Visiting Greene & Greene Homes
Charles and Henry Greene designed 90 surviving structures across 25 California cities and communities. Only one — the David B. Gamble House in Pasadena — is open to the public as a museum. Every other home on this list is either a private residence or in commercial use. None is a tourist attraction.
The Rule of Respect
These homes survive because generations of owners have cared for them at their own expense, often at substantial cost. When you visit, please remember: you are visiting someone's neighborhood, not a museum.
- View homes from the public sidewalk or street only. Do not walk onto driveways, lawns, or porches.
- Do not photograph residents or shoot through windows. Exterior architectural photography from the public right-of-way is fine.
- Keep voices low. Don't linger in front of any single home for more than a few minutes.
- Never knock on a door. Do not attempt to contact residents.
- If an address is not listed here, it was withheld at the owner's request.
The Geographic Footprint
Charles and Henry arrived in Pasadena in 1894. Pasadena and its adjacent communities — South Pasadena, Altadena, Sierra Madre — account for the overwhelming majority of the firm's residential output. The densest cluster is in Pasadena itself: 47 surviving Greene & Greene structures.
After Charles Greene relocated to Carmel-by-the-Sea in 1916, a smaller second cluster developed on the Monterey Peninsula, including his final masterwork, the D.L. James House above Point Lobos (1918–1921).
Surviving homes across other California cities: Pasadena (47), South Pasadena (6), Altadena (4), Long Beach (4), Los Angeles (3), and scattered works in Berkeley, Piedmont, Santa Barbara, Ojai, Long Beach, and elsewhere.
How to Use This Guide
Select a city from the sidebar. Each city page organizes homes into up to three categories:
- Open to the Public — currently, only the David B. Gamble House. Tours bookable in advance.
- Viewable from the Public Right-of-Way — private residences whose exteriors can be appreciated from the public sidewalk.
- Commercial & Adaptive Reuse — homes now operating as businesses or civic buildings. Access varies by business; visit as a paying customer, not as an architectural tourist.
Addresses are provided for educational and architectural study only.
