Historic Pasadena bungalows get a new lease on life.

After sitting empty for more than two decades, the historic bungalow court on the grounds of the former Vista del Arroyo hotel is about to welcome permanent residents.

Vista De La Puente LLC--a partnership of Concert Realty Partners, architectural firm Moule & Polyzoides, Lefevre Corp. and Boyd Willat--has renovated and expanded the bungalows as part of a three-phase development along the Arroyo Seco.

"We were the only people willing to develop it and work with the architectural language to preserve the buildings," said Stefanos Polyzoides, whose partner, Liz Moule, drafted the designs for the renovation.

The Vista del Arroyo bungalows were an important part of Pasadena's heyday in the 1920s as a desirable vacation spot. Affluent Midwesterners headed west for the winter and the resort remained popular long after others shut their doors.

"Today it's one of the prime remaining examples of the resort era in Pasadena," said Laura Verlaque, collections manager at the Pasadena Archives.

Despite the buildings' historical importance, the bungalows fell into disrepair. By the 1980s, the situation became so dire that Pasadena Heritage, a local preservation group, asked Polyzoides, then a professor at USC, to develop a conservation plan with his students. He pursued the project after forming Moule & Polyzoides. "I've never seen buildings in such an expansive state of deterioration," Polyzoides said. "To preserve them was a heroic effort."

When Vista De La Puente bought the property in 2002, the bungalows had tom screens, shattered windows and graffiti spray-painted on interior walls. Homeless people had set fires that charred architectural details and gutted one building entirely.

Before renovations began, the group sent letters to Grand Street neighbors, contacted the hotel--now a federal court of appeals--and combed through archives to determine the bungalows' original features. The developers sought to preserve the feel and flow of the resort cottages while adding kitchens, bathrooms and other modern amenities. Some of the original paned windows, fireplaces and woodwork were retained. Copper gutters and oak floors run throughout the attached and single-family bungalows, which range from 1,800 to 3,400 square feet.

Designing tenant parking that blended with the compound's layout was perhaps the biggest challenge. "We had to move the bungalows, put them in another place, dig out the garage, pour the concrete and put the bungalows back in place," said Jean Maurice-Moulene, vice president of Concert Realty Partners.

When the bungalows were replaced on top of the underground parking garage, the court was reconfigured to make room for four attached town homes. Of the 17 total units, three have sold and two are in escrow.

Floor plans in both the new and old buildings are adaptable and sitting rooms and offices can create additional sleeping space in units with only one or two designated bedrooms. The setup is popular with longtime Pasadena residents who are now empty nesters. Maurice-Moulene says couples looking to downsize but want to stay in the neighborhood are among the interested buyers.

A concierge service and proximity to restaurants, markets and public transportation make the development a convenient choice. "You don't need a car here to get around," Maurice-Moulene said.

Now that construction is nearly complete, Pasadena Heritage plans to take the Arroyo bungalows off its endangered buildings list. "Saving a place is an act of believing," said Polyzoides.

PROJECT

Vista del Arroyo Bungalows

1 Grand Ave., Pasadena.

Develeper: Vista De La Puente LLC 

Building: Bungalows constructed from 1920 to 1938 on the grounds of the Vista Del Arroyo Hotel

Past Use: Served Midwesterners who vacationed in Pasadena during the winter. The site was in disrepair by the 1980s and was vacant

Project: Property bought in 2002 and converted into 17 residential units. Renovations scheduled for completion this year. Later phases of the project will bring the total cost to $30 million.