Pasadena Security Investment Company Houses Pasadena, California 1894 Shortly after establishing their office, the Greenes’ third commission was to design two speculative houses. The first had a larger budget that allowed the Greenes’ latitude to establish distinct design preferences. These included a domed roof over an octagonal bay, a secondary, three-sided bay projecting on a side elevation at a shallow angle, and shingle or clapboard siding over a cobble stone foundation. The Greenes also attempted the Richardsonian device of a stair-hall entry illuminated by windows over the staircase. Flanking this was an octagonal alcove with a built-in window seat, another element used by the Greenes’ Boston mentors who had worked with or studied under Henry Hobson Ricahrdson. While the speculative houses were dramatically scaled-down versions of the grand spatial statements that the Greenes had been exposed to during their apprenticeships in Boston, the brothers demonstrated that they had learned enough about the practical application of architecture to make a promising beginning to their careers.