Resolved that the name ‘Pasadena Gardens’ be approved for a new street off Upper Newtownards Road on the property of Mr. W. J. Orr. (IC, 7th April 1936).
Origin of name: Almost certainly inspired by Pasadena, California. In the 1930s Belfast Corporation approved a wave of new suburban “Gardens” streets, and developers often chose exotic or international names to lend glamour and modern appeal. The choice of Pasadena reflects this trend of borrowing American names.
Street naming context: Pasadena Gardens sits alongside Astoria Gardens, named after the neighbouring Astoria Cinema (opened 1935), itself echoing the famous Astoria in New York. Together, the two streets illustrate a 1930s East Belfast pattern of using cinematic and American-themed names in new suburban cul-de-sacs. Nearby, streets like Grand Parade (1932) reflect another contemporary naming theme (racehorses, linked to Orby and Derby winners). Older roads like Belmont Church Road (1900) and Ormiston estate avenues show the pre-1930s framework into which these new “Gardens” developments were inserted.
Notes: The Knock Telephone Exchange, which opened in 1935, was located at No. 1 Pasadena Gardens, confirming the street’s rapid build-out. Classified ads and directories from the late 1930s show houses already occupied, cementing Pasadena Gardens as a product of the mid-1930s suburban expansion of Ballyhackamore.
Sources:
– Belfast City Council Improvement Committee minutes, 7 April 1936 (street name approval)
– Belfast Street Directory, late 1930s and 1943 (listings for Pasadena Gardens)
– Belfast Telegraph, 29 June 1937 (classifieds referencing Pasadena Gardens, near Astoria Cinema)
– History of Astoria Cinema, Upper Newtownards Road (opened 1935; street named after it)
– Telephone Exchange records, Knock Exchange opening 1935 (located at 1 Pasadena Gardens)