Set in the mixed-use neighborhoods of “old” (mid-twentieth-century) Pasadena, St. Pius V church makes its presence felt with the set back massing of its tall central tower. McHale used rough-faced fossilized limestone on the framing bays of the tower. The recessed central panels are surfaced with smooth-faced Texas Cream limestone. In a lower-income landscape of aging suburban sprawl, McHale provided what has turned out to be an enduring work of architecture.