A Rose to keep

An ambitious plan to renovate the 87-year-old Rose Bowl is "money in the bank" for those who care about historic preservation

Date published: 1/7/2010

THE TRUE but often ignored maxim that "new doesn't al- ways mean better" seems to be gaining traction in, of all places, Southern California.

That's right, that mecca for reinvention, that capital of the bulldozer approach to redevelopment, might just be on the verge of saving an old football stadium.

One preserved structure, even one as fabled as the Rose Bowl, doesn't constitute a trend. But it's encouraging to learn that this glorious old stadium in Pasadena may avoid the fate of such fabled sites as the old Yankee Stadium and Miami's Orange Bowl.

It turns out that the Rose Bowl's breathtaking site, nestled in the San Gabriel mountains, surrounded by historic neighborhoods, just may be the source of its salvation. The powers-that-be in Pasadena, unlike those in most of the array of cities that dot Southern California, really care about roots and tradition. Treasuring the past is what sets them apart from the rest of the region.

That's why the odds are good for a $164 million renovation of the 87-year-old host of the grandaddy of bowl games.

The even better news is that this renovation is not designed to stuff the elegant old stadium with inappropriately modern gadgets. Yes, there will be a state-of-the-art digital scorebord. But most of the refurbished parts of the Rose Bowl, even its eating areas, will be appropriately retro.

Investing in a stadium much older than most of the snazzy, anonymous, new NFL arenas amounts to "money in the bank" for the city, says Sue Mossman, executive director of Pasadena Heritage, a preservation group. People in the region are starved for something that rises above the suburban sameness that dominates so much of Southern California.

With the College Football National Championship game being played tonight at The Rose Bowl, it is comforting to know that it is finally getting the restoration that it needs and will be around for many more thrilling bowl games and events to come.