If you have a love for historical homes, than you should definitely try to make it to the yearly Bungalow Heaven Home Tour in Pasadena. Bungalow Heaven is a neighborhood where the people living there actually worked to have it declared as a Landmark District. So why a Landmark District? Well, considering that Bungalow Heaven contains a rare and mostly intact collection of over 800 homes built from the 1900s through the 1930s, you can see why.
The architectural significance of Bungalow Heaven is that the homes reflect the start of the Arts & Crafts movement a la the Gamble House. As many of you may know, the Arts & Crafts movement rejected the ornateness of Victorian homes for simplicity in architectural style and a use of more natural materials.
This particular tour is self-guided and at your own pace, but what's so fantastic about it is that you get to visit the interior of 6 to 8 California bungalows and you'll also get a booklet detailing the particular history of that home. I was just amazed that at the time some of these homes were first in existence, a couple thousand dollars would get you the home of your dreams. That's certainly not the case now.
The tour runs $15 to $20 and happens every April. I think the tour is worth every penny and what better way to spend a spring day than exploring beautiful homes.
To see pics of the tour I went on and to read about the histories of the houses in the pictures above, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/la_addict/sets/72057594140795493/
For more information on the tour, go to:
http://www.bungalowheaven.org/
