The Pasadena Showcase House of Design is not in Pasadena this year; it’s in Arcadia.
IF YOU GO: The 2020 Showcase House will be open from April 26 through May 1. Tickets start at $35 and go on sale on Wednesday, Jan. 29. For information call 714-442-2872 or pasadenashowcase.org.
Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts held its annual Empty House Party on Jan. 17, and the yearly overture was a double dose of déjàvu for me.
Having lived around the corner from the beautiful Arcadia estate for 20 years, the evening brought back priceless memories. Our kids swam in the family’s pool, played on the same teams, went to the same church and, best of all, there was always a reliable baby-sitter available among their daughters. It was truly the best of times.
The two-story, Federal-style home, designed by “Hollywood’s society architect,” Gerald R. Colcord, was built in 1937 in the Santa Anita Oaks area. The house is approximately 6,700 square feet, with six bedrooms and five bathrooms on a 2-acre parcel. It cost $30,000 to build, a hefty sum for new construction during the Great Depression.
Nearly 400 Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts members, donors and artisans turned out for the party before 17 interior and four exterior designers from throughout the Southland embark on a two-month Cinderella treatment. Dana Marevich and Lynn Mehl co-chaired the evening, catered by Pasadena’s Cynthia Brooks.
PSHA President Vikki Sung and Benefit Chair Jill Fosselman said they have some innovations for this year’s Showcase, including daily performances and special-ticket concerts on Saturday evenings by music and arts organizations that have been recipients of PSHA’s Gifts and Grants program. Proceeds from the event support three of PSHA’s own projects: the Music Mobile, Youth Concert and Instrumental Competition.
This year, for the first time, guests can take public transit to the house via the Gold Line, and shuttles will pick-up/drop-off at the Arcadia Gold Line station every 30 minutes. Parking is at the Santa Anita Park, Gate 5, and a shuttle service will be provided.
Now in its 56th year, the Showcase House is one of the older, larger and more successful house and garden tours in the U.S. About 25,000 guests visit it annually and, to date, more than $23 million have been donated to music and arts programs in Southern California. PSHA also has a long history of support for the L.A. Philharmonic and its community outreach program.
This will be the third time the Showcase will be held in Arcadia. It was last held there in 2013. Along with regularly scheduled tours, the Shops at Showcase will feature about 26 vendors and the restaurant and pub are on site for drinks and dining.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been edited to correct the name of the Showcase House’s architect.
