Pasadena highlight
Historic Craftsman Architecture
Pasadena is home to exceptional examples of American Craftsman architecture, including the Gamble House, designed by Greene and Greene and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977.
Pasadena's architectural character was shaped by brothers Charles and Henry Greene, who founded their architectural practice in the city in January 1894. The brothers became masters of the American Arts and Crafts movement, designing custom homes where virtually every element—fixtures, furniture, and textiles—was crafted specifically for each space. Their most celebrated work, the Gamble House, completed in 1908, is generally considered one of the finest examples of residential architecture in the United States and was donated by the Gamble family to Pasadena and USC's School of Architecture in 1966.
The Craftsman style that flourished in Pasadena from 1905 through the 1930s emphasized handcrafted details, natural materials, and visible construction methods. These homes—with their low-pitched roofs, exposed rafters, wide front porches with tapered columns, and mixed-material finishes—were a reaction against mass-produced Victorian ornamentation. Many Craftsman residences remain in Pasadena's historic districts, preserving the philosophy that quality and authenticity in a home's design would bring lasting satisfaction.
For families who value the thought and care behind their homes, whether in a historic Craftsman property or a contemporary design, the parallel principle applies to planning: a well-chosen insurance policy is built around actual needs rather than assumptions. Selecting coverage that matches a family's obligations and reviewing it as circumstances change keeps a household's protection sound, much as the builders of these houses prioritized honest construction over fleeting trends.