Norton Simon Museum
The history of the Norton Simon Museum begins with the Pasadena Art Institute founded in 1922. In 1941, the City of Pasadena received Carmelita Park as a gift. A provision of the endowment called for an adequate parcel, 9.5 acres of land and the 22-room Victorian Reed Mansion, to be retained for the Pasadena Art Institute. In 1964, the Institute commissioned Pasadena-based architectural firm of Ladd & Kelsey to design a new 85,000-square-foot structure on the Carmelita Park site. The new Pasadena Art Museum opened on November 24, 1969. Ongoing debt issues led the Trustees to reach an agreement with Norton Simon, who assumed management of the institution in exchange for taking on the Museum’s financial obligations, in 1974. The Museum closed for renovation in 1974, reopened in March, 1975, and became the Norton Simon Museum of Art at Pasadena in October.
Pasadena, Los Angeles County
Photographers: Andrew Schmidt, Tim Van Schmidt