The Gamble House in Pasadena
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Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California, US
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Site: https://gamblehouse.org/
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:11AM–3PM
- Wednesday:Closed
- Thursday:11AM–3PM
- Friday:11AM–3PM
- Saturday:11AM–3PM
- Sunday:11AM–3PM
in: 2:00 PM - 10:00 PM
out: 12:00 PM
No pets
No parties
Smoking allowed
Additional rules
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COVID-19-related guidelines apply
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Cancellation is free up to 5 days before
After 5 days, cancellation costs a 5% Fee
You can't cancel an ongoing event
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We got you covered
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Security cameras
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Daily cleaning
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Daily cleaning personel
Cleaning tools
We take care of you
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24/24 concierge lodge
Direct phone liaison
Fire detection
Private entry
Swimming pool
Baby carriage
King size bed
Bathtub
Wi-Fi
Workspace
Television
Minibar
Air conditionning
Room service
Additional details
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Im a Back to the Future nut,so seeing this place was a extra big treat! Going back to see the other homes used in the series soon. Theyre in the same area as the Gamble house. If you go,take a camera,as you can walk the property. The garage is a book store. Its amazing for a property that was built in 1908. Takes you back to that era of life back then. Its also a designated historical site donated to California and USC in 1976. Take one of the tours offered. $$
A truly magnificent house built by the Gamble family of Procter & Gamble in the early 1900s. A remarkable architectural structure that was way ahead of its time. The furniture was also designed the architects.You must take the tour, otherwise you really miss out on the history.
I finally made it to The Gamble House! As a long tine Back to the Future fan (this is Doc Brown’s House) I don’t know what took me so long! This is also part of the Passport2History program.The inside of the Gamble House can only be accessed via a docent led tour. Book early or online! We got there right before they opened at 11:30 and the first TWO tours were sold out! So I had to hang around the grounds for an hour with my 4 year old. Luckily, the grounds are beautiful so we split our tine between the bookstore, the garden area (which has a water fountain, my sons favorite thing), the Lilly pad pond (complete with waterfall and fish), and other areas in the yard.Our guide, Roger was fantastic. He did his best to keep my son engaged. Full disclosure, this isn’t one of the more exciting Passport2History tours with small children. But the tour itself is very cool. The house is AMAZING!I do think they price themselves a bit out of five stars. I’d say this would be a 5 Star attraction for a $5-8 tour. It used to be 12.50 for years which also would have been doable (especially after the Passport2History’s 10% off). But they’ve raised their prices to $15, which is a bit much for what this is compared to other similar museum values. They should consider going back to what it was.That said, it still gets a solid 4 star rating which I totally recommend people check it out! Any fans of wood will flip inside!!!
The Gamble House, also known as the David B. Gamble House, is an iconic American Craftsman home in Pasadena, California, designed by the architectural firm Greene and Greene. Constructed in 1908–09 as a home for David B. Gamble of the Procter & Gamble company, it is today a National Historic Landmark, a California Historical Landmark, and open to the public for tours and events.Originally built as a winter residence for David and Mary Gamble, the three-story Gamble House is commonly described as Americas Arts and Crafts masterpiece. Its style shows influence from traditional Japanese aesthetics and a certain California spaciousness born of available land and a permissive climate. The Arts and Crafts Movement in American Craftsman style architecture was focused on the use of natural materials, attention to detail, aesthetics, and craftsmanship.The house is located on a grassy knoll overlooking Pasadenas Arroyo Seco, a broad, seasonally dry river bed. Because of the Gambles’ attraction to the environment, the Greenes designed the house to complement the rustic setting. The houses design reflected the Gambles love of nature as flowers and trees were brought to the interior—creating pictures in wood, metal, art glass, and semi-precious stone. The building itself appears enmeshed with the landscape, achieved by a blend of man-made materials such as brick and rough dash-coat stucco and natural materials such as granite river stones and creeping fig that grows up onto the foundations of the terrace and steps.The house displays a strong influence of Japanese architecture. The abstraction of clouds and mist as well as the other oriental characteristics applied to the houses doors, windows, screens, beams, chair, lanterns, and more were another way that the house showed its emphasis on nature as forms found in nature are the inspiration for these patterns.Another way the Greenes showed off the Gamble Houses emphasis on nature was through the theme of three, which was composed of three components that could be seen in every room. The theme of three grouped objects together, sometimes symmetrically arranged, but often not. The use of asymmetry alongside the classical balance reflects natures welcoming of variety in proportions.
Entry is by guided tour only for a minimal cost. If you like Art and Crafts design and lots of woodwork you will love this house. It should be noted that the inside of the house is extremely dark, even with all the lights on. The docents all have flashlights so you can see what is being explained!
I love great architecture and this is one of the best! I can not believe how detailed the wood work is in this house. It uses rare woods that are extinct or not easily available any more. It is an iconic house that has been used in TV shows and movies most notably it was Doc Browns house in the Back to the Future movies.
As a Back to the Future fan I was delighted to see Doc Brown’s house. I wouldn’t have visited if it didn’t have that connection to the movie, but it was a fantastic home and a great example of American Arts and Crafts architecture. It looks almost exactly the same as it looked like in that classic film. I loved to see where Christopher Lloyd said lines like, “Ronald Reagan — the actor! I assume that Jane Wyman is the First Lady!”
Spectacular step back in time to a work of art in architecture. Great place to visit for out of town guests or for your own staycation visit. I have toured this treasure many times & love it more with each visit! I highly recommend it for anyone that appreciates beauty.
This house is totally worth the visit, even if you’re not that big into architecture. Every single inch of it was masterfully designed and decorated and it’s interesting to see the living habits of such a prominent family back in the day. Not to mention, it’s the Back to the Future house! If you don’t want to make the trip to this side of town just for the house tour, I suggest taking the tour in the morning, having lunch in one of the many amazing restaurants in the neighborhood, then making your way to the Huntington Gardens to spend the rest of the day viewing amazing art and gardens.
A wonderful place to visit, the architecture and history are a rare look at craftsmanship from another era still beautifully maintained. They are well-organized and the docents knowledgeable about the family and the house. Questions are encouraged. Be aware there are stairs involved, for those with limited mobility. The garage is now a bookstore gift shop and worth a visit.
Truly a beautiful history home visit and explore around the LA area. The tour guides were very knowledgeable. I loved the asian influence that went into the design of the home. The best features are the carved wood and the stained glass which the tour guides pointed out in detail and it was just amazing walking into such a historic landmark.
What a great tour for $15! It was a bit longer than an hour because we just had so much fun. You can walk into almost all of the rooms on original run and there is such an incredible amount of original custom furniture, pottery, art, and lights. Such a treasure! The gift shop had some really great finds too. Well worth an hour or so of your time.
We stopped in Pasadena just for this tour and we found it to be very worthwhile. The docent was knowledgeable and patient with our diverse group of 10 people. They’ve done an excellent job making the history come alive with stories about the home’s origins and the Gamble family. I highly recommend the tour but be sure to book tickets in advance unless your schedule is very flexible. I’ve posted a photo of the beautiful front door’s glass.
A beautiful art and craft home - well worth a tour. This house is incredibly well preserved and restored. The outdoor and indoor areas are breathtaking. There is parking in the lot. When they hold their special weekend activities and celebrations, they really open things up and this special house comes more alive. Photos are welcome to take. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and detailed and passionate about this beautiful gem of a house.
Tours for this historic 1908 home that was built for the Gamble family are on Thurs-Sunday. The tour is every half hour and lasts an hour. Purchase tickets online as the tour often fills up. Cost is $15/adult, less for seniors, students and children. The home built by the Greene brothers is beautiful with art glass, several hard woods, Japanese joinery and design. The furniture by the Hall brothers is simple, elegant, Scandinavian. Our docent, Fred was very good and patient with all the questions. Be aware that there are three floors, so stairs to go up and down. Photos are allowed, no flash, no videos. A very nice bookstore with restroom is next door. No food is available. If you like architecture and historical homes, definitely see this home.
Im a fan of Craftsman architecture so Ive always wanted to visit Gamble House. I wasnt disappointed. Its a beautiful, storied example of this movement where architecture was viewed holistically, as an opportunity to harmonize ones life and surroundings. So much thoughtfulness in the design. Plus, Great Scott! Doc Brown lived here!
It is a great representative of early 1900 architecture, which still is a piece of inspiring art for people today. Despite the fact that I had missed their tours, the outside and the landscape is already beauty itself. This is also one of the iconic buildings at all times, as including to be Doc Browns house in the Back to the Future trilogy. It is worth taking pictures and to visit when you are in the city of LA.
The construction details in this house are amazing. I like to sit on the porch just to relax. The tours are very informative and a good value. The bookstore features arts & crafts and mission style titles and gifts. Pick up a free map to neighboring Greene and Greene homes.
I enjoyed the tour and the architecture. The furnishings were understated but elegant. If you go be sure the docent uses a flashlight to reveal the otherwise unseen inlay of silver and semiprecious stone. If youre inclined to walking, Old Pasadena is only 20 minutes walk away.
Went here on the free Back to the Future day. A little bit of a wait, but thats to be expected when its a big event. Staff was extremely welcoming and courteous! Surprisingly so for having so much to do! You could tell they were doing their best to accommodate the large crowd, while still giving you some cool history as you moved through the house! Would love to come back for the full tour!
The house is truly a wonder. Its a marvelous example of the arts and crafts style. Not only that, it is beautifully maintained and the docent tours are very informative and entertaining.Note: you MUST book a tour, and while their site says they are open until 5, the last tour is at 3. So book ahead of time and make sure you can get into a tour, as there is no visiting inside the house without one. It is well well worth it. And ask for Gary L. Hes awesome.
We stood in line for an hour to visit the Gamble House during Art Night. I would gladly wait another hour to see it again. It is beautiful. The guides were wonderful. Extremely friendly and informative. There was a Theremin player who was spectacular. Just for this I would travel far. It was otherwordly.To see the house at night was a special treat because its lamps are truly exceptional. Obviously they can only shine like that in the dark.
This was such a great outing. The house is in great hands! Every square inch was pristine and well-cared for. My docent Im sure, must have given this tour countless of times but her enthusiasm about the house was infectious. The staff selling tickets (Mike) was equally kind and thoughtful, even gave me a tour of the garage area where the gift shop is housed. I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I strongly suggest reading the Wikipedia page about the Gamble House whilst youre waiting for the tour to begin.
The Gamble House is a lovely historical landmark to visit if you are interested in seeing how art movements like American Arts and Crafts influence architecture. The home is very well preserved and while we were here they were in the process of restoring the rafters. Purchase tickets for a tour if you want to see the inside. There is a discount for students.
Beautiful! unfortunately, the required guided tours are on very limited days and times only; so, plan ahead if youd like a peek inside! you can reserve online; the limited spaces available fully book several weeks ahead. theres limited street parking in front of the house thats clearly labeled for the gamble house only. the house bookstore and ticket office is directly next to the house. (the picturesque and famous colorado street bridge is about 400m from here.)
Articulate and knowledgeable docent brought the Arts and Crafts Era to life in a residence of the owner Gamble of P&G consumer products fame. This house is a must-see for aficionados of that era. The craftsmanship is of eternal quality and construction. Many great factoids shared and secrets revealed in the one-hour public tour.
Loved being able to get up close and personal with a beautifully maintained craftsman style Pasadena home (erm mansion)! The tour guides knew so much about every aspect of the house, its architecture, its history and the Gamble family. We had a great time!Sidenote - not the easiest tour if you cannot climb and descend stairs. That being said, they have chairs for people who need a break and my 86 y/o grandma who isnt great with stairs was able to get around with some patience and help. Even though the house itself has very low lighting (true to the way it was built), the tour guide was really great about illuminating the stairways for my grandma. She very much enjoyed the tour as well =)
A docent led tour of the Gamble house (Gamble family of Procter & Gamble) gives you a glimpse into how and why people came to Pasadena from the midwest, and also how people lived in 1906. Two styles influenced the architecture of the home. Beautiful woodworking inside. Worth the $15 for the tour.
I came here for an open house. I fell in love with this place. It really is a gorgeous house. Its hard to believe that it is a hundred year old house. Not really surprising considering the measurements taken to preserve the place. For the open house they only allowed tours in groups of 10 at a time. They even gave you clothes to put on your shoe since all the carpeting is all original. My recommendation is to go to their website and see if they have an option house, would not be a waste of a trip.
The exterior of the house though interesting and movie famous, isnt the real beauty of it. Its the interior, upon plane sight is just an old craftsmen house, in reality it is rich with history and beautiful detail. If you have mild interest in architecture, history, art or movie history, its worth checking out.
An architectural treasure, well worth a visit. Craftsman design by period masters Green&Green. Very informative docents led our tour. Unfortunately disappointing that interior photography (even flash-less) was not allowed, though good books by professional photographers are available in the gift shop.
Extremely unique. This home, influenced by the arts and craftsman era, was custom made and designed in the early 1900s. I loved seeing the details, hearing about the functionality, and soaking in the aesthetically pleasing art that was the home. Great piece of Pasadena history.
I went here on a field trip with my son and his class. I love that they have middle schoolers giving the tours. We had a wonderful young man. He was very knowledgeable and very patient with all my questions. I learned a lot from him and so did my group of kiddos. I love this program that makes students docents. It makes it more interesting to me.
While the house, architecture, history, and knowledge of this tour is well organized and preserved, I feel like the overall experience is lacking. A few of the people, including the docent who led our tour, were very awkward and sot of teetering on rude towards some of the attendees. While I understand Saturdays are busy and rely on organization to run on schedule, a few workers relied on being blunt and rude to others to keep them in line. There are better ways address people accidentally leaning on walls or walking in a wrong direction by accident than blatantly putting them on the spot. Tone plays a huge role in customer service and how you treat others and some of these workers need more training in that aspect. We had a man in our tour walk a wrong way in the upstairs area, and when I told the woman directing traffic, she blatantly ignored me multiple times and kept trying to force me to go up stairs to the attic. She even did it to the mans wife who tried to ask where her husband went.
The Gamble house has to be one of the crown jewels of Pasadenas figurative cultural crown. Through its extensive restoration has kept it in its former glory, the house looks as it ever has. Without a doubt, the Gamble house needs not one more meaningless review to prove its legitimacy. A cannonical work of Greene and Greene, the house exemplifies the Craftsman style through its deeper attentiveness to detail.Equally attentive to details are their docents; never would I have imagined that such a house tour be so detailed.
The Gamble House is full of architectural history, a national historic landmark, and museum in Pasadena. Its style shows influence from traditional Japanese aesthetics and a certain California spaciousness. The family crest is Crane. Family likes the number 3. The house has an overview of the Rose Bowl. Admission price is inexpensive. Parking can be a challenge. Staff and tour guides are friendly, professional and knowledgable. Overall, I highly recommend The Gamble House to anyone local or tourist.
Amazing! I could almost hear Doc Brown say Great Scott! When I saw the grass hill between the house and the garage, I could almost see Dr. Emmett Brown scurrying down the hill with his blueprints saying I suppose Jane Wyman is the First Lady? And Jack Benny is Secretary of the Treasury! I only saw The Gamble House at night from the street, but Id very much like to go on the tour of the whole mansion. What a treasure it is, and sort of a time capsule of sorts, even without Back to the Future!
One of the best examples of an Arts and Crafts style home, which Pasadena is famous for. Take one of the 1-2 hour tours if time permits, and get reservations online. The house is magnificent and apparently only took 10 months to build. Museum now maintained by both City of Pasadena and USC. If you like early 20th century architecture, dont miss it. Docents are highly informative.
The guide was clear and beyond knowledgeable, showing real depth in history, economics, woodworking and construction. Our party responded with knowledge and questions and his response was personal and illuminating. If you visit, go along with someone curious and culture savy
Like many houses in Pasadena The Gamble House is built in the beautiful craftsman style. The grounds are beautiful and the garage to the right has even made a Hollywood appearance! In the original Back to the Future, when Marty goes to see the professor back in time, to convince him he has developed a time travel device (and a Flux Capacitor) that whole scene is filmed at the Gamble house.
There are two groups of people who going to visiting that Gamble House.the first group are fan of architecture/history and the others are the movie geeks: This building (of course for the exterior scenes) was used for the famous movie trilogy: Back to the Future. Its the home of Doc Brown (played by Christopher Lloyd).Through the Gambles website can be booked several tours in combination of other things.Well, it was cool to see it. Because I got a privat tour of a friend and went privat so I cant tell about transportation (public) from/to this house.
The Gamble House is beautiful--though it may be a more suitable for those who enjoy art galleries as opposed to those looking for a how did they live at the turn of the century house museum. The amazing, detailed work of the Greenes and Halls was made all the more compelling by the thoughtful comments of our docent Terry; she had a lovely and gentle presence that complemented the serene House itself.
The House is OUTSTANDING !!! and a masterpiece of time with attention to detail. Is a must see!!!!The docents on the other hand are some of the rudest people I have ever met at something like this, yes the are knowledgeable but you get the since you are not welcome, and that you are also pushed in and out through the back door as soon as possible! And this feeling was received not just by our group host, but all the others also working there.
Not only is this house a great of architecture but its also where Did Brown was standing on the edge of his toilet hanging a clock, the porcelain was wet, he slipped, hit his head on the sink, and when he came to he had a revelation! A vision! A picture in his head! A picture of this! This is what makes time travel possible: the flux capacitor!
Greene and Greene designed house in the Arts and Craftsman style. Everything in the house was designed by the Greene brothers. From the Tiffany stained glass in the entry way to plates and utensils. A gift shop offers books and objects with motifs borrowed from inside the house.
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4.7 (199 comments)
Review №1
2022-06-18A masterfully designed home with thought put into every room. The staff were accommodating of disability and can provide wheelchair access to the entire first floor of the home. Our docent was knowledgeable and overall the experience was great. I look forward to returning for a more in-depth tour
Review №2
2022-03-08Well worth the visit, advance reservations a must as there were no walk up spaces available the day we hoped to tour home interior. Stunning architecture, beautifully landscaped grounds. A small bookstore/gift shop sits next to the house.
Review №3
2022-01-11The House is still open for tours but only externally. You cannot go into the house. I got there right before 4 and was able to walk around and take photos of the property. The book store next door is open as well. There was plenty of parking. The road to get in can be a little tricky. The gate at the end was closed so we had to do a turnaround.
Review №4
2022-03-13Great architecture but they won’t let me live here 😢
Review №5
2022-04-30I would tour the Gamble House again! It is a beautiful craft style house. The house is built with outstanding craftsmanship and design of the Green Brothers. So many fine details!
Review №6
2022-06-04Beautiful craftsman home. Details are amazing.
Review №7
2021-08-16A must go if you are interested in Greene & Greene and Art and Craft furnitures/architecture.
Review №8
2022-02-09The Gamble House is my favorite house museum in the U.S. It epitomizes the Arts & Crafts style in America, from its Japanese inspired stained glass & woodwork to its wonderful furnishings.I moved from California in 2004 & the Gamble House is what I miss the most.
Review №9
2022-05-16I love architecture and especially love Craftsman and Victorian homes. The Gamble House is a lovely example of a Craftsman home with a cross gabled roof
Review №10
2017-10-21I didnt see inside. The outside is beautiful. Different architecture and structure. Well maintained. The gardens, both front and back and nice and well taken care of with a variety of rocks and flowers. If you can stop by the little library and remember... back to the future movie was shoot there. That was Doc Brown house!!!