Sacramento Jane Jacobs Walk 2012: Saturday, May 5 and Sunday, May 6
Jane’s Walk USA is a series of free neighborhood walking tours that helps put people in touch with their environment and with each other, by bridging social and geographic gaps and creating a space for cities to discover themselves. Since its inception in 2007, Jane’s Walk has happened in cities across North America, and is growing internationally. Sacramento’s Jane’s Walk series incorporates elements of urban planning, neighborhood advocacy, urban history, and architectural history, to demonstrate how a neighborhood’s physical form promotes its walkability, sustainability and economic and social vitality. All tours are free of charge. No RSVP is necessary.
In Partnership with the Old City Cemetery Committee, Sacramento Heritage Inc., Downtown Sacramento Partnership, Sacramento Tweed and Sacramento County Historical Society
Sacramento Jane Jacobs Walk Schedule: Saturday, May 5
Old City Cemetery: Police, Fire & Legal Lore
10 AM – Noon
Tour Guide: Eric Bradner
Starting Point: Sacramento Old City Cemetery, main gate, 1000 Broadway
From the Gold Rush forward, Sacramento had a tremendous need for infrastructure. Not just roads and levees, but law enforcement, fire protection, and courts. Sacramento’s Historic City Cemetery is home to many pioneer lawmen, lawyers, judges and firemen, whose stories will be shared on this tour, along with stories of what happens when these systems do not function, as demonstrated by the February 1851 Vigilance Committee that hung murderer Frederick Rowe.
Downtown: Circling the Capitol
Noon – 2 PM
Tour Guide: Melisa Gaudreau, Sacramento Heritage Inc. Board President
Starting Point: Sutter Club, 1220 9th Street (9th and Capitol Mall)
ArchitectMelisa Gaudreauwill lead a tour of historic hotels, apartments and clubs surrounding the California State Capitol. Discussion will review social and architectural context of the past and inquire into current relevance of the buildings in the midst of theCapitolPark, State office buildings of the 1930s, 1950s Redevelopment, and new infill. Tour brochure of the Capitol area by Sacramento Heritage Inc. included.
Midtown: Mixing Business with Pleasure
3 PM – 5 PM
Tour Guide: William Burg, Sacramento Old City Association President
Starting Point: Old Soul at The Weatherstone, 812 21st Street
William Burg, author of multiple books on Sacramento history, will guide this tour of Midtown’s mixed-use business corridor and adjacent residential neighborhood. Topics discussed will include the historic function of mixed-use neighborhoods and their modern interpretations, how architects responded to Sacramento’s environment and climate, and Midtown’s legacy as a regional epicenter of creativity and art.
Downtown Rock & Roll Tour
6 PM – 8 PM
Tour Guide: Shawn Peter, Downtown Sacramento Partnership Guide
Starting Point: The Torch Club, 904 15th Street, Sacramento
Downtown Partnership tour guide Shawn Peter will guide visitors on a tour of locations significant to the history of rock & roll music in Sacramento, from the auditorium where the Beach Boys recorded their first live album to the theater that still bears the footprints of Kurt Cobain’s sneakers after stepping in wet paint before a Nirvana show. The role of Sacramento’s musical history and musical venues, both local bands and national acts (and local bands that became national acts) will be discussed, and the tour will include visits to several local music venues and bars (all tour participants must be 21 or older with valid ID!)
Sacramento Jane Jacobs Walk Schedule: Sunday, May 6
Seersucker Ride/Jane’s Roll 11 AM-5 PM
Tour Guide: William Burg, Sacramento Old City Association President
Starting Point: Marshall Park, 28th and J Street
Sacramento’s “Tweed Ride” is putting on its summer clothes, known as the “Seersucker Ride,” a Victorian-era themed event that encourages period dress and a more relaxed style of riding. This tour will begin in Marshall Park, ride through the northern neighborhoods of the Old City and south along the Sacramento waterfront, turning east at R Street to follow the route of California’s first railroad to Alhambra Boulevard and the Libby Cannery. The tour will end at Mad Cat Bicycles, 33rd and Folsom. The tour will visit Sacramento’s historic neighborhoods, and visit some of Sacramento’s most notable architectural, transportation and industrial landmarks.
Winn Park 2 PM-4 PM
Tour Guide: Kay Knepprath, SOCA Member Emeritus
Starting Point: 2620 P Street
Neighborhood activist Kay Knepprath, longtime SOCA member and leader of the Sacramento Jane Jacobs Reading Group, leads this stroll on the sidewalks of Winn Park. Kay will show how ideas discussed in The Death and Life of Great American Cities can be demonstrated by the built environment of Sacramento’s midtown neighborhoods
About Jane’s Walks
Jane’s Walk USA honors the legacy and ideas of urban activist and writer Jane Jacobs who championed the interests of local residents and pedestrians over a car-centered approach to planning. Jane’s Walk USA helps knit people together into a strong and resourceful community, instilling belonging and encouraging civic leadership.
All Jane’s Walk USA tours are given and taken for free. These walks are led by anyone who has an interest in the neighborhoods where they live, work or hang out. They are not always about architecture and heritage, and offer a more personal take on the local culture, the social history and the planning issues faced by the residents. Jane Jacobs believed strongly that local residents understood best how their neighborhood works, and what is needed to strengthen and improve them. Jane’s Walks are meant to be fun, engaged and participatory – everyone’s got a story and they’re usually keen to share it.
Thousands of people have taken part in a Jane’s Walk USA. Past walks have explored a wide range of urban landscapes, from social housing slated for redevelopment to areas with a rich architectural and cultural heritage, to teen hangouts and secret gardens. Walks are led by individuals and small groups. Some are focused around historical themes more than geographical areas, for instance, some strolls have been built around ideas like the history of the bicycle, gay and lesbian history, places of relevance to the homeless, the history of ‘skid row’, and urgent planning matters facing certain neighborhoods.
About the Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA)
The Sacramento Old City Association was founded in 1972 by central city residents, to promote the well-being and livability of Sacramento’s central city. SOCA’s activities include public and private tours of Sacramento’s historic homes and neighborhoods, public workshops, presentations and movies. SOCA advocates for historic preservation, green building, adaptive reuse, affordable housing, public transit, better infrastructure for cycling and walkability, maintenance of our urban forest, and better compatibility between residential and commercial uses in mixed-use neighborhoods. While SOCA has traditionally focused on Sacramento’s central city, as the region’s largest historic preservation organization, we also work toward these goals on a citywide basis.