Then and Now: Merritt Gardens

A relative of Hulett C. Merritt emailed me after I posted about the Merrit Mansion last week. He was kind enough to send me clippings of obituaries and some lovely old post cards. Above, the sunken garden. Below, as it appears today.
To quote Mr. Merritt's relative:
"I was in Pasadena for a week in December 2008, the first time I had been back in nearly 25 years. I walked around both Hulett's mansion as well as Lewis' mansion [the nearby Tudor]. My great grandparents used to come out from the Midwest to spend the winter months in Pasadena back in the 1930s. To some degree, I found that parts of Pasadena still have that slow pace of life that attracted snow birds in previous times."

(If I've got it straight, Lewis was Hulett's father.)

The gentleman sent me even more great information which I'll save for another time. Perhaps we'll do a post about Lewis' mansion one of these days.

Then and Now: Church of the Angels

It's a bit of a thrill to find an old photo, taken from a spot you can get to, then go see what the shot looks like today. I've wanted to try it for a long time.

Pasadena's Church of the Angels is a good place to start. It's the oldest church in Pasadena (built in 1889), rich in history and still active today. It appears in films and TV from time to time.

My friend Bob Goldstein used to be a docent at Pasadena Heritage and probably still would be, had he not moved away from southern California. He loved that volunteer position and relished giving tours of Pasadena's historical neighborhoods. Bob took his post card collection with him, but he's shared some good scans with me. He sent tour information, too—I still haven't perused it all. There'll be more "Now and Then" installments, thanks to Bob.

There'll also be more pictures of Church of the Angels in the next few days, thanks to Kelly. She showed me around her beloved church and read to me about its history. A beautiful old building is a treasure, an old church a quiet mystery. When you and your friend have that to yourselves, it's a special kind of blessing.