South Pasadena’s 20s-Era Starter Gems

The South Pasadena School District’s high scores and good reputation, along with the small city’s quiet but central location, have kept home prices here much higher than in surrounding neighborhoods. This photo of the school district’s administration building, posted by Glimpses of South Pasadena, actually makes me want to work there.

Today’s post from the photographer, of this lovely 1920s manufacturing building in the heart of South Pasadena, got me thinking about what kinds of 1920s starter homes are available for families still trying to get into this high-priced good school district. Here are some startling numbers, and these are the lowest-priced single family home listings on Redfin, for around 1,000 square feet:

1800 Meridian Avenue
$474,900
2 bed/0 baths
1,042 sq.ft.
$456 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 26 days
Built in 1924, this property is listed as Craftsman style (you’d never guess it from the listing photo) and as a fixer (this you might guess, especially if you were told that the property was originally a Craftsman). It has no kitchen and no bathroom – hence the very low listing price per square foot for South Pasadena. The sales history indicates this is bank-owned; the last sale was for $515,643 in December 2007.

1941 Meridian Avenue
$585,000
2 bed/1 abath
990 sq.ft.
$591 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 7 days
Built in 1926, this Mediterranean style home has been completely renovated and brightly painted.

1823 Gilette Crest
$649,500
2 bed/1 bath
998 sq.ft.
$651 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 35 days
…and one price reduction already, from $689,950. This is another nicely updated but small Spanish style home.

Redfin’s neighborhood pages for South Pasadena show the median sold price at $514 per square foot for single family homes in 91030.

Meridian Avenue runs north/south through South Pasadena and Gold Line tracks cross it on their way to the Mission Street stop.

Photo of Meridian Avenue and the Gold Line courtesy of nathanus.