Historic Castle Green resumes tours, unveils glass shade reproduction

Dec 21, 2023

"Springtime at the Castle Green" will mark the unveiling and lighting of the castle's glass shade reproduction.

The turn-of-the-century Pasadena resort hotel and special event center, Castle Green, will open its doors and turn on its lights once again.

For the first time in several years due to the pandemic, the city's historic landmark building is hosting "Springtime at the Castle Green," its annual open house and fundraising tour. The 2023 event will also mark the unveiling and lighting of the castle's glass shade reproduction, an effort by the Friends of the Castle Green nonprofit.

"Springtime at the Castle Green" is noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 11, at Castle Green, located at 99 S. Raymond Avenue in Pasadena. Tickets, $50 in advance, can be purchased at eventbrite.com. They are the same price at the gate.

As the open house tour only occurs once a year, the event offers the community the rare opportunity to witness the beauty of Castle Green up close and step back in time to the iconic Victorian hotel era in Pasadena.

During the event, guests will be able to attend history lectures in the ballroom, and embark on self-guided tours through select resident apartments, main lobby rooms, the penthouse and the basement.

"What's great about the tour is you really come in and you experience the building. You can sit on a couch in front of the fireplace, you can sit on the veranda, you can walk up and down the stairs, you could visit about 15 apartments open," said Susan Futterman, Friends of the Castle Green chair.

"So you really can feel the inside-out of the building — it's not just a house where you can stand and be led through, it's a house where you can sit and have refreshments and enjoy. I think that's so amazing about the tour."

Outside, there will also be a California Art Club art exhibit on the bridge and plein air painters (outdoor artists) on the front lawn, as well as a live jazz trio and vendor shopping.

Mary Lane Cafe is providing pre-ordered boxed picnic lunches, so the Castle Green team is encouraging guests to arrive with blankets to picnic on the lawn — a new experience at the event.

"I (thought), oh yes, it should be like coming and having a picnic at the castle and really experiencing it that way," Futterman said. "So we sort of made that a theme. We’ll see how it works. I think it should be terrific."

The open house tour is the Friends of the Castle Green's sole community fundraiser event for the building. Proceeds benefit its restoration projects, of which there are generally a few in progress at once and typically take a number of years to complete.

All of the projects that the nonprofit undertakes pertain to the historic fabric of the building, such as painting, retiling and restoring paneling — all to return the landmark to its former splendor.

Unveiling the historic

glass shades

The castle's latest project is to be revealed at "Springtime at the Castle Green:" the reproduction of the near-dozen glass shades in the sunroom and along the veranda.

The new shades were created by Bullseye Glass in Pasadena, Seattle artisan Janusz Pozniak, and local company Rinaudo's Reproductions, Inc. produced the iron frames and completed the installation.

"It's an honor to be able to work on something like that, such a beautiful, historic building," said Joe Rinaudo, owner of Rinaudo's Reproductions Inc.

The reproduction of the glass shades has been in the works since around 2002, according to Futterman, as it took time to find the right artisans to recreate the fixtures as close as possible to the originals.

There were only two original fixtures to use as a reference, and there were many challenges regarding finding a nontoxic, but accurate glass compound while correctly matching the color and shape.

The process was also extended due to finances, which were low due to the pandemic halting the annual tour.

With that in the rearview mirror, Futterman is looking forward to revealing the glass shades to the community and continuing to restore Castle Green to its former resplendence.

"It's wonderful that the people that live there take such great care and thought in the preservation of that building," Rinaudo said. "It's always fun to go over there and see what they’re doing, what their next project is."

Castle Green's history

In 1898, Castle Green was built as one of the two annexes for the famous Hotel Green, spearheaded by the Patent Medicine Business’ Col. George G. Green and designed by architect Frank Roehrig.

The building design is a blend of Spanish, Moorish, Victorian and other styles, resulting in one of the most stunning landmarks in the area.

It was converted to Castle Green Apartments in 1924, operating as an apartment complex until the owners decided to convert it into a condominium in the ’90s. The building has even been the filming site for many Hollywood movies in its time.

Today, Castle Green is listed as a Nationally Registered Historic Monument, a State Historical Monument and a Designated Pasadena Treasure — well-earned designations for the condominium and special event center.

"The Castle Green … is the oldest of any of the surviving remnants of the grand resort hotel era in Pasadena," said Bill Ellinger, Friends of the Castle Green board member and a historic architect.

"A remarkable amount of the original historic fabric has survived. … And that's something that is very striking, is impressive to people who get to come to our previous open houses and tours. And they’ll still be impressed by what they can see there today."

Never miss an issue. Sign up for free today.