Although I always associate this important Pasadena landmark with parking tickets (I never seem to have enough quarters), there’s a little more to it. For instance, this is where the Posada Candlelight AIDS Walk begins and ends each year.
I first joined the December Posada Walk in 1996. We pulled 4 children (all in diapers or pull-ups) in a little red wagon all over Pasadena that night as they took turns cradling a semi-mutilated, but most coveted Baby Jesus doll.
“The Pasadena City Hall was built in 1927 to inspire the city with beauty, boldness and vision, and is an important part of this community’s rich architectural heritage. John Bakewell Jr. and Arthur Brown Jr. designed this handsome domed Baroque structure at the junction of two broad avenues in 1925. Equally impressive are the formal courtyard garden and fountain.”
The area in front of the City Hall is also home to a rare memorial inspired from the ancient past when Pasadena’s city guillotine resided on the grounds.