

Though Adalbert and Eva initially commissioned the residence in order to downsize from their previous home, a 30-room Moorish manse known as Algerian Court, by 1911, the couple was in need of more space. Farquhar, who was also responsible for the design of the fabled Owlwood Estate in Holmby Hills, the Paramour Estate in Silver Lake and downtown L.A.’s California Club.Ĭompleted at a cost of just over $20,000 (about $700,000 today), the six-bedroom, six-bath Fenyes Mansion offered the epitome of opulence and class, outfitted with such plush living and entertaining spaces as a grand entry foyer, a music room/salon, a drawing room, a formal dining room and a kitchen featuring a large butler’s pantry. Fashioned with a gleaming stone façade boasting a succession of arched windows, handsome balustrades and a bifurcated staircase, the estate was the work of École des Beaux-Arts-trained architect Robert D. Adalbert Fenyes and his wife, watercolorist Eva Scott Fenyes.

The three-story stunner was originally erected for Hungarian-born entomologist Dr.

Unlike its fallen neighbors, the Fenyes Mansion remains virtually untouched from its inception over 115 years ago, acting as a pristinely preserved time capsule of grandiose early 20th-century Pasadena living. Slowly, the proud palaces were replaced by mid-century, above-ground bunkers, which have given way to today’s luxury condominiums.” Inevitably, ambitious developers requested a change in South Orange Grove’s exclusive R-1 zoning status, and in 1948 a transition of the once-grand street began. Weeds grew in the yards, and boarders moved in. As the Star-News details, “During the 1920s, Pasadena was said to have the highest per capita income of any city in the country, but as the famous millionaires died, and their families were hit with the Great Depression, many of the mansions stood untended and vacant. Sadly, the vast majority of the historic properties have been lost to the ages. , on the corner of Orange Grove Blvd., the sprawling Beaux Arts-style mansion was originally built in 1906 in the heart of what was then known as Millionaire’s Row, a 1.25-mile stretch of palatial abodes, each seemingly more lavish and extravagant than the last. The latter, founded in 1924 as the Pasadena Historical Society, is “the only museum and research library dedicated solely to preserving and sharing the history, art and culture of Pasadena and the west San Gabriel Valley.” Its location is also unique, housed on the grounds of the Fenyes Mansion, a gorgeous turn-of-the-century estate most famous for its central role in Beyoncé’s 2016 “Formation” video, which Rolling Stone recently deemed the best music video of all time.
#VIDEO FILMING MOVIE#
Movie and television aficionados will be happy to know that the list of participating galleries is peppered with a slew of notable filming locations, as well, including such oft-lensed spots as the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C., Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Gamble House, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pasadena Museum of History.

Initially enacted in 2010, the initiative, which runs through Labor Day, is “a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense” in an effort to “show appreciation for those who serve.”
#VIDEO FILMING FREE#
In honor of Armed Forces Day, the Blue Star Museums program just kicked off its 2023 season, offering active-duty military personnel and their families free admission to more than 200 museums nationwide.
