Old Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Before the Freeways

Exploring Pasadena's Past

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2025

1. Before the Freeways Marker

Click on image for a larger view.

Inscription. Before freeways bisected this neighborhood, the comer of Lincoln and Fair Oaks – called by locals “the Point” or “the Triangle” – was a busy shopping hub, with Lincoln Market, a shoe repair place, a drug store, and a Winchell's Donut House nearby. Public transit routes intersected there too, making it a convenient crossroads for getting around town.

Image captions/credits (clockwise from top)
• Detail from aerial photomap of Pasadena, First National Trust and Savings Bank of Pasadena, 1922 (Library of Congress)
• Lincoln Market, 270 North Fair Oaks, 1929 (Harold H. Parker Studio Collection of Negatives, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California)
• Parsons employee Yvonne Fernandez at 11th floor window, about 1974 (Pasadena Star News, Pasadena Museum of History)
• One of the last Pacific Electric Red Car runs from downtown Los Angeles to Pasadena, 1950 (Herald Examiner Collection, Los Angeles Public Library

Did You Know? The Point had the best chili mac in town.
Starting out with a hamburger stand in front of her home on Pasadena Avenue, Clara Allen took over a bigger space near the Point for the Green Buck, where she served the best chill mac in town. She shut it down after Parsons moved in and changed the neighborhood forever. (The Green Buck restaurant, 263 North Fair Oaks Boulevard, about 1974)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 34° 8.965′ N, 118° 9.122′ W. Marker is in Pasadena, California, in Los Angeles County. It is in Old Pasadena. It is at the intersection of North Fair Oaks Avenue and Walnut Street, on the left when traveling south on North Fair Oaks Avenue. Marker is on the unnamed street through the "Parsons site," a mixed-use area redeveloped and

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anchored by Parsons Corp. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 W Walnut St, Pasadena CA 91103, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles

and in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Keeping the Faith (within shouting distance of this marker); At Home in Old Pasadena (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Building Freeways, Dividing Communities (about 700 feet away); Exploring Pasadena's Past (about 700 feet away); Mapping Prejudice in Pasadena (about 700 feet away); Pioneers & Entrepreneurs (about 800 feet away); Hopkins Alley (approx. 0.2 miles away); Places Change, People Endure (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pasadena.

Photographed by Duane and Tracy Marsteller, September 27, 2025

2. Before the Freeways Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on November 6, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 45 times since then and 12 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 5, 2025, by Duane and Tracy Marsteller of Murfreesboro, Tennessee.