Leddy's Mens Wear in Pasadena and Wrigley Mansion

Wrigley Mansion, Pasadena

One of Jack's earliest memories is of watching the Rose Parade from the roof of Leddy's Men's Wear at the corner of Durango and Colorado in Pasadena.  He says that the store's employees consisted of a mixture of Jewish tailors and other employees who were Catholic.  His Uncle Joe (Joseph Leddy) ran the store.  Jack's job during Christmas time was to take wrapped gifts by bicycle to the homes of rich people (sometimes in the rain!), for example the home of William Wrigley (famous for chewing gum).  This house is now called the  Tournament House.  It was the favorite of the Wrigley's six homes and was purchased in 1914 for $170,000.  The Pasadena News of Jan2, 1911 lists Joseph Leddy as participating in the Tournament of Roses.  "The clothing men of Pasadena had one of the prettiest decorated autos in the auto division.  A five-passenger car was nearly hidden under a profusion of pink and white carnations..."  Leddy's Men's Wear is mentioned in a novel by David Ebershoff, Pasadena, "handsome face of an overcoat advertisement she had seen on the brick wall of Perkins and Leddy on Colorado Street."  Incidentally, my grandfather, Harold D. Leddy, is listed in the Bar Association bulletin of 1927 as being located in the 245 Security Bldg. in Pasadena.  The only thing I can find about the Security Building is that in 1952 there was a public accounting firm of Howell & Martin partnership formed by Wallace (Buzz) Martin, CPA and George Howell, PA. "The office was located in the Security Building on Walnut Avenue in Pasadena and had a total of five staff."