The Paseo, Pasadena

The Paseo, located in Pasadena, represents a vibrant and upscale outdoor mall that spans three city blocks. It integrates office spaces, a diverse selection of shops, a variety of restaurants, a cinema, and 400 loft-style condominiums known as Terrace Apartment Homes. This expansive mall is situated in the heart of downtown Pasadena, bordered by Colorado Boulevard and Green Street. Its strategic placement ensures it is nestled just east of Old Town Pasadena—connected via the Garfield Promenade pedestrian bridge—and west of the downtown core. The Paseo is also conveniently located across from the Pasadena Civic Auditorium within the Pasadena Conference Center.

Originally, the site housed the Plaza Pasadena, a shopping center inaugurated in 1980, developed by The Hahn Company, and designed by Charles Kober & Associates. The mall was initially met with great expectations and even won a Progressive Architecture Magazine Design Award in 1979. Despite housing over 120 stores and anchored by major retailers like J.C. Penney, The Broadway, and May Company California, it ultimately did not meet its commercial expectations.

By 1998, it was clear that a new vision was needed for the site, leading to the announcement of plans to demolish the old mall and replace it with a more modern, open-air center. The Paseo was unveiled in September 2001, retaining the Macy's store from its predecessor while also expanding to include new facilities such as a supermarket and a movie theater complex. In a move to rebrand and perhaps to reflect a refined vision, it was renamed The Paseo in 2017, continuing to serve as a prominent fixture in Pasadena's retail and social landscape.