Mystery History -- Solved!

Karin is one smart cookie! She wins again with her 9:35 a.m. Tuesday guess "Linotype operator at Pasadena Star News, perhaps mid-century."

In the 1973 photo above, Don Phillips operates a Linotype machine in the basement of the Pasadena Star-News building* at 525 E. Colorado Blvd.

For decades just about every newspaper, magazine, publishing house and printing firm in the western world used Linotype machines, invented in 1884 by German watchmaker Ottmar Mergenthaler.

Every time a trained operator like Don Phillips touched a key on the typewriter-style keyboard, a matrix with the corresponding indented letter would drop into an assembler. When the matrices for an entire line were assembled, the line was automatically justified and molten metal cast "slugs" would be organized line by line into columns and pages for the purposes of printing. 

This could be done at a rate of 1,000 words per hour or 14 lines per minute. 

Thomas Edison called the Linotype machine the eighth wonder of the world because it revolutionized the printing industry.

Prior to Linotype there was moveable type, invented by Johannes Gutenberg in 1436, that created a sea change in western civilization.

Even as late as the 1930s moveable type was still in use at some  newspapers where type was still being set by hand, one painstaking letter and punctuation mark at a time. These newspapers were limited to a maximum of eight pages -- the number of pages that could be typeset at a snail's pace in a day's time.

By 2000 printing technology changed again, switching from mechanical hardware to digital software.

This trailer for the documentary "Linotype: The Film" is quick and fun to watch.

And this CBS Sunday Morning video is a great example of how a Linotype machine works. 

Want to see a Linotype machine up close and personal, set type by hand and learn more about the history of the printing industry? Visit the International Printing Museum in Carson.

* 1927 photo of the 63,863-square-foot Pasadena Star-News building, designed by Joseph Blick in 1924 in a Beaux-Arts style and completed in 1925. The building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The radio towers on the roof belonged to KPSN Radio, operated by the Pasadena Star-News for two years in the 1920s. Pasadena Star-News offices are now at 911 E. Colorado Blvd.


Many thanks to the Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena Museum of History, Shorpy Archives, The Prothero Press and International Printing Museum.

Mystery History

Where are we? And what's happening?
The first person to answer both questions correctly will win lunch with me -- I'll buy yours and you'll buy mine.

Remember to leave your best guess as a brief comment to this blog post but don't try to give the entire back story (that's my job!).

I'll have the full scoop on Thursday.

Looking for Something To Do? Free Events April 25 to May 1

Here are free events scheduled Saturday, April 25, to Friday, May 1.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!

Join Bill and Claire Bogaard for a casual afternoon of music, art, children's activities, food trucks and more Saturday, April 25, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall in celebration of Mayor Bogaard's 16 years of service as Pasadena's first citywide elected mayor. 

Celebrate spring with an intimate outdoor concert featuring the music of acoustic guitarist Daniel Vera Saturday, April 25, at 3:30 p.m. at Linda Vista Branch Library. 

"Swashbuckler" (1976, PG) starring Robert Shaw and Geneviéve Bujold will be shown on the big screen in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library Wednesday, April 29, at 1 p.m. A pirate and a hot-tempered noblewoman join forces to protect Jamaica from a tyrant.

People tend to think of scientists as cold and artists as temperamental. What could draw these types together? Renowned author Joyce Carol Oates and pioneering neuroscientist Charles Gross will have a discussion titled "At the Intersection of Art and Science" Wednesday, April 29, at 6 p.m. in Caltech's Baxter Lecture Hall (#77 on this map). Oates and Gross married in 2009.

People tend to think of scientists as cold and logical and artists as eccentric and temperamental. What could draw these types together? - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/content/intersection-art-and-science-conversation-joyce-carol-oates-and-charlie-gross-0#sthash.EdVZdV7W.dpuf

People tend to think of scientists as cold and logical and artists as eccentric and temperamental. What could draw these types together? - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/content/intersection-art-and-science-conversation-joyce-carol-oates-and-charlie-gross-0#sthash.EdVZdV7W.dpuf

People tend to think of scientists as cold and logical and artists as eccentric and temperamental. What could draw these types together? - See more at: http://www.caltech.edu/content/intersection-art-and-science-conversation-joyce-carol-oates-and-charlie-gross-0#sthash.EdVZdV7W.dpuf

Michael Govan, CEO of the Los Angeles Museum of Contemporary Art, will discuss the 50th anniversary of this largest art museum in the western U.S. Thursday, April 30, from 7:30 to 9 p.m. in the Crawford Family Forum at Southern California Public Radio. Reservations are required.

"Diana" (2013, PG-13" starring Naomi Watts and Naveen Andrews will be shown on the big screen in the Scott Pavilion at the Pasadena Senior Center Friday, May 1, at 1 p.m. During the last two years of her life, Princess Diana embarks on a final right of passage: a secret love affair with Pakistani heart surgeon Hasnat Kahn. You do not have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to attend

The first Friday of every month from 5 to 8 p.m. is Free Admission Night at the Norton Simon Museum. On Friday, May 1, see the current exhibitions and everything else the museum has to offer.


Photo credits: Pasadena Star-News, Daniel Vera, IMDB, Caltech, LACMA, Elijah and Josiah's Days

Looking for Something to Do? Free Events April 18 to 24

Here are free events scheduled Saturday, April 18, to Friday, April 24.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!  

Children, tweens and teens are invited to celebrate National Poetry Month with upcoming activities!

• Budding teen poets 13 to 18 are encouraged to recite their own poetry in a supportive setting Saturday, April 18, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library.
• Children and tweens 9 and older will learn about different types of poetry and pick up tips on how to write their own poetry and create a poetry portfolio Wednesday, April 22, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library. 

Enjoy a special concert of hard-swinging, straight-ahead jazz performed by the Donavan/Muradian Quartet Saturday, April 18, at 2 p.m. at Allendale Branch Library.

People of all ages will enjoy playing rounds of Bingo with tasty treats Sunday, April 19, from 2 to 4 p.m. at One Colorado for a chance to win great prizes from nearby shops and restaurants. It's all free with the exception of the final round, which is optional.

An LA Opera community educator will take guests on a journey through Patrick Morganelli's "Hercules vs. Vampires" Monday, April 20, at 1 p.m. at the Pasadena Senior Center (you do not have to be a member to attend). The modern work combines opera with mid-century pop culture, synchronizing opera singers and an orchestra with the 1961 cult film "Hercules in the Haunted World" in which the mythical hero must travel to Hades to retrieve the magic stone that will free his lover from the powers of darkness.

The Lancer Jazz Big Band will perform Tuesday, April 21, from noon to 1 p.m. on the West Patio at Pasadena City College's Center for the Arts (building CA on this map).

"The Sea Hawk" (1940, NR) starring Erroll Flynn and Brenda Marshall will be shown on the big screen in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library Wednesday, April 22, at 1 p.m. A swashbuckling buccaneer is hired by Queen Elizabeth I to shake up the Spanish armada, but things don't go exactly as planned.

The documentary film "Note by Note: The Making of Steinway L1037" (2007, NR) will be shown Wednesday, April 22, at 7 p.m. at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Follow the making of a Steinway grand piano from forest floor to concert hall. Reservations are required. 

The PCC Gospel Choir will perform Thursday, April 23, from noon to 1 p.m. on the West Patio at the Center for the Arts (building CA on this map).

Children will celebrate Earth Week by creating a craft from recycled materials to keep for themselves or give to someone else Thursday April 23, from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. at La Pintoresca Branch Library. RSVPs are required at 626-744-7268.

SAVE THE DATE!

An Earth Day celebration Saturday, April 25, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Villa-Parke Community Center will include education about recycling, composting and container gardening. Build a birdhouse, attend healthy cooking and salad-making demonstrations and have fun!

Join Bill and Claire Bogaard for a casual afternoon of music, art, children's activities, food trucks and more Saturday, April 25, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Centennial Square in front of Pasadena City Hall in celebration of Mayor Bogaard's 16 years of service as Pasadena's first citywide elected mayor. Share your personal reflections by providing your messages here, dropping off notes and letters to any Pasadena public library or bringing them to the celebration.
Click here for more information about both events.



Many thanks to Playbuzz, Rochester Civic Theater, One Colorado, Pasadena Now, Warner Bros., Steinway Company.

Mystery History -- Solved!

I'm calling a tie between Karin with her 7:53 a.m. Tuesday guess "The city is moving a historic bungalow court to a new location. I think it may be the court that's now located off Orange Grove a little west of Lincoln" and Diana who brought it home with her 7:08 p.m. Tuesday guess "Gartz Court."

In the 1984 photo above, a woman looks on as one of five historic Gartz Court bungalows at 270 N. Madison Ave. is readied to be transported on a slow, overnight journey three miles across town to 740 N. Pasadena Ave. It took two nights to complete the move.
.

One of the original bungalow courts in Pasadena, Gartz Court was threatened with demolition when the property was purchased by Montgomery Engineering Co. in 1983 to make way for a new headquarters complex.

Built in 1910 and designed by Myron Hunt and Elmer Grey, Gartz Court was saved from the wrecking ball when Pasadena Heritage partnered for the first time with the City of Pasadena to identify a suitable property in Northwest Pasadena for the bungalow court and sell the units as affordable housing to first-time homebuyers with moderate incomes.

De Bretteville & Polyzoides, which would later become Moule & Polyzoides, was hired to supervise the big move and design the restoration and expansion of Gartz Court once it was in place at its new location.

Six families live in Gartz Court now, an opportunity that never would have existed had it not been for the inimitable Claire Bogaard, co-founder of Pasadena Heritage, reaching out to Terry Tornek, the City of Pasadena planning director at the time, with a revolutionary idea for a partnership.

And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.

Many thanks to Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News, Pasadena Museum of History, Pasadena Heritage, City of Pasadena, Moule & Polyzoides, American Bungalow.

Mystery History

Where are we? And what's happening?

The first person to answer both questions correctly will win lunch with me -- I'll buy yours and you'll buy mine.
Remember to leave your best guess as a brief comment to this blog post but don't try to give the entire back story (that's my job!).
I'll have the full scoop on Thursday.

Looking for Something to Do? Free Events April 11 to 17

 

Here are free events scheduled Saturday, April 11, to Friday, April 17.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!    

The 15th annual Caltech Jazz Festival Saturday, April 11, from 1 to 5 p.m. outdoors at the Gates Annex (Building 26 on this map) will feature the Hollywood Youth Jazz All-Stars, Caltech Jazz Band and the Nick Broten Group.

The second Sunday of every month is Free Admission Day at the USC Pacific Asia Museum. On Sunday, April 12, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. enjoy the Japanese Cultural Festival including gallery exhibitions, Japanese folk music and dance performances, manga drawing, calligraphy activities and more. 

The opening reception for Pasadena-born and New York-based artist Robert Kushner's "Patois," an exhibition of more than 40 works, is scheduled Sunday, April 12, from 2 to 5 p.m. at Offramp Gallery.  

Teens are invited to paint their own book boxes using acrylics and papier maché to resemble their favorite books or anything they want to create gifts or keepsakes Monday, April 13, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. Call 626-744-4246 to sign up. All materials will be provided.

The award-winning Concitato 415 trio will perform Wednesday, April 15, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series. Feel free to bring a sack lunch.

"The Mark of Zorro" (1940, NR), starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell will be shown on the big screen Wednesday, April 15, at 1 p.m. in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A young aristocrat disguises himself to become a champion of the oppressed and restore justice in early California.

People of all ages, from children to seniors, will get inspired by nature and create their own unique mobiles using sticks, feathers, shells and other objects Thursday, April 16, from 4 to 5 p.m. at Hill Avenue Branch Library. All materials will be provided.

You don't have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to see "Titanic" (1997, PG-13) starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet on the big screen in the Scott Pavilion there Friday, April 17, at 1 p.m. A young, engaged woman falls in love with a poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated RMS Titanic.

Take a tour of the Tournament House any Thursday at 2 p.m. or 3 p.m. through Aug. 27. Owned by the City of Pasadena, the former Wrigley Estate is home to the Tournament of Roses Association. A docent will lead you through the 18,500-square-foot Italian Renaissance mansion built in 1906. In addition to 21 magnificent rooms, you'll see displays related to Rose Bowl Games, Rose Queens and their Courts and plenty of historic memorabilia, from football trophies to tiaras. Then visit the adjacent Wrigley Gardens with 1,500 varieties of roses.


Photo credits: Foods 4 Better Health, Sam in Japanland, Live Auctioneers, Alhambra Chamber of Commerce, 20th Century Fox, IMDB, Tournament of Roses.

Looking for something to do? Free Events April 4 to 10

Here are free events scheduled Saturday, April 4, to Friday, April 10.

All events are free, so take a look -- and don't you dare say there's nothing to do in Pasadena!  

You and your family will have an egg-cellent time when you hippity-hop to the Spring Egg Bowl at the Rose Bowl Stadium Saturday, April 4, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring Pasadena's largest Easter egg hunt, scavenger hunts for all ages, bunny ear contests, trackless train rides, arts and crafts, face painting, live entertainment and much more. Don't forget to bring your basket! 

Teens are invited to a low-tech game night Monday, April 6, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Central Library where there will be snacks and board games including Castle Panic, Forbidden Island, Dominion, Risk, Ticket to Ride and more.

April is National Poetry Month. Young children ages 3 to 5 will enjoy special poems and songs presented by Flights of Fantasy Story Theatre Tuesday, April 7, at 10:30 a.m. at Villa-Parke Branch Library.

The first Tuesday of every month is Free Family Night at Kidspace Children's Museum. On Tuesday, April 7, from 4 to 8 p.m. celebrate children's literature with "Rainbow Fish" crafts, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" puppet show and more.

Violinist YuEun Kim will perform Wednesday, April 8, from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m. for the popular Music at Noon recital series.

The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938, PG) starring Errol Flynn and Olivia de Haviland will be shown Wednesday, April 8, at 1 p.m. on the big screen in the Donald R. Wright Auditorium at Central Library. A Saxon lord becomes an outlaw leader when Prince John and Norman lords begin oppressing the Saxon masses in King Richard's absence.

Children in grades 3 to 6 are invited to explore STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) concepts through creative, challenging projects Wednesday, April 8, at 4 p.m. at Hastings Branch Library. Call 626-744-7262 to sign up.

The April Student Showcase Wednesday, April 8, at 7:30 p.m. at the Pasadena Conservatory of Music will feature the Fenice String Quartet, Sonora String Quartet and solo performances on French horn, viola and violin.

The next supply of garden-ready mulch from Pasadena Public Works Department street tree trimmings will be available Friday, April 10, at the southeast corner of the parking lot at Victory Park. Bring your own shovel, container and gloves between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The mulch supply is replenished once a month through October and is available to Pasadena residents only. 

You don't have to be a member of the Pasadena Senior Center to see "St. Vincent" (2014, PG-13) starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts Friday, April 10, at 1 p.m. on the big screen in the Scott Pavilion. A young boy whose parents have just divorced finds an unlikely friend and mentor in the quirky war veteran who lives next door. 

SAVE THE DATE!

From housing options to healthy relationships using technology, there will be a full slate of workshops and other activities for anyone 50+ at the Pasadena Conference on Healthy Aging Saturday, April 11, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Registration is required; lunch is included.



Photo credits: Rose Bowl Stadium, Sno-Isle Teens, Flights of Fantasy Story Theatre, The Learning Tree, YuEun Kim, Warner Bros., Stickney-Forest View Public Library, Pasadena Conservatory of Music, Fine Gardening, Foods 4 Better Health.