Pasadena Museum of History facts for kids
Fenyes Mansion at Pasadena Museum of History
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| Established | 1924 |
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| Location | Pasadena, California, U.S. |
| Type | Library, Museum |
The Pasadena Museum of History is a special place in Pasadena, California. It is a private, nonprofit museum and a research library. This museum is the only one focused on the history, art, and culture of Pasadena and the western 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. You can also find a research library, archives, the Curtin House, and the Finnish Folk Art Museum here. The museum offers exhibits, tours, talks, and workshops. It helps people learn about the history, culture, arts, and sciences of Pasadena and nearby areas.
Discover the Museum's Story
The city of Pasadena was started 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. Later, in 1958, their collection moved to the Pasadena Public Library. Volunteers helped take care of it there. In 1970, a family called the Paloheimo family gave a gift. This gift allowed the museum to move to its current home. This home is the historic two-acre Fenyes Estate.
In 1993, the History Center was finished. This building holds the research library and storage for the museum's growing collections. In 2000, the museum added more spaces. These included galleries, meeting rooms, a museum shop, and offices.
The museum is open for everyone to visit. It has special exhibits and offers tours. You can also attend talks and workshops. These events cover local architecture, art, literature, and science. They also share personal stories and important historical achievements. Students from local schools can also take tours. The Pasadena Museum of History gets its support from admission fees. It also receives donations from companies, businesses, and museum members.
Explore the Collections and Archives
The Pasadena Museum of History has a Research Library and Archives. This is where you can find the largest collection of documents and items about Pasadena's history. The Research Library holds over one million historic photos. It also has rare books, old handwritten papers, and maps. There are also architectural drawings and much more.
The museum's collection includes many artworks. These include paintings by local plein air artists. Plein air means painting outdoors. There are also textiles, pottery, furniture, and other important historical objects. The museum's clothing and fabric collection has over 3,000 items. These date from 1880 to 1970.
About one million photos are in the museum's photo archives. Some are only in negative form. These archives feature work by important early Pasadena photographers. They also include photo albums, stereographs, and postcards. The museum also has photo collections from the Pasadena Star-News newspaper. It also has photos from local photographers J. Allen Hawkins and Flag Studios.
The museum's newspaper archive has many local newspapers. This includes bound copies of the Pasadena Star from 1886 to 1924. The research library has about a thousand books. It also has over 300 handwritten papers. These date from the 1830s to today.
The archives also contain reports from the Pasadena Planning Department. These reports are about design and historic preservation. You can also find Pasadena city directories. There are also historic maps of Pasadena and the West San Gabriel Valley. This includes a set of Sanborn fire insurance maps for Pasadena.
The archives hold more than 150 special collections. These were given by people and groups active in Pasadena. Some examples are the Sylvanus Marston Collection of architectural drawings. There is also the Tournament of Roses Collection. Other collections include the Giddings-Hollingsworth Family Collection and the Fenyes-Curtin-Paloheimo Papers. There is also the Black History Collection and the Hugh Anderson/Model Grocery Company Collection. You can find a list of 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 p.m. to 4 p.m. Free parking is available at the museum lot.
The Fenyes Family and Their Mansion
The Pasadena Museum of History has a large collection from the Fenyes family. This includes decorative arts, paintings, clothing, and family papers. Much of this collection is kept in 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.
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 collection also has fine and decorative art that the family gave to the museum.
