Escape to Southern California with Attingham Alumni and Friends in
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA
February 8-11, 2024
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Please add your name to the waitlist here.
Pasadena has long prided itself on being a small town with an outsized reputation. Its landscape, climate, and culture fostered significant developments in architecture and historic preservation that have continued to build on each other from one generation to the next. Join us as we study over fifty years of West Coast history, from splendid works of the American Arts & Crafts Movement to iconic examples of Southern California modernism, all nestled at the base of the San Gabriel mountains.
Clockwise, from left: Langham Huntington, Pasadena, Hotel; Constance Perkins House; Gamble House; collection of Batchelder tiles; Hindry House; The Huntington.
Our exploration begins with a landmark hotel: the group will stay at the historic resort known as the Langham Huntington Hotel, completed in 1914 by Myron Hunt for railway and land magnate Henry Huntington.* That afternoon, participants will be treated to tea before stretching their legs in a guided walking tour of the surrounding and architecturally rich Oak Knoll neighborhood.
Most of Friday will be spent at The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens starting with a welcome from Randy Shulman, Senior Vice President for Advancement and External Relations. An introduction to the treasures of The Huntington Library from the Curator of Medieval Manuscripts and British History, Vanessa Wilkie, and a gallery tour from the Virginia Steele Scott Chief Curator of American Art, Dennis Carr ’08, will follow, with a private lunch and free time for exploration of the galleries and acres of gardens. We will round out the day with visits to other nearby private historic properties, including significant houses by Myron Hunt and Greene & Greene. That evening we will enjoy dinner in a local restaurant in one of Pasadena’s historic commercial districts.
Saturday will be dedicated to the residences and gardens showcasing Pasadena’s role as a west-coast hub of the Arts & Crafts movement. The 1910 home of tilemaker Ernest Batchelder and its neighborhood laden with native oaks reveals the relationship between the natural and man-made that is expressed in the early 20th-century culture of the town. Particular attention will be paid to the work of the famed architectural firm of Greene & Greene, with a neighborhood walk and a visit to the private Duncan-Irwin house (1907). The afternoon will feature a behind-the-scenes tour of the Gamble House, the firm’s 1908 masterwork, with the Director of Collections and Interpretation, Jennifer Trotoux ’16. A poolside reception and dinner in a 1910 private home by Heinemann and Heinemann, hosted by a preservation architect and collector, promises to be a high point of the weekend.
Sunday’s offerings will include a walking tour of the Modernist residences nestled in the hills of west Pasadena and the foothill community of Altadena. With the architect, architectural historian and Richard Neutra scholar Barbara Lamprecht, M.Arch, Ph.D., as our guide, we will visit several homes in the California Modernist post-and-beam idiom, which owe a recognizable debt to the expressed structure of earlier works by Greene & Greene. Richard Neutra’s Constance Perkins House (1955) will be a highlight among the stops. The tour will conclude mid-afternoon following our farewell luncheon.
* The historic hotel was largely demolished and reconstructed after a lengthy preservation battle in the early 1990s. The current hotel building is a near-replica on the historic grounds.
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A very special thank you to Jennifer Trotoux ’16, Curator of the Gamble House, for hosting the 2023 Study Trip.
REGISTRATION AND TRAVEL INFORMATION
TRIP DATES Registration and check-in begins at the hotel at 3:00pm, Thursday, February 8, with tea and walking tour of the historic Oak Knoll neighborhood, beginning at 4:30pm. Our program ends with a final lunch on Sunday, February 11, finishing in the early afternoon.
COST The cost of the Study Trip is $1,300 per person (and a suggested $300 donation to AFA, tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law), which includes all tours, three meals a day, drinks, and transportation during the trip.
REGISTRATION To register, please download and complete the “American Friends of Attingham Study Trip 2024 Registration Form” (click here). Please submit your registration form via email to or send by mail to the American Friends of Attingham, 205 Lexington Avenue, Suite 901, New York, NY 10016. Alternatively, you may complete your registration online by using this Google Form (click here).
Registration is capped at 30 people and we fully expect this trip to sell out. If you’re not able to register, we will gladly add your name to a wait-list should a place become available. The deadline to register is Sunday, December 17, 2023.
PAYMENT A minimum deposit of $400 per person is required upon registration . Payments can be made online by credit card – click here – or by mailing a check to the American Friends of Attingham, 205 Lexington Avenue, Suite 901, New York, NY 10016. Your place on the trip will be confirmed once your deposit is received. The final balance is due by January 2, 2024. All participants must have paid in full to participate in the complete itinerary. Please be aware that late payments are subject to an additional service fee.
WAIVER Once your deposit is confirmed, please complete the “American Friends of Attingham Study Trip 2024 Waiver of Liability” (click here). Please submit your waiver via email to or send by mail to the American Friends of Attingham, 205 Lexington Avenue, Suite 901, New York, 10016. All participants must have signed the waiver to participate in the itinerary. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
HOTEL Kindly note that participants are responsible for making their own hotel reservations. There is a room block reserved at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena, located at 1401 South Oak Knoll Avenue, for a nightly rate starting at $289 + tax. To book a room, please book online with a unique reservation code, provided via email once AFA has received your deposit. Alternatively, you may call the hotel directly at (626) 568-3900 and mention American Friends of Attingham to receive this discounted rate. The group rates expire on January 8, 2024, and the rate can be used from Thursday, February 8, 2024 – Sunday, February 11, 2024.
Participants may wish to consider alternate accommodations, from the historic 1920s Pasadena Hotel & Pool (928 E Colorado Blvd) and the mid-range but attractive Westin Pasadena (191 N Los Robles Avenue) or Hyatt Place Pasadena (399 E Green Street), to budget-friendly options such as the Courtyard Marriott Pasadena/Old Town (180 North Fair Oaks Avenue) or the Hotel Dena (303 Cordova Street). These hotels are about a 10-minute drive south to The Langham and are within walking distance of Old Pasadena, a 22-block area designated as a National Register Historic District along Colorado Boulevard.
Please note that all activities will depart by bus from The Langham.
For directions by air, train, or car to The Langham, please consult the hotel’s website (click here).
GETTING THERE The Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) is the closest airport to The Langham, located 16-miles west, or 25-minutes by car. The larger Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is located about 26-miles southwest and requires a minimum of 45-minutes travel by car, depending on traffic. Farther away and about 36-miles to the east of the hotel, the Ontario International Airport (ONT) is located in neighboring San Bernardino County, but travel time by car is usually swift and closer to 40 minutes.
Guests traveling to Pasadena from other parts of Los Angeles, including LAX, can use LA’s Metro Rail Systems A-Line (colloquially, the Blue line) subway line to connect with the local bus service, Pasadena Transit. Guests travelling by Amtrak can take a train to the Glendale Station, located at 400 West Cerritos Avenue.
The Langham Hotel has valet parking for guests ($45/night) for those wishing to drive or rent cars. Self-parking and city street parking is not permitted. For information about hotel parking restrictions and guidelines, please call the hotel at (626) 585-6259.
Participants will be responsible for their own travel transfers to and from their accommodations. The Langham does not offer a free shuttle service for guests arriving from/departing to any local airport, so please plan accordingly.
CANCELLATION POLICY In the event that you must cancel your trip with us, the amount of your refund depends on the date of cancellation and on whether a replacement attendee is found. Cancellation within 15 days of the trip without a replacement attendee will result in a forfeiture of 100% of the fees. Cancellation of the trip within 30 days without a replacement will result in a forfeiture of 50% of the full fee. If we are able to find a replacement attendee for your place on the trip, then you may receive a full refund of the trip fees; however the suggested donation is non-refundable.
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For any questions, please contact: or call (212) 682-6840.
Itinerary and information subject to change.
The Langham Huntington, Pasadena. Image courtesy of Langham Hotels and Resorts.