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1st Pasadena State Bank At 1001 East Southmore Ave.


SpaceAge

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I used to work in that building, and it was almost totally empty (to the point of being creepy). I think that it's an awesome example of mod architecture and that it should be preserved.

what was it like inside? how long has it been empty?

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what was it like inside? how long has it been empty?

I'm not sure how long it's been vacant. I worked there about six years ago in an office, and it was one of two occupied suites on that floor. The bank that was one the ground floor moved into a new building across the street about two years ago.

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I drove through this part of Pasadena today and circled this building. It looked like there were another couple of large parking lots up for sale adjacent to the building, and considering the high costs of demolition and what has to be relatively low costs of land, it would surprise me if it made sense to tear the thing down. It's one thing to see high-rise teardowns in the CBD, where land can often go for $60 to $100+ per square foot, but for five acres in Pasadena without an immediately-accessible freeway? Something is very odd about this.

Anybody know what the asking price is?

Edited by TheNiche
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That photo reminds me of the S&R I building at UH. The roof of which, by the way, is a great place to view the Houston skyline(s)...including the Pasadena refinery skyline.

That's interesting. I had someone tell me exactly that same thing the other day, comparing the Pasadena building to the S&R building.

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Thanks for posting all the beautiful photos of this great building. Yes, MacKie & Kamrath were the architects on both First Pasadena Bank (1962) and Science and Research (1969). S&R was my favorite building at UH. I was lucky to have about five classes there. I always took my Fortran punch cards there to be entered into the computer to see if I had punched all the holes correctly. It would take 15 to 30 minutes on every attempt so I would often get an icecream sandwich and eat it while sitting on the floor in the lobby, just soaking in all the details. S&R was only eleven years old then but it seemed much older.

It has the same stained glass details shown above in the stairways. I can still remember the smell of the floor tiles and rubber edging in those hot stairways.

sr1_01.jpg

sr1_116front.jpeg

This was my favorite classroom.

I remember seeing a reduced floorplan for First Pasadena Bank and there is much more to it than just the tower. There is a large half circular portion around the rear and sides of the tower. This portion may have a basement with cafeteria. A filmmaker has indicated she will soon be producing a documentary about the bank building. This building is absolutely wonderful and needs to reclaim its position as the symbol of Pasadena. The city should buy it for their city hall.

From the 1969 Cole's Directory, the building was leased mostly by doctors, attorneys, and insurance agencies. The architecture firm of Ressler & Applebaum were there. They were founded in 1963 and are now known as RA Architects. Perry Ressler is deceased. Hy Applebaum, first certified in 1958, continues the practice.

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  • 4 weeks later...

An article in last week's Pasadena Citizen...

Building may become victim of progress

By:JENNIFER BRANCH, Citizen Reporter

04/21/2006

According to Pasadena Mayor John Manlove, Pasadena is gearing up for revitalization. Part of this revitalization, said Manlove, will possibly come in the form of destruction.

http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?new...id=532238&rfi=6

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An article in last week's Pasadena Citizen...

Building may become victim of progress

By:JENNIFER BRANCH, Citizen Reporter

04/21/2006

"Officials however, think that steps taken with the Bank One Building might be the first of many that could lead the north side of Pasadena down the road to rejuvenation and revitalization: a revisitation of the bustling, lively city that was Pasadena in the mid 20th century."

can't they see the bank building as the actual symbol of "a revisitation

of the bustling, lively city that was Pasadena in the mid 20th century"!?!

they actually have it right there empty, at a low price ---ready to convert

into a civic center, community services, anything.. i am supposing that they

will demolish the capitan theatre next since it is empty and only currently

used as storage. :angry2:

PasadenaTexasCapitanTheater503.jpg

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can't they see the bank building as the actual symbol of "a revisitation

of the bustling, lively city that was Pasadena in the mid 20th century"!?!

they actually have it right there empty, at a low price ---ready to convert

into a civic center, community services, anything.. i am supposing that they

will demolish the capitan theatre next since it is empty and only currently

used as storage. :angry2:

PasadenaTexasCapitanTheater503.jpg

the capitan was brought back to life by someone interested in its history. it was also run down prior to being restored.

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the capitan was brought back to life by someone interested in its history. it was also run down prior to being restored.

last time i checked it was empty and the doors locked (less than a month ago). the windows

to the left had cardboard boxes stacked in front of it that had papers from either a school

or community college in them. you could also see many more boxes throughout the room.

the marquee looks great --- the rest, not horrid but in disarray.

Edited by torvald
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An article in last week's Pasadena Citizen...

Building may become victim of progress

By:JENNIFER BRANCH, Citizen Reporter

04/21/2006

According to Pasadena Mayor John Manlove, Pasadena is gearing up for revitalization. Part of this revitalization, said Manlove, will possibly come in the form of destruction.

http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?new...id=532238&rfi=6

thanks for the update - so who wants to protest? :)

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Or does someone want to buy it...

...it is a way cool building - but it is hard to see a large office building prospering in that location... :(

The problem is that somebody already bought it...that and the broker jacked around another fella who had planned on converting it to seniors housing and building a retail center on the adjacent parking lot. But then, I can't talk too much about that... ;)

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  • 3 weeks later...

A reprieve?

Pasadena preservationists can rest easy.

Or at least more easily than they might have a few months ago.

Pasadena's former First Pasadena State Bank building, a 12-story landmark at Southmore Avenue and Pasadena Boulevard, will apparently be spared the wrecking ball.

Important reasons for saving the building are its beauty and architecture, Reed said.

Many people have noted that the building's style is reminiscent of Frank Lloyd Wright, the architectural icon who died in 1959 at the age of 92.

Two of the bank building's architects, Houston-based Frederick James MacKie and Karl Kamrath, were influenced by Wright after Kamrath met Wright in Chicago in 1946, according to the Handbook of Texas Online.

Kamrath and MacKie designed the Pasadena bank building in conjunction with their colleague Lloyd Borget and Pasadena architects Symond E. "Buddy" Doughtie and Jack Porterfield.

full article from the chron:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nb/pas...ws/3868859.html

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praise the lard!

i was worried about that one (of course the minute you turn your back... <_< )

yep...me too.

notice though it said "apparently" spared and not definately spared.

somewhere down the line...when we least expect it....someone may drive a crane with a wrecking ball over there at midnight on a sunday. :(

at least there seems to now be an awareness and some acknowledgement of its architectural and historical value.

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yep...me too.

notice though it said "apparently" spared and not definately spared.

somewhere down the line...when we least expect it....someone may drive a crane with a wrecking ball over there at midnight on a sunday. :(

at least there seems to now be an awareness and some acknowledgement of its architectural and historical value.

Considering the price that they got, it makes no sense whatsoever to tear the thing down when the margins on a residential redevelopment are stupendously high. Barring some structural flaw of which I am not aware, you can take this comment to the bank.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Considering the price that they got, it makes no sense whatsoever to tear the thing down when the margins on a residential redevelopment are stupendously high. Barring some structural flaw of which I am not aware, you can take this comment to the bank.

Thank You for the Postings of Support and the Great Pictures of Our Grand Lady The First Pasadena State Bank Building, in Pasadena,Texas.

I have Lived here in Pasadena,Texas 49 years and as long as I can recall 1st PasadenaState Bank has been Our Skyline, With the exception of a few 6story hospitals or office/banks. The Grand Lady of Pasadena has been our Only Claim to architicural Fame so to speak. The Lady has fallen victim to Progression, Our City Business District has been on the move South since the Late 50's. We Started at Sterling( Hwy 225) then 1956 Southmore Ave. then 1970's Spencer Hwy. then 1990's Fairmont Parkway.

Our Mayor feels we have no further use for the FPSB it's time has come and gone as did a larger number of other businesses on Southmore. Many folks here in town feel tearing down the Grand Lady is a nothing more than a ploy to put in another short lived Fast Food Joint. As Houstonians have seen Over and Over, for the sake of Progress a beautiful but neglected older building is torn down for what, a bigger parking lot or something that won't last as long as the building that there before. The Shamrock Hilton was a Famous World Class Hotel and it died way too soon, sad thing is nothing great has taken it's place YET.

In a Local Papers story the FPSB was valued at 1.3 million and was aquired by a Houston Commercial Holdings Company. I have not seen any articles about a remodel only about the Demolishion Permit.

I have Voiced often, rather than tearing it down why not move our City Hall into it, from the upper floors you can keep a good eye over the whole city. Cool part is I think as our City hall it would Rival Houston's in Height and Style. We Hope someone with a love for our Buildings style will step in and purchase her and help her with a rebirth of use, that is if the Citie Leaders don't step in and Save Her, as they should. As many of you have stated She is in deed a Grand and Beautiful Lady, maybe not a stately as she once was but still as Grand.

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