Playhouse District, Pasadena, California

The Playhouse District is a neighborhood in Pasadena, California. It is Pasadena's premier entertainment and financial district; the headquarters of Community Bank are headquartered there. The Playhouse District is bordered by Interstate 210 to the north, California Boulevard to the south, Los Robles Avenue to the west, and Hudson Avenue to the east, with a panhandle-like extension to Wilson Avenue. The district is also notable for its manhattanization, the legacy of extensive urbanization from the 1960s to the 1980s.

Landmarks

Pacific Asian Museum on Los Robles Avenue

At the Playhouse District's center is the world-famous Pasadena Playhouse, as well as Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena's oldest operating bookstore. Several shopping plazas surround the area. At the neighborhood's east end is the Ice House comedy club. Fuller Theological Seminary is located at the western end.

At the corner of Colorado Boulevard and Oakland Ave. is the Pasadena Star News building. The newspaper started publication in 1884. The building now houses Technique at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts.

Additionally, the First United Methodist Church and Pasadena Presbyterian Church, on the former home of KPPC-FM, are located on Colorado Blvd. in the district.

The Pacific Asia Museum, which started in 1971, is located on North Los Robles Avenue. It has a collection of 15,000 pieces of Asia and the Pacific Islands art work.[1] Around the corner on Union Street is the Pasadena Museum of California Art.

Education

The Playhouse District is served by McKinley School and Blair High School

Transportation

The Metro Gold Line operates a station on Lake Avenue, just north of the neighborhood. The Playhouse District is served by Metro Rapid line 780; as well as Metro Local lines 177, 180, 181, 485, 686, and 687. It is also served by Pasadena ARTS routes 10 and 20, and Foothill Transit route 187.

References

  1. ↑ Building and Garden, Pacific Asia Museum, 2011