Pasadena Museum of History

Who would’ve thought a museum can turn into wedding.
Absolutely gorgeous outdoor wedding. I felt like i was at a winery wedding. The décor was beautiful. If you plan to have a small wedding this venue would work for you. Nothing more than 200 guests I think.

Visited 12÷19÷15
Came here because I heard it was free and also it sounds interesting. GLAD I did! Love looking at clothes from different years. Only two rooms though.
The mansion was also free that day. Beautiful! Reminds me of Heritage Square and Hearst Castle (just smaller).
Free hot chocolate and cookies that day. Free ornaments to make also.
Gift shop onsite.

A major part of the Pasadena Museum of History is the Feynes Mansion. Available only by guided tour, access to the Feynes Mansion was limited to the main floor. The upstairs bedrooms and downstairs (not sure what’s down there — boo!) are not part of the tour. The Beaux Arts house had a simple floor plan, arched windows, high ceilings, small kitchen, very few bathrooms, a cohesive interior design, and preserved or restored to evoke living in that era. Although the house is completely furnished with original or representative period pieces, it is not artistically loaded with museum-​quality decorative arts. The expansion which added a conservatory is one of the best features. It would be great if they could re-​fill it with plants (might even help with attracting more customers to rent the event space).
The Feynes Mansion Tour was scheduled for 75 minutes but took 95 minutes which also included walking through the Finnish Folk Art Museum — a woodsy garage converted into living space. The Finnish museum was folksy, but not artsy.

One star for a museum apparently devoted to the history of the city for which it is named.
We found the two smallish exhibition rooms — housing temporary exhibits – to be lacking in authentic historical artifacts-​relying rather on mostly reprinted photography, letters and maps.
Upon finishing our pass through of the two rooms we were very surprised to learn that that was it. There is no permanent galleries dedicated to Pasadena’s very rich history. What a terrible shame. Look around where ever you are in Pasadena and you feel like the place has great history.
And as a resident of Pasadena — I’m very disappointed that the Pasadena Museum of History doesn’t offer much in the way of a historical narrative of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley.

Purchased an online voucher for this place and visited with my husband recently. My review is not for the «tour» but rather their two exhibitions in the museum rooms.
I see that they’ve taken the initiative to wow us with some information but I found that it was not as impressive as I’d thought. The topics we read through was kind of a bore. Many would say, yeah — well you are going to a history museum. but I did not expect this history (about Pasadena– one of my favorite cities in the world), museum to be so … flat. I guess that’s the word. My husband didn’t enjoy it that much either. I don’t think I’d pay to visit again and probably not for the tour either. However, I appreciate their efforts, hence my three stars. The service inside (the docent) had an OK personality, a little snobby and stuffy but that’s just my opinion. Just not my cup of tea overall but I appreciate their efforts (as mentioned).

This review is not for the museum but for the archives. The facility in itself is very nice. there is a lot of parking outside. I entered through the gift shop, which was fairly well kept. The staff working here was pretty nice and guided me to the archives.
Oh yah, before my visit, I contacted the archivists who was super helpful. She went above and beyond and looked into the collection to skim and see if there were any interesting and relevant primary source material. On the day of working here, the archivist was also very helpful and tried to help me as much as possible. He looked in books and binders to see if there was more useful information to my research. Finally, different from all the other archives that I’ve been to, they aren’t anal about constantly monitoring their guests while handling the materials. At some archives, I feel I’m constantly being monitored while looking at historic material. However, the archivist was really laid back and made me feel trusted. This made me want to take care of their materials even more.

My wedding!
I was having a really tough time finding a venue for my ceremony and reception, but got lucky. I mean, REAL lucky to have found this place with the help of my event coordinator. We went through
, but you can go directly to the museum’s website to find more info on holding events. Tim Macdonaugh was very helpful through the whole process. Make sure you go over the rental agreement with a fine tooth comb!
The grounds are beautiful. You don’t really need a lot to spruce it up because of the ample amounts of foliage. Weddings are held outdoors at the Fenyes Estate Garden. You can hold a reception for around 215 max. Honestly, it’s better to keep your party to 15 tables as to give your guests plenty of space to walk around.
*Quick notes:
–You must provide everything for your event meaning: catering, tables/​chairs, decorations/​table settings, lights, heat lamps, tents (in case of rain), beverages (must have a special permit to serve liquor in Pasadena), etc…
–The event needs to end by 10:00 PM because the museum is located in a residential area and the city has a noise ordinance.
–Parking lot only holds around 30 cars. Street parking available along Orange Grove
–Bridal room is large and very spacious!
–A security guard & site manager is required and included within the contract for an extra fee. This is non-​negotiable.

I had a wonderful experience here checking out the aerodynamics exhibit. I went there since they had a free kite-​making session. Had it not been for that, I’m not sure if I can say that this is the best museum experience. I like that it is free, and also it is quaint. It’s definitely small. The garden area is beautiful.

Went on a field trip with my class and we were led by Junior docents who led three groups around the mansion. My students loved it and so did I. The house is beautifully maintained and is literally like you stepped into the early 1900’s. One of our favorite artifacts in the home was the monkey cage. It is so tiny ! All in all, the trip went really well and I’m glad we had the chance to go.

Came here this past Sunday for MOTA (
) where admission was free. I am pretty glad my husband and I did not pay to come here because we were rather disappointed.
The exhibit that was featured at the museum was «I Do, I Do, Pasadena Ties The Knot» where wedding dresses between 1850– 1950 were on display. As a newly wed, I found this exhibit to be interesting and the information provided interesting as well. As you go through the exhibit and see the different styles of dresses progressing, it really made me feel happy that my wedding dress was not of the same style, lol. But of course I still appreciate the fashion and history.
But anyways, when we first came into this exhibit, a docent told me right away that I am not allowed to touch the dresses and take photos. She made me feel like I was a little kid as she seemed to have already pre– scold me before entering the exhibit. I know not to touch the dresses so I just thought that was kind of annoying that she had to repeat it to me twice… (and this was right before I step foot into the exhibit) and yet she did not tell the elderly people behind us about not touching the dresses… But I still enjoyed looking at the dresses anyway.
Now there is the Fenyes Mansion that is here as well and that was a major disappointment. When we first walked to the museum, we entered through the gates and over to the mansion. We donned on our blue little scrub booties (to protect the floors) and walked inside. Inside the mansion, we were only allowed to see 3 or 4 rooms total, which was well, pretty boring. There were only a few docents around and so very little history was shared with visitors. As I left the mansion, I overheard a docent that they were not having a formal tour because of the large number of people coming for the MOTA day. So I am assuming that perhaps there are more areas in the mansion to venture to on any other normal day, but just not for the MOTA. But I doubt I’d ever come back (even on a free day).
By the way, there is street parking in the residential area or you can try to park in the small lot they have (which was packed for the MOTA day, but doubtful it would be on any other day).

Pasadena Museum of History was on our route during the MOTA 2013 day. The thing to keep in mind is that this museum doesn’t really have a permanent collection. Its two main galleries hold different temporary expositions, and those are not always history relates per se. This time it was the collection of wedding gowns from 1850 – 1950 — a stunning display of elegance over time.
Fenyes Mansion, also on the museum premises, is actually a much larger exhibit, showing the visitors a magnificent house of that once belonged to the Fenyes family. The mansion reopened for the public about a year ago after substantial reconstruction. There are tours available every weekend, and they are worth the $ 15.00.
You can also go inside of a Finnish house, which exhibits some elements of country life in Finland about a century ago. It is small and cute, and completely differs from everything else on the premises. The reason for it being there is that the last daughter in the Fenyes family was married to the Finn (and counsel general of Finland in LA).
The whole museum ensemble is beautiful. A great place to spend an afternoon!

Beautiful!

The employees in the book shop were amazing. Since I am not a native to Pasadena (I’m from Detroit), I asked them about places to see and events. They were so helpful, I think I talked with them for an hour or so. And the current exhibit on the Pacific Electric Railway is fascinating. There are pictures of what the area looked like when the trains were in operation and what they look like now. I also liked the exhibit on the Doo Dah Parade. I didn’t even know about the parade but after seeing the exhibit, I definitely want to check it out the next one.
I definitely plan on going back – I wound up getting a membership.

In my review of MOTA (Museums of the Arroyo) Day, I said that this place was a bit of a misnomer. We came here during MOTA day after the Gamble House and I have been wanting to go here for a while. It was nothing like I expected since it seemed more of a small art gallery consisting of two rooms. However, upon reading other reviews of this «Museum of History» it seems that the historical part is in the basement of the building. Wish that had been more obvious.
After visiting the two rooms of art, we peeked around the corner of the building to find a magnificent mansion. It was quite the surprise. However, it was closed due to renovation.
Hopefully, next time I go I’ll get to see all the fun, historical things this place holds of my beloved hometown.

A great museum in Pasadena with a little-​known great perk:
The perk is that they will help you research the provenance of your house. Learn who lived there, and when, what they did, what your house has looked like when it was built, and what has transpired to the present day. All of this is available in the research area in the basement — what a generous service! They request a $ 5 donation and it is more than worth it.
Membership is very reasonable — less than $ 100/​yr. Anyone who can … should have a membership in your local history museum.
Pasadena has a rich and interesting history. This museum allows us all to understand why Pasadena is such a special place to live.
Several historic buildings on the property, including the Fenyes’ Mansion (reopening to the public in 2012).

I volunteer here, and I know that the people here are super friendly! The store is neat and cute, and there’s a little museum where there’s a different theme every half a year or so. Downstairs, there’s an organized library archives where you can look up Pasadena History. There’s also a mansion that people could visit! Although I’ve never been in there (they’re remodeling it or something), I’ve seen pictures, and I’m looking forward to visiting!

Please keep in mind that this review is only for their service in dealing with wedding ceremonies. I’d give no stars if I could.
My fiancé and I were both looking forward to having this venue for our ceremony. My first call to them was in late September 2010 to inquire about my October 2011 wedding. I spoke with a person name Emily who informed me that they currently were not taking any bookings for the venue due to the construction. When asked she told me the earliest they can start booking again would be in March 2011. So she was nice enough to tell me that she would hold the date tentatively under my name since I was the first to inquire about this date and would call me the second they can start taking bookings.
My fiancé and I were both excited about this venue and we still didnt have an exact price since Emily had told us their prices were due to increase this year. Despite knowing they were under construction we still went to visit to venue to make sure we loved it as much as the photos we saw. We did! So I waited patiently for a call.
Fast forward to today, I called them (well before March) to see if they will start taking wedding bookings soon. The lady I spoke with told me they were and asked for my date. She comes back and tells me my date has been booked. I tell her that’s impossible, the date was being held for me. She puts me on hold to double check, but its still the same answer. So then I find out this other wedding has been booked since November 2010. Why was I not notified?
Anyone that has planned a wedding knows how stressful and time consuming it can be. Its perfectly fine when things don’t go your way and people are supposed to have a plan B or plan C as necessary. I never expected that this place was mine until I signed the contract so thank goodness I have continuously searched for ceremony sites. Never the less, their work ethics are very unprofessional and showed a lack of communication at the cost of possible clients. They have left me without a venue and my search continues.

Though I volunteered as a docent at the Fenyes Mansion for 2 years in middle school, I only set foot in the museum a handful of times. I do recall that it was a warm, inviting place, with lots of friendly, helpful people.
If you do take a trip to the museum, make it a point to have a tour of the Fenyes Mansion as well — it’s a stunning example of what early Pasadena life was like; yes, the Fenyeses were rather high-​class, Mr. Fenyes being an ambassador & all, but the people who came to settle the area tended to be either rich & wanted the luxury, or were poor & were seeking the luxury.
If you get a good enough docent, they may joke about the ghosts in the house, too. Even now, 8 years later, I could probably lead a decent enough tour of the place.

I admit it: I have never actually visited the «museum» part of the Pasadena Museum of History. However, I have spent an unusual amount of time in Pasadena Museum of History’s basement, where they have an AMAZING collection of historical documents, photos, and other ephemera from Pasadena and the surrounding area.
The staff are very helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. I love going to this place just because the staff members and volunteers know so much about local history. If you’re doing any sort of historical research on the San Gabriel Valley, this should be one of your first stops!

Every nown and then, you find a museum or other historical site that is off the beaten track as far as tourists go. The Pasadena Museum of History is no different — their constantly changing exhibits reflect the rich culture of the area, while the Fanyes Mansion and gardens give you a glimpse into Pasadena’s past. Definitely recommended!!!