Attachment E - Public Comments Received
CASTLE-GREEN
April 5, 2024
Dear City Council,
Castle Green residents and homeowners were recently informed of a proposed option to change the Dayton Street name between Raymond and Fair Oaks and another option on Morton Avenue at a City Council meeting on April 15th. Several of our constituents have reached out with the hope that the Dayton Street option can be removed as a possible action and a different path can be taken to honor the R&B band "Troop." Dayton Street is included in the Old Pasadena Historic District, a Nationally Registered Historic Landmark that also includes Castle Green and Hotel Green. Any change to a Landmark should require a standard that is part of policy not subjective.
Street name changes are rarely the appropriate measure taken for these types of commemorations. The City of Pasadena has done it rarely in the past few decades. Once was to honor the then CEO of Parsons, who tragically died in a plane crash while on a mission with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to the Balkans after that part of the world had been destroyed by war. The section named for him was the portion of the street in front of the Parsons building. Of course, there is the portion of Ramona named forThurgood Marshall after his death. Then there is the La Loma Bridge renamed for longtime Pasadena resident and former California state attorney general, John Van de Kamp. Historically, the City has honored other Pasadena persons or events with a plaque of some sort referencing the part of Pasadena where that person was born or lived or created the culturally or historically important time period for which they are being honored. The City's Public Monument Policy makes it clear that such a City-wide honor must not only be reviewed for its significance, but it also states that the honors should be posthumously by at least five years.
The Castle Green's constituency has no issue with honoring Troop or anyone else, but the standard to change a street name, particularly one as historic as Dayton, should be very high. We hope that you will consider leaving Dayton Street as Dayton Street and seek another way to honor the request. Thank you for your consideration.
Castle Green HOA
99 S Raymond Ave
Pasadena California 91105
Attachment E - Public Comments Received
?IaPASADENA
HERITAGE
PRESERVATION I ADVOCACY | EDUCATION
160 NORTH OAKtAND AVENUE
PASADENA, CALIFORNIA 91101-171-4
P 626.441.6333
WWW.PASADENAHERITAGE.ORG
April 8, 2024
Pasadena City Council
City of Pasadena
100 North Garfield Avenue
Pasadena, California 91101
Re: Street Name Change - Dayton Street to Troop Way
Dear Mayor Gordo and Members of the City Council,
Pasadena Heritage is concerned about the proposed name change of Dayton Street - one of Pasadena's most important and historic streets. We support the Castle Green h-IOA's position on this subject and raise a number of questions, We understand that there have been a few recent dedications that have benefitted from council involvement. The La Loma Bridge was rededicated to honor John Van de Kamp who lived nearby for many years during his decades of public service, the new stage at Playhouse Village Park was named to honor Van Halen, and the new pool at Robinson Park was named to honor the late John Kennedy. We also note that a plaque honoring Van Halen was installed at the Civic Auditorium in 2021 because the band played there several times (14 or more) before they became world famous. We think these dedications made sense based on the legacy of the people they honor, We suggest this proposed rededication needs Council scrutiny so that appropriate recognition can be determined.
We would certainly support a tribute to Troop in a way that reflects their connections and/or contributions to Pasadena. The proposal raised a number of questions for us including: Is there any connection between the group and this segment of Dayton Street? Is there a location in Pasadena where Troop performed that might be a better location to celebrate?
We hope the Council can find an appropriate way to recognize Troop, but suggest that this does not seem to be a logical or suitable location given the important history of Dayton Street.
Sincerely,
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Susan N. Mossman
Executive Director
Andrew Salimian
Preservation Director
P RES E RVATI0 NADVOCACYED U CATI ON
Attachment E - Public Comments Received
Wu-Bowman, Yannie
From:
Sent:
To:
Subject:
Henry G <-
Thursday, April 04, 2024 7:09 PM
PublicComment-AutoResponse; Marquez, Miguel; Wu-Bowman, Yannie; Markarian, Kris; Gordo, Victor; Madison, Steve
Agenda Item: Dayton Street Name Change - April 5, 2024
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As a longtime resident of the Castle Green (since 1994) I am writing my objections to the proposed name change to Dayton St.
The Castle Green and block are on the National Register of Historic Places, within Old Pasadena and also a Pasadena Historic Monument and these street names like Dayton have long standing, direct historic context and relevance tied to that history - not to mention Central Park - whereas the musical group has zero connection to Dayton Street nor this historic, protected area.
What value are those designations to this important historic site within Old Pasadena if not to protect the complete integrity of the heritage assets?
I read an item on the proposal from a Keisha Wilkins, the marketing manager at the Canyon in Montclair and associated with Visionary Media Entertainment, so perhaps this proposal is possibly driven by marketing values? Nevertheless, there are.... no doubt... many other worthy groups and people to honor, too and if Troop does warrant such major recognition, there must be some other method and/or more relevant to them and appropriate place to do so without co-opting the heritage of the Hotel/Castle Green block and Central Park setting and context for the sake of expediency?
Respectfully,
Henry Galas
1 Mike Salazar, Architect for Castle Green Homeowners Association 2024 APR 15 AH 8^43
Re: Item 13, April 15, 2024 Pasadena City Council Meeting Proposed Street Name Change for Troop Way: Opposition to renaming of (Revised Letter to replace Original Letter from 2/26/24) CITY OF PASADENA April 13, 2024
Dear Honorable Mayor Gordo and City Councilmembers:
I was born and raised in Pasadena, and I am constantly amazed at the accomplishments of Pasadenans, too numerous to list, and those special examples of appropriate recognition granted. Jack & Mack Robinson immediately come to mind, as do Bill & Claire Bogaard, all of which are memorialized in Pasadena's Civic Center.
While no longer a Pasadena resident, I am an architect and presently represent Castle Green's Architecture & Design Committee for their Homeowners Association. I have volunteered my architectural knowledge and extensive grasp on historic preservation and architecture in general to Castle Green for the past 24 years. I have learned quite a bit about the vast and significant history of the original hlotel Green and today's Castle Green. I would be before you on April 15th, but I am currently on vacation in Spain beyond the April 15th hearing date.
As a former member and chair of Pasadena's Design Commission and the now-adjourned Community Development Committee, as well as being a Library Commissioner, I have extensive knowledge of the Old Pasadena Historic District and the associated historic criteria that created and protects the Old Pasadena Historic District, the historic Hotel Green block, and much of Pasadena.
I am writing today about last month's last-minute and out-of-the-blue push (Feb. 26, 2024 cancelled City Council Agenda Item) by city staff to rename the Castle Green-adjacent one-block roadway segment of Dayton Street for a home-town musical group Troop, consisting of Pasadenans with a very accomplished musical career, and still touring. Three #1 hits and 10 top-ten hits and multiple albums sets this group apart and worthy of Pasadena's recognition, for sure.
My concern in no way questions the city's recognition in general of this talented group, but how city staff went about identifying a seemingly random choice of this particular historic Dayton Street segment, and that possibly more in-depth research remains warranted to give Troop its deserved recognition.
Identifying an Appropriate Geographic or Past-related Designation Site Now it seems that city staff is still proposing this historic Dayton Street segment as one of two possible roadway segments to honor Troop. Staff has identified this segment east of Fair Oaks as having no postal addresses, and a tie-in of Troop practicing at Central Park, and one member independently performing there as well. Staff also identifies a tie-in to Friendship Baptist Church on another 'west' Dayton Street segment, which I will suggest further research for this option.
The second staff option is to name another, albeit longer Morton Avenue segment adjacent to Robinson Park Community Center that also has no postal addresses currently on that roadway segment. But similar to the Dayton Street segment, staff has said that Troop held practice session(s) at Robinson Park as a possible connection for the Morton Avenue segment.
4/15/2024
Item 13
Mike Salazar, Architect for Castle Green Homeowners Association During my terms on the Community Development Committee and Design Commission I was involved with bringing a full-sized quality supermarket to Northwest Pasadena, as well as supporting historic neighborhood projects and designations in that neighborhood long only bestowed outside of Pasadena's northwest areas. The unrealized push to improve and elevate Robinson Park back then has finally been achieved with the Robinson Park Community Center, perhaps Pasadena's best community park facility.
htowever, the staff report also mentions Troop's original choice for changing a street segment, one with pertinent geographic tie-ins to a central Pasadena neighborhood location (where one member used to reside and where Troop rehearsed). Were other such specific locations researched (birthplaces, residences or performance venues) and ruled out?
Researching historic Dayton Street
One only needs to review early Sanborn Fire Insurance maps to learn that Dayton Street was not its original name. In fact, this Dayton Street segment was part of the early Hotel Green, and originally named Vineyard Street after the early and original "PWP," the Lake Vineyard Land and Water Company. LVL&WC lead the way in early Pasadena to establishing a credible system that fostered the significant growth of what is now Old Pasadena and the established vineyards and orchards that largely composed early Pasadena, leading into the transformative resort hotel era. To this date, a sharp eye can find in original sidewalks the few remaining iron pipe caps with "LVLWC" initials, access points to Pasadena's original water system.
This roadway segment of Dayton Street is contained within the National Register listed Old Pasadena Historic District.' It is one of four roadway segments surrounding its most historic block - considered the "heart" of Old Pasadena - that is the National Register listed Hotel Green/Castle Green block. Yes, it is the entire block that is also individually designated and recognized on the National Register of Historic Places. Vineyard Street was originally unpaved as a decomposed granite access road separating this historic block and part of what is now Central Park under Col. Green's oversight. hHowever, Vineyard Street was then renamed Dayton Street after the Ohio city that an early Pasadena founder (E.F. Baker) and his wife heralded from.
Initially this roadway segment was largely controlled by Hotel Green, and it was at one point an early route for the Valley Hunt Club's Rose Parade, that actually ran on three sides (S. Fair Oaks Ave., Vineyard/Dayton St. and S. Raymond Ave.) of Colonel Green's Hotel Green Complex. The Tournament of Roses was established at the original Hotel Green on the east side of S. Raymond Avenue. Guests and dignitaries perched on Castle Green's Sun Room terrace and its hotel rooms facing Dayton Street, as depicted in Tournament history material and on historic postcards found today on eBay. The tie-ins to Hotel Green and Castle Green are quite strong.
In fact, Castle Green used to be granted full parking rights to exclusively use the street parking on the only Dayton Street roadway segment east of Fair Oaks Ave. up to the end of the last century. This fact was established in 2021 when the City of Pasadena and Castle Green came to a mutual and historic parking agreement for use of the Schoolhouse Parking Structure.
But what seems to be lost in this conversation about a Dayton Street option and glossed over in the city's efforts is that the other remaining Dayton Street blocks to the west of Fair Oaks Avenue have their own incredible Pasadena story that needs to be told. Remember that the Dayton Street at Fair Oaks intersection is offset, so the one recommended segment east of Fair Oaks is strongly tied to the historic
Mike Salazar, Architect for Castle Green Homeowners Association Hotel Green/Castle Green, yet offset and somewhat disconnected to the historic Dayton Street segments west of Fair Oaks. (See Map Below)
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West Dayton Street
The west Dayton Street roadway segments (all west of Fair Oaks Ave.) contained many early businesses, including the city's earliest firehouse and early African-American businesses and residents that resided on W. Dayton Street portions all the way to Pasadena Avenue. It was a thriving early neighborhood as yet unheralded in Pasadena history. The lovingly restored Friendship Baptist Church led by Pastor Lucious Smith (a friend and former classmate at Muir High School) anchors these Dayton Street segments. My grandfather Dave Salazar, whose old neighborhood was razed in the 1960s for the Foothill freeway, was known to hang out at the popular club "Casa Blanca" on historic west Dayton Street.
The following link for YouTube is a video from the end of the last century on historic west Dayton Street that I hope you will all watch to learn the significance of this portion of Dayton Street:
httDs://www.voutube.com/watch?v=x9xJ9aLx6sY
Why are these equally significant Old Pasadena Dayton Street segments passed over? Troop Deserves Better
The real point of this letter is to prove that a little research goes a long way in support of officially recognizing the accomplishments of Troop (and all subsequent honorees). It is our hope that the City Council rejects staff Recommendation (2) of renaming the Dayton Street segment due to the strong and specific historic ties to the National register listed hlotel Green/Castle Green block. A more appropriate solution may be the recommended Morton Avenue segment or a requirement for additional staff research to consider one or both 'west' Dayton Street roadway segments in historic Old Pasadena.
Sincerely,
Mike Salazar, Architect
For the Castle Green Homeowners Association