The Gamble House in Pasadena by Charles and Henry Greene, 20C US Arts and Crafts architecture design

The Gamble House in Pasadena

Charles and Henry Greene Residence: 20th Century American Arts and Crafts style Architecture

Jun 21, 2017

Location: asadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

The Gamble House Offers Special Tours this Summer

Family Tours
Geared towards younger guests
&
Upstairs Downstairs
Popular tour returns – exclusive access into the servants’ quarters

Limited Time Only

WHAT: ‘Family’ Tours
July 9, 16, 23, 30 at 11:00 a.m. – 60 minutes
Children 16 and under – FREE (advance reservations strongly recommended, space is limited)

Photos by Alexander Vertikoff

The Gamble House

For a limited time only, the Gamble House will be offering four ‘Family’ Tours geared towards younger guests, ages 5-16. On select Sundays during the month of July, a trained, former junior docent (now an 11th grader) will lead younger guests on a 60-minute tour of this Pasadena residence using visual learning aids and a “find and seek” handout to capture the attention of younger guests as they explore the exquisite architecture and craftsmanship of Greene & Greene.

At the conclusion of the tour, families may show their tour stickers at the Gamble House bookstore to receive a copy of Greene & Greene for Kids for the discounted price of $4.

Molly Schwartz, a former junior docent who will be beginning her senior year at La Canada Flintridge Prep in the fall, will be leading these special ‘Family’ Tours this summer. A graduate of the Gamble House Junior Docent program, Molly was interested in returning to this Pasadena residence in some volunteer capacity and the timing was perfect for her to step in and help launch this series of tours geared towards younger guests, ages 5-16.

Parents may elect to join a regular Docent-led Tour while children take the Family Tour
(except those who bring children under 8)
Family Tours – Adults $15; seniors (65+) $12.50 ; FoGH Members – FREE
More info: Gamble House Tours

About the Gamble House Junior Docent Program:

Since 2007 the Gamble House Junior Docent program partners with the Pasadena Education Foundation’s “My Masterpieces” program. The Junior Docent Program trains 7^th and 8^th grade students to conduct tours for elementary school classes that visit the House.

This Pasadena residence has much to offer students of all ages. Learning about this important house helps them to gain a sense of pride in their community and themselves, and helps them realize the importance of preserving its rich heritage. Conducting house tours for younger visitors gives these junior docents confidence in themselves and promotes quick thinking and self-assurance.

WHAT: ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ Tours
July 27 – August 13, 2017 – 90 minutes
Thursdays-Saturdays on the hour from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., and Sundays on the hour from 12-noon – 3:00 p.m.

This summer the residence will once again open its servants’ quarters for exclusive “Upstairs Downstairs” tours. Visitors to this Pasadena residence from July 27^th through August 13^th will be able to compare the living quarters of the Gamble family with those “in service.” New information recently emerged about the Gamble family and their servants allows us to share more of the personal history of those who lived and worked at 4 Westmoreland Place. Come learn how the Gamble family and their staff lived in and maintained an architectural masterpiece of the early 20^th century!

– Visit the original laundry and coal rooms in the basement.
– The surprisingly light and accommodating servants’ bedrooms.
– Learn about the multi-ethnic staff that helped make the Gambles’ lives in Pasadena more comfortable.
– Tour the public spaces and family rooms that make the classic 1-hour tour so popular. This includes the meticulous craftsmanship of Greene and Greene furniture, the specially-designed leaded art glass light fixtures, and the unique architectural features designed by the Greene’s exclusively for the Gamble family.

Upstairs Downstairs Tours – Adults: $20, Children under 12: FREE

The Gamble House in Pasadena, California, is an outstanding example and the most complete and best-preserved work of American Arts and Crafts style architecture. The house and furnishings were designed by architects Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter & Gamble Company. Designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, the Pasadena house is owned by the City of Pasadena and operated by the University of Southern California, and continues to inspire the public’s appreciation and understanding of fine historic architecture.

WHERE: The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103

TICKETS/INFORMATION: Call 626-793-3334; or visit www.GambleHouse.org for more information on the limited ‘Family’ and ‘Upstairs Downstairs’ Tours and all of the other tours offered at this 20th Century Pasadena building. Children under 8 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian; and no food, drinks, pets or strollers are permitted on tours.

Aug 4, 2016

The Gamble House 50th Anniversary

The Gamble House in Pasadena News

Public Celebration

Sunday, September 25, 2016

Self-paced tours with $1 admission, fun family activities, live music and food trucks!

WHAT: The public is invited to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of this Pasadena home being a museum, by going back to 1966 with self-paced tours of the Gamble House for only $1 admission. There will be food trucks, fun family activities on the lawn such as soap carving, kids’ woodworking workshops, live music and much more!

WHEN: Sunday, September 25, 2016; noon – 5:00 p.m.

WHERE: The Gamble House, 4 Westmoreland Place, Pasadena, CA 91103

HOW: gamblehouse.org or (626) 793-3334

Admission: $1.00

Photographs: Alexander Vertikoff

January 14, 2016 marked the 50th Anniversary of the gift of the Gamble House from the Gamble family to the City of Pasadena and the University of Southern California. This generous gift agreement allowed the Gamble House to open its doors to the public in September of the same year.

24 Dec 2015

The Gamble House in Pasadena by Charles and Henry Greene

The Gamble House in Pasadena Celebrates Milestone

50th Anniversary as a Museum

Gamble Family Bequeaths House to the City of Pasadena and USC on January 14, 1966

January 14, 2016 marks the 50th Anniversary of the gift of the Pasadena home from the Gamble family to the City of Pasadena and the University of Southern California. The Gamble House is the most complete and best-preserved example of American Arts and Crafts style architecture.

The house and furnishings were designed by famed architects Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter & Gamble Company. The house, designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1978, is owned by the City of Pasadena and operated by the University of Southern California School of Architecture. The Pasadena property is open for public, docent-led tours and for specialty tours and programs.

On January 14, 1966, members of the Gamble family, the City of Pasadena, and the University of Southern California signed a formal gift agreement, and in September of that year the doors of the Gamble House were opened to the public. In the half century since then, The Gamble House has become one of the most beloved premier historic sites in America.

A series of celebratory anniversary events will take place throughout September 2016 including an invitation only dinner for major donors; a fundraising reception to kick-off a new endowment campaign to raise funds to continue to protect the Gamble family’s generous legacy gift to the public with another decade of conscientious preservation; a reception to recognize the contributions of Gamble House docents through the years; an Alumni Day Open House for former Gamble House Scholars in Residence and the USC School of Architecture; and a 50th Anniversary public celebration on Sunday, September 25, with self-paced tours and family-friendly activities and entertainment.

Visitors continue to visit, week in and week out, from around the world to marvel at the beauty imbedded in every square foot of The Gamble House. They come to experience what Charles Greene called “architecture as a fine art.” Hailed by the American Institute of Architects as “formulators of a new and native architecture,” Charles Sumner Greene (1868–1957) and Henry Mather Greene (1870–1954) designed houses and furnishings a century ago that established a new paradigm for the art of architecture in the United States.

Drawing on the skills of outstanding craftsmen, as well as their own polytechnic training, formal architectural education, and natural artistic sensibilities, Greene and Greene created legendary living environments that were beautiful, functional and modern.

The flowering of the Greenes’ careers together was brief and typically benefited a discriminating and wealthy clientele. They produced their most characteristic work between 1906 and 1914, primarily in and around Pasadena. Of their fully coordinated houses with interior furnishings, only the Gamble House survives intact.

For more information on the Gamble House and their 50th Anniversary please visit www.gamblehouse.org.

The Gamble House, Pasadena

About The Gamble House

The Gamble House was designed in 1908 by architects Greene & Greene. It was commissioned by David and Mary Gamble, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a winter residence.

Photos below courtesy of wikimedia commons:

David Berry Gamble, a second generation member of the Procter & Gamble Company in Cincinnati, had retired from active work in 1895, and with his wife, Mary Huggins Gamble, began to spend winters in Pasadena, residing in the area’s resort hotels. By 1907, the couple had decided to build a permanent home in Pasadena. In June of that year, they bought a lot on the short, private street, Westmoreland Place, passing up the more fashionable addresses on South Orange Grove, known at that time as “Millionaires’ Row.”

At the same time the Gambles were selecting their lot on Westmoreland Place, a house designed by the firm of Greene & Greene was being built for John Cole on a nearby lot. Perhaps meeting the architects at the construction site, and certainly impressed with the other Greene & Greene houses in the Park Place neighborhood, the Gambles met with the brothers and agreed on a commission.

The architects worked closely with the Gambles in the design of the house, incorporating specific design elements such as the family crest among its motifs. Drawings for the house were completed in February 1908, and ground was broken in March. Ten months later, the house was largely finished, the first pieces of custom furniture were delivered, and The Gamble House became the winter home to David Gamble, his wife Mary, and their youngest son Clarence.

Their oldest son Cecil was already working for Procter & Gamble, and their middle son Sidney was at Princeton University. Mary’s younger sister, Julia, also came to live with the family. By the summer of 1910, all the custom-designed furniture was in place.

David and Mary lived in the house until their deaths in 1923 and 1929, respectively. Cecil Huggins Gamble and his wife Louise Gibbs Gamble began living in the house after Julia’s death in 1944, and briefly considered selling it. They soon changed their minds, however, when prospective buyers spoke of painting the legendary interior woodwork white!

The Gambles realized the artistic importance of the house and it remained in the Gamble family until 1966, when it was deeded to the city of Pasadena in a joint agreement with the University of Southern California School of Architecture.