Civic Center Financial District
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Five bank and office buildings cluster around East Colorado Boulevard and Marengo Avenue in Pasadena, forming a small financial district built between 1905 and 1928. An eight-story Second Renaissance Revival bank and a seven-story Neo-Classical bank anchor the group. Three two-story buildings extend north along Marengo Avenue. Architects include Curlett and Beelman, John Parkinson and Edwin Bergstrom, Benjamin G. Horton, and Leon C. Brockway. The district grew as Pasadena's commercial center spread eastward from Old Pasadena and as the nearby Civic Center, built from 1915 into the early 1930s, drew banks and offices to the area. Its classical styling gave the buildings prestige and a visual link to the civic institutions. The two large banks, set on a rise, have long formed a gateway to the Civic Center. Interiors such as the Citizens Bank banking room remain largely intact, and the buildings are valued for their architecture and their place in the city's downtown development.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | 1905-1928 |
|---|---|
| Styles | Neo-Classical, Second Renaissance Revival, and Beaux-Arts |
| Areas of significance | Commerce, Architecture |
| Acreage | 1.2 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Civic Center Financial District (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.