Today, Kevin and I got to go behind the scenes of Adenoid Hynkel’s palace in Charlie Chaplin’s The Great Dictator. We also stopped by city hall in Pawnee, Indiana of Parks and Recreation fame. Then we trekked the magical world of San Francisco as portrayed in the Kevin Costner / Jennifer Anisten vehicle Rumor Has It.
Of course, all of those places are actually at the same location: Pasadena City Hall. And thanks to the city’s Public Information Officer Ann Erdman, we got an up-close VIP tour, along with several new-found friends in the Pasadena blogosphere. Let’s go inside.
Ann tells the storied tale of Pasadena’s history and the architectural significance of the building.
Some of the rich architectural details, including the Pasadena seal of a crown and key (a compromise stemming from a disagreement among the city’s founders as to whether “Pasadena” meant “Crown of the Valley” or “Key of the Valley” in Chippewa). There are also bands of fruit symbolizing abundance, lions representing strength, and the strange face of a man with a walrus mustache.
Pasadena’s newest city council members. Kevin thinks it’s a wonder that the City Council can stay awake during meetings, knowing first hand how comfy their leather chairs are.
Thanks, Ann, for a great afternoon!
By the way, Rumor Has It is set in Pasadena and includes a veritable tour of Pasadena’s landmarks. But in no way is it worth watching. I recommend the original Graduate instead.
Back in the early 90′s when I worked at Parsons, a couple of coworkers and I would often have lunch up in the rotunda… they used to just let anyone up, even though you had to walk through an office area to get to it. Not sure if they still allow that.
Fun times! Apparently the average joe can no longer get up to the top.
Yep… fun tour it was! I especially liked getting a view from the top breezeway. A different perspective!
I was so happy you two could make it! “Rumor Has It” is worth seeing just for the City Hall courtyard scene at night. This was the final film production at Pasadena City Hall before we closed for the three-year retrofit. The production crew worked on the set design for three or four days before they did the shooting. The scene took place in San Francisco, but there’s no mistaking the actual location! I must say it was stunning.