Iconic Pasadena Commercial Building Adds LEED Gold Status to Bees and Other Sustainable Features
October 31, 2023
The Swig Company has received LEED Gold certification for 595 E. Colorado, a historic, Beaux Arts-inspired commercial building in Pasadena’s downtown Playhouse District. In addition to now having LEED Gold status, the almost 100-year-old building is Energy Star-rated (90) and achieved the WELL Health-Safety Rating in 2021, and has continued to renew the rating each year since.
“Achieving LEED Gold status accomplishes another major milestone for this iconic building and The Swig Company as we move along the path to creating even more sustainable workspaces for our tenants,” said Cory Kristoff, Executive Vice President and Director of Leasing, The Swig Company.
In addition to encouraging sustainable practices among its tenants, such as carpooling and energy-saving practices, 595 E. Colorado has at least one sustainable feature rarely found in downtown office buildings: rooftop beehives. Operated by urban beekeepers Alveole, the 595 E. Colorado bees produced 50 pounds of honey last year for the tenants but, more importantly, pollinated literally thousands of plants around downtown Pasadena.
“We focus on conservation and sustainable practices to ensure sustainable building operations and healthy indoor and outdoor environments, as underscored by our partnership with Alveole,” stated Kairee Tann, Senior Vice President, Director of Innovation and Community Impact.
Rose Bowl Parade
Built in 1928 as the headquarters of a California banking institution, 595 E. Colorado has been featured in several movies and TV series. It is also seen on national TV at least once a year as it sits along the Rose Bowl Parade route. The building is listed on the National Register of Historical Places.
The 22,979 square foot first-floor, which is currently available for lease, formerly housed a bank branch, has 30 foot ceilings and features large historic murals dating to 1929 that were painted by local artists John B. Smeraldi and Alson Clark. The murals depict the oil, agriculture (citrus farming), movie, and shipping industries which, at the time, were four major economic drivers of Southern California.
The building’s original earthquake support system also has local importance. It was designed by Professor R.R. Martel, who taught at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). 595 E. Colorado Blvd. is less than 1 mile from Cal Tech and just east of Old Town Pasadena and the Paseo Colorado, and across the street from the new 194 room AC hotel by Marriott which is scheduled to open in 2025. The building is surrounded by many popular restaurants and tenant amenities and is close to the 134 and 210 freeways and just blocks from the Metro Line Gold Route to downtown LA.
For leasing inquiries contact Redstone Commercial Real Estate, Dan Alle at 626-795-2255.
###
About The Swig Company:
The Swig Company, LLC is a privately-owned, San Francisco-based real estate operator with an 80 year history of investment, development, partnership and management of commercial real estate properties in major US markets. Founded by Benjamin H. Swig in 1936, The Swig Company is guided by a long-term investment perspective that has proven adept at stewarding investors safely through multiple market cycles. The company’s vertically-integrated operational platform, which includes investment, asset and property management, and leasing expertise, uses flexibility, generational thinking and sensitivity to sustainable practices to stay at the forefront of emerging trends in the commercial real estate industry. For more information, visit: www.swigco.com.