Minal Saldivar moved from Houston to Pasadena, California in 2016. She won the National Scholastic essay writing competition in fall 2016 for her essay, “A friendship created by a sequin.” Saldivar will be entering eighth grade.
The Gamble House is a well-known architectural museum designed in the arts and crafts style by the Greene brothers in 1908 and is one of the main attractions in Pasadena, California. A unique program that is part of The Gamble House provides an opportunity for seventh and eighth grade students in the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD). In the Junior Docent Program, six or seven students are chosen from four middle schools and are trained to give tours to all third graders in PUSD elementary schools. The Junior Docent Program not only teaches middle schoolers about the Gamble House history but also younger children in these annual tours.
I was selected to be part of the 2017-18 Junior Docent Program, which included six training sessions and three tours. For the first training in fall 2017, the Junior Docent Program staff invited selected docents to sit on the patio. They asked us a few questions to see what we knew about the Gamble House. I was worried that I would be the only one who did not know anything, but a few other docents were as unfamiliar with the museum as I was. However, through the training we learned the history of the house and Gamble family, and soon we felt as if we had lived in the Gamble House our entire lives.
Minal Saldivar and Sehba Sarwar (mother) at Gamble House. Photo: Rene Saldivar.
The Gamble house has two levels and an attic and basement. Overall, there are nine rooms including the dining room, living room, and master bedroom. Each week we were tasked to learn a new room or two, and by the end of the training I knew which one was my favorite. The Gamble’s living room (Mary and David) was the place where I felt most connected. The room contains an Inglenook (seating around the fireplace), gaming area, reading area, music area, and main seating area. The room also has beautiful wooden friezes made from redwood depicting Japanese landscapes. One of friezes shows a nighttime view with a cloudy sky and bats in flight. You might think that the frieze is depicting a creepy scene but bats are good luck symbols in Japan.
The two Greene brothers and the Gamble family, who had just returned from a trip in Japan in 1908, were inspired by Japanese culture throughout the house. On the main door is art glass in the shape of a Japanese pine tree. Mrs. Gamble had a cupboard with artifacts from Japan and there are more bats throughout the house.
Gamble House, 2005. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, Mr. Exuberance.
After my training, I conducted tours and taught third graders about the Gamble House. My first tour was slightly scary and I felt nervous. I kept on reviewing my information in my head to make sure I knew everything to conduct the tour. Despite my worries, I did well on my tour, and the third graders left with more knowledge. My experience touring was positive even though there were a few children who made it difficult to conduct the tour. I loved showing the students around the house and demonstrating what I knew.
My time with the Gamble House was educational. I learned a lot, but I did find that some information was missing. I have discovered that while learning United States history we usually only learn of one side of the story. Most of my history books on the US focus on those with wealth and power. These men have helped our society grow and deserve respect but what about the hardworking people who were in the lower classes? I had some unanswered questions about the laborers who built the Gamble House. In this period, many workers in California were immigrants from China, Japan, and other Asian countries. Many of them were not treated well by their employers. I feel that I could have learned more about the people who built the house, took care of it, and worked for the Gambles—and I could have shared the information with third graders.
Through my docent experience at the Gamble House, I learned a good deal about architecture and Pasadena history. I hope that the program continues and expands in the years to come. Training young people as docents is something Houston could learn from my new home in California.
