First published in the Aug. 25 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
Mayfield Senior School recently hosted their Strub Hall Open House and Celebration, which welcomed neighbors and community members to get a first glimpse of its newly renovated central building.
The commemoration marked the end of the ambitious 13-month construction phase of the biggest capital campaign in the history of the school, and the Strub Hall: Century 2 Campaign will eventually culminate in 2025 at the 75th anniversary of the high school opening its doors on Bellefontaine Street. This magnificent building was designed by renowned architect Frederic Louis Roehig as a family home 100 years ago, and is one of the few remaining structures on Pasadena’s “Millionaire’s Row.”
Local partners Illig Construction Company and KFA Architecture were ever-mindful of the historic value of the building while also adapting this “heart of campus” to meet 21st century demands — with obvious updates and invisible improvements — including building-wide HVAC, plumbing, electricity and seismic stability.
According to Tarrah Beebe, a Senior Associate at KFA Architecture, the renovation of this Beaux Arts mansion with COVID regulations and class schedules provided a host of unique challenges: “On a scale of 1 to 10 in complexity, this project [was] a 12!” But for those who attended the Open House could only observe the breathtaking results: an elegant, welcoming space that will be serving Mayfield Senior School and its students for decades to come.
The Strub Hall Open House was an informal event where guests were able to get private tours of the renovated space and enjoy light refreshments as well. Head of School, Kate Morin, and Associate Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Angela Howell were on hand to unveil the result of the renovations, answer any questions about the planning and process, or learn how to participate in the ongoing campaign.
Guests included alums, incoming students, faculty/staff, neighbors and even representatives from Pasadena Heritage. The event was one of many celebrations planned to commemorate the end of the construction on campus, to emphasize modernization and improvements inside Strub Hall and to highlight the five-year Strub Hall Century 2: Transformation Campaign. This campaign is well underway and is now entering the public phase.
