Originally published on 12 February 2015 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, and Monrovia Weekly

They’re artists, entertainers, scientists and world-travelers. These words describe the former occupants of this glorious mansion on the southwest corner of Walnut Street and Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena’s famed Millionaires’ Row. Now the Pasadena Museum of History, this Beaux Arts mansion was designed by architect Robert Farquhar, and built in 1906 when Eva Scott and her husband, Dr. Adalbert Fenyes, downsized. Their first Pasadena home was a 33-room Moorish mansion complete with stuffed peacock, a far grander residence than this mere 18-room house. It was home to four generations of the Fenyes clan until 1973.

I learned about the remarkable Fenyes family one Friday morning when I joined a group of 3^rd graders from Roosevelt Elementary as our junior docent, KC Young, from Marshall Fundamental School, told us the story of Eva and the doctor. KC led us to a child’s bedroom on the second floor where she showed us an elaborate doll’s house and then to the master bedroom where a vanity held Eva’s grooming items like her brush etched with the distinctive Fenyes crest.

We went downstairs to the studio where an ancient Victrola shares pride of place with a grand piano. Eva played four instruments – guitar, piano, mandolin, and violin – and entertained extensively. They staged elaborate shows here and at one end of the room, a staircase leads to a platform where an orchestra played the musical accompaniment for performances and parties. It was also where Eva painted her portraits and landscapes. Eva’s wide circle of friends included many artists and her home became the salon and meeting place for the flourishing art colony in Pasadena.

Our group’s last stop was the kitchen where we inspected the stove, icebox, bread toaster, irons, even an old Bissell rug cleaner, the precursor to a household staple, the vacuum cleaner .We were all intrigued by the ‘call box,’ which had the names and rooms of the various occupants of the mansion. The Fenyeses summoned their servants using this contraption, a more ‘modern’ version of the one American audiences see when they watch Downton Abbey on television.

KC Young is one of 31 junior docents for the Pasadena Museum of History. The Junior Docent Program began in 1988 as a collaborative project between PMH and Pasadena public and private schools. Through its peer-teaching method, exceptional students in 7^th and 8^th grade develop skills in leadership, time management, and public speaking. It fulfills the social studies standards mandated by the state and offers students an early introduction to community service.

According to Brad Macneil, PMH’s Education Program Coordinator, his challenge is getting young kids excited about life and culture in Pasadena at the turn of the 20^th century, and how these contrast with the present day.  He has been spearheading this program for 14 years and is proud with what it offers – a rare opportunity for students to teach other students in a way that is quite different from how other tours are conducted.

In the fall, a select group of 7^th and 8^th graders undergo seven two-hour sessions on Wednesday afternoons. They learn everything there is to know about the mansion, its former occupants, and all the prized collections housed in this grand residence. Upon completing their course, these young docents give their first tour to their families. They are then tasked with leading tours for 3^rd and 4^th graders of PUSD in late winter and spring; junior docents give several tours in the duration of their term. Senior docents accompany them during their interactive tours to evaluate and coach them to perfect their touring skills. However, they don’t have memorized scripts to follow; they conduct tours the way that is comfortable for them.  

The day I was there, my first guide, KC Young, was the storyteller who engaged me and the 3^rd graders with her inimitable enthusiasm and verve. I took a second tour and my guide, Preston Kealing, was the learned professor who taught me and 4^th graders from Jefferson Elementary School how the Fenyeses’ remarkable personalities permeated Pasadena society and influenced the world of politics. KC and Preston had very different styles of imparting knowledge, yet they both conveyed the Fenyeses’ significant contribution to Pasadena’s culture and history.

At the end of the morning’s tours, all students and their docents gathered at the foyer where we all shared what we thought was the most interesting part of the experience. Asked what some students would like to take with them from 1906 to 2015, some said they would take the doll house, or the monkey cage, or the Victrola. While they each had a different idea of what was most memorable about this mansion, they all agreed that it had been a fun way to learn. 

I was amazed at how much I learned from 12 and 13-year-old students; I left the Fenyes mansion more aware and enlightened than when I first arrived. I am convinced the Junior Docent Program is as much a valuable Pasadena treasure as any mansion on Millionaires’ Row.