Smitten, Not Smote

With my little camera, I couldn't get the angle I wanted on this building without standing in the street, so we're going to have to miss out on a bit of the lower part. If it was a quiet, out-of-the-way street I'd stand in the middle, sure. But it's Altadena Drive, just north of Colorado Blvd., and not everyone who drives along there is paying attention.

For at least a year, I drove by this building over and over again without noticing it. Now that I know it's there it plagues me. (See? There's one non-attention-paying driver right there.) The building looks abandoned, and it's so beautiful.

I messed with the contrast and sharpening so you can read the lettering at the top: "MUNICIPAL LIGHT AND POWER." I'm sure the place is owned by Pasadena Water and Power; behind it is a full block of electrical grid. But the building itself looks empty.

It's not a complete mystery, thanks to the Building Biographer, Tim Gregory (and thanks to Google). The building was designed by architect Robert H. Ainsworth.

I'd go peek in the windows but there's an iron fence around the lot. It wouldn't stop some people but I was brought up to be scared of breaking the rules, which is another reason I don't stand in the middle of busy streets.