Playhouse Plaza

Pasadena, California

Client: IDS Real Estate

Playhouse Plaza is a 155,000 square-foot mixed-use development located in Pasadena’s historic Playhouse District. Sidewalks and courtyards are enlivened by 18,00 square feet of retail and restaurant space, with premier office space stacked on floors above. The building is divided into several discreet volumes: a five-story office building on the corner of Colorado Boulevard and El Molino Avenue steps down in the middle of the block to an interconnected four- and then three-story building; two-story commercial buildings face El Molino and form a courtyard. A traffic table connects this space with the Playhouse courtyard across the street, creating a grand mid-block quad. Larger buildings are informed by regional Art Deco buildings, while smaller buildings take the form of turn-of-the-century brick storefronts, a combination that visually integrate Playhouse Plaza with the surrounding historic district. This project was designed through a model public-private design process that was carried out as a 12-part charrette.

Executive Architect: Gensler