My grandfather, an executive with Bullock's was given the responsibility of overseeing this project, which was extremely innovative, both in the concept of a suburban store, but also in architectural detail. My father, now 98 and living in Pasadena, is a wealth of information and he has given talks to civic groups about this project, and Bullock's history. If you are interested, I can connect you.
Not all young people are heathens. Staring at buildings got me laughed at by a lot of people, even my friends. It’s been a very fruitful thing to stay committed to Edit: Although, I have to say in regards to the human aspect my favorite is being able to connect with older people. I don’t understand the disdain towards older generations
I remember both Bullock's and I Magnin so well. Beautiful stores with beautiful merchandise, they reflected the lifestyle then, people dress well at that time. You can bring back the exact store, but filled with T-shirts and sweatshirts? The lifestyle is gone, not just the store.
The fact that this store exists, even in partial preservation, is too good to be true. The original design and execution was utterly dignified, formal, deluxe, and respectful to its customers. Seeing this video induces a profound type of nostalgia.
I worked on Lake Avenue for over 15 years. I know the store very well as I would shop there often. When Macy’s took over that building, they removed the original furnishings. The Pasadena historical society immediately sued to have them returned, which they were. The Pasadena historical society is vigilant in protecting local landmarks. We have them to thank for the preservation of Bullocks and numerous other buildings, and landmarks in Pasadena. As a sidenote, that elevator on the right is always broken. It was broken 15 years ago when I worked on that street, and it’s still broken now. 🤣🤷🏽
Pasadena was destination shopping for us when I was a little boy … used to ride the bus (with a transfer for Colorado Blvd) up Atlantic Blvd/Fair Oaks to the area. So many memories of shops gone by the wayside: Will Wright’s Ice Cream, Stottlemeyers for sandwiches and European foods, Konditori the Swedish café on Lake in that cool mid century modern building half way down from Colorado … good memories 👏🏼
The elevators almost certainly weren't automatic when first installed. It would be interesting to know if only the two elevators were converted to automatic, and that one is maybe still manual. If so, it might be "broken" simply because there is nobody that knows how to operate it. (Only converting some elevators isn't unheard-of. I stayed at the U. S. Grant hotel in San Diego in 1980, and of the four elevators, only two had been converted to automatic at the time.)
Unfortunately many neighborhoods haven't been able to get historic preservation zone status. Owners of houses in Holmby Park voted overwhelmingly to make the area a historic preservation zone but lawyers were hired to prevent it.
Im very thankful for Pasadenas preservation rules; I lived there as a college student in the 90s and would walk through Bullocks, City Hall, Main Library, The Playhouse, St. Andrews, Gamble House, The Castle Green and Old Town just to be around the timeless, elegant architecture
I'm a former employee who worked at the Pasadena store from 1977 through 1979 in the merchandise display department,and then quit while I tried another job. I was rehired and was offered different jobs until I passed schooling at a trade school. It was a beautiful store, especially at Christmas. The display department has a large budget. A huge tree in the lower level that came in three separate pieces two trees ( decorated on Lake St. We spend five months refurbishing decorations before Christmas. The store was beautiful,had excellent staff, quality merchandise,and wonderful management. I have visited recently and I appreciate the store's historical appearance and history preserved. My son got his first haircut from Saul the children's barber. To me it will ALWAYS be Bullocks. A glimpse into a bygone era. I must say the present staff try hard though. Working there was like being a part of the family. Thanks for the video,many good memories.
They used to have two giant Christmas trees, one on each side of the staircase that went down to Lake street. At Christmas, my family would go to get our photos taken with Santa Claus. I got my haircut at that barber and I believe my baby pictures were taken there. I remember going to the tea room where it was important to be on your best behavior if you were a child. At Halloween they had a fantastic haunted house and they went in close the two-story parking structure in a large temporary façade. The haunted house took up the bottom floor of the parking structure, and one of our neighbors was a wicked witch there every year. If I recall, there was a store next-door, I think it was Imagnin and it was even more upscale and had a 20s style decor.
My Dad, who grew up in Pasadena, told me they weren't sure a department store would work in that location, so they designed it so that it could be converted to apartments if needed. Fortunately, it was a success and still is fabulous. Great video.
He’s right. I worked in that building on a couple projects and thought how strange that behind the scenes where the public couldn’t see, there were these corridors that were unlike any department store and they said what your dad said and that the corridors were there so that it would easily convert.
It's a beautiful store. I am about 70 years old and remember they had a "tea room" where mostly women would meet for lunch. For many decades I did all my shopping there. Store even has beautiful bathrooms discreetly around the store....nice video
I can remember when this store was Bullocks in the 1980’s. It was great and though Macy’s is not in the same class it’s good to see that the store remains.
I grew up in neighboring Sierra Madre in the 1950s, and going shopping in Pasadena was a big deal. You got dressed up, of course. Pasadena had a wealthy population, and you could tell who was rich and who wasn't. My mother once explained that expensive women's shoes don't have a seam at the heel, and we would look carefully to see for ourselves. I Magnin occupied a smaller building to the south, and we also had The Broadway and J.W. Robinsons on Colorado. Pasadena also had a wonderful men's haberdashery, Hackett's. My older brother had a great Ivy League fashion sense and taught me how to shop and dress properly. As an aside, and a part of the family tradition, my grandfather, Dr. Kurt Meyer Radon, was a prominent Southern California architect and best friends with Jock Peters, who designed the Bullock's Wilshire interiors. The families have remained friends to this day.
Thank you for your tour. When I came to visit relatives in California, Bullocks was the first big department store that I visited. It was at Christmas time in 1959 and the decorations were so beautiful, inside and out. Lake street looked like a winter wonderland. My family soon moved to the Pasadena area, and I had many occasions to shop at Bullocks. Your video tour has brought back many lovely memories. Thank you so much.
The algorithm has figured out I grew up in LA! My dad worked at Western Gear on Colorado Blvd in the sixties. He used to take me to work with him on Saturday mornings, and I would sit under his drafting table and color on the scrap paper. Sometimes we used to drive around Pasadena and he’d show me the architectural wonders in the surrounding area. I remember him taking me to Bullock’s to pick out a present for my mom. When Mom and I went shopping it was to May Co downtown. Eventually I became an architect. Small wonder. I have clear memories of this place. A truly wondrous place. Thanks for this.
Great video! I grew up in Pasadena and have fond memories of Bullocks. The Tea Room had a runway and live models who would walk around the tables wearing clothing from the store. As a young girl in the 70’s I remember taking “etiquette” classes there - we got to walk the runway and model as well. I feel very fortunate to have grown up in such a beautiful city.
Boy you really hit it out of the park with this video! I can tell you really did your homework before taking this tour so that you could capture photographs that would show the differences and similarities between then and now. I especially enjoyed the background music that you chose for this video. It really helps to set the mood and transport the viewer back in time. The information that you shared was spectacular as well. The viewer can tell that this is a topic that is near and dear to your heart. Thank you so much for taking the time to make and share your video and your passion for this design period with us. I look forward to all of your future projects.
I grew up in Pasadena in the 60's . My mom brought us to Bullocks many times. Us kids loved playing on the escalators. Mom loved that store. Miss you mom! RIP!
Wow, the kid's barbershop really brings back memories. When I was a small child in the early 70's, Mr. Saul cut my hair regularly in that brightly-colored space. It looks EXACTLY as it did 50 years ago! In the clip, you can see the walls are full mirrors on opposite sides of the room, which always fascinated me because when you sit in those chairs the mirrors make it look like that tiny space goes on forever....
Mr Saul used to cut my hair when I was a little one. Used to go to the tea room and watch the daily fashion shows. My grandmother and I would sit by the fountain while my mom shopped. It was a lovely store in a different time. There was also the tiny I Magnin next door and Haggartys up the street and a fantastic JW Robinsons on Colorado Blvd.
Did you know that Mr. Saul was a Holocaust survivor? He never publicized it,but in talking to him ,he confided it to me. He was Polish and had the tattoos. He was a gentle,kind , and caring man. My son too has his first haircut with Mr. Saul,what a privilege and a good memory.
Thank You for reminding me of the Great "Bullocks"....I did shop at this Bullocks in Pasadena as I was a Loyal Customer. It was in the 80's that I had the privilege and I did enjoy every bit of Customer Service that was given in those Wonderful days of a what once was a full service department store. I miss the Laura Ashley in store boutique, I miss the cosmetic-perfume department, the shoe salon...all the employees had exceptional customer service skills. Oh how I long for some REAL customer service. I must admit that I did feel the Greatness of the building while shopping....the size, the asthetics on every level kept You feeling like an Elegant shopper. I discovered my signature perfume at this Bullocks Calyx formerly made by Priscritives now Clinique owns "Calyx"....it is still my preferred perfume. Yes this Bullocks has many great shopping memories for me. Thank You again.
I grew up going to see my grandmother who worked in the notions department in the 60’s. The elevators had operators with white gloves, those were phone booths, the tea room was always a treat, we put pennies in the fountain and the restrooms also had attendants. Great memories!
Growing up in Pasadena, my favorite experience with Bullock's was always the after Christmas 50% off sales. My mom would take my sisters and me to spend our Christmas money. We bought a lot of our clothes at Bullock's and the quality was always superb of course. Sometimes as a treat we would have lunch in the tea room. This video did not mention it, but there was a runway down the middle of the tea room so could enjoy fashion shows while you had your meal.
I grew up here and as a child, until and adult frequently shopped at Bullocks. When reading the comments section ... reminded me of the Perfume department and she mentioned the popular perfumes ... which was located off Del Mar large parking lot . In the 80s and the 90s my Go to Perfume was Clinique Aromatic Elixir!🛍️ That was the only olace I would go to and purchase it and other makeup products. WoW!☺️. When I worked for NASA -JPL/Caltech and in the 90s it was so fun when my Colleagues and I would Reserve the Tea Room for a lunch and fashion show..which were hard fo come by at times. Those were fun moments that I will treasure. Thank you Merch Motel for Allowing me to look back those great times.🥰💎💎💎💎💎
I grew up on Lake St. one town over called Altadena. My cousin's and I would ride the RTA Bus here when we were 9 or 10 years old. No parents, no cell phones, no worries back in the late 80's. They even had a good toy section that was in a separate room from the main store. My best memory was when my father took me shopping and bought me a leather bomber jacket in 1988. I miss Old Pasadena
Wow! Thank you so much for taking the time to take us on a fabulous virtual tour of this brilliant building. It's so commendable that the building and its interiors have been so respectfully protected and celebrated. So rare these days. It all looks so calm and majestic in all its sweeping horizontatallity. The attention to detail, the craftsmanship, it is just glorious. I would travel all the way from Australia to Pasadena just to visit this design masterpiece. Thank you for the insight and flare. Looking forward to seeing more wonderful content like this on your RU-vid channel. Such a treat 🥰
LOVE THIS VIDEO! Can you please do a video on the Bonwit Teller store located in Beverly Hills at the corner of Wilshire Boulevard and Rodeo Drive? They opened in 1971 and was designed by Harry Hinson. I was the display director there in charge of all the windows and interior designer departments. Thank you for sharing this forgotten history. AAA+++ 👍🐸👍
STUNNING! I'm so happy that so much of the original Bullocks has survived, when so much from that era has been destroyed or altered out of all recognition. What a beautiful store! Those architects and designers were truly gifted! Thank you for making this video for those of us who will never have a chance to experience it for ourselves! Congratulations on a job well done!
I worked in that cosmetics department with two older ladies both who had been hired and worked directly for Ms Estée Lauder ….they told stories of extravagant hollywoood parties back in the day and getting mink stoles from Ms Lauder as gifts…. They were still beautiful 🦋
My aunt took me to the Estée Lauder counter at Bullocks and bought my first makeup for me there. It would have been around 1982. It's a treasured memory!
I still remember Bullock's and shopping at this location. In the tea room I saw my first fashion show as we sat at tables sipping our beverages they had created a small runway.
I very much enjoyed this tour. I worked in the display dept. of this store for 6 years in the 70s .It was such a pleasure to work in such a beautiful place. BTW the small closet in the menswear dept. that you were wondering about was indeed a public phone booth.
I was expecting to like this video, but I wasn't expecting the really valuable journey that this story provides. The frequent comparison between old and new photos is my favorite part.
I love this era! The late '40s were so positive. We had won WWII, people were starting families, and restaurants, airlines, and department stores did their very best to provide wonderful experiences. Thanks for sharing this!
Wonderful effort by the Pasadena Historical Society. Too bad it is a bit tawdry these days due to the decline in Macy's overall. I believe that is a phone alcove that was highlighted - unfortunate that the light fixture is missing, leaving a bare CFL lightbulb in the ceiling.
I was absolutely engrossed in this video! Your Instagram is something special and the preview of this video you posted over there made me run to RU-vid to see it. Thanks for the documentation you do.
It's been many years since I was inside that Bullock's, but I went there as a kid. I'm fairly certain what you see at 5'51" is indeed a phone booth. Back in the day, people wanted their conversations to be private and (most) others didn't want to be forced to eavesdrop on other people's conversations so phones were in booths of some sort, sometimes with a door to close for privacy. The counter was not just to write notes but for the Yellow Pages and White Pages phone books to rest on (or just under, in the cases where there was a cubby for the phone book). Thanks for making this video and documenting the changes. While it's very helpful to be able to look at photos and video of the building without it being filled with people, it completes the picture to remember that Bullock's was a popular department store and my memory of being there in the late '60s and into the '70s is of it being crowded with people shopping, the sounds of the elevator tones, and the announcements over the store's PA.
I feel lucky enough to have visited this store about 10 years ago! All of South Pasadena is beautiful and tranquil. The Bullocks certainly reminded me of old Dept. stores of my youth in other parts of the country. Nothing this elegant though!. Superb reporting.
This alone makes me want to visit L.A. I don’t think the flooring is linoleum, but vinyl tile squares. Linoleum is almost always laid in a large sheet.
My stepmother, the sculptor Julie Macdonald, used to shop there and described walking into the store with her jacquarundi on a leash in a leopard skin coat in 3" heels. She was 6'2" it must have made quite an impression.
Thank you for making us discover such a wonderful place. I went several times to Pasadena without knowing the existence of it. America was great in those days. Be well and take care, A belgian in Vietnam. 🙏
Pasadena, California Bullock was like Disneyland at Christmas back in the 60s when I as a child first got to shop with my Granda Mother. Back then it was a kinder & elegant time, where shoppers got dressed up to go there. Thanks for the Fond memories.
Great video! Thanks so much for doing this. I've lived in LA for 53 years and I never knew this building existed. It's definitely on my list of places to visit.
Wow, the memories! Thanks for sharing this thorough and detailed tour of one of my favorite childhood haunts. My favorite clothes came from Bullocks and I.Magnin, including my best Sunday and Easter outfits. Sadly, at age five I endured a pixie haircut in that kid’s barbershop and never forgave my mother. The fashion shows in the tea room were très elegant too. I’m amazed that so much of the original store remains!
O, M. G. ! Going to the Bullock's tea room with my Mom and having the best chicken salad Ever!! Thank you for this amazing walk down memory lane, Merch Motel!!!
Why is everything we build today so ugly compared to anything done 65+ years ago? Housing, shopping centers, parks, even (especially) fashion. I feel like everything shifted after the 50s, early 60s. Thank you for sharing this beautiful landmark.
Terribly ugly fashion appears to be somewhat localized to the US. There are many places in Europe (especially eastern Europe) where elegant design, at least for women, is still appreciated. Unfortunately there seems little positive to be said of modern commercial architecture anywhere in the world, post the 1960s.
Yes, it comes down to cost, but businesses were willing to spend the money. Their own money, for that matter, to build beautiful buildings. Something changed. You can't say it was management vs unions, because they coexisted when they still built nice stuff. Maybe the combination of international competition and regulations. It still seems we could do better. Of course, you also no longer have family owned regional businesses, and big companies only seem to care about money. I want to be hopeful that future generations will bring back the elegance and values we once had.
@@johnruskin4290 It seems to me the Industrial Ugly movement in architecture started in the 1950s. I wonder if it was related to a combination of recovery from WW II, and that all of the industrial design architects of the 20s, 30s, and early 40s had no business during the war, and were old and retired by the end of the war, and nobody replaced them. The result seems to have been tilt-up slabs with no adornment, possibly now designed by ex-military folks that had been trained to make things fast and functional, appearance be damned.
I absolutely adore that building, I am fortunate enough to have shopped there under the Bullock’s ownership and recently returned with my daughter-in-law! Boy do I wish the original parking lot and grounds had remained in tact, the building is now hidden! I still love every minute that I’m there though! Thank you for your beautiful video!
I once read that Bullocks department store was originally created for the movie stars to go shopping in Los Angles becuase there really wasn't any place for them to shop in the early years in Hollywood. Also, the movie stars used to take a train from LA and go to San Fransico to shop for Christmas at Union Square. Your video is one of my all-time favorite RU-vid videos! I adore this video! Just super! When I was a little kid in the 1980s, we went to the Bullocks in Stanford shopping center in northern California a couple of times. Oh man! The clothes in Bullocks seem like they had this unique elegance that was totally Bullocks unique very glamours style! I was in awe of that store's elegance. Also, I remember the store was very very expensive. My mother and my aunt took me to the Chinese tearoom upstairs that was done in green and gorgeous chandeliers. In contrast, this Bullocks in this video in Pasadena is incredible! What a gorgeous landmark! The Bullocks building in Stanford was lovely, but it didn't come close to the glamorous store as the one in Pasadena! Thank you very much for this video. From the things my family had told me about shopping years ago, today, there really isn't glamour like the 20s 30s 40s 50s and early 60s. People wore hats and gloves to go shopping everywhere, the service was amazing even in the lower end department stores. It's an era long gone.
The Bullocks on the Miricle Mile on Wilshire Blvd in LA was where most of the movie stars shopped. It was also a bastion of elegance while it lasted. Unfortunately, when it was taken over it lost its interior furnishings, though some were later recovered and restored. Bullocks was an incredible chain of stores, and its loss is something to mourn.
❤-Memories! -this is completely memorable for me because I was 22 and I was a waiter in the bullocks tea room on the third floor in my early and mid 20s from 1988 through the mid 1990s when it finally closed thank you for the memories. I remember walking around that whole area on my break or after I got off work and shop, and it was a wonderful tea room that served a lot of women & their tea sandwiches-I miss those days in the 80s and early 90s when we served delicious warm cheese strata on the menu and pop overs-and it was the only place/ Also Tuna Nicoise in the L.A area where you could have popovers with your tea or as the English would call Them-Yorkshire pudding with my server job at bullocks. I put myself through Pasadena city College those days in the 80s and 90s. And let’s not forget these ladies would enjoy an early midmorning fashion shows almost every day folks and the women would have their lunch as they peruse through the models latest apparel from Givenchy and Balenciaga-thank you for this and thank you for reminding me of good memories working at the Bullock Pasadena tearoom. It was like the 1950s/1960s in there and I was glad to have been part of it !
I've lived in Pasadena for 37 years and the architecture thru-out the city amazes. Be it the City Hall, the Courthouse on Grand, Colorado Bridge to apartments from the 60's and later.
Thank you so much for this recent tour of my much beloved Bullock’s. There are so many things I can tell you about this place and I want to say that you did a beautiful job in recognizing it in all its glory past and present. I dined in the tea room way back when it’s a precious memory as I dined there with my mother. There were models walking through the room displaying the latest fashions too. It was elegant but one could walk in after shopping dressed as you are. The elevators had operators and I can still hear one announcing the floor as it arrived. There was a beauty shop too with the best hair stylists. I did work there when I was a teenager in the gift department and still used an old fashioned cash register. I’m so glad to see that they have kept and beautifully maintained most of the original architecture and glamour. You are right to suggest a visit as the graceful ambiance and furnishings will indeed take you back in time.
Thank you for this lovely tour and a transport back in time. It's wonderful that the layout of the interior was kept to the original floorplan and the many artifacts were preserved. As we know, that's not always the case. This gem is now a future must-see. Thank you again merch motel. 👏👏
Wonderful piece, thank you for taking time to feature this iconic landmark. I grew up in Pasadena in the 50s and 60s. my first part-time job was at Bullocks. Gracias
Excellent. So few Department stores remain now. I grew up in their heyday. I hope they will preserve this. I used to live in London and it's a shame what the Selfridges Department Store in Oxford St has been remodelled like now.
Informative and interesting video. I love old department stores and will have to visit (and actually shop!) in this one. I shopped at Bullocks, though not this one, years ago. They were a nicer store, definitely. I miss when each brand of department store had their own personality and very different product lines. Thank you for all of the great details.
Thank you so much for this video. When I was a little girl, my grandmother and great aunts would take my sister and me to Pasadena from Glendale to go shopping at Bullocks. We dressed up, put on white gloves and hats and went out for a very special day. It's a great memory.
So happy to see this video and find a fellow aficionado of good architectural features. Loved shopping here in days of yore. Elegant, calm experience. Miss it. It was the last hurrah of the stand alone store before malls swallowed them up, much like multiplexes swallowed the elegant cinemas. An echo of the fantastic bullock’s wilshire and its outpost in Westwood.
My parents had a store on Lake Avenue from 1975 until the '90's. I practically grew up at Bullocks and had my haircuts several times. Our school sang Christmas carols on the steps leading from the Lake Avenue doors. Preserved so much, but really wish they could have save the fountain on the ground floor - still miss it. Thanks for the video and stroll down memory lane.
Thank you for this video and your work to bring it to us. Wonderful! Wished there were more things preserved like this. We are too quick to tear down these jewels of the past.
Thanks to this video, I'm reminded of occasionally shopping here in the 1980s and maybe 90s back in the pre-Amazon Prime days. And I'm planning on visiting it again before heading over to the next Pasadena Playhouse show in early June. I know I'll be seeing Macys with newly appreciative eyes!
Even today this is an amazing building with so many interesting architectural touches if you take the time to explore. Macy’s days are obviously numbered but hopefully this building will be preserved as a public space well into the future.
You did such a great job researching, explaining and narrating this. I am so impressed with your enthusiasm, love of history, attention to detail and your depth of knowledge. Thank you, new subscriber. ( my mother's family immigrated to California during WW1. Mom spent her early childhood in 1930's Pasadena ).
What a wonderful Bullock's video. I am a fan of vintage buildings since my teen years many years ago. There used to be an ad back in the 60s on TV by the Historical Society that showed old buildings and said "Look up look up before its gone".
Thank you so very much for an outstanding video on Bullocks of Pasadena! I'm older and nostalgic and would gladly go back to those days! Your eloquence and love in presenting the beauty, the facts, and the anecdotes are deeply appreciated. I have just experienced an exemplary video! Once again, thank you for the upload!
Wow! What a wonderful presentation that transports me back to my childhood! I vividly recall the elevators!! The only change is the elevator buttons were the same square shape as the small wall displays. I remember getting to touch the square button and it would light up orange! I remember lunch there with mom and Christmas shopping with dad (1960-1968). Thank you, Merch Motel!!
The design, artwork, and attention to detail put into the Pasadena Bullocks store reminds me of the Buffums department store in Pomona. I have some vague memories of that store, which is now a medical school, but I've read that the interior was amazing.
I shop at this Macy’s regularly and appreciate and enjoy the architecture it’s beautiful and classy. Like they say they don’t make them like this anymore. How fortunate that it remains pretty much the same after all these years. Great video and a Big Thank You 👍
I loved that store ...it was a special day to go to Bullocks. It was high end and I remember getting my furst pair if patent leather Mary Janes. Then we we would get lunch and if I was with grandma we would take the bus back to her house. I grew up there. 🙏
