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.

Dwarfed by Trees...

"I never saw a discontented tree. They grip the ground as though they liked it, and though fast rooted they travel about as far as we do. They go wandering forth in all directions with every wind, going and coming like ourselves, traveling with us around the sun two million miles a day, and through space heaven knows how fast and far!"

--John Muir

Pass the Benadryl

Wondering why you can't seem to stop sneezing in South Pasadena?

It's that white tree. I'm convinced.

If Walls Could Talk

Check out the wall of the back room at Gus's BBQ! I don't know if this is an original advertising mural from the old Ritz Theater or just an artistic nod to the past, but it makes for a wonderful mealtime backdrop. (If you're curious about The Kid From Brooklyn, you can see a clip right here.)

The Ritz was built around 1916 in the spot that is now Gus's parking lot. When it opened, it was known as The Colonial Theater. Both it and the Rialto were operated by Circle Theaters until the mid 1930s when they were taken over by Fox West Coast. On December 13, 1936, the LA Times mentioned a robbery at the Ritz: "An armed bandit escaped with $53.10. Cashier Ruth Shroder and the doorman were threatened with a revolver." (Maybe that's why Circle Theaters lost interest in the theater's operations...)

The Ritz was demolished in 1961, but thankfully the Rialto stands. For now.

Aha!

So that's where you get parts for those old roadsters...

Infinite Possibilities

Today, let's all celebrate the birthday of a woman who has always taught me to reach for the sky and never look down. (Well, except when climbing palm trees.) Happy, happy, HAPPY Birthday Dixie Jane!

This is for you, Mom!
And this, too.
(And I couldn't forget this.)

Skipping Down the Platform...

...because sometimes life is way too serious.

Brightness and Bloom

"There is a brightness and bloom over things; she inspects life proudly, as if she walked in a garden forced by herself to grow in the least hospitable of soils. She is already contemptuous of ordered planting, believing in the possibility of a wizard cultivator to bring forth sweet-smelling blossoms from the hardest of rocks, and night-blooming vines from barren wastes, to plant the breath of twilight and to shop with marigolds. She wants life to be easy and full of pleasant reminiscences..."

--Zelda Fitzgerald, Save Me the Waltz

Settings: Part 27

With all the film crews shooting around South Pas this week I just can't resist another round of my favorite game. So tell me, my aspiring Hitchcocks, Weirs and Fassbinders, if this were the setting for a scene in a movie ... what would happen here?

Quite Contrary (how does your garden grow?)

Sure, we can all appreciate a lavish, artfully manicured jardin filled with heirloom flowers, koi ponds and European sculpture. (That's what The Huntington is for.) But I really love all the groovy little South Pas gardens tucked into flower beds, side yards and window boxes. (Remember this scarecrow? I felt a personal sense of loss when it was recently taken down!)

Here, a hipster sun blows a raspberry over a lawn full of tangled vines. I love this town.

By Any Other Name...

The things you find out when you Google information about roses...

Eleanor Roosevelt once had a rose named after her. "I was very flattered," she said. "But I was not pleased to read the description in the catalogue: no good in a bed but fine up against a wall."

Sign Language

Today is the first of the month, and that means it's Theme Day for participating City Daily Photo bloggers. This month's theme is Funny Signs.

I always smile when I see this happy-go-lucky warning sign at the Kaldi counter toaster. It makes me think of how a similar approach might be applied for other warnings: an animated electric eel on the High Voltage sign, a smiling skull and crossbones on the rat poison, a blue-faced cartoon kid on the plastic dry cleaning bag...

Then again, maybe not.

Be sure to check out all the other wacky signs from around the world. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants