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Popular "Cultivating Pasadena" Exhibit Extended

(Pasadena, April 19, 2005) — What did the Rose Bowl look like 80 years ago compared to today? How has Pasadena changed between the 20th and 21st centuries? Have population growth, business development and tourism changed the town? What can we learn from the changes that have affected the area?

The answers to these questions and others can be found in a "re-photography" exhibition at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, pairing vintage photographs with contemporary photos of the same locations. The show has been so popular with visitors that it's been extended through July 1.

"Cultivating Pasadena: From Roses to Redevelopment" is being presented by the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and is a joint project of the Automobile Club of Southern California and the Labyrinth Project of USC's Annenberg Center for Communication.

"Cultivating Pasadena" features photos from the Auto Club's Corporate Archives, the Pasadena Museum of History, the California State Library, USC's Regional History Center and Los Angeles Public Library, paired with contemporary images of the same site to note changes within the region's cultural landscape over the past century. An interactive DVD featuring oral histories is also part of the exhibition.

"Most of the photographs depict scenes in Pasadena from the 1880s to today," said Auto Club Historian Matthew Roth. "They include residences from mansions to modest bungalows, commercial buildings and districts, and transportation scenes from the Arroyo Seco Parkway to the Mt. Lowe incline railway. Many distinctive gardens and landscaping plans and Pasadena icons such as the Rose Bowl and Caltech are featured."

"Some pairs depict immense change, such as the placement of the former Santa Fe Railroad into an underground tunnel as today's Gold Line light rail," added Roth. "Others, such as a palm-lined drive in Altadena, show scant differences over the 70 years between photos. The exhibition is an opportunity for viewers to reflect on how changes occur in the urban landscape."

The Pasadena Museum of California Art is located at 490 East Union St. Hours are noon to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday. Admission is $6/adults; $4/seniors, students with valid ID, and AAA members. Children under 12 and museum members are free. Admission is also free on the first Friday of the month. All galleries are handicapped accessible.

The Automobile Club of Southern California, the largest AAA affiliate, has been serving members since 1900. Today, Auto Club members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance, financial products, travel agency and trip planning services, highway and transportation safety programs, insurance products and services and automotive pricing, buying and financing programs. Information about these products and services is available on the Auto Club's web site at www.aaa-calif.com.

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The Automobile Club of Southern California is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in the following California counties: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.