Pasadena YWCA by Julia Morgan

The historic Pasadena YWCA building was designed by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan in 1921. She was the first female architect in the United States.

The YWCA sold the building in 1996 for $1.8 million to wealthy Hong Kong businesswoman Angela Chen Sabella. She planned to turn the structure into a boutique hotel, but those plans were eventually scrapped and the vacant building fell into its current state of disrepair.

After years of contentious negotiations between Pasadena City Council and Chen Sabella over the condition of the building, the city of Pasadena finally seized the property in 2010 by invoking the law of eminent domain. However, no decision has been made on when or if an attempt to restore the historic landmark will begin.