Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "architecture"

Man on the street: What is your favorite building in Sacramento?

2011-11-10T06:40:22Z

Sacramento is home to many interesting buildings, from the Capitol to the elaborate Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament. On Wednesday, The Sacramento Press asked professional architects along with people on the streets what their favorite building is in Sacramento.

Twenty-five-year-old state worker Megan Samuelson said that her favorite building in Sacramento is the Park Tower, located at 980 Ninth St.

“I think it’s clean and simple,” she said.

Samuelson said that she likes how the building is right across from Cesar Chavez Plaza.

“Driving on I-5 south coming into Sacramento, you can see it in the distance,” she said. She added that she thought it is representative of Sacramento’s character.

Local architect Craig Stradley, 51, is an architect for Mogavero Notestine Associates, an architecture firm based in Sacramento. He said that his favorite building in Sacramento is the Memorial Auditorium on J Street.

“I like the fact that it’s kind of a historical gathering spot for the city,” Stradley said.

He said that the building’s strong civic presence and historical importance to Sacramento make it a great piece of Sacramento architecture.

“It reminds you a little bit about the humble beginnings of Sacramento, when that was all we had, when the Memorial Auditorium was the main place that everybody collected,” he said.

Twenty-six-year-old Starbucks employee Elaina Cordova said her favorite building is the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament located on 11th Street between J and K streets.

Cordova, a resident of Midtown, said that she likes the building because of its age and historical relevance.

“It’s overwhelming because it’s so big and exquisite,” she said. “I like it because it’s so spacious.”

Cordova said that while the Cathedral is her favorite, she hopes to explore Sacramento’s architecture more to gain a better understanding of it.

Bruce Monighan, a 62-year-old architect who works at Monighandesign, said his favorite building in Sacramento is the Robert T. Matsui Federal Courthouse on 501 I Street.

“For a very large building, its sense of detail, and articulation is just amazing,” he said.

Monighan said that he thinks the courthouse will be one of the buildings that society will be proud of for the next 100 years, adding that it “responds really well to its physical environment relative to the sun and shade.”

Monighan said he thinks the building shows great civic character as well.

Mike Longstreet, a personal technician for the city of Sacramento, said his favorite building is the Renaissance Tower, at 801 K St., ~~Sacramento Public Library, on 828 I St.~~ , which he described as “the Darth Vader Building.”

“It has an odd top to it,” the 35-year-old said. “It’s unlike any building I’ve ever seen.”

Longstreet said that he is always amused by it when he walks by.

Andrea Kincaid, a 57-year-old architect with Acanthus, said her favorite building is the Elks Tower at 921 11th St.

“It has a bottom, a middle, and a top, which many newer buildings don’t have.”

She also said that the building’s gracious entrance makes it stand out as one of Sacramento’s best-looking buildings.

Stephanie Bobolis, a 56-year-old state worker from Roseville, said her favorite building in Sacramento is the Capitol.

“It’s magnificent,” she said, adding that she loves the building’s majesty and the democracy that it represents.

Bobolis said that one the of the best parts of the building is not the building itself, but the extravagant park that surrounds it.

“The incredible variety of trees create great beauty,” she said.

Fifty-six-year-old self-employed architect Mark Rusconi said his favorite building is The Weatherstone Building at 812 21st Street.

“It’s a classic brick structure that has been modified very slightly with wonderful colors and that great courtyard,” he said.

Rusconi said that the building has a wonderful neighborhood feel to it, which is important considering the building’s location in the northern residential side of Midtown.

“It fits right in,” he said.

Micheline Wilcoxen, a 45-year-old information technology manager who lives downtown, said her favorite building is the Capitol.

Wilcoxen said that she loves the building’s symbolism as it relates to democratic ideals.

“It’s a place where things are supposed to happen,” she said.

Nick Docous, a 53-year-old architect with the firm Lionokas, said that his favorite building is the original Lincoln Plaza building on the corner of Q and Fifth streets.

“It integrates the natural environment into its building,” he said, referring to the plants that hang down from the building’s sides and the trees that grow on top of it.

“It integrated foliage into its design well before people even thought about doing that,” he added.

What’s your favorite building in Sacramento? Answer in the comments below.

Editorial Note: Corrections have been made to this article after it was published.

Capitol Mall design competition winners to be announced Nov. 9

2011-10-18T01:16:33Z

An array of designs submitted as part of the Catalyst Capitol Mall Design Competition in an effort to spark a “big idea” for future enhancement of the corridor from Tower Bridge to 10th Street were reviewed by a jury Oct. 7, and winners will be announced Nov. 9.

While the winner can’t yet be revealed, Kris Barkley, competition adviser to the city on behalf of the American Institute of Architects, described some key assets of the winning proposal.

“The first-place winner, I think, is really, really focused on what I think the people of Sacramento are feeling will work there,” he said. “It’s a tree-centered development that improves the urban canopy we have in Sacramento and brings it more fully into Capitol Mall.”

The competition began earlier this year and is intended to redesign the section of Capitol Mall from Tower Bridge to 10th Street after it was returned to city ownership by the state in 2006.

The first-place design will be awarded $20,000, with $10,000 for second place and $5,000 for third place.

An entrance fee of $200 per design was charged, which covered part of the cost. The total competition budget was $66,500.

With the ongoing economic crisis, Barkley said one aspect any successful design would have is the ability to be built in phases.

“They can be accomplished in smaller chunks to create an overall master plan over a period of years,” he said. “That way, the city can ease into it slowly as funds are available.”

The 48 designs that met the criteria, which can be viewed here, include a wide range of ideas.

One involves removing the center median, moving traffic lanes closer together and widening the existing sidewalks. Another envisions constructing a raised grass walkway, and still others call for the construction of iconic buildings used for myriad purposes.

Barkley said the second-place design divides Capitol Mall into different zones, with some being open plazas as public space and others being quieter.

One of the jurors in the decision-making process was Sacramento Urban Design Manager Bill Crouch, who said the field of entries was varied and made up of quality designs.

“We got a lot of really good, creative submittals,” he said. “There wasn’t one idea that was repeated over and over again.”

For fairness, Crouch said, judging criteria was set from the beginning and applied equally to all submissions, and each submission had a number attached to it instead of a firm so no juror would know whose project he or she was looking at, and therefore would judge it only on the quality.

“I think the public will be really impressed when the winners are announced and there’s an opportunity to view them,” he said. “The public should be encouraged that in a down economic climate, there’s so much international interest. The designs came from all over, and I think that’s a compliment to Sacramento.”

Designs came from all six inhabited continents, including countries as diverse as Iran and Vietnam.

Crouch added that the decision-making process took the better part of a day – even after jurors had reviewed the designs – but by the end, there was a general consensus on which projects deserved first, second and third prize.

The jury was made up of three internationally known design professionals, Crouch, a representative from the state and a Capitol Mall District representative. To view the jurors’ biographies, click here.

“I’m excited that there was interest from all over the world and that we had that number of submissions,” said City Councilman Steve Cohn. “I can’t discuss personal observations because I haven’t had a chance to look at them, but I understand from city staff that we got some very high-quality submittals.”

Cohn added that he looks forward to getting a vision for what the Capitol Mall corridor – including branching off to the Crocker Art Museum and Westfield Downtown Plaza – will look like and start making steps toward realizing that vision.

Other details of the winning designs will not be released before the Nov. 9 announcement, said Marika Rose, spokeswoman for the competition.

The announcements will be made at the Wells Fargo Center, 400 Capitol Mall, in an event that is open to the public, with ticket prices of $25.

“There will be a video presentation to highlight the winners and explain why they were chosen,” Rose said, adding that the video will also give history of Capitol Mall, which was originally considered the gateway to the city.

Members of the pubic can also vote for their favorite design through the Catalyst website.

“I think it’s always interesting to see what comes out of the public viewing of things and makes the process more transparent,” Barkley said. “Anyone can get in and see what’s happening, and it helps them see how the winners were selected.”

Lisa Martinez, marketing director for the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, said the designs that DSP staffers have had the chance to review look promising.

“We haven’t had a chance to really be able to review every single one of the entries, but from just the few we’ve looked at, there are a lot of great ideas and a lot of creativity coming out,” she said.

Rose described the whole process as smooth.

“It was a pleasure for everyone to work on,” she said. “It was very little investment for the city, and they’ll get a great return on phase-able designs.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Above Ground Walking Tours in Old Sac Extended Thru October!

2011-10-03T20:24:49Z

Due to continued public interest in “above ground” walking tours, the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation has extended the touring season to include two educational yet entertaining tours each weekend through October.   On Saturday at
1 p.m., the Sacramento City: California’s Gold Rush Legacy Tour is offered. Then on Sunday at 1 p.m., the From Canvas to Brick: Old Sacramento Architectural Tour is available.

For the Gold Rush Legacy Tours, docents in historically appropriate attire take guests on a journey back to the 1850s using original and reconstructed Gold Rush-era buildings as a compelling backdrop to describe what the town was like during that fascinating period in California’s history.

For the Old Sacramento Architectural Tours, guests are guided through Old Sacramento to see how the architecture of the buildings silently but assuredly reflects the compelling history of how Sacramento was transformed from a water-logged tent city -- with floods, fires and the Gold Rush along the way -- to a firmly established city and the state’s capital.

These Old Sacramento walking tours last approximately one hour in length and guests are encouraged to wear comfortable shoes and be prepared to walk on uneven surfaces. Walking tours begin and end at the Sacramento History Museum located at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento.   Above ground walking tours cost $7 for adults and $5 for youths, and can be purchased in advance at www.historicoldsac.org or in person the day of the walking tour (if space is available).

The above ground and underground tour programs are coordinated by the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) and in partnership with the City of Sacramento, California State Parks, Old Sacramento Business Association and participating merchants and businesses.

About the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation
The Historic Old Sacramento Foundation (HOSF) is a 501(c)3 public benefit corporation. Old Sacramento is a living historic district.   The mission of HOSF is to convey the importance of historic Sacramento as a place that connects our past to our present and future through engaging and entertaining events, activities and programs. More information is available at www.historicoldsac.org or by calling 916-808-7059.

Disclosure: Traci Rockefeller Cusack represents a number of businesses and organizations throughout the greater Sacramento area including the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation.

Brulte, Do you remember our visit to the Capitol?

2011-09-30T13:30:08Z

My close parent once suggested that I attend the California State Capitol Museum tour, because I was so obviously enamored with political pluralism. Eccentric and famous because I was republican, I resolved to complete a dream in a cup of brew. There before the mainstream again was a ambassador and mutual supporter seeking the approval of the pub Rubicon and its web address.

Fortunately, the California State Capitol Museum has made assessable to me and your public, local tours. And its free admission 10:00am-4:00pm Monday thru Sunday isn’t a bad choice. Beginning out of the basement in room B-27 is your ease of tour reservation.

One does suppose, there are different reasons we are interested in touring the Capitol; to witness the modern law making process, see new exhibits throughout the year, to woe and cheer over the architecture and neoclassical style, and to appreciate the antique furnishings that make us so fashionably patriotic. The Roman Corinthian style began in 1860 and ended in 1874 at the cost of $245 million.

I myself was interested in the deliberative body of the great senatorial congress. And was foolishly close to sit in on around a session as they began their role call and public counter voting for an bill which was approved by their assembly representatives. My father was a bit mainstream and would bring lessons often of gamesmanship and political banter for the smile and encouragement of a political science teacher of Sacramento State University who said”Those present in the Assembly Chamber can and cannot see through its own rice paper” At the time the speaker of the Assembly was Jim Brulte, vehemently becoming polytechnic and on one accord.

I also could prove him deeply admired. I found him all throughout the shop, which was the Capitol’s store in the basement featuring legal news, law firm news, case decisions, and daily opinions. Even bills that were being log rolled.

The curator tour guide had so many wishes for our understanding of the bi cameral legislative two party systems. We believed that justice fairly protected named only one or so other unique unicameral legislative two party systems in the union. When I reckoned it was Nebraska, I felt ashamed because of all the hoopla around the sentencing and haberdashery tactics of the Unabomber named Theodore Kaczynski. To preface this I will last all day long!

The tour guide was a real history saving buff. Always tying in the current events with thematic of distant past she recounted that made the trip revel in austerity. As our group was lead to the gift store, the Rotunda, Assembly and Senate Chambers, Republican and Democratic Whip leaders, and through the west doors to the steps onward of the lawn, I realized what a tool as citizenry we could potentially adhere with matter.

Capitol Mall design project getting worldwide attention

2011-09-15T23:10:52Z

More than 70 design entries have been submitted for the Capitol Mall design competition to redo the section of the street west of the Capitol building, and organizers said Thursday that they expect to get up to a total of between 150 and 200 over the next couple of weeks.

The competition’s goal is to draw interest from international designers, architects and urban planners as well as from locals, with the winner taking home a $20,000 prize.

“We’ve been really pleased with the turnout,” said Kristopher Barkley of the American Institute of Architects Central Valley Chapter, which is advising the city on the competition.

He added that the 70 entries have come from all six inhabited continents, and submissions have come from places as far-flung as Iran and Vietnam.

“It puts a spotlight on Sacramento,” said Maurice Chaney, a spokesman for the city. “People throughout the world can really bring some good ideas to revitalize and bring some good energy to Capitol mall.”

Those ideas, however, won’t translate to construction anytime soon.

“This is sort of an idea-gathering type of event,” Chaney said. “Based on that, we can see what would be implementable in a short period of time or long-term. At this point, this is the first of many steps to redesign Capitol Mall.”

Barkley said there is still time for people to enter the competition, with the deadline for submissions being Sept. 29.

“A lot of people wait closer to the deadline to turn in, so we are expecting more to come,” he said. “It’s exciting how far it’s reaching. It’s really getting out there and bringing in a lot of entries.”

Anyone can submit a design – large or small – to fit the parameters of the competition, which are outlined on the competition’s website.

The competition came about when the state returned control of the portion of Capitol Mall between Tower Bridge and the Capitol to the city five years ago.

“I think it’s a really exciting time for Sacramento,” Barkley said. “Even though we’re in a recession, it’s these kinds of positive things that will move us forward and take us out of it into the future.”

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

Launch 2011: see video here

2011-07-22T18:44:10Z

Join The Sacramento Press Saturday evening for Launch 2011, a design, music and fashion festival.

The third annual Launch is a spectacular festival of sight and sound that provides the opportunity for creative people from Sacramento’s art, music and fashion communities to come together to showcase their talents and celebrate local and national works of art, music and design and share the experience with the community as a whole.

Launch will include live music by Little Foxes, Exquisite Corps, ReSA, The Dreaded Diamond and many others. Artists on-site Saturday include Brady Tuazon, Chelsea Greene Lewyta, Jeff Dojillo, and too many more to mention.

Fashion designers Miss Chief of California, Adrienne Cheng and Van der Neer are also expected to participate. In addition to live music, artists’ presentations and fashion designers, there will be an architectural display and a huge variety of vendors.

Launch 2011 will take place at the Greens Hotel 1700 Del Paso Boulevard from 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Hot Italian, at 15th and P streets, will provide shuttle service to and from Launch. Hot Italian will also have advanced tickets available for purchase. For additional ticket information, go to Ticket Leap.

If you are unable to attend launch 2011, you can still see some of the action. The Sacramento Press will be live-steaming video of the event via UStream. You can see can see video starting at 5 p.m. the day of the event here:

Free live streaming by Ustream

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue - Quantifying the Benefits of Street Trees

2011-06-22T01:49:08Z

There's a lot more green on a tree than just its leaves!

At this month's 4WDD ISA-Certified Arborist Scott Gregory will talk about assessing the economic and environmental benefits of the urban forest. In April, Scott successfully defended his master's thesis, "Quantifying Street Tree Function and Distribution: Analysis of Environmental Services, Population Characteristics, and Sidewalk Uplift in the City of Chico, California".

His thesis entailed inventory of 34,950 street trees, stumps, and available planting sites within the City of Chico and subsequent data analysis to quantify environmental services provided by the City's street trees. By identifying public and private trees in advance of potential tree failure, the street tree inventory is estimated to save the City of Chico as much as $30,000 per year in reduced maintenance and emergency clean-up costs. Carbon dioxide sequestration benefits have already been used in the development of the City of Chico Climate Action Plan, and the identification of available tree planting sites has subsequently assisted in the acquisition of a tree planting grant by Chico's Street Tree Department.

The event is FREE and open to anyone. Light refreshments are provided. Please RSVP to info@aiacv.org or call 916-444-3658.
See the flyer (above) for more information.

What : 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD) – Quantifying the Benefits of Street Trees

When : Wednesday, June 22nd @ 5:45-7:30pm. Doors open at 5:30, discussion and question/ answer session follows the presentation

Where: AIACV Chapter Office, 1400 S Street, Sacramento (Enter on 14th Street)

Facilitator: Jake Favour, Creative Director at Romp Creative

Disclosure: Dalton LaVoie is the co-chair of the 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD).

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue: "The road to a LEED Platinum Building: California ISO"

2011-05-23T14:40:13Z

Please join us on Wednesday evening, May 25th beginning at 5:45pm at the AIA Central Valley Chapter office for the this month’s 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD). Gus Fischer, Architect and Partner with Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects will present their project, The California Independent System Operator (CA ISO) Headquarters facility. Gus will discuss how they are achieving LEED Platinum and its impact on the culture and community. This secure 275,000 SF complex on a 27 acre site is a consolidation of the organization’s operations, offices and public education components and just completed construction.

The event is FREE and open to anyone. Refreshments provided. Please RSVP to info@aiacv.org or call 916-444-3658.
See the flyer for more information.

What: 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD) – The road to a LEED Platinum Building: California ISO
When: Wednesday, May 25th @ 5:45-7:30pm
Where: AIACV Chapter Office, 1400 S Street, Sacramento (Enter on 14th Street)

Facilitator: Brian Fischer, Co-founder and President of Playpen Hub Business Incubator

Disclosure: Chris Brown, Associate AIA is the co-chair of the 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD).

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue: The Sustainable Sites Initiative

2011-04-22T19:59:30Z

How can we design ‘greener’ landscapes in Sacramento?

With the growing focus on water conservation, responsible use of resources, and the impacts of the built environment on human health and well-being, the conversation about what makes a site design ‘green’ is being elevated to a higher level. From pre-design and planning through construction and operations, a new rating system, dubbed ‘SITES’, has been developed which sets the bar for what we can do to design more sustainable places.

Developed to be incorporated into future versions of the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system, SITES is currently in its pilot project phase.

Please join us on Wednesday evening, April 27th beginning at 5:45PM at the AIACV Chapter Office for this month’s 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD). Marq Truscott, Principal at Quadriga Landscape Architecture & Planning, Inc. will present The Sustainable Sites Initiative, a partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, and the United States Botanic Garden in conjunction with a diverse group of stakeholder organizations to establish and encourage sustainable practices in landscape design, construction, operations, and maintenance.

The goal of the presentation will be to introduce the audience to SITES, its guiding principles and the ecosystem services provided by well-planned sustainable landscapes. Following the presentation there will be a dialogue about what SITES means to the future of design in the Sacramento Region.

The event is FREE and open to anyone and NO rsvp required, Refreshments will be provided. See the FLYER for more information.

What: 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD) – The Sustainable Sites Initiative
When: Wednesday, April 27th @ 5:45-7:30pm
Where: AIACV Chapter Office, 1400 S Street, Sacramento (Enter on 14th Street)

Disclosure: Dalton LaVoie is the co-chair of the 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD).

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue are back w/ ZETA Communities

2011-02-12T00:09:04Z

In the residential sector, a building that produces as much energy as it consumes, or a Net Zero Energy (NZE) Building, is increasingly technologically viable. Yet, to achieve true scalability, these high-quality, efficient and architecturally advanced buildings must be coupled with affordability.

Please join us on Wednesday Evening, Feb 23th beginning at 5:45PM at the AIACV Chapter Office for this month’s 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD) where Shilpa Sankaran and Taeko Takagi of ZETA Communities will discuss an innovative approach to achieving affordability with offsite precision-building. The team will also present project case studies and live energy performance tracked by the DOE Building America program.

The event is FREE and open to anyone and NO rsvp required, Refreshments will be provided. See the FLYER for more information.

What: 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue (4WDD) – ZETA Communities
When: Wednesday, February 23rd @ 5:45-7:30pm
Where: AIACV Chapter Office, 1400 S Street, Sacramento (Enter on 14th Street)

City Council tells builder to redesign alley house

2011-02-02T23:47:21Z

Seven months of review and countless hours of debate and negotiation came down to a 20-second vote Tuesday night as Sacramento City Council voted 7-2 in support of redesigning a single-family home proposed for an alley site in Boulevard Park.

The action prevents the infill project from moving forward without changes to either the height or design style. The builders of the proposed home, Nathan and Erica Cunningham, said they are done and cannot take on redesigning the home.

The council listened to two hours of discussion about the project, including testimony from neighbors, city Design Director William Crouch, the builder and the architect.

More than 20 area residents showed up to oppose the scale and design of the proposed home, which they said does not fit into their historic neighborhood and its turn-of-the-century homes.

Crouch outlined why staff and the city Design Commission approved the project and said the city supported the design as high quality and appropriate for its context facing an industrial alley. Some neighbors also spoke in favor of the proposed design and said it would bring positive change to a neglected alley.

The lot for the proposed 2,400 square-foot home is on the alley behind C Street between 22nd and 23rd Streets. The 33x80 site is 80 feet from the street front and is surrounded by residential homes on three sides and faces an industrial area and the railroad tracks to the north.

The resolution forwarded by Council member Steve Cohn and approved by the City Council calls for the proposed home to “limit the design as proposed to two-story, not to exceed 24-feet in height to the highest point or keep a three-story structure if it is redesigned in traditional vernacular style appropriate to this Boulevard Park neighborhood.”

The proposal also requires the applicant to submit new plans for review and approval by the Design Director, and that the director consult with neighbors in reviewing final plans.

There was considerable discussion of the Central City Neighborhood Design Guidelines during the meeting, and both advocates and opponents cited references from the guidelines in support of their positions.

The proposal forwarded by Cohn directed city staff to “undergo a process, as staffing and resources permit, to supplement the Central City Neighborhood Guidelines with more specific guidelines dealing with single family/multifamily residential alley development in traditional single-family neighborhoods, including consideration of visual impact of new alley development as seen from traditional neighborhood streets.”

Disclosure statement: Writer Debra Belt is married to Stephen Henry of Henry + Associates, the architect of the proposed alley project. She has no financial investment in the project, and has followed the discussion out of interest in the design approval process in Sacramento.

East Sacramento stone sisters endure

2011-01-31T04:58:32Z

When the Zelda Stone Quarry closed its doors in 1931, it left behind two enduring legacies in East Sacramento: East Portal Park and the “stone sisters” houses.

Peppered through East Sacramento are craftsman bungalows built with large cinder blocks and granite. The cinder blocks are composed of stone excavated over the years from the East Portal pit. Most of these houses were built in the aughts of the last century, and the homes are easy to recognize. They tend to be squarish, have small rooms and the exteriors have rough-hewn, chiseled and buffed blocks. Many of these houses also have granite in the construction and exquisite interior detailing.

Longtime residents of East Sacramento see these homes as significant heritage points.

“They are worth preserving,” said Will Green, president of East Sacramento Preservation. “They are unique and reflect the local history of the East Portal quarry. I’ve seen several such homes in the Louisville and Cincinnati areas built of quarried stones, and they are preserved beautifully. This type of heritage must be kept.”

In April 1931 the quarry closed shop. The Great Depression’s grip tightened on Sacramento and unemployment numbers soared. Homeless camps, or Hoover Towns, sprouted up and the city’s economic gears stalled to a slow grind. The quarry became one of the casualties. The city bought the quarry as parkland by eminent domain. The owners first demanded $18,000, but after a brief tussle over price and the beginning of condemnation proceedings, the company settled for $7,500.

Today the former quarry is East Portal Park, a scooped-out, bowl of lawn nestled deep in the neighborhood on 51st and M streets. From any side you enter the park you start a descent. It’s a natural amphitheater. The flat bottom makes a comfy seat to enjoy Pops in the Park. But this modern, treed venue almost didn’t exist.

The Depression put the kibosh on city park development plans, but President Roosevelt and the Work Progress Administration saved the day. WPA workers leveled much of the quarry, planted trees and framed the park with sidewalks. It was ready to go in 1936.

Four stone maidens still stand around the park today. Two butt up to the northwest corner of the park. These two buildings look suspiciously like they might have been housing for the quarry owners or foremen’s families, but their original function is unclear. They were originally single-story, box-like houses, almost identical to each other.

Some of the homes have undergone extensive additions, but you can always spot the stone maidens because of the distinctive first floors. Tasteful changes that blend well with the neighborhood expand many of the homes vertically.

“When expanding or redesigning, the original architectural style of these historic homes needs to be carefully included,” Green said. “Recently one house at the edge of East Portal Park underwent a remodel and it blends seamlessly with the existing design.”

Two others are located west of the park. These are stately two-story ladies. One of these had a spicy career as a sorority house and many of the original interior features were altered.

For 24 years, Doug and Anna Skewes have been the stewards of the second of these houses.

“It’s a very comfortable home,” Doug said. “The insulation of the stone keeps it warm in the winter and cool in the summer.”

They have kept the exterior in pristine, original condition, adding just a coat of paint. The interior was remodeled to correct 1950s-era changes.

“Most of the original cherry wood features and original wood floor were lost in earlier modernizations,” he said. “But in one room we have an original five-panel door with an antique knob and plate.”

The residence reflects an earlier mode of flood control, with the second floor rising high above the ground. The Skeweses live on the top floor. There is a mystery room on the lower floor.

“A threshold leads up to the room and it has no windows,” he said. “The floor has what appears to be embedded carbon. It’s the size of a wine cellar and there’s no light. It might have been some type of heating or furnace area. There's a rumor that prohibition money is hidden in the house.”

The couple has yet to find the stash.

Perhaps the most exquisitely preserved stone home sits on 43rd and F.

“Remarkably, I’m only the third owner,” Marsha Hartberg said. “The home still has an original Murphy bed, and when we worked on the house, we found gaslight piping in the ceiling. We slightly altered the back porch and found the stones to be a mix of what appeared to be cinder block and solid granite.”

Hartberg’s one-story house has the original interior and exterior detailing. The facade has three different stone cuts and shaping. A river-rock fireplace crowns the living room, and built-ins, wainscoting, picture molding and the original wood floor add priceless touches to the historic home. All remain, unpainted and in excellent condition. It’s in a true turn of the century craftsman.

“Even the windows are original,” Hartberg said of the antique wavy glass that glassblowers produced up until about 1910. “I thought about weatherizing, but I didn’t want to loose the waves or the antique hardware.”

Further original details abound in her home. The porch is “roped” by a single linked iron strand with decorative hooks. Crushed rock and embedded stone inlay add unique details.

Midtown, East Sacramento and Oak Park are just some of the neighborhoods that boast original, last-century jewels. Preservation of these homes is a critical part of city management. The stone maidens of East Sacramento survived into the 21st century. May they see many more centuries to come.

If you can find your house address in the old city directories, you’re on your way to discovering its past. Go to the Central Library’s Sacramento Room to start your search. You can also visit “History of a House” for more information.

Proposed alley project leads to clash of old and new in Midtown

2011-01-29T22:23:44Z

By Debra Belt

It is a small, unkempt patch of land on a dirt alley in Sacramento’s Boulevard Park neighborhood. Yet, the modest site at 2207 C St. is the subject of an intense debate that is expected to heat up as a proposed residential project for the alley lot heads to City Council Feb. 1.

At issue is a single-family home, a modern infill project that has neighbors, preservationists, politicians, architects, the city and the builders deadlocked over the design of the residence and its alley location in one of Sacramento’s oldest neighborhoods. As Midtown’s alley development movement advances, interest in the project is high, and followers say it could set a precedent in residential neighborhoods, for better or for worse, depending upon who is voicing their opinion.

The Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association and some area residents oppose the project because they think it’s too tall, too modern and does not complement surrounding turn-of-the-century homes in the historic neighborhood. They want to the design to be changed or built somewhere else.

The city of Sacramento Planning Division, Design Commission, AIA Central Valley Urban Design Committee and other neighbors support the project, saying the scale of the three-story residence meets city guidelines and that it is a quality design making good use of available space within the Central City. Advocates note that the alley site is 80 feet from the street front, removing it from the immediate context of the neighborhood.

Seeking to balance the strong and numerous views weighing in on the project, City Council member Steve Cohn in December “called up” the project for council review. Cohn said he did so at the request of the neighborhood association and neighbors who live near the proposed project.

“There is concern that the project is too large for the scale of the block, and neighbors are also concerned about the modern design in a neighborhood of traditional older homes,” Cohn said in a telephone interview. “The main issue is that the proposed building is three stories and faces immediate neighbors.”

Before the call-up, the project circulated through the city’s design review process and was approved by city Design Director William Crouch. The Boulevard Park Neighborhood Association and 21 area residents appealed the director’s decision. In response, the city Planning Division generated a 71-page report addressing neighborhood concerns and citing design considerations to “promote creative architectural solutions that acknowledge contextual design issues, yet allow for flexibility and variety of design.”

The project then went to the city Design Commission. After listening to three hours of testimony from both sides, the commission unanimously approved the project.

The call-up is the final step in this lengthy process. Luis Sanchez, senior architect for the city, said in an e-mail that “the City Code is written to allow a call-up by a City Council member whose district the project is in, if it is felt that additional discussion on the project design, and decision by the commission is warranted.”

Sanchez also said City Council has the final say, and the review of the situation starts anew.

“The role of the City Council is to make a determination on the final project design,” he said. “It is reviewed de novo by the City Council.”

Nathan and Erica Cunningham, the couple trying to build the proposed home for themselves and their two daughters, said this approval process has delayed their project for seven months and cost them almost $2,000 in additional fees. They refer to the project as a "modern and progressive” design.

“We are of the school of thought that with new construction on an infill site, let’s not copy or imitate the original surrounding architecture,” said Nathan Cunningham in an e-mail. “Instead, let’s respect this original architecture for what it is, and move forward by designing and building something that reflects how we live in the current century.”

Sanchez said a difference of opinion on what is the most appropriate design for a neighborhood is not unusual.

“The voice of the neighborhood is important, and the design discussion between neighborhood groups, design staff and city agencies is a healthy dialogue for any growing city,” he said.

The debate about how much a neighborhood can influence what landowners build on their private property is as old as Boulevard Park itself. It is, however, one that becomes more fierce as viable lots in Sacramento’s city center dwindle and people look to limited available resources such as alley sites, which have become a buzz topic as the city looks to create a more vibrant, diverse and sustainable city center with its 2030 General Plan.

Bruce Monighan, president of AIA Central Valley, said that Sacramento as a community has talked about infill and alley development for nearly a decade. “If not here on the alleys, when and where will this city allow a new chapter of the American dream?”

Monighan added, “The neighbors are effectively saying that in order to live in their neighborhood, you must look like them. What are we trying to legislate here? He asked. “Is it personal taste?”

The Cunninghams, who specialize in building and renovating homes in Sacramento’s core neighborhoods, said there are only a small number of affordable lots suitable for residential development in the Central City. They said they were lucky to find someone who was willing to sell the alley lot for a reasonable price.

Some residents in Boulevard Park, however, think this neighborhood is not the place to build a modern residence.

“This is a historic residential neighborhood surrounding the property, but the design somehow seeks to make an independent, isolated statement that effectively turns its back on the neighborhood,” wrote residents Lyvonne and Robert Sewell in a letter submitted to city associate planner David Hung.

Jon Marshack, former vice chair of Sacramento’s Design Review and Preservation Board, is strongly opposed to the project. “While this design has numerous laudable features, it is totally out of place within this neighborhood’s historic context,” he wrote in a letter to Sacramento’s Design Director. “I urge you to require that the proposed project be redesigned to respect its historic neighborhood context or relocated to a more appropriate site.”

Of additional concern to the neighbors is that the project is adjacent to the Boulevard Park subdivision, which is the subject of a proposed National Register historic district.

Darby Patterson, the owner of the one house in the neighborhood that is already on the National Register, supports the proposed alley residence.

“This is something new, positive and vibrant,” Patterson said in a telephone interview. “I live in a city and expect to make changes as the city grows. If we all stayed in the same place we would all still be living in Victorians.”

Patterson also said she is tired of absentee ownership, vermin, weeds and graffiti on the alley. “Civilizing the alley sounds good to me.”

At the alley site, the only clues to the neighborhood controversy is the public notice posted on the defunct Earle Plumbing Shop currently occupying the property and the mysterious pieces of lumber “ghosting” the shape and height of the proposed structure, which is designed to be three stories and utilize Cor-ten steel siding on the north side facing an industrial area and the railroad tracks.

Cohn said he has met with the builder of the proposed project and the neighbors and is trying to reach some degree of resolution before the City Council meeting.

“The neighbors propose reducing the residence to two stories or going with a more traditional design,” Cohn said. “The applicant (builder) has proposed to shift the third story four feet to the north to minimize the height, revisit window openings on the east and develop landscaping for more privacy. We have one more meeting before this goes to council and are seeking some agreement.”

Cohn acknowledged the difficulty of the situation.

“You have a young couple with a very clear idea about what they want and it’s at odds with what the neighbors expect,” he said. “We are trying to treat each issue on its own merits and bring the two factions together through dialogue.”

Disclosure statement: Writer Debra Belt is married to Stephen Henry of Henry + Associates, the architect of the proposed alley project.

New faces on K Street

2010-12-17T02:35:39Z

Three new façades add a bit of “wow” to K Street Mall.

Work is close to wrapping up on San Francisco nightclub owner George Karpaty's new businesses, Dive Bar, District 30 and Pizza Rock. A month away from the expected opening s, contractors applied some of the finishing touches to the exteriors Thursday.

The bar, club and restaurant technically occupy one building, owned by Sacramento developer David Taylor and CIM. But the exteriors were rebuilt to look like three distinct, separate spaces – from sleek contemporary to slightly edgy to quaint, Old World charm.

The façades are like book covers, designed to entice by giving just a taste of what's inside, said the project's architectural design manager, Michael Boskovich of RMB Architects in Sacramento.

"This is – in my opinion, as a longtime local, – a big step up, something that's hopefully very contagious and will have legs in Sacramento," he said. "That's one of the things I appreciate about George's group – stepping out and doing this and, of course, including us."

District 30 at 1022 K St. sports a contemporary, minimalist exterior to match the interior of the sleek, elegant over-30 dance club. Three sets of double glass doors were set in a frame of white, metal composite panels. A copper and bronze "District 30" sign sits beneath 20 gray panels that will feature changing collages of illuminated art once the business opens.

"The sign is very subtle. It's not as much attitude or in your face as Pizza Rock," Boskovich said.

Pizza Rock, with its red neon sign and laser-cut metal flames, seems to burst from between its two sister venues. Filigreed flowers, hearts, stars and butterflies – designed to look like tattoo art – soften the sign, inspired by tattoos worn by Pizza Rock co-owner Tony Gemignani's wife. LED backlights will be added to give the flame a shadow.

Gears were bolted onto the tan travertine tile exterior to emulate old earthquake ties used to reinforce buildings. The centerpiece for an outdoor seating area in front is a glass- and mesh wire-enclosed fireplace built into an industrial-looking copper cauldron made to look like it was reclaimed from a junkyard. Inside, the other side of the cauldron holds one of the restaurant's pizza ovens.

"It's meant to add to the ambiance out here," Boskovich said.

Dive Bar at 1016 K St. was given an Old World hotel feel, with a brick façade and copper-penny storefront. Three curtained, "second-story" windows add to the illusion.

Stockton muralist Carlos Lopez painted Dive Bar's sign to mimic old painted ads still found downtown, including next door at 1030 K St., which contains Ambrosia Cafe. Lopez also painted Pizza Rock's ceiling mural resembling Michelangelo's "The Creation of Adam" – with the hand of God holding out an electric guitar.

Pizza Rock is expected to open Jan. 14. Dive Bar and District 30 are slated to open Jan. 19. Hours will be 11 a.m. to midnight, Sunday through Tuesday, and 11 a.m. to 3 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday.

The building’s renovation added 15 to 20 feet in height to the exterior. Several one-of-a-kind features were designed to create the three distinct looks.

Boskovich, whose company does a lot of retail restaurant work, said he's eager to see more entrepreneurs use such creative, high-quality exteriors on new businesses.

"I'd like to do more like this in Sacramento," he said. "Sacramento's ready."

Sign photos by Kati Garner. All other photos, including photo of Michael Boskovich of RMB Architects, by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow her on Twitter @SuzanneHurt.

Holiday Inspiration from the Fab Forties Home Tour

2010-12-06T02:24:07Z

For the 37th year, homeowners in the “Fabulous Forties” neighborhood in East Sacramento have opened their homes for the Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour.
The annual event, which benefits the Sacred Heart Parish School, is a singular opportunity for the public to tour some of the most gorgeous homes in the city and view the efforts of a small army of professional decorators, florists, artists, and garden designers. Each home has a principal designer who brings together a holiday masterpiece incorporating the history and architectural features of the property and the individual style and taste of the homeowners.

Said Margo Reid Brown, whose lovely home was opened for the tour: “This is such an important event: the partnership of the parish and community is vital in the health of the neighborhood, and it’s a lovely tradition.” Brown attended Sacred Heart, as do her two children. 8th grader Catie was off to tour the other homes.

The streets were lined with visitors, and except for a few showers the weather was cooperative. Many visitors have come for the tour for decades. All were enthusiastically appreciative of the homes, and of the Christmas Boutique and Café set up in the school’s cafeteria

This year, five homes were featured, each reflecting a distinctly different holiday esthetic.

Lead designer Don Sherwood of Haus Home Décor was in attendance at the Majestic Prairie (1924) home of Margo and Rick Brown. From the welcoming front porch to the beautiful back patio, the house was filled with a marvelous collection of blown glass ornaments in fantastic whimsies of fruit, birds, cheeses, and pastries intertwined with garlands of greenery and magnolia branches.

Majestic Prairie

The Colonial Revival house was decorated by the owner, Dianne Kawamura, and reflected the warmth and comfort of a truly beloved home. The family heirlooms and personal collections evoked a genuine love for the fruits, vegetables, and flowers which were representative of the family’s agricultural heritage. From the beautiful California landscapes gracing the staircase to the whimsical glass vegetable ornaments on the tree, no room was without reference to the bounty of the land. The magnificent outdoor kitchen and entertainment area, designed by Michael Glassman, has been honored on HGTV and was enhanced by the artistry of the hardworking team from Beyond the Garden Gate in Davis.

Colonial Revival

The Quintessential Craftsman (circa 1920’s) is a delight of inlaid floors, lush mahogany wainscoting and built-in cabinetry, and a surprisingly bright and modern kitchen. Tara Sorenson of Inspired Interiors is the owner and designer.

Quintessential Craftsman

Anne Evans of Impressions Design transformed the Contemporary Cottage (1929) into an elegant Art Deco statement. Particularly notable are the mercury-glass pendant lights in the kitchen, and the outsized white peacock gracing the elegant tree.

Contemporary Cottage

Designer Philip Rice of East Sac Florist filled the Craftsman Cottage (1935) with a mindboggling array of floral artistry. From the live orchids on the enormous tree in the living room to the spectacular bird-of-paradise arrangements, the entire home was filled with rare and aromatic blooms. Even some of the cushions on the cushy sofa were made of tightly spaced fresh blooms. The limestone-matrix kitchen countertops with embedded fossils were a lovely feature, as were the delicate etched panels hanging in the windows overlooking the garden.

Craftsman Cottage

Etched plexiglass panel by artist Maren Conrad-Miniger taken from pen and ink illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert, a relative of the homeowner, from The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Andersen, published by Harper and Row, 1970.

The Sacred Heart Holiday Home Tour reflects countless hours of volunteer effort, from the hosts in the various homes to the cleaning and lighting crews. It’s a monumental effort which yields a great return for Sacred Heart, and a sense of pride and enjoyment for the whole community.

The Holiday Home Tour will return next December—don’t miss it.

SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

UDA / AIACV: Open Design Dialogue

2010-10-25T18:08:02Z

AIACV / UDA Present:

Open
Design
Dialogue

What does the future of Architectural Design hold for our City?
This is an open discussion about the role that architecture and design plays in our regions post-recession rebound.

Free Admission
Wednesday, Oct. 27th
Doors open at 5:30pm
Program from 6:00-7:30pm
AIA Central Valley Chapter Office
1400 S Street (Enter on 14th Street)

History of Oak Park told through new walking tour brochure

2010-10-13T16:55:14Z

On Thursday, October 21st, the Center for Sacramento History (CSH) and California State University, Sacramento (CSUS) will unveil a new self-guided walking tour of Central Oak Park. The brochure highlights the community’s architectural and historical significance. The evening will include an address by the brochure’s author, Dr. Robin Datel, a professor in CSUS’ Geography Department. The lecture will be held at the historic Guild Theater in Oak Park (2828 35th Street at Broadway); doors open at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation begins at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

The 32-page walking tour brochure includes historic photographs of nearly forty selected locations with interpretation of their change over time. The tour highlights the development of an early suburb with its own Main Street (“smart growth” long before the label existed); racial transitions; the civil rights movement; cycles of investment and disinvestment; nurturing of the arts; redevelopment; and neighborhood activism. These themes are embodied in such buildings and places as the 40 Acres Building, the Guild Theater, the Citizens’ and US Banks, the old Post Office/Observer Building, Joyland/McClatchy Park, the Women’s Civic Improvement Club, and more.

Dr. Datel’s lecture, “Local Places Tell Big Stories: A Walking Tour of Sacramento’s Central Oak Park,” will address how she acquired the walking tour content, the key themes of the tour, and details of the individual tour sites. The lecture will be supplemented by photographs documenting the tour sites and Oak Park history. Finally, the address will report on current projects to produce other walking tours in Sacramento, as well as to develop a driving tour of Sacramento places with significance to (mostly 20th-century) African-American history.

The brochures will be available at locations throughout the Central Oak Park area after October 21st and at the CSH website, www.centerforsacramentohistory.org. For copies of the brochure or to serve as a public distribution site, call (916) 808-7072.

Dr. Datel is an Associate Professor and Geography Department Chair at CSUS. With the help of her urban geography students and Oak Park residents, she developed the walking tour. Dr. Datel’s published research has largely been on historic preservation in American and European cities and the social geography of Sacramento, particularly aspects of ethnicity and immigration. She teaches an Urban Geography lecture/discussion course and an Urban Geography field course.

This project was made possible by financial support from CSH, CSUS, and the Sacramento County Historical Society.

CSH’s mission is to foster, stimulate, and promote the study and appreciation of Sacramento’s regional history. Since 1953, it has served the community by acquiring, preserving, exhibiting, and providing access to the documentary and material culture of the region. CSH is administered by the City of Sacramento and is jointly funded by the City and County of Sacramento.

SOCA home tour exhibits historic Midtown buildings

2010-09-21T00:10:27Z

Q Street’s historic “Bungalow Row” was opened to the public Sunday as part of the Sacramento Old City Association’s 35th annual home tour. Six occupied residences dating from 1894 to 1910 put on their Sunday best to impress the Sacramento homeowners, architecture enthusiasts and history fans who milled about the Q, P and O Street homes, enacting a sort of live-action Home and Garden program.

Winn Park’s emergency relay station, built in 1937, was also on display, and booths and tents on the East side of the park displayed presentations on art, history, home maintenance and preservation efforts. Young men with acoustic guitars sat under trees and played songs to audiences of 10 or 12 in an informal fashion that characterized the meandering, decentralized atmosphere of the rest of the day’s events.

Through the tents slowly rode a man dressed in period clothing sitting precariously atop a penny-farthing. That man was Ed Cox, one of the tour guides at house No. 2 of the tour.

Standing on the front porch of a Q Street bungalow, Cox greeted people walking up the steps.

“The Home Tour is about bringing awareness of historic buildings and the fact that they’re a valuable resource,” Cox said. “Because once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.”

Cox pointed to some volcanic-looking bricks jutting from the side of the house. Clinker brick, he explained, was first created when brick-makers accidentally burned the bricks that were cooked near the walls of the oven. At first they threw clinker brick in the trash, but builders thought they were interesting and now they add character to many old homes such as this one. Details like that are the stuff early 20th century Sacramento homes are made of — that and front porches.

“The fact is, people don’t really have front porches anymore,” Cox said. “Everyone’s in their little air-conditioned boxes.”

At some point in American history, there was a transition from the community-oriented front porch to the private leave-me-alone backyard. It’s the former that historical-preservation types like Cox would like to see a return to in Sacramento.

For some, like the members of the Q Street Gang, that day has already come. A group of neighbors on Q Street started having dinner parties in 2002 and the group has grown since then, creating a kind of neighborhood community that has become increasingly uncommon.

One of the founding members of the Q Street Gang, Jackie Brown, said the group is great because they all help each other out when they need it. Some of the members are in their 70s, so if they need some yardwork done or help with some other task they’re not quite up to, the gang’s got their back.

“It’s kind of like an extended family,” Brown said. “Which is good for me because I don’t have any other family.”

Each home in the tour has a different personality, but of the estimated 500 who visited the homes Sunday, many agreed that two unifying features were their beauty and charm.

“They’re so welcoming,” said one visitor, proud Sacramento homeowner Catherine Hackney. “They welcome you with open arms.”

From the architecture, choice of construction materials and use of space and light, everything about these homes makes them wonderful, Hackney said.

Upon entering home No. 4 of the tour, on P Street, one could smell a warm mustiness unique to old houses that have been as lovingly cared for, knick-knacks set about an old piano, a knitted blanket carefully folded over the back of an easy chair. Creaky wooden steps lead up to bedrooms decorated over decades of careful pruning and selection, lined with bookshelves of worn but neatly organized books.

There is a romance that draws people to these homes. People are attracted for nostalgic reasons. To many in Sacramento, these homes represent something of immeasurable value worth preserving. Despite the importance of preservation efforts, tour guide Christine Henderson said, people should be open-minded about it.

“We may not like tract houses, but we don’t have to put down people who don’t like what we like,” she said. “Maybe in the future, people will look back on those homes the way we look at these ones.”

Photos courtesy of Randy Lum/SOCA.

Historic homes to open for tour

2010-08-26T23:24:40Z

In 1900s Sacramento, the 2500 block of Q Street was a new middle-class neighborhood of railroad workers, pipe fitters and small business owners whose dreams of home ownership were largely made possible by the extension of the nearby streetcar route.

Their homes were the example of early suburban living, and three of them on the historic Bungalow Row – as well as four other historic buildings – will be open as part of the 35th annual Sacramento Old City Association home tour from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sept. 19.

In addition to the bungalows are several other homes – with the oldest being an 1889 Victorian – and a Winn Park oddity: an emergency relay station built in 1937 that served as a 24-hour dispatch center for the Sacramento Fire Department at a time when calls often came in via fire boxes located throughout the city.

“I think the tour makes people aware of both the beauty and history of our area,” said Catherine Turrill, spokeswoman for SOCA. “Also, they learn about the history of the people who lived there.”

The tour is only open one day, and in addition to the homes, there will be a street fair with live music, artisan vendors with home-related items such as stained glass and milled wood detailing, real estate agents for those looking to buy a home – though the tour is not for home sales – and people who restore historic buildings.

To add a sense of history, the Sacramento Capitol A’s Model A car club will roll out their classic Fords from the 1920s and ’30s.

The oldest buildings on the tour are the Victorians, characterized by their steeply pitched roofs and sense of height derived from tall, narrow windows and ornate decorations, Turrill said.

The bungalows are Arts and Crafts homes built in the first years of the 20th century, and the level of detail in them often goes unnoticed to casual viewers.

The bungalows were designed for comfort in a hot climate long before air conditioning, Turrill said. They have spacious porches, deep eaves and are very open inside to allow for easy cross ventilation.

“The sheer variety of details is amazing,” Turrill said, adding that the milled wood accents and even the window details are often different throughout the houses, unlike the uniformity of a present-day tract house.

“You get a sense of the specific neighborhood and its growth over time,” Turrill said. “These are houses that really bear close inspection.”

The homes show people on the tour examples of architecture that was largely dismissed in the latter half of the 20th century, said William Burg, vice president of the Sacramento County Historical Society and a board member of SOCA.

“The tours originally started in the 1970s, and the people who started SOCA wanted to show not only the architectural beauty of the homes, but also the viability of the Central City,” Burg said. “That’s something that hasn’t changed in the last 25 years.”

Burg organizes the street fair, and he said he enjoys being able to bring together a combination of contractors, designers, artisans and real estate developers, but also elements of contemporary Midtown culture – artists, musicians and bicycle advocacy groups – and showing how it all comes together.

Despite their age, Burg said the homes are the model of how contemporary buildings can re-embrace urban life.

“They’re better laid-out and typically greener because they were designed at a time when energy was much more expensive than it is today,” Burg said. “Someone who maybe isn’t impressed with the fit and finish of historic homes...they may want to look at the functionality of them.”

Each home and the emergency relay center will be staffed with four to six docents who will provide information and guidance, Turrill said.

Typically, SOCA sees 300-500 people on each year’s tour, most of whom do it on foot, since the buildings are all close together and are situated in a very walkable part of the city.

Tickets to the home tour are available at the street fair, which will be located in Winn Park, at 27th and Q streets. Tickets are $25 at the fair, with a $1 discount for those arriving on bicycles, or they can be purchased from local vendors beforehand for $20. A list of vendors selling tickets – including The Avid Reader at 16th and Broadway, 57th Street Antique Mall at 57th and H, and Joann’s Elegant Gifts at 1019 L St. – is available on the SOCA website.

Photos courtesy of Randy Lum/SOCA.

Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue - "Original Projects" with Nathan Wieler

2010-08-23T21:35:24Z

Please join us once again for this month’s Fourth Wednesday Design Dialogue (FWDD) as we discuss Original Projects with Nathan Wieler.

Nathan Wieler, originator of projects like the Dwell Home, Modern Birdhouses, The Greenbelt House, Harvest Farm Community, Development Supported Agriculture, and Zoom Culture talks about the stories behind each project, along with lessons learned and applied to his new collaborative venture Original Projects.

Topic: “Original Projects”
Date: Wednesday, August 25th
Time: 5:45 – 7:30 PM
Location: AIACV Chapter Office – Gallery, 1400 S Street (please enter on 14th Street)
Info: Free Admisson
Please click on the link to view the flyer

Launch Art and Design Live Stream

2010-07-30T04:55:37Z

See what the the art community has to offer Sacramento at the second annual LAUNCH Design and Music Festival Saturday at the Artisan multipurpose art venue at 1901 Del Paso Blvd.

This event is a collaborative venture in music, architecture, paint, designer fashion and artistic furniture and will feature exhibitions by local and traveling artists in each of these vocations and many more.

Live music will be performed throughout featuring local names Sea of Bees, New Humans and The Generals. Electronica band The Faint's newest project, Depressed Buttons, will headline the music showcase.

Other points of interest include a designer fashion runway show and art exhibits from Sacramento artists and designers.

Watch LAUNCH as it's happening right here!:

Free live streaming by Ustream Free video chat by Ustream

Check the event website and Sacramento Press preview coverage for more information and details on ticket sales. Don't miss this great chance to see what Sacramento art really has to offer!

www.5432Launch.com

http://www.sacramentopress.com/headline/33247/LAUNCH_design_and_music_festival_to_blast_off_July_31

Art Moderne building needs home

2010-06-08T03:20:42Z

The Capitol Area Development Authority is hunting down a new home for a historic fourplex in an effort to save the Art Moderne building from a wrecking ball.

The stucco apartment building known as Capitol Gardens was built at 1517 N St. in 1949 by Sacramento architect and engineer Jacob Loyth. In fall 2011, construction will begin on the site at the northwest corner of 16th and N streets on a $43 million, nine-floor building with 117 condos.

CADA is trying to find a way to relocate the building's historic four front units to reduce the cumulative loss of historic resources and impact on a potential historic district, as directed by an environmental report for construction on the site.

The agency is facing relocation challenges involving the building's size and obstacles created by freeways and light-rail lines.

"So far, we haven't gotten a taker who's actually got a site that's appropriate," said Marc de la Vergne, CADA’s capitol area development manager.

CADA is willing to give the building away and provide $60,000 to move the building in order to preserve it. The apartments are expected to be occupied until summer 2011.

The building is 40 feet wide by 40 feet long — the exact dimensions of a standard city lot. The structure needs to be moved to a location where two lots are combined, unless a zoning administrator were willing to waive the requirement that buildings be smaller than the lots they sit on, de la Vergne said.

At 23 feet, the building is also too tall to fit under light-rail lines, such as those that run down R Street, and raised freeways running along the east and south sides of the city. The top of the structure would reach 26 feet when loaded onto a flatbed truck.

CADA staff identified several central city lots that could hold the building, but none of the property owners have been interested. The owner of a lot at 15th and W streets considered it until learning the building would have to be cut in half horizontally to fit it under light-rail lines.

The site's developers, Em Johnson Interest of San Francisco and Nehemiah Community Reinvestment Fund Holdings of Sacramento, are working with other people in town to find a new location, he said.

The building is among several constructed in the 1930s and 1940s in an area southeast of Capitol Park that has been discussed as a potential historic apartment district. The area contains Moderne and Revival apartment buildings.

A 2002 evaluation determined the building may be eligible for the Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources, as well as the California Register of Historic Resources — established to help identify and protect historical and archaeological assets.

"CADA has been really concerned to find a way to move it and get it saved, rather than end up demolishing it," said Karen Jacques, who restores historic buildings and sits on the city's Preservation Commission. "CADA has had a really good history with trying — and often being very succesful — with saving historic buildings."

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

4th Wednesday Design Dialogue – “The American Suburbs”

2010-04-27T19:17:46Z

Please join us once again for this month’s Fourth Wednesday Design Dialogue (FWDD) as we explore the American Suburbs with Sacramento Architect, and recent TEDx Sacramento presenter David Mogavero:

Experimental design may not seem appropriate for Sacramento’s Central City, but the unique set of constraints existing in a less-urban fabric is an ideal setting.

Among Sacramento’s suburbs exist great opportunities, where the outcome has the potential for huge impacts on the region. It’s here that design challenges and a convergence of cultures are giving way to a unique new paradigm. Reduced traffic congestion and access to affordable housing are just a few of the results when we explore the Next Design Frontier – The American Suburbs.

Presenter: David Mogavero, AIA – Principal, Mogavero Notestine Associates

Topic: “Next Design Frontier – The American Suburbs”

Date: Wednesday, April 28th

Time: 5:30 – 7:30 PM

Location: AIACV Chapter Office – Gallery, 1400 S Street (please enter on 14th Street)

Info: Light refreshments provided, contact Dustin Littrell for additional info at dustinlittrell@hotmail.com

Please click on the link to view the flyer

The following is an excerpt from April 21, 2010 Sacramento Press story on the TEDx event:

Next was a live presentation titled “David Mogavero: An American Frontier.” Mogavero is senior principal at Mogavero Notestine Associates, with special expertise in the areas of ecological building, environmental planning, infill development, urban design and energy-efficient design.

Mogavero said the suburbs are a unique American institution, generating vast amounts of appreciation and scorn. Suburbs are the most inefficient form of human habitation ever done on earth, and an important place for focusing on environmental change in America, he said.

He started his practice by doing passively heated homes for people moving back to the land, mostly hippies. He realized that if he was going to be an ecoarchitect he had to work in the fabric of the community. He has done infill work in Sacramento and throughout Northern California.
The quantity of issues relative to urban sprawl are immense. People are moving back to urban America in large quantities, mostly in central cities. This has both limitations and opportunities for capturing infill growth.
In Sacramento, we build on average about 10,000 homes per year. Sacramento can only handle 19,000 new units – about two years of growth. The opportunity is tens of thousand of acres of underutilized areas such as parking lots, vacant housing and shopping center spaces, which can be eliminated for hundreds of thousands of houses and apartments.
When you have to design in these kinds of situations, you take the perspective of “do no harm.” You’re trying to instill more density but have an industrial complex that causes you to be creative. As an example, there is a commercial district in Yuba City – an opportunity to put people in a place with a services available now.

For Mogavero this is like jazz, which emerged from a convergence of cultures. Architectural development design is fascinating and fun for him for reasons like this: With a 10- or 15-acre site in the suburbs, you can integrate food into the project through agriculture. A community can be involved in the growing of food. There is also an opportunity for technology, which is more challenging in the city. Holistic integrated systems flowing back and forth continuously are possible in such areas. This is one of the most exciting venues in American building culture.

Negative Space - Architecture Matters Design Forum

2010-03-30T15:31:19Z

Join hosts Saxon Sigerson, AIA Arturo Levenfeld, AIA and Kris Barkley, AIA for a casual evening of design presentations and discussion centered around three examples of negative space: The Piazza San Marco in Venice; the open plaza at the Salk Institute; and Pershing Square in Los Angeles.

This topic is relevant as the City of Sacramento will soon be issuing an open design competition for recreating Capitol Mall. As the mall is the most prominent “negative” space in Sacramento it is important to achieve success with whatever solution is finally implemented.

The evening’s emphasis will be an open forum discussion of design as it relates to solutions for disparate negative spaces. What does it take to activate an open space and is design a critical element? Do any of the presented spaces offer any insight or act as examples of what not to do?

Date: Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

Time: 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.

Location: AIA Central Valley Chapter Office 1400 S Street, Suite 1 Sacramento

AIA/CES: 1.5 Learning Units

Cost: $10 per person (+ ser vice fee at Brown Paper Tickets; includes pizza, tap beer and non-alcoholic beverages)

RSVP: Brown Paper Tickets www.brownpaper tickets.com/event/105730

Questions: Kim Anderson kanderson@aiacv.org 916-379-8798

Books, and art, and blow torches. . . Oh My!

2010-03-17T02:28:18Z

"A university town is only as strong as its independent bookstores. They assist in the exchange of intellectual thoughts." - Kim Tanzer

"The independent bookstore - you know we're almost dinosaurs." - Carl Kroch

It was a beautiful morning. My girlfriend Jess and I decided to take a bike ride around the neighborhood. We didn't have any particular place to go, so we went down to Butch and Nellie's, our local coffee shop, to grab a cup of joe and discuss the nature of our ride. My first thought was the California Railroad Museum, but the little woman wasn't feeling that. Thus ended the charade that our ultimate destination would be anything besides lunch.

"Roxys Deli?" I offered. Mike W., SacPress reader and frequent commenter, had recommended Roxys house hot sandwich on Dutch crunch, describing it as "incredible." Having previously recommended Tres Hermanas, which we tried and loved (the chips and salsa may be the best I've ever had), Mike W.'s credibility couldn't be higher. We headed up 18th with visions of turkey, pastrami and melted cheddar dancing in my head. I made it three blocks before being thrown from my waking reverie.

On my left, I saw a corner storefront with two-foot-high letters atop the picture windows in front spelling out B-O-O-K-S. Now, once the subject of lunch has been broached, there are precious few things that can distract me from the mission at hand. And most of those things (amusement parks, sporting events, a trip to the hospital) usually end up with me eating lunch anyway (cotton candy, hot dogs, hot dogs and cotton candy). One exception is an independent bookstore - like the one I found on the corner of 18th and F: Richard L. Press, Fine and Scholarly Books.

I love independent bookstores. The good ones are so much more than just what the name would suggest. The best are part art gallery, part history museum, part cafe, part think tank, part animal sanctuary, and part resistance headquarters (vive la resistance!). I knew when I was greeted at the door by a meowing, short-haired tabby that in Richard L. Press, Fine and Scholarly books, I had found one of the good ones.

There are several things that any independent bookstore worth its salt should have. At, or near, the top of this list is a cat, roaming free among the bookshelves. Check.

A well-worn sofa where one can peruse the titles at his or her own pace, strike up a scholarly debate, or maybe, just maybe, start a revolution. Check.

Pieces of local art or kitsch on the walls and shelves that are unique to said bookstore. Richard's has a collection of antique clothes irons (you used to have to put pieces of hot charcoal in them) and blow torches. You read that correctly, antique blow torches. Check plus.

A friendly, fatherly owner who always seems to be in the shop and is happy to show you around. If it is a man, he should have a beard. Check and check.

Someone who knows the owner, smells of coffee and tobacco, and probably spends an inordinate amount of time at the shop, sitting on the floor reading. Check. In this case, he was in the annex, looking at the Frank Lloyd Wright books.

Which brings us to an annex - "We have a lot more books in the back, around the corner, in the basement," et cetera. Check. Richard was happy to show us around back.

Lastly, and also firstly, one needs to have books: wonderful, beautiful books in all shapes and sizes. Richard L. Press has them in spades. "Occasionally rare, frequently scarce, always fine" is the bookshop’s apt slogan. The books are primarily art related, but it is art in the broadest sense of the word. You need not be an art history major to appreciate William L. Press (If you are, however, be forewarned. Your cup may very well runneth over).

I spent a few minutes perusing a collection titled “The Best of Don Martin” – a cartoonist for Mad Magazine. I also spent time reading about the man who designed the tail fin on the '58 Chevy. Both of these men are clearly artists, but I doubt you would have studied them on your way to a B.A.

Eventually, my hunger got the best of me, and we continued on to Roxys. The hot house on Dutch crunch is a damn fine sandwich. Kudos to Mike W. once again for the recommendation. As good as the sandwich was, however, the highlight of the ride was most definitely the discovery of Richard L. Press, Fine and Scholarly Books. It is a perfect place for the exchange of intellectual thoughts. If independent bookstores are dinosaurs, we've got a T-Rex on the corner of 18th and F.

"Under The Radar" - 4th Wednesday Design Dialogue

2010-03-12T18:21:25Z

Urban Design, and more specifically infill design, has become one of the most desired types of development in the central city and surrounding residential neighborhoods. With continued concerns about the city's design review process, lack of neighborhood support and a host of other issues, architects often find it challenging to fully expressing themselves through their architecture.

After living and practicing architecture in Sacramento for several years, David Sarti of Flex Architecture will reframe this discussion, focusing on his "Little Red House" and discussing the opportunities created by building small, asking the question: "Why is Sacramento so slow to embrace modern Architecture?"

David's affordable-modern approach to design has landed his "Little Red House" in countless blogs including Apartment Therapy, Future House Now and Small House Style in addition to the pages of Dwell magazine and Metropolis. By designing small, urban and affordable David sees this as an "Under the Radar" path to a more interesting Sacramento.

What: "Under the Radar" - Building Small in Sacramento

Who: David Sarti, Architect, Flex Architecture

When: Wednesday, March 24th @ 5:45-7:30pm

Where: AIACV Chapter Office, 1400 S Street (enter on 14th Street; accessible)

Info: See attached flyer for additional info, questions: contact Dustin Littrell, dustinlittrell@hotmail.com

Designing for climate discussed in Sacramento

2010-01-29T05:28:30Z

Sacramento architecture can and should be designed for the city's climate, architect and green builder Matthew Piner said Wednesday.

With its temperate Mediterranean climate, Sacramento usually experiences hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters. Its location on two rivers in a valley between the Sierra Nevada mountains and the Pacific Ocean contributes delta breezes to cool off most summer nights, he said at a monthly architectural design forum, Design Dialogue, sponsored by the Urban Design Alliance of Sacramento.

Builders here — the same as builders throughout the world — once worked with Sacramento's natural climate to keep people comfortable when they sought shelter inside houses and other buildings. But builders moved away from such design with the inventions of conveniences such as electricity and air-conditioning.

That trend must change if Sacramento wants to reach a goal for carbon-neutral architecture by 2030 and join other Northern California cities on the cutting edge in developing clean, green technology, he said.

"We need to change the way we think — not just rely on using little boxes on roofs and pumping air around," said Piner, who owns PinerWorks Architectural & Building Group. He was guest speaker for Wednesday night's forum, "Integrating Climate + Form: A Valley City in Paradise," held at the local office for the American Institute of Architects.

Piner discussed the idea of architectural regionalism, a design approach developed for a unique place. He talked about experiments with such design and new technology and materials including photovoltaic paint and solar fiber. Piner also shared "ecofantasies" from designers in other areas, such as vertical urban farms and a phototropic skyscraper that uses biomimicry.

Climate-appropriate architecture can still be found throughout the world. Desert homes are cooled by wind towers on the Arabian Peninsula. Some Australian homes use fly roofs to provide ventilation. There are also Southeast Asian homes shaded by palm trees and raised on stilts to allow air circulation, Inuit igloos dug into the ground for warmth and earthern-wall adobe houses in Mexico.

Historic examples include the Native American cliff dwellings of Canyon de Chelly in Arizona and Mesa Verde in Colorado.

Sacramento has unique historic architecture designed for the climate before air-conditioning and even electricity existed. "High-water" Victorians and Arts and Craft bungalows were often built with basements and raised first floors that helped protect against flooding but also allowed cool air circulation underneath. High ceilings also provided circulation. Early city dwellers planted elms and other trees to shade the streets and houses, he said.

Piner presented a slide show with dozens of images, including photos of local buildings adapted to the climate and those that seem to ignore it. The state Department of General Services Resources Building, 1416 Ninth St., was one example of the latter, with an exterior that was the same on all four sides.

"This is a building I don't think gets it," Piner said. "This could be anywhere."

This city is most impacted by radiant heat. Now that most people no longer migrate with the seasons, those living here adapt to the heat first with the use of clothing. Designers and builders should take a cue from how our bodies are best heated and cooled when planning new buildings, Piner said.

"If we look at how we control the temperatures of surfaces, rather than air, we can look at different ways to build," he said. "We need to start thinking of our buildings as places for living things, rather than as mechanical boxes. I think that's how we unlock the (future of building)."

One way to do that is by orienting the building in relation to the sun to take advantage of daily and seasonal sun angles, he said.

More than 50 people attended the forum. Those in the audience included developers, neighborhood activists, preservationists, designers, builders, planners and government workers. During the discussion, one person pointed out that the dominance of mechanical solutions have allowed many people to forget why houses and other buildings were built the way they were years ago.

Others discussed ways the city will need to adapt to changing realities in the future. People will need to decide how to replace mature, dying trees that have shaded Sacramento throughout decades of summers, said Tina Suarez-Murias, a state environmental planner.

"Sacramento is known for its trees," she said.

"If we really want to look at how Sacramento as a city adapted in the past — they planted those trees for us," Piner added.

Ideas for the future include buildings with plant-shaded "green" walls, incorporating solar panels into buildings as shade canopies, roofs that allow rainwater collection, and breaking up boxy buildings with balconies, porches, rooftop gardens and more.

Obi Agha, a designer and planner who grew up in Africa, said his family and others living around them had no choice but to live in harmony with the earth. But they and other indigenous cultures are moving away from that because they are developing "Western tastes."

"They want to be like America," he said. "They want to have air-conditioning — because that shows they have arrived. They have made it. So they are losing all those things."

While many people want to have the comforts and conveniences of the West, the planet simply can't sustain such a lifestyle for the whole world, several people agreed.

"We would need seven planets for all the world to live like that," Piner said. "We may be conveniencing our way into oblivion and destroying this beautiful place."

As world leaders, the United States and other Western countries must now lead the way in designing climate-appropriate architecture and developing technology to create more energy-efficient conveniences, then export that to the world, he said.

Resident finds sanctuary in historic alley digs

2009-12-28T05:16:25Z

From the moment Chris Lango laid eyes on it, he had to have it.

The interior wasn't even built yet — just an empty shell in a rundown old building designed in 1924 to showcase motorcars.

But he knew this loft on the alley would be everything he wanted in urban living -- creative, a bit rough, hidden away in the middle of the city.

An exterior remodel, part of an adaptive reuse, was well underway. He was captured by the history of the building and the story of its architect.

"I was blown away," said Lango, 45. "I've always liked unique living spaces. If you like city living, I guess living in an alley is the most urban. Certainly, the most gritty."

Lango was living in an apartment over nearby City Treasure, now home to Crepeville, when he met the redevelopment's architect and building co-owner Ron Vrilakas inside an old warehouse originally used for car repairs at what was then 18th and M streets.

Vrilakas told Lango all about the Arnold Brothers Motor Cars building and its architect, Leonard Starks, who designed Sacramento landmarks including the Alhambra Theatre and the Elks Building.

Lango fell in love with the place. In the summer of 2004, he was the first to move into one of two lofts Vrilakas designed in the back of the building near 18th Street, on the alley between L Street and Capitol Avenue. The building also houses Zócalo, 58 Degrees & Holding Co. wine bar and other businesses.

The alley is part of a two-block alley infrastructure improvement project awarded $100,000 in community development block grants on Dec. 15 by the Sacramento City Council. The council voted unanimously after only one person, city council candidate Shawn Eldredge, spoke out against this use of funds.

A sports producer for KCRA-TV until recently, Lango produced a feature on Starks for the station.

The 20-foot-high walls of his loft rental contain mementos of the building's long life -- a framed copy of a Sacramento Union story about the building's construction as the Sacramento headquarters for Hudson and Essex cars, a black and white photo of Starks, even a sign made from a city directory during the building's earlier days as Ansel Hoffman Saloon, run by a boxing promoter who later became a county supervisor.

"This building has been many things on the way to being what it is now," he said.

The roughly 1,200-square-foot loft features a trussed ceiling, brick walls, polished concrete floor, separate bedroom area and an L-shaped loft reachable by ladder. Lango has made the loft his home, letting the space influence his design of the interior and his creation of objets d'art.

"I was scared when I moved in here, 'cause I'm a sports guy and this place was empty," he said.

The space is so unique that his loft was used in the movie, "Her Minor Thing," directed by Walter Matthau's son, Charlie. They used everything, right down to Lango's candles, for a love scene between the leading characters, a reporter and a photographer.

"It's weird to see your couch on film," Lango said.

Lango is very supportive of an "alley activation" movement being spearheaded by developers, architects, business owners and the city of Sacramento. He sits on the group's Alley Activation Committee. And he likes poking holes in the way people see alleys.

"The perception of alleys is that they're dirty, there's trash and dumpsters everywhere, they're torn up and there's a lot of weeds," he said. "Most people don't think of alleys as cool places. You're just off the beaten path and yet you're right at the heart of everything."

Lango has been warmly welcomed by the building's owners, Vrilakas and Zócalo owner Ernesto Jimenez.

"Before any project was even started, he wanted to live here," said Jimenez, who described Lango as "an inspiration" for the history he uncovered while working on stories about Starks and other Sacramento history.

The best part about living on an alley is that the location and the big, open loft space in the former warehouse are unique and allow him to be creative, rather than restricted by traditional, enclosed rooms, he said. Lango likes the way it was designed to be its own sanctuary, with an enclosed courtyard entry next to the alley.

He said the biggest challenge for him is noise, but the worst is over, after Lango lived through two to three months of pile-driving during the construction of the L Street Lofts on the same alley. He said he's gotten used to the sound of trucks making early-morning deliveries.

Increased parking demands from new alley residences like these are a problem for some existing neighbors. These two lofts don't come with parking, so Lango has a permit to park on the street like most Midtown residents.

Several people have lived in the loft next door.

"It probably isn't for everybody," Lango said. "But if you can dip your foot outside your comfort zone and shift how you perceive life, you can create a place that's unique."

Safety can be another issue on alleys. On his way in and out of his home, Lango has learned to pay more attention to the "nooks and crannies" where someone could hide in the alley. Graffiti is more of a problem. But Lango said he's accepted everything that comes with living in a city alley.

"That's just part of the urban experience," he said. "I think if you live in an urban setting like this, you have to buy into the whole experience."

Photos by Suzanne Hurt, a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

A 3-day designer grand slam, Pecha Kutcha

2009-10-29T07:44:10Z

A 3-day designer grand slam is coming up, Pecha Kucha Night, brought to you by Ottolini & Associates, Architects. Come see and hear, dozens of the regions best designers, artists, architects and photographers talking about their work. Co-sponsored by Capital Creative Collective and Urban Hive. Music by Alex Trujillo.

Thursday, Nov. 5th, The Level Up Lounge - Outdoor Plaza, 8:20-10pm
Friday, Nov. 6th, The Urban Hive - 8:20-10pm
Saturday, Nov. 7th, MARRS Building - 8:20-10pm

What is Pecha Kucha Night?
"Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each – giving 6 minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. This keeps presentations concise, the interest level up, and gives more people the chance to show.

Pecha Kucha (which is Japanese for the sound of conversation) has tapped into a demand for a forum in which creative work can be easily and informally shown, without having to rent a gallery or chat up a magazine editor. This is a† demand that seems to be global – as Pecha Kucha Night, without any pushing, has spread virally to over 100 cities across the world."

Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham (Klein Dytham Architecture), was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.

Architectural challenge: Overcoming mediocrity

2009-08-29T14:48:16Z

A group interested in shaping Sacramento's architectural future had quite a challenge Wednesday night: discussing how to design urban infill in a city whose buildings are viewed as largely mediocre.

Figuring out where to go from here is the whole point of the Design Dialogues, sponsored monthly by the Urban Design Alliance and the Sacramento chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

On Wednesday, 40 design and planning professionals, community residents and others met at the AIA offices to discuss how to move the city's structural landscape forward despite the architectural challenges of designing infill projects.

The 90-minute dialogue was a give-and-take between participants and the presenter, architect Bruce Monighan of Monighan Design. Monighan was chosen to lead the discussion on infill due to four decades of experience, in which he has designed reconstruction, historical preservation restoration, adaptive reuse projects, urban residential, retail and more. His work includes reconstruction of Old Sacramento's Eagle Theater, a replica Kuskov House at Fort Ross and the Twohy Building in San Jose.

All but 10 percent of the buildings in Sacramento are "junk or no longer purposeful," he said.

Responsibility for the current situation belongs to city planners and officials, community residents, developers and architects, said Monighan and others at the meeting.

The problem is that Sacramento is being defined by people who don't have broad perspectives, he said. They'd rather "take the easy way out" by copying an existing building or style than construct something horrible, he added.

"The city tends to do the same thing all the time. That leads to mediocrity," he said.

International destinations such as Dubai, Beijing and Paris show that a variety of architecture is needed to help cities bridge centuries, said Walter Horsting, owner of Business Development International. Horsting has proposed that a landmark state office building -- something that represents a golden spike -- be developed for The Railyards.

"I think we haven't been bold enough in this town to take on more significant work," he said. "The city needs an iconic landmark."

The most difficult hurdle for infill projects to overcome is that they are infill, or, in other words, that people already live and work in the areas where the buildings must be constructed, said Monighan, adding those people want to protect what's there.

Community groups have formed to preserve historic neighborhoods and fight changes members don't want, such as massive buildings, a denser population, and traffic and parking problems.

"Preservation doesn't mean cities or districts get frozen in time," he said.

A mechanical engineer participating in the dialogue questioned why designers "allow" communities to have input on the design of infill construction. Community residents aren't trained and don't understand architectural concepts, he added.

While architects would have total control in a perfect world, Monighan said, the work of mediocre and poor architects led to oversight from planning commissions and residents.

"We earned that by being bad," he said. "Too many people don't care about what they're building and the legacy of what they'll leave."

Monighan also led discussion of the controversy about whether historic buildings and styles should be copied, and, if not, how architects can begin to determine what to build.

The context or "character" of the place, rather than the style of buildings, should lead the design, he suggested. Urban design guidelines recommend "creative interpretation" of existing patterns of such things as building materials, scale and how people move around.

"I think we look at something and say, 'What's it look like? — that's the character,' " he said. "I think that's where we've been wrong."

Photos by David Roberts. Suzanne Hurt is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Got a bike? Take a tour!

2009-08-08T17:37:35Z

We have alot of history here in Sacramento -- so much that it might seem daunting to narrow it to a manageble list. Here is an attempt to do just that: seven "must see" places you can pedal to in about the time it takes to sit and watch a movie.

1. The State Capitol
Following less-than-satisfactory assemblies of the state Legislature in San Jose, Vallejo and Benicia, Sacramentans successfully bid to make their city the permanent site for such high-level meetings. Ground was broken in 1860 and the neo-classical dome of the California Capitol was completed in 1874. The lower level is made of granite quarried in Folsom; the upper levels are made of brick plastered and painted to look like granite. An extension to house the expanding bureaucracy was added on the east side in 1952.

2. Capitol Ave (M Street) Victorians
The Reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901) helped define a stately and ornate style of architecture in the US, including Sacramento. Capitol Avenue features some of the city’s finest examples of high-water Victorian homes, where the first floor is often elevated above street level due to a fear of flooding. A variety of architectural styles can be found including Arts and Crafts, Mission, Dutch Colonial, American Colonial and modern shoebox.

3. Sutter’s Fort and Indian Museum
John Sutter arrived at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in 1839 and established his headquarters on high-ground about a mile inland. In 1840 he began construction of his fort using indigenous labor and old world technologies. By 1849 his New Helvetia venture was humming along and he had earned an excellent reputation as an organized and industrious leader and a warm and generous host. But the unintended consequence of discovering gold while setting up a lumber operation soon made his New Helvetia venture untenable as hordes of gold seekers rushed to the area and disrupted his business operations.

4. K Street and the Cathedral
K street has been, until recently, the major business district of the city. It’s revitalization is part of city hall’s redevelopment plan. On the other side of the popularity spectrum is The Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament which has been seeing a resurgence in mass attendance as attested to by an overflow of parishioners at Sunday services. This is the city’s primary Cathedral since its construction in1887.

5. The Southern Pacific Train Depot
Constructed in 1925 at a time when transportation hubs were visible symbols of progress and celebrated public structures, the expansive scale of this cathedral-like terminal of the Southern Pacific Railroad is inspiring. No less impressive is the mural on the east wall depicting the Sacramento terminus of the transcontinental railroad at its inception. The terminal has been an Amtrak station since 1971 when Amtrak was created.

6. Old Sacramento
During the Gold Rush, the Sacramento river front was a bustle of activity as adventurers from around the world disembarked here making their way to the Sierra Nevada gold fields in search of fortunes. Sutter’s Fort was all but abandoned at this time and it was John Sutter Jr – the Captain’s son – along with engineer William H. Warner who was responsible for laying out the grid of streets which comprise the current city. Sacramento was an immediate success and became California’s first incorporated city in 1850. It evolved into a commercial center and a nexus for various modes of transport including steam ships, wagon trains, carriages, stagecoaches, trains, the Pony Express.

Gradually the surface lying placer gold was exhausted and extracting valuable ore required more sophisticated techniques; mining companies replaced the colorful forty-niner and settled in for the long-haul. Waterfront activity subsided and more permanent businesses were established pushing the commercial center east – primarily along K Street; the waterfront became a skid row.

Plans to revitalize it emerged in the mid 1960’s and the result was the West’s first historic district. Today this 28 acre Gold Rush time capsule has 53 historic buildings, cobble-stone streets, a genuine paddle-wheel steamer, horse-drawn carriages, a steam-powered train, a railroad museum and an annual historic festival complete with Pony Express reenactments. Old Sacramento is a registered National and California Historic Landmark.

7. The Leland Stanford Mansion
Located on N Street about midway between the Crocker mansion and the new State Capitol sits the Leland Stanford mansion—its most famous resident, not its original builder. Stanford, a lawyer by training, found success during the Gold Rush in the mercantile business and became even more influential as one of “The Big Four” who managed the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad – the western half of the transcontinental railroad. From 1862-1863 when Stanford was Governor, his magnificent French Second Empire mansion housed the state’s executive offices while the Capitol was under construction. He was also a US Senator from 1885-1893 and founded Stanford University in honor of his fifteen year old son who passed away unexpectedly. The mansion was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Don't have a bike? Don't want to pedal? Velocab will pedal for you ... and here comes the full disclosure part: I am a downtown denizen and owner of Sacramento Valley Velocab. Give us a call for a tour Fri, Sat, Sun 10am - 6pm c.916-265-8640 or 916-498-9980

Capital Creative Collective: the new creative catalyst of Sacramento

2009-06-17T04:36:48Z

"It's Tuesday night inside de Vere's Irish Pub, and a majority of its patrons are scribbling on napkins with Sharpies.

It shouldn't come as much of a surprise that these scribblers are architects, interior designers, graphic artists, photographers and other creative individuals who meet as a part of Capital Creative Collective.

Capital Creative Collective is a creative group that has been around for almost a year. They meet on Tuesday nights once a month for what is known as Designer Pint Nights at de Vere's in Downtown Sacramento to socialize, make friends and have a drink. CCC is also a blog.

"Capital Creative Collective's Designer Pint Nights was created to help the hippest, hottest and most innovative people connect face-to-face, and it is the single best place to meet some of Sacramento's most talented individuals and teams," said Jake Favour, founder of the CCC.

"The monthly Pint Night is a great way to meet other Sacramento creative's in a casual environment. There is no formal structure, just a group of folks learning about what we do, sharing ideas, stories and developing friendships, said Mike Whisten, who attends Designer Pint Nights and is a member of CCC.

"We will do a "Napkin Battle" where Jake throws out a design situation and everyone has 5 minutes to create a solution. That is a lot of fun with some hilarious solutions and some really creative solutions as well.”

Sometimes the benefits of attending Designer Pint Nights are surprising. "We had a guy who was there for the first time, and by the end of the night, he started his career."

CCC hopes to put on design battles and to become a venue for designers to voice ideas.

"Let's say the city gives a problem," Favour said. "We would hold a competition for the designers to fix that problem. Whether it's the Light Rail needing some addition help, or something to do with the bike trails. It's all about the designers voicing their creativity towards a stronger voice. They need to open more source solutions and become more proactive in Sacramento."

In the future, Favour hopes that CCC becomes a full-fledged website for the creative community. It will be a tool that will work alongside the city of Sacramento to help new stores, new buildings, etc.

"Capital Creative Collective just had a Design Battle at MARRS on the last Second Saturday (in May)," he said. " I can see CCC being a part of the Second Saturday Art Walk."

The Designer Pint Nights are on the second Tuesday of every month at de Vere's Irish Pub at 1521 L Street. For more information on CCC, check out the blog at capitalcreativecollective.wordpress.com.

Theatre Preservation Documentary with the Sacramento Old City Association

2009-03-16T23:40:29Z

Disclaimer: the contributor of this and his wife run Movies on a Big Screen, Sacramento’s weekly screening series of documentaries, general independent film, classics and cult titles. The following is blatant self-promotion of a MOBS event and the Sacramento Old City Association.

On Friday, March 20, 2009, at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM, Movies on a Big Screen is pairing up with the Sacramento Old City Association to present the documentary, “Preserve Me A Seat.”

Local author and historian (and commenter here at Sacramento Press) William Burg will be in attendance to speak following the 7PM screening of the film, and he might be bringing along some others, too. MOBS will show it again at 9:30 for those who can't make it to the earlier screening, but there will be no speakers at the later showing.

About the film:
We don't remember a lot about our distant past, but we do remember our favorite movie theatre. "Preserve Me a Seat" is a documentary about these theatres and the ongoing fight to protect and preserve them for future generations. Featuring preservation efforts in Boston (The Gaiety Theatre), Detroit (The former Michigan Theatre), Chicago (The DuPage Theatre), Omaha (The Indian Hills Cinerama Theatre), and Salt Lake City (The Villa Theatre), "Preserve Me a Seat" will appeal to anyone who has cherished memories of seeing their favorite movies in a grand theatre, and who appreciates the unique architecture of movie theatres. More than that, however, the documentary explores a number of urban development issues particularly relevant to Sacramento in a number of ways (not just theaters): adaptive reuse, a lack of response by city governments to their constituency, the destruction of historic spaces for the sake of what are essentially urban lofts (high-end residential units, at least), and much more.

March 20, 2009
7 and 9:30 PM
Admission: $5.00
Location: 600 4th St, West Sacramento. That's the corner of 4th & F in WEST Sacramento, just over the river from downtown Sacto. Parking lot is off of F Street between 4th & 5th Streets.

Artists of all trades come together at Pecha Kucha Night

2008-11-21T01:15:00Z

Level Up Lounge felt like more of a housewarming party than a bar on a Thursday night. The crowd had settled into the chairs and couches as if their body imprint had stayed waiting for them to nestle back into the nook from the last PK Night.

Excited chatter filled every corner, wine swirled in glasses as Gloria Taylor from Todd Taylor Wines gave tastings, Suleka Sun-Lindley made her way around the lounge greeting and entertaining her guests before the show started. The anticipation reached a crescendo as the clock neared 20:20 and the lights went off.

The first presentation had some technical difficulties, but the rest of the night went smoothly.

Aaron Young, R&B and hip hop artist, put together a medley of a few of his songs to showcase the variety of his music. The center room of Level Up Lounge became the stage and a very short, but intimate concert captured everyone's attention.

Jeff Walker, architect and first-time presenter showed some humorous slides to break the ice and then segwayed to the bulk of his presentation- laser cutting as a process for fabrication. He showed images of the Strata Tower in Dubai that he worked on in its various stages and also a fruit bowl he made using the laser cutting process.

Richard Burnsed, program director for the Sacramento International Film Festival, presented two short films: "Uh-Oh: A brief Encounter" by Joe Henke and "Dealing With Women" by Julia Vickerman.

Evan Jones's work was scattered around the lounge and her presentation delved into her inspirations for her paintings and what she liked about them.

Thomas Harris and John Krempel also presented on some of their artwork. The PK Night drink was the final presentation of the evening - to see the drink and its ingredients click here.

Looking for something to shake up your normal Thursday routines? Check out a PK Night in Sacramento. Looking to share something with the community but want a creative way to do it? PK Night might just do the trick.

Please comment below.

What's it like to present at Pecha Kucha Night?

2008-11-01T00:37:51Z

Dennis Dong is a seasoned presenter at Pecha Kucha Night in Sacramento. Here he shares his experiences in an interview, as told by Colleen Belcher. This text is taken from an interview, it is in first person, however, it has been constructed in writing below by Colleen Belcher.

I first heard about Pecha Kucha Night by reading about it in various magazines architectural magazines and it sounded like a real neat thing.

I saw a little clip that they were starting an organization in Sacramento and I sent Claire Obenson, the Sacramento chapter's organizer, an e-mail asking her what's required and what's needed to be able to sign up for a presentation.

She e-mailed me back and said "Well, Pecha Kucha is basically for the young and the brave."

My response was "Well, I'm really not that young."

Claire wrote back: "Oh - well that's just young at heart you're more than welcome to present."

I attended the first Pecha Kucha Night. I was a little bit nervous because you don't know who's going to be there and you don't know if anyone is really interested in what you have to present.

I practiced a couple times just because I didn't want to overly embarrass myself. It was a lot of fun, I think there were five presenters that first night and all on various subjects.

I've presented three times all together.

The first couple times it was at Hina's Tea House and it was kind of strange because it stayed open for regular business while we were giving presentations so some of the regular customers were kind of a little bit taken by surprise. But I think they had a good time also.

What I like best about Pecha Kucha Night is the peer presentation — you just get up and you have a very definite timeframe. You are able to get across your subject in a short period of time. It puts pressure on you but it's just very refreshing and very challenging.

There are some instances where 20 seconds is certainly not enough time to talk about one particular slide and there are some times where in 20 seconds you run out of things to say and it seems like it's an eternity. There's just this dead silence and you're thinking, "C'mon. Next slide. C'mon."

My presentations have been on 'Anonymous Architecture' - that's what I call them.

The first one was on maintenance buildings. The second one was on fire stations and the third one was just everything in between.

And what I did for instance like on the maintenance buildings - I took a number of projects and tried to highlight the projects as to what some of the design elements of the projects were.

These are buildings that most people don't see or don't see beyond the front wall, they don't really have the opportunity to go into the building or through the building so I try to basically focus my presentations on giving the viewer a chance to look behind the doors and see what goes on in the building.

It's the same with the fire stations, - a lot of people will see the fire stations from the outside, but very few people will have the opportunity or need to go into a fire station.

Everyone who has presented has always gotten a lot of applause and appreciation for just getting up there and doing the presentation.

Sometimes if a presenter runs out of things to say someone in the audience will recognize that they're stuck and they'll come and ask a question - you know that's just good showmanship.

Dennis Dong is an architect with Calpo Hom & Dong Architects.

The photos above are slides from previous presentations by Dennis Dong at PK Night.

Did this interview answer all of your questions about Pecha Kucha Night? Do you plan on attending the event on November 6th? What kind of presenters do you think would be especially interesting to see at PK Night? Do you think Dennis Dong should write more about his experiences at PK Night or other areas of interest? Please comment below.

Pecha Kucha Night

2008-10-30T23:55:58Z

Pecha Kucha Night — while it may be a mouthful to pronounce — is very much a visual stimulus, a party for your eyes, so to speak.

The idea started five years ago with two architects, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, who wanted to create an event for designers to network and show their work. Since 2003, the concept has spread to over 100 cities around the world - Tokyo, Bangkok, Tijuana, Melbourne, Madrid, Barcelona and as of last year, Sacramento joined the list.

Pecha Kucha means 'the sound of conversation' in Japanese. And the presentations are meant to spark conversations about creative endeavors.

What does it take to be a presenter? The rules are very simple: each presenter gets 20 slides, each slide is shown for 20 seconds - meaning the time on stage is limited to 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The rules ensure that everyone has an equal amount of time on stage and the show keeps moving without any lulls.

Although it started as a place for architects to present, anyone can participate - fishermen, photographers or anyone who has a creative idea they want to share with the world.

The next Pecha Kucha Night will be Thursday, November 6th at Level Up Lounge. The doors open at 7 pm, and don't be late — Todd Taylor Wines is offering winestasting from 7 to 8 pm. The slides start rolling at 8:20, and continue until 10 pm.

Next month's presenters will include artist Evan Jones whose work will be on display at Level Up Lounge, R&B and hip hop singer Aaron Young, filmmaker Richard Burnsed, architects Gordon L'Estrange, Claire Obenson and John Roberts. (John will be presenting on nature preserves.) The last presenter of the night will be Suleka Sun-Lindley, owner of Level Up Lounge, who will be making a special PK Night drink which event-goers can try after the presentations are over.

Level Up Lounge is located on 2431 J Street in Sacramento.

For more information check out the website www.pecha-kucha.org

Have you heard of this concept before? What do you think of it? Would you be interested in attending? Have you been to a Pecha Kucha Night in another city? Would you want to be a presenter? Is there anything else you would like to know about it?

Photo is from previous Pecha Kucha Night - it is the Grabhorn Buliding in San Francisco, renovated by Gordon L'Estrange.