By William Burg

Hotel Berry circa 1930

On Tuesday Feb. 24, 2009 the City Council authorized the purchase of the Berry Hotel from its latest owners, developer AF Evans. Despite the efforts of the developer to restore the hotel and maintain its use as housing for those with very low incomes, the city will soon close the Berry, without a plan to reopen it.

Built in 1929, the Berry was part of Sacramento’s downtown hotel district, interspersed with theaters and department stores on the blocks near K Street. The Berry and other hotels like the Clunie, the Land, the Sacramento and the Clayton offered nightly rooms to some, while others were rented on a monthly basis. In the era after World War II, downtown hotels faded in popularity compared to the new motor hotels. As redevelopment changed the face of downtown Sacramento, destroying many rooming houses downtown, hotels like the Berry became more strictly residential hotels, renting almost entirely to monthly tenants. Because the rents were generally less expensive than other housing, those with the least money to spend moved into these hotels. By 1929 standards, the Berry was a comfortable and luxurious place; by the 1970s and through today, it was housing of last resort, one step above living on the street. These hotels became known as “single room occupancy” hotels, or SRO hotels.

In 2007, AF Evans and Trinity Housing purchased the Berry with the intent of renovating the hotel, but maintaining its role as an SRO. To make this project feasible, AF Evans applied for Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC) low-income housing bonds. Housing developers can obtain tax credits when building low-cost housing, which helps make low-cost housing more economically feasible. A non-profit developer like AF Evans does not need tax credits, so these housing bonds can be sold to another company who needs a tax write-off. AF Evans’ objective was to use the money generated by the sale of the bonds to repair the interior of the hotel, replace its aging plumbing and electrical systems, and retain almost all of its 109 rooms.  A number of rooms were to be converted to ADA-accessible use, but all would be affordable units. The agreement also included provision for an on-site case manager who would provide supportive services for residents of the hotel who are disabled or senior citizens. (more…)

Roger Lathe’s widow, Liza Mehler, notified SOCA of Roger’s passing on February 11, 2009.  Roger had not been well in recent years and macular degeneration had affected his eyesight to the extent that he had to give up his “House wright” business. He definitely was a treasure, not only to SOCA, but to the entire community. Without his expertise, many of us would have made inappropriate, if not stupid, additions to our dwellings.

SOCA acknowledges his contributions in our publication, “Rehab Resources for Older Homes,” published in 2008 and posted on this Web site, to the right, where you click “My Old House.” There you will find this statement, “Primarily, we are indebted to Roger Lathe, Housewright, for sharing with us his list of reputable contractors accumulated during his many years as a ’savior’ of old houses (both instructively and literally). His unmatched reputation in the field as author, raconteur, and all around bon vivant should not go unrewarded.”

Following is the Bee obituary.

Obituary: Nobody knew Sacramento’s vintage homes like Roger Lathe

http://www.sacbee.com/obituaries/story/1624727.html

Published: Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009 | Page 4B
Roger Lathe, a contractor, architectural historian and writer who restored Victorian homes and championed Sacramento’s rich heritage of vintage housing, died Wednesday at age 75.
He died of respiratory failure after a long illness, said his daughter, Victoria Curtin.
Mr. Lathe was an early and influential leader in the capital’s preservation movement. Trained in repairing century-old homes in Philadelphia, he moved to Sacramento in 1976 as many new buyers began fixing up dilapidated historical homes in central city neighborhoods. He bought and spent the last three decades painstakingly restoring a fire-gutted Victorian in Alkali Flat where he lived with his wife, Dr. Louise Mehler.
“He didn’t just rebuild the house; he handcrafted it,” Curtin said. “He hand-cut every shingle on the back of the house. There must be a couple of thousand shingles there.”
Mr. Lathe also worked on other old homes as a professional contractor before starting his own business as a licensed house inspector. He stood out behind the wheel of a restored Morris Minor van hand-painted on the side with his business name, “The Housewright,” a Colonial term for home builder.
“Anybody who had anything to do with owning or restoring an old home knew Roger,” midtown resident Rodney Kingsnorth said. “He was quite well known.”
Mr. Lathe also shared his expertise as a community activist and writer. He served on the board of the Sacramento Old City Association and was a popular contributor to the preservationist group’s publication, the Old City Guardian.
As a freelance writer for The Bee’s Neighbors and California Life sections, he educated readers about Sacramento’s architectural treasures. He explored the stylistic differences among late Victorians, Italianates, California Bungalows and Colonial Revivals in breezy, witty columns.
He gave practical remodeling tips as well as personal opinions on old and new structures, including a $25 million city garage with a waterfall sculpture at 10th and I streets.
“Surely, this is a tax-supported gift to stand-up comedians and architecture writers – a subsidized, ludicrously easy target for critical ridicule and put-down zingers,” he wrote in 1992. “I have only one problem with this: I like it.”
Roger Lathe was born in 1933 in Harrisburg, Pa., the only child of a newspaper printer and housewife. He served in the Air Force and held several jobs as a Philadelphia city worker, including designing playgrounds.
He had two children during a 14-year marriage to the former Janet Davies that ended in divorce. He worked as a general contractor and married Mehler in 1972 before moving to Sacramento.
Mr. Lathe was an avid reader who enjoyed opera and photography. His favorite activities included chatting about current events and politics with friends at coffeehouses and exploring the ins and outs of older homes as an architecture buff and writer.
“As he inspected your home, he educated you,” midtown preservationist Kay Knepprath said. “That’s pretty much what he was all about.”

Sacramento Old City Association representatives spoke at City Council on August 25, 2009. The Council moved the staff recommendation to give the development team working on this ambitious hotel plan for the 800 block of K Street, another 90 days to secure over $91 million in funding.  Concurrently, staff are working on a request for qualifications to seek development proposals when the 90 days are up if the current development team can not secure needed funding. Both Councilmember Tretheway and Cohn emphasized the importance of retaining the Bel-Vue as a viable building not just a hollow facade, and directed staff to work with the development team to seek ways to rehab and reuse the Bel-Vue, a listed city landmark.  If the current development team is able to secure funding, the community will seek a redo of the current plan that incorporates the rehabilitation of the landmark. If a new development proposal is sought, we will advocate that any and all plans that come forward must include the rehab and reuse of the Bel-Vue.  Staff will return to Council in late September or early October to discuss the implications of ths project on how transit occupancy taxes are distributed among various city programs as the existing ordinance would need to be altered to accommodate this project because it asks for many exceptions to current city rules. This saga is far from over, and we will do our best to keep you informed, stay tuned.

BY MARC DE LA VERGNE Originally Published in the Blvd. Park Neighborhood newsletter.

Living in the Central City, you probably live in an old house with original lath and plaster walls. And if your house is like the one my wife and I own, some of your walls may be cracked and in need of repair. In our case, we have a guestroom that had walls that were home to a spider web of cracks. And though they were annoying, they weren’t bad enough to put that project at the top of my “honey do” list –especially given what I’d heard about the work involved in repairing them correctly. So, year, after year, I ignored the cracks, focusing on other projects. Then, two things happened to get me motivated to fix up the room. First was the impending visit of a guest and the other was an episode of “Ask This Old House,” a show that answers viewers’ questions about old home challenges. I had to get the room ready for our guest and the show showed me how – using Big Wally’s Plastermagic.  I’m not a contractor, I don’t work for Ask This Old House and I’m not in the employ of Big Wally’s, but take it from me, this product works as advertised. It’s faster and easier than other approaches fellow home-improvers in the neighborhood I know have used. (more…)

By SOCA Board Member William Burg, Originally posted on Sacramento Press on July 3rd, 2009.

The city of Sacramento has announced its plans to demolish the Bel-Vue Apartments, a registered city landmark, in order to clear land on 8th Street for a potential future parking structure.

Located adjacent to the now-vacant corner of 8th and K Street, the Bel-Vue was built in 1910 as the American Cash Apartments. Built in the Craftsman style with Asian overtones, the three-story brick building contains apartments above a commercial ground floor. When the Bel-Vue was built, it was one of many downtown apartment buildings. If it was built today, the Bel-Vue would be described as a mixed-use, transit-oriented infill project. The building is currently owned by the city of Sacramento’s housing and redevelopment agency, the result of a complex land exchange between Mohammed “Mo” Mohanna, Z Gallerie owner Joe Zeiden, and the city of Sacramento. This land exchange was part of the currently stalled plans to rehabilitate the 700 block of K Street.

Below is a sample of the issues and related activities the SOCA Board of Directors participated in this past year. 

• Continue to work with the City Preservation Commission on minimum maintenance standards for historic properties to prevent “demolition by neglect.”

• Monitor the restoration of the Historic Southern Pacific Depot as it becomes a part of the new Intermodal Transportation Facility

• Work with State Parks to assure appropriate historic designation boundaries for the Railyards as the National Register nomination is prepared

• Work with the city of Sacramento to survey the historic underground sidewalks for the potential of becoming a popular tourist destinations and saved from demolition

• SOCA opposed an effort in 2009 to by the Development Oversight Commission to eliminate the Design Commission

• SOCA opposes the demolition of the Bel Vue Apartments, a historic building on 8th Street between K and L Streets. 

• SOCA joined other organizations in 2008 and 2009 in opposition to extending HOV lanes to downtown where traffic would empty on to residential streets. A settlement was reached with CalTrans in 2009.

• SOCA testified at the Sacramento City Unified School District about the future of their historic buildings in the Central City and organized two tours of the Old Jefferson School at 17th & N Streets. Tours were attended by several developers and architects.

• SOCA has organized and co-sponsored quarterly meetings of the Preservation Roundtable

• SOCA held a mixer with neighborhood association leaders to strengthen relationships.

• SOCA conducted a successful home tour in Boulevard Park in 2009, showcasing eight homes and involving over 100 volunteers.

Join fellow city-lovers on May 1st at 10:00 a.m. for Sacramento’s first Jane’s Walks—held in honor of Jane Jacobs: writer, urbanist, neighborhood activist, and author of the seminal book, “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” Jane’s Walks began in Toronto in 2007 and have spread across the globe.
This year Sacramento joins the party in a big way with walks held in K Street Mall, Oak Park, Alkali Flat, and Winn Park. Each walk of approximately two hours will look at features in the neighborhood that make it livable: sidewalks, businesses, restaurants, coffee shops, art galleries, variety of housing types, greenery and more. All are welcome and invited. Walks will be accessible for wheelchair users. Attendance is free.
Jane Jacobs documented the way city vitality is promoted through diversity of residents, buildings, land uses, and transportation modes. Jacobs believed strongly that local residents understand best the details of their neighborhoods and she spent her life encouraging locals to have a voice in the planning of their cities. “We are excited to bring Jane’s Walks to Sacramento and anticipate many more such walks throughout the region in years to come,” said Kay Knepprath of the Jane Jacobs Reading Group.
Walks are being coordinated by the Jane Jacobs Reading Group with co-sponsorship by the Sacramento Old City Association and WALKSacramento. Information is available at http://janeswalkusa.wordpress.com/ and www.walksacramento.org.
For additional information, contact: Kay Knepprath at 457-3793 or Anne Geraghty at 446-9255.