Member Events

At Home Series

Our popular At Home Series, reserved for Members only, combines presentations by outstanding speakers with a visit to architecturally unique homes.  Enjoy one or more evenings of history, culture, food, and fun with fellow PMH Members.  All programs take place outdoors.  Programs begin at 6:30 pm, and the cost per person is $25.  Our 2010 At Home programs will be announced this spring.  Below is a sampling of At Home programs that have been offered in the past.

Hastings Ranch – A Singular Pasadena Experience

Having made a fortune outfitting and selling provisions to miners during the California Gold Rush, Charles Cook Hastings purchased land at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains.  Hastings’ son carried forward his father’s dream of a ranch at ‘Alta Mesa,’ surrounding himself with a mansion, vineyards, rare and exotic plants, kennels, prize-winning English Hackneys, a deluxe stagecoach, and one of the first cars imported into the United States from France.  Alan Sielen, who grew up in Upper Hastings during the 1950s and 60s, and has conducted extensive research on the Hastings family, talked about life at the ranch and the changes it has seen from pioneer days, to vine-covered ruins, to thriving post-war community.  The lecture was held at an Upper Hastings Ranch home.

The History of the Judson Studios:  Stained Glass on the West Coast

The Judson Studios was established in 1897 just off the plaza in downtown Los Angeles by three Judson brothers and their father, William Lees Judson, a noted California artist.  In 1920 the business moved up the Arroyo Seco to Highland Park, where it remains today.  The Studio's emphasis from the beginning has been on a combination of tradition and innovation.  David Judson, current President of the Studios and fifth generation to run the company, discussed the history of stained glass, the American Art Glass movement, and the role stained glass played in architecture and the Arts and Crafts movement on the West Coast. The talk included a number of images of notable stained glass installations from the past and as well as more recent projects.  The program was held at a Greene and Greene home.

The Case Study House Program: A Vision of the Future

The Case Study House Program, initiated in Los Angeles by Modernist advocate John Entenza through his Arts and Architecture magazine, was far ahead of its time.  In its later stage, it promoted standardized, mass produced houses, made of industrial materials and manufactured components for kitchens and baths that would make homes more affordable for all.  Lack of public acceptance and resistance from construction trades stopped this visionary initiative.  But several avant garde firms in Southern California have picked up the Case Study gauntlet again and may now make this vision a reality.  Lecturer James Steele, Associate Professor at USC’s School of Architecture, described this adventure in full detail.  The program will be held at a Case Study House.

Wallace Neff - The Torrence House

& an Overview of his Half-Century Career

Wallace Neff is known as the preeminent architect of Spanish colonial revival houses in Southern California.  Yet this exceedingly private architect modestly told friends, "I just build California houses for California people."   In fact, he was much more.  An ambitious and inventive designer, he was adept at manipulating traditional styles to please wealthy clients.   He was a pioneer in pneumatic building.  His Bubble House, as his best-known Airform structure was fondly nicknamed, had a social vision as compelling as that of any modernist public housing project. Author Diane Kanner discussed Neff, a Pasadena area native, heir to one of the founders of Rand, McNally & Company, who grew up to influence the course of architecture in California.  The program took place at a Neff designed house.