"Shakers" in South Pasadena is in DANGER OF BEING DEMOLISHED and replaced with apartments.

***Please sign & share this petition to help spread awareness!***

LA Mag recently put out an article showing that the beloved diner "Shakers" is at risk for demolition. You can read the full article HERE.

Here is a brief history on "Shakers" and why it is important to South Pasadena and the surrounding communities. According to information provided by Merch Motel, "Shakers" was originally named "Preble's" in 1965, and designed by the firm Armet & Davis in a classic "Googie" style (like the picture seen below). "Googie" style is a mid-century modern architecture style inspired by post-WWII futurism and the Space Age. This type of architecture is very common with diners.

"Preble's" then became known as "The Salt Shaker" and then simply "Shakers" in the 1970s. According to their website, "Shakers" has been open since 1971. Also according to Merch Motel, "in 2016, the sister location [Shakers] in Glendale was remodeled and renamed after closing, and recently, the original South Pasadena location has faced the threat of demolition to make way for a new development."

What is this new development, you ask? According LA Mag's article, the proposed project is "a 7-story Spanish Revival-style building with 287 units targeted at seniors with amenities like a pool and gymnasium. Seventeen percent of the apartments would be deemed 'affordable'." This demolition could begin as early as 2026, meaning that "Shakers" could close anytime after next month.

There was an incredibly misleading article written by Pasadena Now, which mistakenly referred to "Shakers" as a "parking lot", rather than a business that has been serving the community for over 50 years. This type of mistake makes "Shakers" out to be unimportant, which is very far from the truth. The photo below corrects the mistakes (via @esotouric_tours on Reddit).

There are many other locations that this type of building can be constructed - let's stop the demolition of a business that has been serving the community for over 50 years. And not to mention a building that has extraordinary, one-of-a-kind architecture. 

In LA Mag's article, they interviewed an individual named Jake Hook, who is a part of L.A.’s new Diner Preservation Society. I'm going to end this with one of his quotes from the article: “You can do away with the past more easily here [Los Angeles]… Is this going to be a city of just apartments? We need a city worth living in.”

Let's help to work together to STOP erasing more of South Pasadena's rich history.

I've been trying to research what we can do to stop this from happening, but I wasn't able to find much. That is why I'm starting this petition to do something in the meantime. If anyone has any suggestions, please feel free to comment / reach out.

All photos are from the "Shakers" website, the LA Mag article, and a post via @esotouric_tours on Reddit.

Special thanks to Merch Motel, LA Mag, and Vintage Los Angeles for bringing awareness to this issue.