Table Of Content

The Gamble House has developed a special one-hour tour of the house’s grounds and exterior. Your guide will lead an exploration of the house’s context and history throughout the gardens and terraces. It was commissioned by David and Mary Gamble, of Cincinnati, Ohio, as a winter residence. Teak, maple, oak, Port Orford cedar, and mahogany surfaces are placed in sequences to bring out contrasts of color, tone, and grain. Inlay in the custom furniture designed by the architects coordinates with the inlay in the tiled fireplace surrounds, and the expressed, interlocking joinery on the main staircase was left exposed. The Greene brothers received little acclaim for their work during their active years.
Do you have a favorite building?
While most Craftsman bungalows constructed at the time were small, the Greene brothers expanded on the traditional floor plan to create an “ultimate bungalow” that evokes a sense of grandeur while remaining grounded. The Gamble House was built in 1908 by the Greene and Greene architecture firm for David B. Gamble, son of the Procter & Gamble Founder James Gamble, in Pasadena, California. Today it is considered to be an iconic example of American Craftsman architecture.
The Gamble House in Pasadena: Overview
Round, tapered beams extend on the exterior of the home to support the extended porches providing an artistic highlight to the home's exterior styling. Heavy layers of shingles insulate the house; even today the home does not need air conditioning to cool the interior because of the particular design of the roof. Stone and brickwork were incorporated not only as a design element, but also for practical reasons.
Timeline
Tours are offered now, as the Gamble House is both a museum and a National Historic Landmark. The essential nature of architecture by Greene & Greene begins with intense attention to detail and craftsmanship, as their bungalows mark the height of the American Arts and Crafts style. The brothers were inspired by the concept of total design, or gesamtkunstwerk, which was stressed in the German-designed rooms at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase International Exposition in St. Louis. When they met David and Mary Gamble, they already had developed a list of rich couples who commissioned them to design their houses, with generous budgets and relatively free reign.
Design Elements Used in The Gamble House
This integration reflects the topography, climate, and the relaxed, outdoor orientation of the southern California lifestyle. Pasadena’s lure among culturally minded and wealthy Midwesterners, combined with a building boom in the early twentieth century, made the city a viable, if short-lived, market for the Greenes’ costly work. The oft-published houses of Greene and Greene inspired builders of more modest dwellings, and the brothers’ work would soon be conflated in the popular imagination with more modest craftsman bungalows. The Gamble House is located in the Los Angeles suburb of Pasadena, CA. The home is also known as the David B. Gamble House and epitomizes the iconic style of the American Craftsman period.
AD Classics: Gamble House / Greene & Greene
Visitors can see the bedrooms how they appeared when the Gambles lived there. The master bedroom contains walnut dressers inlaid with fruitwood and semiprecious stones. Even the bathrooms are ornate, with one on the second floor containing stained glass doors.
Company
Stone is also used in the exterior construction along with handmade brick and tile work. The wood is the focal feature of the home's exterior and interior design. The third floor was planned as a billiard room but was used as an attic by the Gamble family. While the kitchen was beautiful, it still was missing some important details to be truly reflective of the overall 1908 interpretation of the house. Although incredibly intact, the kitchen of the Gamble House had a few details that were not reflective of the desired 1908 interpretation.
Exterior and gardens
The Gambles realized the artistic importance of the house and, in 1966, deeded it to the city of Pasadena in an agreement with the University of Southern California's School of Architecture. The house is located on a grassy knoll overlooking Pasadena's Arroyo Seco, a broad, seasonally dry river bed. Because of the Gambles’ attraction to the environment, the Greenes designed the house to complement the rustic setting.
Gamble, David Berry and Mary Huggins, House, Pasadena, CA (1908-
Gamble or Gain? Community debates potential Edisto River plant, SC House bill - Live 5 News WCSC
Gamble or Gain? Community debates potential Edisto River plant, SC House bill.
Posted: Tue, 27 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The Gamble family lived in the house until 1966, and, after briefly considering selling it, deeded it to the city of Pasadena and the University of Southern California's School of Architecture. Renovations in 2004 insured that the house will be around for many more years. Like with any home, the Gamble House requires maintenance and upkeep. In the 1990s, the city of Pasadena and USC launched a plan to conserve and preserve the house. Pergola and trellises were incorporated into the grounds, connecting the home to the gardens that surround it. Hanging exterior lanterns accent the grounds from beams surrounding the home.
The Gamble House was commissioned by David and Mary Gamble to be built as their winter home in Pasadena, California. The Gamble family hired brothers Charles Greene and Henry Greene of Greene and Greene to build the home beginning in 1908. The home was finished in 10 months and represents an iconic example of the American Arts and Crafts period. Impressive interior woodworking employed by the Greenes including the usage of scarf joints highlight the natural tones of the many species of wood incorporated into the home's interior. The exterior is equally impressive, and the grounds and woodworking highlight a cross between the Arts and Crafts style and Japanese design that were commonplace in homes designed by the Greene brothers.

Where the house diverges from the Japanese aesthetic is how it defines spaces. The Greenes’ style is “enclosed,” explained Trotoux, whereas Japanese architecture is open and spacious with pavilion-style designs. The Gamble House, constructed in 1908 as a home for David B. Gamble, son of the Procter & Gamble founder James Gamble, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Today the home is a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public for tours and events. In real life it also bridges time, as the history of the home ties Pasadena’s past to its present. In 1895, David Gamble retired from his position in the family-run Proctor & Gamble Company and began to winter in Pasadena with his wife Mary.
While the home was constructed in the Craftsman style decades prior, the elements of indoor-outdoor connections, horizontal lines, and earthy color palette resonated with the era. The original patrons lived in the house until death, and it was continually passed down through the Gamble family until 1966, when it was almost sold to a family who intended to paint the interior teak and mahogany woodwork white. They immediately realized the artistic and architectural importance of this home and deeded it to the city of Pasadena in a joint agreement with the University of Southern California Department of Architecture.
The Gamble House in Pasadena, California, is an outstanding example of American Arts and Crafts-style architecture. The house and furnishings were designed by architects Charles and Henry Greene in 1908 for David and Mary Gamble of the Procter & Gamble Company. The house, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978, is owned by the City of Pasadena and operated by the University of Southern California. The Gamble House was built by architect brothers Charles and Henry Greene in 1908, in Pasadena, California. It was first used as the winter residence of David and Mary Gamble and is an excellent example of Arts and Crafts architecture, which sought a return to more handcrafted work in response to industrialization.
Paths made with large water-worn stones from the nearby Arroyo Seco are reminiscent of running brooks crossing the lawns. The overall landscape design and constructed garden elements are integrated with the architectural proportion and detailing. The triple front door and transom feature a Japanese black pine motif in plated (more than one layer) leaded art glass, highlighting the Asian influence that runs throughout the house.
The house is now open for public tours and serves as the residence for two lucky 5th year USC architecture students every year. Although the Greenes never traveled to Japan, they found inspiration closer to home, frequenting the Japanese Garden at The Huntington with its historic Japanese House and ceremonial teahouse. Although, the style did not fully blossom in their work until Charles visited the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair and its Japanese exhibits, which influenced their designs from there on out.