Come With Drew to Tour the Historic Blinn House in Pasadena
Drew is back with another epic home tour, and this week, he’s giving us an inside look at one of the best-kept secrets in Pasadena. The Blinn House is a historic Prairie-style home with architectural features that truly wow, and an attention to detail that can’t be matched.
Prairie-style architecture originated in Chicago (developed by a group of architects including Frank Lloyd Wright) and was popularized in the Midwest in the 20th century. It emphasizes horizontal lines, with a focus on celebrating the wide-open landscape of the American Midwest. The Blinn House is the only Prairie-style house designed by George W. Maher west of the Mississippi River.
Completed in 1906, the Blinn House was originally home to the Blinn family—husband and wife Edmund and Kate Blinn, as well as their four children. They snowbirded in Pasadena to escape the harsh Chicago winters. But the Blinns eventually decided to make the move permanent, buying up two plots of land next to each other so they could build their big dream home in California.
Small Details, Big Impact
The fixation on detail is abundant in the Blinn House. Throughout both the interior and exterior, you see a callback to these beautiful wisteria vines that line the garden. From the repeating pattern of the wisteria vines in the art glass (in the windows lining the home, the ornate light fixtures, and the fireplace facade) to the broken arch motif (in the archways, furniture, windows, and the staircase banister), there is a special, intentional focus on harmony within the space.
George W. Maher is credited with the design philosophy known as Motif-Rhythm Theory, which puts emphasis on a particular decorative element or geometric shape—like the wisteria vines and broken arches, in the case of the Blinn House—to create a cohesive design, repeating it throughout the building in different forms such as the architecture, ornamentation, or furniture.
The Beauty of Historic Homes
“I think things were built better back in the day,” Drew says. “They were built stronger, they were built smarter in many ways…The history of a house is what makes it so cool.” In the case of the Blinn House, the home was built with an emphasis on both artistic craft and functionality—down to the waterproofed drain spouts on the sleeping porch. It’s all of these small details, along with the stories and the history behind their inception, that make historic homes so complex and incredible to dig into.
If you like these deep dives, be sure to check out our other home tours—like the Gamble House; the Fényes Mansion; and Brady Tolbert’s treehouse home. And subscribe to our YouTube channel so you can stay up-to-date on all the latest from Drew and Jonathan.
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Bree Pulver
Bree is the Senior Digital Editor at DrewandJonathan.com. In the past, she’s worked for publications focused on home improvement and sustainable living. Bree’s Pinterest board is filled with cozy textures; vintage patterns; sculptural furniture; and moody, warm-toned colors. She has a degree concentrated in the intersection of writing and architecture, which influences her passion for exploring creative solutions to unusual home layouts and stylish renter-friendly decor. She’s a self-proclaimed pro at finding the best antique furniture in the most unlikely of places (but her cat Blue can certainly back these claims).
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