The 2008 annual SOCA Home Tour will take place on Sunday, September 21st in the Winn Park Historic District in Midtown Sacramento.  Each year SOCA showcases some of the finest architecture the old city has to offer, both historic and contemporary - a tribute to our heritage and a celebration of our future. Some of the homes featured on this years tour can be seen in the 2008 home tour gallery, accessible by clicking the gallery link at the top of this page. A street fair featuring home restoration specialists, artisans, craft persons and musicians will be held a the Freemont School at the corner of 24th and N Streets.  Ticket information will be available soon.   

SOCA and other community organizations were engaged in the development of goals and policies for Sacramento’s General Plan. A public review draft of the entire document, that will outline city growth and services over the next 22 years, was released May 8, 2008. An update to the city’s 1988 General Plan is required by law. The next step in the process is the release of a draft Environmental Impact Report (EIR) -June 2008. The law requires a 45-day public review period of the draft EIR document. The deadline for public comment is August 22, 2008.

The Draft 2030 General Plan and the EIR is available on the Project Documents page of the General Plan website http://www.sacgp.org Printed copies are also available for review at New City Hall (915 I Street), and at library branches across the city. The city is asking for comments on the draft EIR and full General Plan document. You can submit comments by email to 

• e-mail (generalplan@sacgp.org)
• or in writing addressed to Draft 2030 General Plan c/o Planning Department, 915 I Street NCH 3rd Floor, Sacramento, Ca 95814.

Comments are due no later than August 22, 2008.  City staff will review all public comments after that time, and will bring forward a Final Plan to the City Council for adoption in late 2008.  You can also call the General Plan hotline at (916) 808-7500.

Local historian Ed Carroll will give a presentation on Sacramento’s
brewery history. Admission includes a selection of locally brewed beer
and appetizers.

Space is limited, please RSVP by contacting the Sacramento Old City
Association via email at info@sacoldcity.org
Sponsored by the Sacramento Old City Association.

Saturday, August 9, 2:00 PM (ends around 4:00 PM)
Brew It Up, 801 14th Street, Sacramento
21+ only. $10 admission, free for SOCA members

Preservation is Going Green. The speaker this quarter will be Randel Reidel, an energy specialist and managing director of the California Performance Contractors Association. A recent issue of Preservation, the magazine of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, was devoted to this topic. Representatives from SMUD & PG & E will be on hand to answer your questions.

There is a $5 charge & continental breakfast is provided.

The Roundtable is Co-sponsored by the Sacramento Old City Association

WHERE: SACRAMENTO VALLEY STATION DEPOT CONFERENCE ROOM, 401 I Street

WHEN: SATURDAY, JUNE 14, FLAG DAY!

TIME: 9:00 A.M. TO 12:00 NOON.

Parking is not free - please use transit or other means if you can. The light rail Gold Line comes right to the station as does the #30 or 31 bus.

For more info call SOCA at 916-455-2935

On Tuesday, May 20, the Capital City Preservation Trust, along with the Mayor and City Councilmembers, honored six projects in the City of Sacramento which are outstanding examples of preservation.

This is the second year for these Historic Preservation Awards of Merit which carry $500 stipends from the Trust. Each Councilmember was invited to name a project in his or her district. with the Mayor able to choose from projects citywide. At the start of the Tuesday evening City Council meeting the following six projects were recognized:

District 1 Councilmember Ray Tretheway chose the Elks Building,owned by Steve Ayers, for the interior restoration.

District 3 Councilmember Cohn named the Victorian at 2213 N Street which had been gutted by a fire and left to the elements for several years but has been carefully restored. Larry Fox and Rick Castro are the owners who restored the house.

District 4 Councilmember Robert King Fong recognized the restoration of the William Land Memorial Monument in Land Park by the Land Park Community Association whose member, Roxanne Miller led the effort.

District 5 Councilmember Lauren Hammond namied the restoration of another seriously fire-damaged building. This one is in Oak Park at 3434 3rd Ave. and was restored by the owners, the Abdullah family.

District 6 Councilmember Kevin McCarty chose the transformation of an old library in his district to a sleek residence at 4001 60th Street. This project was done by Don Button.

Mayor Fargo’s choice was the Historic Rose Garden in the Old Sacramento Cemetery where historic roses have been saved and nurtured. Barbara Oliva acceptedthe award for the Committee.

The Month of May is Heritage Month when the Trust takes the opportunity to highlight the outstanding work that many organizations and individuals are doing to preserve Sacramento’s visually tangible history.

Brief History - The Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA) was born in 1972. Pioneering downtown homeowners banded together and formed SOCA, and because of their efforts, many of the city’s historic homes and civic landmarks have been saved and restored.  SOCA is an all-volunteer organization whose members devote their time to increasing awareness of the irreplaceable historic and cultural resources of the city.

Purpose - This rehab and restoration resources list is a joint effort by Sacramento Heritage, Inc. and SOCA, dedicated preservationists working to facilitate appropriate rehabilitation and restoration of older structures. It contains information including a list of contractors, artisans and suppliers known to be skilled in working on older homes in the Sacramento area. While the list was assembled from a variety of sources, we are indebted to Roger Lathe, Housewright, for sharing his list of reputable contractors accumulated during his many years as a “savior” of old houses, both instructively and literally. Suggestions continue to be received and included from satisfied customers, our thanks to all.  (more…)

The Sacramento Old City Association invites you to a sneak preview of the current 3rd floor restoration at the Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park, which has never before been open to the public. Recent efforts have unveiled stunning original 1877 Victorian detail.

Purchase tickets at the mansion the day of the tour: 

$20.00 non-SOCA members or join SOCA for just $5.00 more.

TO R.S.V.P.—PLEASE CALL 455-2935
Free to SOCA members. Space is limited and not wheelchair accessible. Donations encouraged and will go to the 3rd floor restoration fund. Refreshments will be served.
 
Saturday, May 10th, 2008
5:30 PM-7:30 PM
The Governor’s Mansion State Historic Park
1526 H Street, Sacramento
Sacramento Old City Association
Cherishing our heritage planning our future
www.sacoldcity.org

Friday, April 18 starting at 11:30 a.m - 14& O Streets downton, includes a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Vice-Mayor Rob Fong, Will Semmes, Chief Deputy Director of the State Department of General Services and Graham Brownstein, ECOS Executive Director are scheduled to speak.

“The Art of Being Green” was selected because the architectural restoration and recycling of older structures is a green practice through the preservation of the materials, embodied energy and human capital expended in the original construction of such structures.Sam’s Market is one of the few surviving examples of the Capitol Park Neighborhood’s early 20th century residential and commercial past. It is a Neo-Federalist structure with two floors of apartments above the corner store. Renovation of the building was completed by CADA in February 2008. CADA restored the building’s exterior to its early 20th century appearance and commissioned an exterior mural by Sacramento muralist and illustrator Michael Mikolon. The mural, “The Bounty of Life in California”, adorns the west side of the building and was inspired by the colorfully printed labels used on wooden produce crates and print advertisements from that era. There will be information booths, live music, raffle prizes and refreshments, and local businesses will offer specials or discounts in honor of Earth Week. For more information about “The Art of Being Green” celebration, contact Karen Fleming, CADA Communications Administrator at 916-322-2114.

We need score cards to keep track of the planning being done for the Sacramento Intermodal Transportation Facility — more accurately, the Sacramento Valley Station which the City of Sacramento now owns.

MAJOR CONTRACT
The city is contracting with TranSystems (transystems.com) for engineering and the environmental review, both the CA Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) of the Intermodal.

SECONDARY CONTRACT
SMWM, the firm that led the planning for the adopted Intermodal Alternative B is drafting alternatives for both moving the depot building and not moving it. Their work will feed into the TranSystems work.

HISTORIC ASSESSMENT OF THE DEPOT
A historic Assessment Report has been completed by HMR Architects. This report examines almost every nook and cranny in the Historic Depot building assessing its historic significance and condition. Recommendations for repairs if needed are made. This is a document required of an historic building before work begins. Obvious problems are the boarded windows and a leaky roof above the Parking Office. The Depot is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Everyone is invited to the meeting room in the Depot on May 1 at 5:30 to learn about this report. In June the report will be presented to the Preservation Commission.

CALTRANS AND RT
Meanwhile RT, working with CalTrans Rail, will begin work on bus shelters and some improvements for pedestrian safety on the north side of the Depot.

City to hold open houses to answer questions about I-5 boat section repairs

The City of Sacramento in partnership with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is hosting three open houses to answer questions about a project to repair a portion of Interstate 5 (I-5) that runs through downtown Sacramento and is known as the “boat section.”

Caltrans has hired contractor C.C. Myers, Inc. of Rancho Cordova to repair the troubled stretch of I-5. The plan calls for significant lane and ramp restrictions on I-5 in downtown Sacramento affecting nearly 190,000 daily drivers.

The public is invited to attend any of these meetings below to learn about the tentative schedule, commute alternatives and other project information. The project is expected to start May 30. .

The public also is encouraged to visit Caltrans’ project Web site at www.FixI-5.com to register for email alerts, view live camera shots, link to commute alternatives and obtain the project schedule once it is finalized.

WHAT: I-5 Boat Section Repairs - Public Open Houses

WHEN: April 7 April 9 April 11
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.

WHERE: Downtown South Sacramento Natomas
Tsakopolous Evelyn Moore Caltrans
Library Galleria Community Center District 3 Facility
828 I Street 1402 Dickson Street 2389 Gateway Oaks Drive

WHO: Caltrans & City of Sacramento Department of Transportation