280 North Oakland Ave.

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena Studios is a seven-story housing structure on two adjoining lots. The immediate surrounding neighborhood context consists of largely single-family and multi-family residential buildings, between one and six stories high. The Foothill Freeway runs parallel to the site, abutting N. Oakland Ave. The architectural style and massing of adjacent properties is varied, with some influence of Mediterranean and Pasadena vernacular typologies present. The existing material palette of neighboring buildings consists largely of beige, neutral, and warm tones of stucco with accents of brick and terracotta.

The building’s formal massing is derived from the Mediterranean/Spanish Colonial elements of courtyards and arcades which create generous shared outdoor spaces, both public and communal. The detailing and articulation celebrate the tradition of Arts and Crafts style bungalows unique to Pasadena’s. While it takes inspiration from the work of early 20th century Arts and Crafts practitioners, Greene and Greene, it also accounts for the full breadth of Pasadena’s Mediterranean and Spanish Colonial Revival styles, reinterpreted with contemporary means and materials.

Pasadena Studios is 100% SRO affordable housing.