Property Location
Property Features
(3) By 1900, the expansion of heavy industry brought thousands of wealthy singles and childless families to Milwaukee, all of whom needed housing. This demand, along with the rising value of land in the downtown area, prompted the construction of large luxury apartment buildings. The Pasadena is one of the largest such buildings remaining from this era. Apartment blocks were relatively rare in Milwaukee at the time, so area architects experimented freely with different design concepts. For the Pasadena, Racine-based Chandler and Park adopted the French-flat pattern—large floor-through units, with separate entrances to each file of apartments.
The Pasadena’s columned terracotta porticoes adorn the entrances with banding on the columns that echoes the first-floor masonry. Projecting bays and rhythmic fenestration along East State add exterior visual variety and daylight the interior.
The building’s owners hoped its attractive design would appeal to middle-class tenants. The name helped, too, as Pasadena, California, was then a fashionable place where wealthy Midwesterners were moving, retiring, or buying vacation homes.
National And State Register Of Historic Places Listings
Architecture & History Inventory
The Wisconsin Architecture and History Inventory (AHI) is a digital source of information on historic buildings, structures, and objects that have been surveyed by the State Historic Preservation Office in Wisconsin. Each property has a digital record providing basic information about the property and images.
Questions?
Wondering about if your property is eligible or notice some information on this property needs to be updated, reach out today!
Email UsAttribution
For a credit line: Wisconsin Historical Society, Creator, Title, Unique Identifier.
The Unique Identifier can be found at the top or bottom of the page for each item. The name of a downloaded file is NOT the unique identifier.
For bibliographic citations please consult the UW-Madison Libraries Citation Research Guide to ensure compliance with appropriate style guidelines.
Access Property Records
Some properties have more materials (correspondence, clippings, historical information, etc.) not in the digital record. If a 'Site File' exists, it's noted in the 'Additional Comments' field. Contact us for an appointment to view these materials.
