‘Iconic’ Pasadena high-rise imploded
Pasadena residents had mixed emotions as the First Pasadena State Bank building collapsed in a cloud of dust Sunday after it was imploded by demolition specialists.
Built in 1963, the 12-story structure was a familiar landmark that once symbolized Pasadena’s growth but had deteriorated into an eyesore after it was shuttered in the mid-1990s.
During the implosion, the curious were restricted to watching from a safe distance as D.H. Griffin Demolition specialists brought down the city’s only skyscraper, which Mayor Jeff Wagner called “one of the most iconic structures in our city’s history.”
The city does not have an official plan for the lot but expects to use it to beautify the north side of town.
Throngs of residents started arriving as early as 4 a.m. to take their spots around the perimeters to watch the implosion of the First Pasadena State Bank building, with many capturing its demise on their cellphones and cameras.
Some felt nostalgic, while oth
ers were ready to look forward.
For Norma Botello, 60, the building’s collapse felt like a personal loss.
“My mom used to bank there, and she passed away in 2007, so its sentimental for me,” she said.
Cheryl Toirrier, 52, has lived in Pasadena for 30 years and arrived at about 5 a.m. She saw someone playing chess as they waited for the implosion process to begin.
“No telling what they’ll put in its place; too bad they couldn’t save it,” she said. “I think it could have been put to better use if it had been taken care of properly. Now it’s just a pile of rocks.”
It was a sight to see it come down so fast, said Sandra Rodriguez, who has lived near Southmore for more than 20 years and works near the bank building.
Rodriguez, who is originally from Monterey, Mexico, said she didn’t have a personal connection. She said seeing it crumble was bittersweet, but she’s also looking forward to seeing what happens next.
“Younger people don’t have memories (of the building), and so it’s not part of their history,” said Rodriguez, who would like to see a community center in its place.
Like Rodriguez, many of those who came to watch felt the decision to demolish the building was a realistic and pragmatic one on the part of the city.
Daniel Coots, 56, grew up in La Porte and remembers weekly visits to the bank with his mother, who was secretary of a local church.
“She came down here several times a week for deposits and I would come with her, and when I was about 12 I got to open my own account there,” he said.
The building he remembered had been gone long before Sunday morning. In the last decade, the abandoned bank had become a site and meeting place for vandalism, with graffiti marking the building’s sides all the way to the top floors.
“It wasn’t what it used to be — when you could walk into the lobby and it would be filled with people,” Coots said. “It is, or was, an old building and, appropriately, it’s come down to make room for something better.”
Less than an hour after the demolition, on the corner of Pasadena Boulevard and half a block from the building, Jose Mejia stood at the front door at Iglesias Del Pueblo greeting guests and members for the church’s regular Sunday morning service. The church building is the location of the original First Baptist Church of Pasadena, which preceded the construction of the bank tower, which would become the only skyscraper in the city to date. Mejia said that although the bank building was visible every time he walked out onto the church steps, he won’t really miss it that much.
“I don’t think this is a step back; it’s a step forward because something new is going to come,” he said. “I hope it will be replaced by something that we need in Pasadena, something that will contribute to the community.”
Pasadena native Denise Gramm, 64, remembers how intimidating it was walking into the bank lobby to open her first account after she got married, but she also found a symbolic resonance in the implosion.
“It (the demolition) was awesome, beautiful. … It was perfect, because it’s time to move on. … Life goes on to another chapter,” she said. “It was wasted space, and it’s time to use that space for something better for another generation.”
For one 77-year-old Pasadena resident, it was bittersweet and fitting to watch as the building came down from the parking lot of another long-gone staple of ‘old Pasadena,’ a Globe store, which demolished decades ago.
“I’ve seen the post office go, Globe, the Sears just down the street, the original football stadium, and now the bank building,” she said. “This was the last piece of our history, or at least the last piece of my Pasadena history, and now it’s all gone.”