Pasadena Museum of History facts for kids
Fenyes Mansion at Pasadena Museum of History
|
|
| Lua error in Module:Location_map at line 420: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | |
| Established | 1924 |
|---|---|
| Location | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Type | Library, Museum |
The Pasadena Museum of History is a special place in Pasadena, California. It is a private museum and a research library. This museum is the only one focused on the history, art, and culture of Pasadena. It also covers the west San Gabriel Valley.
The museum is located on a historic estate that is over 100 years old. It includes the Pasadena Museum History Center and the beautiful Fenyes Estate and its gardens. There is also a research library, the Curtin House, and the Finnish Folk Art Museum. The museum offers exhibits, tours, talks, and workshops. It helps people learn about the history, culture, arts, and sciences of Pasadena.
Contents
A Look at History
How the Museum Started
The city of Pasadena was founded in 1874. This was when people from the Indiana Colony settled near the Arroyo Seco river. In 1924, the Pasadena Historical Society began collecting information. They started with just one filing cabinet of materials.
In 1932, the historical society got a room at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium. By 1958, their collection moved to the Pasadena Public Library. Volunteers helped take care of it there. Then, in 1970, the Paloheimo family made a generous gift. This allowed the museum to move to its current home. This new home was the two-acre Fenyes Estate.
Growing Over Time
In 1993, the History Center was finished. This building was made to hold the research library. It also had storage for the museum's growing collections. In 2000, the museum added more spaces. These included new galleries, meeting rooms, a museum shop, and offices.
The museum is open to everyone. It has special exhibits and tours. They also offer talks and workshops. These events cover topics like local buildings, art, books, science, and important historical events. Students from local schools can also take tours. The Pasadena Museum of History gets its support from admission fees and donations.
Amazing Collections
What's in the Library?
The Pasadena Museum of History has a huge collection of items. These documents and artifacts tell the story of the city. The Research Library has over one million historic photos. It also has rare books, old writings, and maps. You can find architectural records and much more.
Art and Other Treasures
The museum's collection includes a large art section. This features paintings by local plein air artists. These artists painted outdoors. There are also textiles, pottery, furniture, and other important historical items. The museum has a costume and textile collection with over 3,000 pieces. These items date from 1880 to 1970.
Photo and Newspaper Archives
About one million photos are kept in the museum's photo archives. Some are only in negative form. These archives include work by important early Pasadena photographers. You can also find photo albums, stereographs, and postcards. The museum also has photo collections from the Pasadena Star-News newspaper.
The museum's newspaper archive has many local newspapers. This includes bound copies of the Pasadena Star from 1886 to 1924. The research library also holds about a thousand books. It has over 300 old writings from the 1830s to today.
Special Collections
The archives also contain reports from the Pasadena Planning Department. These reports are about design and historic buildings. You can find Pasadena city directories and old maps of Pasadena. There are also maps of the West San Gabriel Valley. This includes special Sanborn fire insurance maps for Pasadena.
The archives have over 150 special collections. These were given by people and groups active in Pasadena. Some examples include:
- The Sylvanus Marston Collection of architectural drawings.
- The Tournament of Roses Collection.
- The Giddings-Hollingsworth Family Collection.
- The Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers.
- The Black History Collection.
- The Hugh Anderson/Model Grocery Company Collection.
You can find lists of these special collections on the museum's website. Some are also available online through the Online Archives of California website. The Research Library and Archives are on the lower level of the History Center. They are open Thursday through Sunday from 1-4 p.m. Free parking is available at the museum.
The Fenyes Family Collection
Inside the Fenyes Mansion
The Pasadena Museum of History also cares for a large collection from the Fenyes family. This includes decorative arts, paintings, costumes, and family papers. These items are kept at the museum and inside the Fenyes Mansion itself. The Fenyes Mansion was built in 1906. It is a historic building that was home to four generations of the Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo family. It is also a Pasadena Cultural Landmark.
The museum keeps the Fenyes Mansion looking like it did in the Edwardian era. The inside has beautiful furniture and decorations from that time. The museum offers tours of the mansion and its gardens. These tours are led by guides called docents.
Art by Eva Scott Fényes
The Fenyes Family collection includes over 3,800 watercolors and sketches. These were painted by Eva Scott Fényes. She was an artist and traveler who lived from 1849 to 1930. The family also donated other fine and decorative art to the museum. Another part of the family's collections is kept at their home in Santa Fe, called Acequia Madre House.
