South Pasadena is the kind of town that takes its history seriously -- a place that's proud of slogans like "South Pasadena -- where the past is the present" and "South Pasadena: 1888 with all the modern amenities."
And that was Sherry Hodge's life.
The mother of one child lived in a 100-year-old house on a historic preservation list. She devoted countless hours as a volunteer in the city's heralded school district. She even bought a T-shirt that said "no" to the extension of the 710 Freeway, which the city has long opposed because it would carve up historic neighborhoods.
But now, Hodge has become a pioneer of sorts in the San Gabriel Valley city.
Hodge, a TV producer, quit her job, and she and her husband sold their Craftsman home to buy a two-bedroom unit in a modern condominium building in the city's revitalized downtown.
"We discovered this whole new urban South Pasadena," Hodge, 47, said. "There's a wine bar, organic food and a kitchen store. We never had date nights in town. We do now."
Hodge's move underscores a quiet revolution in a town where 10,000 homes are on a historic protection inventory.
Long averse to any change, South Pasadena has embraced an aggressive redevelopment strategy that has brought loft condos, high-end restaurants and trendy shops to a city that has prided itself on a Main Street USA feel even though it's less than seven miles from downtown Los Angeles.
City Hall is pouring millions of dollars into upgrading crowded intersections and repairing an antiquated water system.
The biggest project, however, is a proposed redevelopment of the city's downtown along Mission Street that could bring in dozens of new residential units, new storefronts, underground parking and perhaps a bowling alley.
There is even talk of acquiring the dilapidated Rialto Theatre -- a jewel in the eyes of historic preservationists -- from private owners in hopes of making it the centerpiece of a spruced-up city core.
The revitalization effort marks a turning point of sorts for South Pasadena, which for decades has focused much of its attention on blocking the extension of the 710.
"We've been so distracted by the freeway for 50 years that we've forgotten what the city needs and the essence of what we're about," said Councilman Mike Ten, who thinks Mission Street could use a jolt of life to complement the existing antique and furniture stores along the strip.
But another goal is to make South Pasadena appealing to a new generation of more upscale residents who move in for the city's well-respected schools and are looking for gourmet restaurants and trendy boutiques.
"Other than the school district, what do we have to offer as a city?" Ten said. "Revitalizing downtown is very important. We need self-generating energy so that people don't have to flock to Alhambra and Pasadena to shop and eat.
"We need something young people can go to."
Steve Ahn, the owner of Mike & Anne's, a 7-month-old restaurant on Mission, said he had planned to open a more casual bistro, but customers asked him to change. They wanted waiters to be less chipper and more reserved. He changed his music from folk to jazz.
"They wanted a sophisticated dining experience," Ahn, 37, said.
"Growth" is still a word viewed skeptically in South Pasadena, forcing the city to push its projects gingerly. Although a handful of past planned developments have failed to break ground, residents were invited to several town hall meetings this time to say what they wanted to see in the new downtown. Suggestions included making the street look like it was inspired by Antonio Gaudi's Park Guell in Barcelona and having a boutique hotel.
To the surprise of many, the current redevelopment project has progressed with little resistance except for a handful of residents and storekeepers who think it will ruin the city's sleepy, family flavor as well as drive up rent so that only national chain stores will be able to afford it.
So far, officials have promised to build slowly and to approve only those designs that blend with the city's architecture. And most important to many, officials have said that no large chain stores or restaurants will be welcomed into the new South Pasadena.
"People don't want a Caruso-land," said Marinel Robinson of Decoma Properties, the developer hired by the city to revitalize downtown. She was referring to Rick Caruso, the developer of such mega-shopping centers as the Grove in the Fairfax district.
"We have to do something authentic. It can't be Anywhere USA. No Gap or Crate & Barrel. You're not going to see the Olive Garden in South Pasadena," Robinson added.
Her firm had to involve residents in the planning, unlike any other project, she said. The meetings held to generate ideas, attended by several hundred people, were a first for the company.
"They're vigilant here," Robinson said. "They're fiercely protective of their small-town atmosphere. We've really had to go out of our way to hold meetings and incorporate their ideas into the plan."
