In honor of our namesake's birthday on February 22, George Washington, I have posted photos from the Pasadena Courier of September/October 1965 touting the savings in Lake Washington Village such as George saying "SHOP WHERE THE SAVINGS ARE BIG!" and "BY GEORGE! BEHOLD THESE BUYS!" Do you think the Father of Our Country minded being used as a cartoon character to hawk the wares of Lake Washington Village?
We used to have such a variety of goods and services in Lake Washington Village. Hopefully, we can again. A small step was taken last night at the Pasadena Historic Preservation Commission. The Washington Theatre was nominated as a local landmark and we encouraged the owners to apply for grants and tax benefits to finally complete its restoration. All good things take time.
Please let me have your stories about Lake Washington Village. I'm compiling them for a presentation to City Council about revisions to the North Lake Specific Plan coming up. We need the City on board to put together the Arts and Entertainment District proposed for the Lake Washington Village area.
It's been noted that several out of town vacationers with towed boats on trailers have shown up at the intersection of Lake and Washington looking for "Lake Washington." We were sorry to disappoint on one hand, however we are happy to escape the flooding havoc of other nearby locations. We directed the out of towners to "Lake Pasadena" and "Lake Eaton", the first behind Devil's Gate Dam and the other behind the Eaton Dam.
I was just looking though the book "Early Pasadena" last night and there is a picture of the Washington theater under construction in the 1920s. Have you seen it?
ReplyDeleteWe live in Bungalow Heaven and walk past the theater on our way to the fabulous Washington Park. My three year old asked me this past weekend, "What is that building?" I told him it was a movie theater and he asked if we could go see a movie there. I had to respond sadly, "It didn't work anymore." It would be wonderful to have that theater and the larger district restored to a place where the community could gather rather than just walk away from.
I'm so glad to hear of plans to restore this district...
ReplyDeleteThose old newspapers are great. Thanks for sharing them. Makes me want to print them out and go find the buildings as they look today.
ReplyDeleteI had lunch yesterday at Bonnie B's BBQ (1280 N. Lake, I believe). Lots of food, reasonable prices, and I can tell you--the nicest, most welcoming staff ever, including Bonnie B. herself. They were doing a brisk lunch trade and they bring something positive to the neighborhood. Go welcome them, please. Let's keep them here.
Great to see that these local terms aren't just something gentrifying developers made up. And regarding page 2, I'd rather the girls at my college wear plaid slacks than pink velure sweatpants. Getting better, though.
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