It was the hardest winter of all which happened in the year 1873 that Dr. Thomas Balch Elliot and almost all the neighborhood of 100 families decided to leave the place and move somewhere in west California to look for warmer and safer environment where they can start anew. They were called the California Indiana Colony. They reached the Valley where the inhabitants from Europe were all hard-working planters of vineyards and orange groves. They were able to buy 4,000 acres of the Ranch of San Pascual which was they called later on as the Old Pasadena. The one who planned most of the set up of the whole town was Calvin Fletcher. The town which was once an agricultural and ranching center now became well developed and a center for business and trading remained to be beautiful until the present time. The current downtown historic district is bordered by Holly Street, Fair Oaks Avenue, Arroyo Parkway, Green Street, and the old Santa Fe Railway, to Central Park onward to DeLacey Street, Pasadena Boulevard and North still to Union Street. The whole town district and each of these streets were rich in historical and even traditional features. Among the first buildings, Albert Bristol's cottage at Orange Grove and Lincoln was Old Pasadena's first home purchase; while the first store located at the center of the town was owned and operated by Barney Williams, who was the supplier of goods and operator of the post office. Through the end of nineteenth century, buildings were continued to be constructed. In 1884, the Pasadena Library was built which influenced the colony to the incorporation of the Pasadena in 1886. In 1902, Dodsworth Building was built; it was formerly known as the Grand Hotel located across the street from Barney's place. The school house was located at Fair Oaks and Colorado Boulevard but when the border was invaded, it was moved to other location. In 1887 The Castle Green hotel was constructed. It was a hotel that transformed into a new building. At first, the hotel was comprised of an annex with tunnels and bridges across the street. By 1924, the hotel was altered into residential apartments while the annex was lowered to one story building. The buildings that remained unchanged were the portico at Raymond and Green, and the Throop University, later known as Caltech. For years, different kinds of office buildings, manufacturers, and automobile dealerships existed and disappeared in Pasadena. From the 30s into the 80s the elegance and fame of the Old Pasadena vanished away and the style of the town slowed down. In 1993, revival came into the town and the area became commercialized making it lively with a very active nightlife, restaurants offer class services and fine dining, theatres started to boom, and clubs and cafes brought in additional income. The New Year of 1890, as hosted by the Valley Hunt Club, the Tournament of Roses Parade started again. At first it was only a parade of horses and carriages decorated with beautiful flowers in the street of Colorado, but since 1902, the tournament included sports game. In 1920 when the Rose Bowl Stadium was built, football game was also included in the tournament. The Old Pasadena became very popular. If you want to dig out the rich history of Pasadena, include Pasadena travel in your plans of vacation.
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