Comerica Bank Building. Talk amongst yourselves while I have a small nervous breakdown.

Classic Beauty

The restored Comerica Bank building is so beautiful, I almost always stop and take pictures of it. (And this time, I didn't even focus on the rosettes!)

Historic Beauty

It's hard to believe the gorgeous Comerica Bank Building was ever covered in weird, aqua tiles! I explore the history of this structure, along with several other notable South Pas buildings, in my column this week at Patch. (It should post sometime around lunch today.)

UPDATE: Thanks to those of you who emailed that my latest column isn't linked with the others over at Patch. I'm sure it was just a glitch in putting it up. Try this link to get to today's column. Also, for those who can't seem to find me over there, just put my name into the search box and it should bring up all my stuff. The latest Patch layout doesn't keep columns on the front page anymore.

Carry on!

Here's an idea...

Maybe the people at Comerica Bank will have an idea of how to fix the Fair Oaks construction debacle. Just look at how beautifully they restored our historic building on the corner of Fair Oaks and Mission. (Rosettes and all!)

Final Touches...

I couldn't resist a sneak peak of the gloriously restored (and newly dubbed) Comerica bank building. The columns have been painstakingly recreated! The rosettes are back! That man in the picture painted a gold numbers on the window and stained the trim a deep cherrywood brown!

I can say without qualification, even though I know nothing about the interest rates or corporate policies, that I love Comerica Bank. Any company willing to put this kind of care (not to mention capital) into refurbishing one of South Pasadena's historic buildings -- and during a major economic crisis, no less -- is a company I want to do business with.

When I moved to South Pasadena a few years ago, this structure was hidden under a campy aqua exterior. I liked it. It was retro and odd. But I had no idea what it concealed. When the 60s facade came down and the original 1920s building was revealed the entire community took a collective gasp. A hidden treasure had been unearthed! And here it is, almost finished, after months of loving care and thoughtful restoration. Okay, so I'm not crazy about the blue sign but I can overlook it. It's the least I can do after how much Comerica Bank has invested in South Pasadena.

I will post again when the project is complete, and I promise to have more information about the history of the building.

UPDATE: Check out the fabulous old picture of the original building here, at Mister Earl's Musings.