Pasadena Showcase House of Design, 2010 – Cravens Estate

Each year, roughly 40,000 visitors from throughout Southern California, and beyond, step through the front door of the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, one of largest, most successful and oldest house and garden tours in the nation.

Tickets for the Pasadena Showcase House of Design – which includes not only the house and garden tour, but also the Shops at Showcase, with more than 25 vendors, a restaurant and bar – are currently on sale.

Access to this year”™s Showcase Home will take place Tuesday through Sunday, April 18th through May 16th 2010.

This year the venue selected for restoration is The Cravens Estate, in Pasadena, a French Chateau-style home that was built in the late 1920s at a cost of $1,000,000.

The San Gabriel Pomona Valley American Red Cross acquired the Estate in the early-1960s.

Incidentally, certain rooms of this mansion are also available to rent for special events such as weddings. An elegant lobby, dining room and living room are available. French doors in the living room open onto a large patio and beautiful gardens. The site can accommodate up to 250 people.

“We expect attendance to be very high this year because this year”™s House is such a unique project,” says Beverly Marksbury, Benefit Chairman. “It”™s the historic Cravens Estate, which was designated a Pasadena Cultural Landmark by the Pasadena Heritage Society and a Landmark of Historical Significance by the city of Pasadena. So we like to say that our designers are bringing the estate back to life rather than transforming it. While each space will reflect the latest design trends and innovations, you”™ll also see how we worked diligently with architectural historians and experts to respect the property”™s past.”

Each room or space throughout the nearly 20,000 sq ft Cravens Estate will be transformed by a different designer or design team. Altogether over thirty designers will participate in this year”™s effort.

Designers taking part in the 46th Pasadena Showcase House of Design are: Michael Berman Limited and Santana Interiors (Interior Advisors); Linda Allen Designs, Inc. (Morning Room); Cynthia Bennett and Associates (Kitchen); Jennifer Bevan Interiors (Mr. Cravens”™ Dressing Room); Blakeley-Bazeley, Ltd. (Powder Room); Saxony Design Group (Drawing Room and Alcove); John Cole Interior Design, Inc. (Guest Sitting Room); Amy DeVault Interior Design (Grand Staircase and Landing); Tocco Finale (Back Hallway/Reception Area); Jeneration Interiors (Lady”™s Office and Bathroom); Henry Johnstone & Co. (Mrs. Cravens”™ Sitting Room); Julie Kays Design Incorporated (Master Bedroom); Ammie Kim Interior Design (Sewing Room/Linen Room); Padua & DK Designs (Main Entrance/Galleria/Alcoves);  Lechman-Testa & Associates (Guest Bedroom and Bathroom); Roberta Martin Interiors, LLC (Mrs. Cravens”™ Dressing Room/Bathroom); Karina Oldemans Interior Design (Mrs. Cravens”™ Sunroom); Parker West Interiors (Solarium and Organ Alcove – 1st floor); Reaume Construction and Design (Breakfast Room); Lawrence J. Rizkowsky Design (Library/Hallway and Bathroom); MK and Company Interior Design and Decoration (Dining Room); Designs of the Interior (Media Room); Setting the Stage Interior Design (Sitting Room Hallway); and DChristjan (Gentleman”™s Bathroom).

The grounds around the estate will be transformed as well, thanks to help from the following exterior designers:  Verne Arnold Landscape Designs, LLC (Exterior Advisor); Form LA Landscaping, Inc. (Strolling Garden); Canterbury Landscaping, Inc. (Formal Terrace Area with Urns); Carson-Magness Landscape (Morning Garden); and Pacific Outdoor Living (Entrance Garden and Terrace).

Those who visit the nearly 20,000 square foot estate should plan to make a day of it, Marksbury adds. The Pasadena Showcase House of Design includes The Shops at Showcase – with linens, clothing, accessories, gourmet foods and housewares supplied by over 30 vendors – and The Restaurant and Bar at Showcase, staffed by Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Tickets for the 2010 Pasadena Showcase House of Design are available online, or by phone, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (714) 442-3872.

Prime time tickets for all day Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, may be purchased for $35 in advance and $40 at the door.

Weekday matinee tickets (Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m. to closing) are available for $30 in advance and $35 at the door.

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FURTHER READING:
The project is also the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts”™ second collaboration with another nonprofit. In 2007, PSHA worked with Descanso Gardens to revitalize the historic Boddy House. The Cravens Estate, meanwhile, has been the home of the San Gabriel Pomona Valley chapter of the American Red Cross ever since the property”™s last owner, the industrialist Simon Zervos, donated it to the Red Cross in 1962.
“Mrs. Cravens served on the Board of the American Red Cross of Pasadena as well as many other philanthropic organizations,” says Marksbury. “So we think she would wholeheartedly approve of this undertaking since PSHA shares her belief in helping others.”

Monies raised from the Pasadena Showcase House of Design fund a wide array of musical arts organizations, from world-renowned ensembles like the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Los Angeles Opera to local high school band and music therapy programs. PSHA also supports three programs of its own: the Pasadena Showcase House Music Mobile TM, an award-winning program introducing 3rd graders throughout the San Gabriel Valley to the instruments of the orchestra; The Pasadena Showcase House Youth Concert, a free performance by the LA Philharmonic for 4th grade students at Walt Disney Concert Hall; and the Instrumental Competition, where exceptionally talented musicians, aged 16 to 24, compete for over $30,000 in monetary prizes to further their music education.
“To date, we”™ve donated over $17 million to the arts,” says Delise Menik, President of the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts. “And, with the support of the community this year, we hope to make that amount much, much higher and leave a lasting legacy for generations to come.”

For more information about the Pasadena Showcase House for the Arts, visit their website or call 626.578.8500. Those interested in becoming members of the PSHA committee are urged to contact the organization”™s Membership Chair via email.

Again, tickets for the 2010 Pasadena Showcase House of Design are available online, or by phone, Monday through Friday, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., at (714) 442-3872. Prime time tickets for all day Saturday and Sunday and from 9 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, may be purchased for $35 in advance and $40 at the door. Weekday matinee tickets (Tuesday through Friday, 2 p.m. to closing) are available for $30 in advance and $35 at the door.

Report by Pauline Adamek