If you are in Old Town Pasadena, there is a building that stands out from all the rest. It is the Victorian-Era Castle Green. It sits between Green and Dayton Streets and between Raymond Ave. and Fair Oaks Blvd. You can’t miss its stunning castle-like towers.
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Watch my short tour of Castle Green’s Holiday Open House on Instagram
It began as a small hotel in 1887 and was built by developer Edward C. Webster who also constructed a passenger terminal just north of where La Grande Orange is today. (A commenter named Alby below this post has provided much more detail on this.) Webster became insolvent, and the project was taken over by Colonel George Gill Green who renamed it Hotel Green.
The enterprise was so successful and popular that a new building was built in 1898 which was then called the Central Annex and is now Castle Green. It was designed by Frederick I Roehrig who incorporated Moorish, Spanish, and Victorian design.
A third building, which was once the original site of the California Institute of Technology, was also added to the complex in 1903. At one time it was known as “Three Mammoth Hotels in One” with 186 rooms that had baths.
A pedestrian bridge was built over Raymond Avenue so that guests could stroll from the main hotel to the Central Annex. A part of the bridge can still be seen today at Castle Green.
The Pasadena Rose Parade passed underneath the bridge during the early days, but the route was changed in later years.
The walls of Castle Green were built of steel with four courses of brick and concrete. As a hotel, it was advertised as the “first absolutely fireproof building” in Southern California.
A social gathering place for the rich
Guests from the East Coast and other destinations came to Hotel Green to spend the winter season in sunny Pasadena. For several years, it was the social center for highbrow visitors as well as the home of the Valley Hunt Club and the Tournament of Roses Association.
Its ballroom was the site of incredible parties and the hotel hosted Presidents and notables that included Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and John D. Rockefeller.
It boasted the first freeway – for bicycles
One quirky bit of trivia about
is that an unusual cycleway was built next to it in 1900. It started at Central Park and was one and one-quarter miles long running from Dayton Street to the base of Raymond Hill, near Glenarm Street. The idea was to create a pathway that would extend all the way to downtown Los Angeles.
Reconfiguration into living quarters
The automobile replaced train travel as the main mode of transportation which caused the hotel to become less popular as a vacation destination.
The Central Annex was divided into 52 privately owned apartments and renamed Castle Green in 1927.
Its pedestrian bridge was removed over the street in 1929 because of low traffic.
The site of the original hotel across the street was torn down in 1937 to make room for other businesses.
Castle Green today
Castle Green’s apartments is still home to permanent residents but the main floor and gardens are often rented out for special events such as weddings, meetings, teas, and concerts. The building has been designated as a Nationally Registered Historic Monument, a State Historical Monument, and a Designated Pasadena Treasure.
It is only open to the public when it hosts its holiday event.
When I attended there was a nice crowd who eagerly stopped in to appreciate the gorgeous architecture and interior design of the building. Holiday treats and refreshments were served, there was a room set up for professional holiday photos, and VIP tours to other parts of the building were available.
Several movies and television shows have been filmed inside and around the building including “Out of Luck” with Rudolph Valentino, “The Sting,” “Bugsy,” and many more.
The Pasadena Santa Fe Station that was built in 1935 in the Mission Revival style is located at Raymond Ave, and Del Mar. It is now the Del Mar L.A. Metro Station. If you take the Gold Line and get off at Del Mar Station, have a bite at The Luggage Room or La Grande Orange there and stroll through Central Park. Castle Green is located in the heart of the Old Colorado Historical District and the Pasadena Convention Center and Pasadena Town Hall are within easy walking distance.
Castle Green
99 S. Raymond Ave, Pasadena, CA 91005
626-793-0359
I absolutely love this Rebecca! The history AND the pictures!
What a wonderful place to visit!
Thanks, so much Diane. I love learning about it too.
Fascinating article. However, the structure that was once the Pasadena Santa Fe station (built in 1925, in the Mission-Revival style), but is now the Luggage Room Pizzeria/La Grande Orange, is not the same railway edifice that Edward C. Webster had built for “The Webster” hotel. That was the Santa Fe Depot, built in 1887 just north of the La Grande Orange, in the ornate Victorian style. It sat at the foot of The Webster, which can be seen in old photographs, facing what is now Arroyo Parkway (then Broadway). It would have been where East Dayton Street ends, and beelines into the current driveway that divides Fishbecks Patio Center and the former Stats Floral Supply (the Fishbecks building was reportedly where horses and carriages were kept. This, and the building below it, are from the 1890s). To be more precise, the depot was about 815 feet north of La Grande Orange. In fact, the two palm trees that were planted alongside the depot are still there! Interestingly, another forgotten depot of that era, which was just one stop south of here, was the Raymond Hotel station aka Raymond Avenue station, built around the same time, and for the same reason: a hotelier wanted his guests brought right to his doorstep. This station also had two palm trees planted next to it – and they are still there! (That station was demolished mid-century, but the the palm trees remain in what is now the Pasadena Water & Power Plant, along the railroad. It can be located on Google Maps: 4VG2+JQP…but I digress). The taller, southern structure of the former Stats sits on a part of the footprint of The Webster; this was constructed after that section of the hotel was demolished in 1937. However, the single storey building to the north of that, which corners Green Street (then Kansas Street), is actually the only part of the old hotel that still exists, albeit trimmed down from its original palatial height of 4/5 storeys with turreted towers. Examine old photos of this side of the hotel, and you can spot the details.
Wow! Thanks for this incredible detail. I loved reading about it. You really know your stuff when it comes to Pasadena history. I really appreciate your input.
You are welcome! Side note: apparently the remaining section of the old hotel on the southeast corner of Green Street contained the old ballroom.
Love it! Thanks.
Correction: the Pasadena Santa Fe station (now La Grande Orange) was built in 1935.
Thanks, again for the info.
What a beautifully old world place this is!
Thanks, Corinne. It sure is. Great to see you here.