Orange Grove Boulevard is a major road in Pasadena and South Pasadena, measuring 7.7 miles in length.
Orange Grove Boulevard was originally intended to be the main north-south thoroughfare in the Indiana Colony, but increasing development at the Lake Vineyard settlement east of Fair Oaks Avenue led to the creation of a "village center" further east. In 1942, it was used as an alternate route for the Rose Parade to avoid an enemy attack.[citation needed]
Formerly referred to as Mountain Avenue, North Orange Grove Boulevard is home to the exquisite Gamble House. North of Holly Street, the road bends northeast, ending at North Fair Oaks Avenue. The home of David Gamble, son of consumer product maker James Gamble of Procter & Gamble, is located on the north end of Orange Grove Blvd. The Gamble House an American Craftsman masterpiece, was built in 1908,[1] by architects Charles and Henry Greene, as an exemplification of their Ultimate bungalow. It is open to the public as both an architectural conservancy and museum.[2] The Gamble House is a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1966, it was deeded to the city of Pasadena in a mutual agreement with the University of Southern California School of Architecture. Every year, two fifth year USC architecture students live in the house full-time. The carefully selected students change yearly. [3] The first house in the Indiana Colony was located at the intersection with Lincoln Avenue. [citation needed]
Formerly referred to as Illinois Street, this section of Orange Grove Boulevard runs through the more economically diverse northern part of the city.[citation needed] Though there is a small commercial district between Lincoln and Los Robles Avenues, this section of the street is overwhelmingly residential. The street ends at Highway 19 and Sierra Madre Villa Avenue in Hastings Ranch.
Orange Grove Boulevard's southern terminus is a cul-de-sac in western South Pasadena, where it meanders northward. Between Columbia and Colorado streets, the road was the center of an exclusive wealthy neighborhood.[original research?] Most of the mansions in this area are gone; multiple residential courts line the street.[citation needed]
