Mayfield Senior School, which has been undergoing a capital campaign to restore its central historical building, Strub Hall, has won a prestigious 2023 Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation from the California Preservation Foundation, a 2023 Historic Preservation Award from the city of Pasadena and a certificate of recognition from Pasadena Heritage. Initially intended to be a family home, Strub Hall, formally known as “Marshall/ Eagle estate,” has a fair amount of historical significance in Pasadena. Designed by renowned architect Frederic Louis Roehrig, the estate was one of the prominent houses that once populated Pasadena’s “Millionaire Row.” With Strub Hall being more than 100 years old, this capital campaign was necessary to update all of the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, in addition to making comprehensive seismic reinforcements. But because of the historical value of the building, the intent was always to make the essential upgrades as invisible as possible.
Rita Illig, Kate Morin and Tarah Beebe stand with the Preservation Design Award for Rehabilitation, which was awarded to Mayfi eld Senior School by from the California Preservation Foundation.
The construction phase of the capital campaign has already been completed, and in the announcement of their award, the California Preservation Foundation remarked on the structural complexity of the project. “The renovation at Mayfield Senior School is the gold standard for projects of its kind,” the California Preservation Foundation said. “In phasing the project, immense value was placed on the preservation of Strub Hall as a cornerstone in the school’s legacy and the history of Pasadena … projects of this type are often renovated and modified over the years resulting in a loss of the historic features. This renovation is just the opposite; the preservation aspect of the project was the priority from the beginning.” Pasadena Heritage recently joined in the organizations celebrating the careful renovation of Strub Hall, and issued a certificate of recognition to Mayfield for their restorative undertaking. Claire Bogaard, wife of Pasadena former Mayor Bill Bogaard and founding member of Pasadena Heritage, shared her glowing appraisal of the project. “So much careful thought has been given to the restoration and to the needed improvement,” Bogaard said. “What a wonderful place for the students.” Rita Illig, president of Illig Construction, explained why she felt this Strub Hall campaign had been so fruitful. “When undertaking a project like this, especially an occupied building with students and staff present while you are in construction, I think the key to the success is a collaborative partnership,” Illig said. “We absolutely had that between the Mayfield Senior leadership, KFA Architecture and Illig Construction.” Head of School Kate Morin expressed her gratitude for these partnerships and the widespread acclaim that is now coming from those evaluating the results. “The vision, the detail, the hard work, the preparation and putting the team together, it all paid off,” Morin said. “We’ve preserved this work of art for generations to come.” To learn more about this award-winning campaign, or discover ways to become involved, visit strubhallcentury2.org/, or contact Mayfield Senior’s Director of Development Lisa Vandergriff at Lisa.Vandergriff@mayfieldsenior.org.
First published in the June 15 print issue of the Pasadena Outlook.
