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The David B. Gamble House |
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Navigation Bar |
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Gamble House Home Page |
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Gamble House Histoy |
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My Day at the Gamble House |
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My Day At the House |
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Gamble House Image Gallery |
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The Greene Brothers |
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Sources Page |
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On the ninth day of May, I went to the tour of The Gamble House in Pasadena. Though I was not really sure what to expect, my family and I took the thirty five minute drive from West Covina to the house. When we arrived, we witnessed a large house covered with panels and cardboard due to the restoration process. I was a bit disappointed by this, for it took away much of the beauty of the house. Nonetheless, I took a few photos of myself outside the house (primarily because photography was not allowed inside the house). My mother and I purchased our tickets for the 1:15 p.m. tour in a very impressive bookstore. It was literally covered wall to wall with books concerning architecture and the Gamble House. Interestingly enough, the bookstore was actually The Gamble House's garage! I only found that out after the cashier told me. |
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When 1:15 finally came around, my mother and I met with our tour group and tour guide. They were some pretty interesting people, if I should say so myself. Either they were genuinely interested in the house, or they were just faking it to impress our guide. Either way, they did provide some very insightful commentary and questions. Craig Higgins, our guide, seemed to be a sufficient guide. It was hard to understand what he was saying at times, but he knew his stuff, especially when it came to wood. When we were led to the front door of the house, we were given a brief talk about the rules and a bit of information on the architecture of the outside of the house. Then, I was given the honor of ringing the doorbell and we entered the house.
The atmosphere was pretty dark...and the first room looked quite gloomy. However, this was later explained by Mr. Higgins because the Greenes believed in keeping the house as natural as it could be, so the use of lighting fixtures was kept to a minimum. On a very sunny day in the morning, the house would be filled with light due, but since it was already approaching the afternoon, it was darker than usual. We learned much about the types of wood that were used for the house and the very fine details that can be found if you look really close. Little etched designs of trees and plants could be seen on the wooded walls in the hallway. |
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When we entered the living room, our tour group was given a feast for the eyes. There were impressive pieces of furniture everywhere, and the placement of everything created a very "homely" feel. Unfortunately, most everything was roped off, and we weren't allowed to touch anything. That was probably for the best, for "the oils in our fingers can damage the original mahogany wood." Afterwards, we all went into the kitchen. There, there were many old-fashioned appliances still kept intact for a little under a century. Stoves, iceboxes, silverware, and dining ware were all visible for us to see. I found this to be one of the highlights of the tour, because it kind of puts things in perspective on how things may be "advanced" now, but their roots are still the underlying backbone.
Afterwards, we entered a few more rooms, including Mr. and Mrs. Gamble's room, the guest room, and Mrs. Huggins room. All the while, we were given interesting stories about the family, though they were mostly funny. There was even a story about how Mrs. Huggins was a loon, and when she died, her ghost decided to reside in the Gamble House. I could have sworn I felt something touch my shoulder when we were in her room, but maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me....
After we had toured the rooms, we went upstairs to an impressive attic. Though it was converted into a meeting room in the early 1970s, it still retained it architectural beauty from its glory days. I enjoyed this part of the tour as well...mainly because we were all given the opportunity to take a break and sit down. It was also here that I was able to experience the creative ventilation system: breezes would be trapped in the room and "forced" to circulate. When we were finished there, we were treated to a view of the garden, though sadly enough it was unavailable to the public at the time because of heavy restoration. After a brief Q & A session, our tour was completed, and I came home exhausted, but a bit "enlightened" as well. |
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