Photos of Tournament House by Hadley Meares
I was a Pasadena resident for nearly a decade and never once attended the Rose Parade even though I was offered free tickets every year (if you own a property and live in this city you can ask for the Rose Parade tickets…I think there’s a Raffle now). I don’t know why maybe because I preferred watching the parade from the comfort of my home with a cup of coffee. Well, this year our entire family is going and it will be our first. My sister got the tickets for free (I guess she won the Raffle drawing!) and we couldn’t be more happy. This year’s theme is “Inspiring Stories” and I immediately thought of the Wrigley House (formerly owned by the gum chewing Wrigely family). This Wrigley House (now called Tournament House) was donated to the Tournament of Roses Association, after Ada Wrigley’s death. Here’s the story of how the Wrigley’s Mansion became Tournament House.
Pasadena was founded in 1874 by a small group of settlers from Indiana. It soon became known for its orange and olive groves. Wealthy part-time residents began to build mansions up and down Orange Grove Avenue (now Boulevard) and adjacent streets. The Stimson House was one of those mansions built by George W. Stimsons. The Stimsons later sold the house to the Wrigleys. The Wrigleys soon added their own personal touches and the home quickly became Ada Wrigley’s (the wife) favorite residence. Every New Year’s Day, Ada loved watching the Rose Parade, which started feet away from her home, from the comfort of her front porch or front lawn. She also entertained regularly in her home.
After Ada’s death in 1958, the Wrigley family decided to donate the mansion and its surrounding land to the Tournament of Roses Association to honer the city their parents loved so much. The 22-room Wrigley mansion became offices and conference rooms where the parade and bowl game were planned. Today, the Tournament House is open for weekly tours from February through August.
Tomorrow, we will be sitting on Orange Grove Boulevard, feet away from the Tournament House, watching the Rose Parade just like Ada did. Follow me on Instagram if you want to see the Rose Parade through my eyes (up close and personal) and hopefully, we will love it as much as Ada did.
