This Saturday, it won’t just be women strapping on their heels and strutting around town. At the Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event, men will slip into high heeled shoes for a one-mile race around the Capitol Mall in order to raise money for Sacramento’s Women Escaping A Violent Environment (WEAVE) foundation and to raise awareness to put a stop to sexual violence and gender assault. “(This event) is so wonderful because it enables men to be part of a solution to ending sexual violence in our community and to really do something proactive while still having fun,” said Director of Development and Community Relations for WEAVE, Julie Bornhoeft. Bornhoeft said that she expects around 400 men wi

Wells Fargo Center 20th Anniversary Today is the 20th anniversary of the Grand Opening for the Wells Fargo Center on Capitol Mall. As Sacramento’s tallest building at 423 ft, it has a distinctive curved copper roof caps the building, with a cleft in its middle as a postmodern architectural style. Inside the building there is a five-story clear glass atrium with granite and marble walls with a Wells Fargo history museum is located in the lobby and Il Fornaio Restaurant. The architect Hellmuth, Obata and Kassenbaum (HOK) designed the tower which also won the BOMA Building of the Year Award for 1994. This 502,000 sf. building occupies an entire 2.3 acre city block with a masonry & granite

It’s that special time of year on Capitol Mall and Old Sacramento, Christmas lights are up inviting people to walk a few blocks and the Capitol Christmas Trees decked out in all its splendor. Over the last several years, it appears as if more lights have gone up to enrich the overall experience as an inviting destination to visit and enjoy. The Wells Fargo Center has done a fantastic job with a beautiful tree in the lobby and twinkling lights inside and out. Merry Christmas!  

A pair of landscape architects, including a Sacramento native, took home first place in the Catalyst Capitol Mall Design Competition with a vision of turning the corridor from Tower Bridge to the Capitol into a reborn urban forest. The competition was put on by the city of Sacramento, the American Institute of Architects and other local organizations, including the Downtown Sacramento Partnership, to help gather ideas to transform Capitol Mall after the state handed it over to city control in 2006. The winners were announced at an awards ceremony Wednesday night at the Wells Fargo building at 400 Capitol Mall. First place received a $20,000 prize, second place received $10,000 and third

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

More than 100 downtown workers took part in a flash mob on Capitol Mall at Sixth Street Thursday afternoon that saw choreographed dancing to various songs during the farmers market. Kam Grant, a nearby worker, said she had fun during the approximately four-minute dance session. “It’s basically to help promote the Capitol Mall district and promote the businesses here on Capitol Mall,” she said Practicing was done in small groups, with Grant’s group holding four hour-long practices before Thursday. Capitol Mall flash mob from Brandon Darnell on Vimeo. Brandon Darnell is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press. Follow him on Twitter @Brandon_Darnell.

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 contine

The 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks is coming up, and throughout the country there will be memorials honoring the dead, but Sacramento firefighters ask that locals take the opportunity to come out and run a 5K race for a good cause. Through a partnership between various Sacramento area Fire Departments, the Sacramento Police Department, the Sheriff’s Department and more than 2,000 local volunteers, a 5K run/walk has been organized as an addition to their third annual 9/11 Memorial Climb, in which 343 firefighters – the number of New York firefighters killed on 9/11 – climb the Renaissance Tower in downtown Sacramento to honor fallen firefighters. “It’s very personal for the f

The city of Sacramento is looking for a few good designers, urban planners, architects and artists to submit their ideas to revamp Capitol Mall, between Tower Bridge and Ninth Street. The juried competition is expected to draw international attention. “Since the state turned Capitol Mall over to the city five years ago, there’s a growing impetus to do something with that space and get it activated,” said Chris Barkley of the American Institute of Architects Central Valley Chapter, the competition adviser to the city. Stakeholders in the area have been meeting over the past five years and decided to put out a call for ideas to make Capitol Mall the significant street it once was, accordin

One of Sacramento’s iconic landmarks, Tower Bridge, celebrates its 75th anniversary Wednesday. At its inauguration on Dec. 15, 1935, the opening was heralded with the release of about 100 homing pigeons, who carried the news throughout the state. Although it’s now a lot easier to spread news, Caltrans spokesman Mike Dinger said the bridge operates with the same basic equipment it has for the past three quarters of a century. “We’ve made some upgrades for safety, but it’s almost all the original equipment,” he said. Bridge construction began in July of 1934, using some of President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal funds for the project, which was estimated to cost $700,000. The final price

I arrived at Capitol Mall around 5:30 this evening and had to really make sure I wasn't missing the 22,450 LED lights that were to be on the towers between 1st and 7th Streets. US Bank was the most photogenic so I captured scenes there, near and far. I'm guessing perhaps there were technical difficulties with getting the other buildings lit. All was not lost! Here's what I saw: The front of US Bank is very eye-catching. To the left of the Christmas tree is a reflection of the art outside. Bank of the West dressed in Christmas red and green and white lights on the trees at its entry (below). SacPress Photos | Kati Garner

Saturday, Sept. 18 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. The Shriners Hospital for Children presents the Capitol Concours d'Elegance, a rare and classic automobile show at the Capitol Mall. All proceeds will go to the Shriners Hospital. About 1,000 people are expected to attend. Sunday, Sept. 19 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. The Polycystic Kidney Foundation hosts the Sacramento Walk for PKD starting from the South Steps of the Capitol. Donations go toward finding treatments and cures. Around 300 people are expected to attend.

Saturday, Sept. 4 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. TheCall Sacramento will have a prayer gathering and rally with “worship, fasting, prayer and repentance” beginning at the Capitol Mall and finishing on the West Steps of the Capitol. About 50,000 are expected to attend.

It was a sea of cut-off shorts, cowboy hats, and overalls at Capitol Mall on Sunday afternoon for Country in the Park 2010. KNCI 105.1 managed to turn the intersection on Capitol Mall and Fifth Streets into a country music venue for the day. The gated-off intersection was filled with an estimated 11,000-12,000 country music fans, making this year one of the biggest in it’s 11-year existence, according to Mark Evans, program director at KHTK and KNCI Sacramento. Due to budget cuts Gibson Ranch, where the concert is normally held, was unable to rent out the park to KNCI this year. The singing of the national anthem and “God Bless America” with help from the crowd kicked off the day on a h

Sandwiched between the Capitol and Tower Bridge, Capitol Mall was blocked off Saturday for the 26th annual Sacramento Pride Festival. About 12,000 people filled Third through Seventh streets from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. to celebrate the event and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. The event was kicked off with a parade from Southside Park to Capitol Mall. A ribbon-cutting ceremony included Mayor Kevin Johnson, Senator Darrell Steinberg and Speaker of the Assembly John Pérez. "(The festival) is a celebration of equality for all people, regardless of gender identity or sexual orientation," said Bonnie Osborn, Sacramento Pride's marketing committee chair. Attendees wandered amon

Sacramento's PRIDE 2010 kicked off with Dyke Night, an evening of music and entertainment on the west Capitol steps to lead into the new location of this year's festivities on Sacramento’s Capitol Mall near between the Tower Bridge and the Capitol building. Here are some moments: Two women in the audience respond to the performers on stage. Allyn Pharo and her dog Sterling. The crowd filled the lawn in front of the west Capitol steps. Aurora (top and bottom) played to the crowd. Emcee and Organizer Hilary Hodge keep the pace going throughout the evening. Tina Reynolds, Equality Action Now, gave folks an update on Prop.8. Dancers from Hot Pot Studios (above) moved their bodi

This is not your daddy’s Sacramento Pride! Sacramento Pride is making big changes in 2010, all aimed at transforming the annual regional celebration of LGBT culture and accomplishments into an event worthy of its new tagline, California’s Capital Pride. The list of changes begins with the day-long Pride Festival’s move this year to Sacramento’s Capitol Mall. The Festival will be held Saturday, June 19, from 10 am to 5 pm. Sandwiched between the State Capitol dome on the east and the golden spans of the Tower Bridge on the west, the Festival’s move to the scenic city gateway is intended to raise visibility and emphasize the important role of the LGBT community in Sacramento and statewide.

On April 24, Capitol Mall will soon be home to one of Sacramento’s longest running events, Active 20-30 No.1 Club of Sacramento’s Spring Block Party. For 42 years, the event has been a fun way to raise money for local children’s charities. Thousands of people have helped raise millions of dollars to benefit groups such as the Sacramento Children’s Home, who is one this year’s beneficiaries. This year, there are several additions to go along with the new venue on Capitol Mall between 5th & 6th streets. An entire city block will be taken over for this year’s event! Thousands of people are expected to come downtown for the carnival rides, live music, and food and drink. Local businesses such

Last week’s fatal stabbing of 68-year-old Bernice Nickson took place at a downtown Regional Transit stop. While it would be hasty to let one incident determine RT’s entire reputation, the incident does beg the question: Are Regional Transit stops hubs for crime? Alane Masui, assistant general manager of communications for Sacramento RT, said no. She said that when crimes take place on the street, transit stops are just easy landmarks to associate with the incident. “It’s more of a perception than a reality,” she said. “When something occurs, people try to put the incident in context, and transit stops serve as regional landmarks.” There are about 3,800 bus stops and 47 light rail stati

The Crocker Art Museum will be one of more than 40 sites worldwide to host Slow Art Day in 2010, an initiative that encourages visitors to slow down and spend quality time looking at a single artwork. Slow Art Day will take place on Saturday, April 17, starting at 11 a.m., at the Crocker. “The majority of museum visitors view an artwork for less than 30 seconds,” said Christian Adame, manager of life-long learning at the Crocker Art Museum. “But it is easy to miss the artist’s message during such a quick look. This event is designed to help participants see art in a new way – to focus, contemplate and discuss their ideas.” The Slow Art session at the Crocker will focus on three artworks