Thanks to an extraordinary family legacy, the
splendid Mansion on Pasadena's famed "Millionaire's Row," once
home to Museum benefactors Dr. Adalbert and Eva Fenyes, is today
the crown jewel among the Pasadena Museum of History's many
treasures.
Architecture and Furnishings
Antique furnishings, oriental carpets, wood paneling and floors,
curving staircases and an excellent collection of California
impressionist paintings enhance the Beaux Arts elegance of the
Mansion. The spacious three-story, 10,162 square-foot residence
by the prominent architect Robert D. Farquhar was completed
in 1906. In 1911 another renowned architect, Sylvanus Marston,
designed a two-story concrete addition, which includes a study
and laboratory space on the ground floor and a solarium and
studio/gallery upstairs.
From Cultural Gatherings to Consulate...
Once a gathering place for Pasadena's glittering social and
cultural life, the Mansion later became the first Finnish Consulate
in the Western United States. In addition, the legendary film
director D.W. Griffith used the beautiful house and gardens
as a film location in 1912, becoming the first of many to recognize
it as a perfect setting when aristocratic elegance is required.
Among the Mansion's more familiar credits are Peter Sellers'
satirical masterpiece, Being There (1979) and the Emmy-award-winning
Eleanor and Franklin: The White House Years (1977), in which
it played the "role" of the White House. Most recently, it was a featured location in the Hugh Jackman/Christian Bales hit The Prestige (2006).
The Fenyes Mansion was designated a Pasadena Cultural Heritage
Landmark in 1965 and a California Point of Historical Interest
in 1993. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
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