Wrigley's

This is a less recognizable view of the Tournament of Roses House, or Wrigley Mansion, on Orange Grove in Pasadena.  The mansion was designed by architect G. Lawrence Stimson for his parents and built starting in 1906.  The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 brought about an unexpected shortage of building materials, and the construction wasn't complete until 1914 - the same year Wrigley's Doublemint Gum debuted.  William Wrigley Jr. and his wife Ada then bought the home in 1916, adding to their already significant collection of mansions.  The Rose Parade was already a thing, and the Wrigleys enjoyed a fine view of it.  The Wrigleys bought and razed the house next door on Orange Grove, and made room for the roses in the foreground of this painting.  In 1958, the Wrigley family gifted the mansion to the Tournament of Roses.  Rose Queens are crowned here.  Many months out of the year, there isn't too much going on at the Tournament House; during those months the roses are at their best.  There is an enormous front lawn, and I think if I had power or sway or organizational skills, I would found a bocce tournament at the Tournament House lawn.
This was painted slightly less than two years ago, so don't be tempted to draw any conclusions about current trends in my paintings.