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| Can you imagine finding beauty at an auto repair shop? Or art next to a mended fender? You will, at the Holmes Body Shop and Gallery in Pasadena. The building is your first surprise, plain on the outside but elegant on the inside. It was built in 1928 in the Italian Renaissance style, a magnificent automobile show palace for Dodge motor cars and Graham Brothers trucks. Cyril Bennett and Fitch Haskell were the architects. The owner, James H. KindeL invited the public to a festive opening with refreshments and music for dancing. The local newspaper cited 3,000 Dodge car owners in Pasadena, and ran a photo of the 1928 Dodge Brothers Senior 6 Sport Cabriolet. In 1932 a Packard dealership moved in with another gala opening, a Spanish orchestra playing for the guests. The building has remained in the automobile business ever since. It is now restored and houses Holmes Body Shop. The show room is divided into office cubicles, but the grand proportions are still visible. The beamed ceiling rises 34 feet above the patterned cement floor of the 105 by 40 foot room. Classical columns divide the five two story arched windows across the front. Moorish-looking carvings adorn inner balconies. The body repair and painting services are out of sight. In 1996, Tom Holmes and his artist wife Tracy created a lively art venue just steps away from the dented fenders. To serve the community and give local artists a space, they have made a gallery among the desks and computers. An architect designed display walls, and new exhibits come in every three months. The gallery has shown colorful masks, art by local elementary and middle school students, and long banners on the high walls. Opening receptions draw the mayor and the public to celebrate. |
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The art is for sale, with proceeds going to the Children's Center for the Arts in Pasadena, serving children in the public schools. Unlike commercial galleries, this one takes no commission. Their space is a generous gift to the world of art Currently, the Holmes Gallery is showing 50 paintings by the California Art Club, founded in 1909. Art lovers are free to visit the gallery admire the architecture and choose a favorite Picture. Would it be "Autumn in the Arroyo," or the glowing still life of Venetian bordes, or a lonesome blue pickup fondly named "Ol Blue?" No wonder Tom and Tracy Holmes received a Gold Crown Award from the Pasadena Art Council in 1999, honoring their support of the arts. How to get there: Holmes Body Shop is at 1095 E. Colorado Blvd. From the 210 Freeway, exit at Lake Avenue and drive south; turn left on Colorado Blvd. For information, call (626) 795-6447. Contact the California Art Club at (626) 583-9009. |
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