Singer Park (Photo – cityofpasadena.net)
My Dearest Singer Park, Happy 100th Birthday!”
The City of Pasadena proudly boasts 26 sharable outdoor green spaces – some uniquely equipped with outdoor gyms, Frisbee golf, and even horseshoe pits.
By Susana Porras
Having grown up here, I had the opportunity to enjoy all the parks at one point or another. I took guitar lessons at Victory Park, tennis, and swim lessons at Brookside, and as a teenager, I even had a Frisbee golf date at Hahamongna Watershed Park.
However, my favorite park as a kid didn’t have any of the fancy equipment, but it was special to me, and I found it to be particularly beautiful. During the hot summer months, the grandmother next door would gather up all the neighborhood kids and trek us a little over half a mile to the local park. The park was described by the Pasadena Star-News in 1948 as a “miniature arboretum, lacking only the labels on the trees; … .” Included were the Ginkgo or Maidenhair Fern Tree from China;, the rare Albizia Julibrissin from Persia, Irish Yews, the Podocarpus, an exceptionally fine example of the European Fan Palm, and the Canary Island Date Palm. Additionally, the park beamed with over three dozen varieties of roses.
As a child, I knew nothing about plants, trees, or flowers, only that they smelled good and provided shade. I loved weaving in and out of the rose bushes and staring at the European Fan Palm. I’d never seen a palm tree like it and its short stature made me think there was something wrong with it. Little did I know that it had been meticulously and purposefully chosen to be part of someone’s beloved garden.
Located on the southwest corner of Saint John Avenue and California Boulevard, is Singer Park, the former estate of Mrs. Emma R. Singer, widow of H.M. Singer of Chicago, Illinois.
The well-known name should not be mistaken with that of the Singer Sewing Machine Family. Mrs. Singer continued to live on the property well after the passing of her husband. Her garden was her sanctuary and she reveled in its beauty.
Her prized roses included Etoile de Hollande, Gerona, Charlotte Armstrong, and the Texas Centennial. It was her wish that the property be bequeathed to the City of Pasadena and be preserved for and shared with future generations. Along with $27,000 for the maintenance of the park, Mrs. Singer asked that funds from the sale of the house be used as well. The home was eventually sold and moved off the land, thus adding valuable space to the public garden. Mrs. Singer’s 1923 bequest to the municipality was officially accepted by the City of Pasadena Board of Directors on January 27, 1924.
One hundred years later, Mrs. Singer’s legacy is the home of an incredibly diverse collection of mature trees, a refuge for migrating wildlife, and a playground where families create memories. The Century Dictionary definition of a park is a piece of ground usually of considerable extent, laid out in such a way as to afford pleasure to the eye as well as opportunity for open-air recreation. And so, with that, my dearest centenarian, you do achieve just that.
Cheers to another century!
Singer Park Corner of California Boulevard and St. John Ave. Hours of operation 6:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Regarding Singer Park, the park land given by Mrs. Singer is restricted to park use only. This issue came up long ago when Caltrans was planning the 710 Freeway route. Research by their environmental compliance staff found that if any portion of the deeded land were to have a use other than a park, the entire property would revert to the heirs of the donor, Mrs. Singer.