Eichler Homes in Sacramento

PLEASE VOTE for the Sacramento Zoo Entrance in Dwell Magazine's "Rethinking Preservation" contest

2012-02-08T21:39:00.000-08:00

SacMod needs your help voting for the preservation of the Entrance to the Sacramento Zoo in a contest! The contest, "Rethinking Preservation," is sponsored by Dwell magazine and Sub-Zero.

Over 100 worthy entries are posted for popular vote from February 6 through February 20, 2012. A panel of judges will select the winner from the top ten entries that receive the most popular votes.

You may recall I've talked about the hyperbolic paraboloid structures at the Sacramento Zoo entrance before. Last December I also posted about SacMod's support of a survey and report by architectural consultants that the Zoo entrance structures "meet the National Register, California Register, and Sacramento Register evaluation criteria...."

1961 newspaper clipping of children admiring the new Sacramento Zoo entrance

Vintage film of Sacramento Zoo and San Diego Zoo 1970 - Sacramento Zoo portion begins first and ends at 1:15

The Entrance to the Sacramento Zoo is the only contest entry from Sacramento - please spread the word. Let's work together to ensure more generations can enjoy this historic mid-20th century landmark. Let's help the Zoo embrace the future without losing its past.

Please vote as often and as much as you would like through the voting period. If you're on Facebook, please "Like" the page as well. Thank you for your support!

Found slide of a flamingo at the Sacramento Zoo circa 1955 from my collection

Sacramento's Blomberg Homes in CA Modern Magazine

2012-01-29T23:14:00.000-08:00

The Eichler Network featured a story on Blomberg homes in their Winter 2012 issue of CA Modern magazine written by Dave Weinstein. A heartfelt thanks to them for covering this important piece of Sacramento mid-20th century modern history!

Check out the article on their website: "Built to Blast: Friendly fallout of the Cold War, Blomberg’s ‘bomb-resistant’ concrete homes represent a colorful chapter of mid-century modern Sacramento"

Over the years I have gathered vintage ads and information about Blomberg Builders - a mid 20th century Sacramento builder and building materials supplier. Gustaf C. Blomberg was a builder and developer in Sacramento -- after pioneering the development of concrete masonry construction. He worked for the Basalt Rock Co. in Napa in the mid-1930s and helped develop Basalite, a lightweight concrete block. These blocks (still available today) were used a great deal in construction during the 1950s through the 1970s. Marketed advantages of using Basalite blocks included durability, sound control, low cost, low maintenance, relative light weight, ease of installation, and uniform size and density.

Some of my research for SacMod was shared with CA Modern Magazine for the above article. If you want to see more Blomberg Homes ephemera and photos from SacMod's research library, see my Flickr set. A photo slide show of this set is shown above.

The Blomberg family still owns and operates Blomberg Window Systems. Jerry Blomberg ventured on his own and developed another company: Sunoptics.

Cheers to the Blomberg family -- their industrious and innovative spirit has helped shape our neighborhood and city!

Jeré Strizek's Town and Country Village in Sacramento

2012-01-16T16:04:00.000-08:00

Town & Country Village back in the day

I'm writing this post in light of recent discussions about the current fate of Town and Country Village, developed in 1946 and reportedly one of the first shopping centers of its kind in California. Per its website, "Town & Country Village combines pleasant outdoor shopping, covered walkways, smaller crowds and 'easy-in, easy-out' access with great food, unique gifts and the best salons in town..."

Many of you may have read this week the Sacramento Bee that the owners of the Village are planning a major overhaul. Ironically, though the Village's website boasts it being an alternative to malls, existing tenants are concerned that the Village "is slated for a major renovation that... will include razing much of the 65-year-old complex... and the new plan is to bring in more chain stores."

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2012/01/13/4184725/big-changes-ahead-for-sacramentos.html#storylink=cpy

Per Dixie Reid of the Bee in her article dated May 21, 1989:

Just after World War II, developer Jeré Strizek was building nice houses out in the 'country,' but nobody was buying them. He learned that it was because the nearest stores were miles away, in 'town.'

So, the accommodating developer built Sacramento's first suburban shopping center. He bought 11 acres (at $280 an acre) that had been an Arabian horse farm and opened Town and Country Village in 1946 with 65 shops.

The ranch-style center at Fulton and Marconi is now spread over 22 acres. The 'authentic' look of the place was enhanced by discarded railroad timbers used in construction -- mostly to keep costs down. A couple of wagon wheels, brought in from Oregon, were planted under the main sign. And cast- iron lampposts that were used on the streets of Sacramento at the turn of the century began lighting the center in the mid-'70s.

Town and Country Village's finest moment was probably in 1959 when, for some reason, the governor of Hawaii 'annexed' the shopping center as part of his state's 'Aloha' celebration.

Town and Country Village, which first opened in September 1946, was designed by architect John W. Davis and originally housed a beauty shop, ice cream bar, appliance stores, a five-and-ten cent store, rustic garden center, doctors' offices, hardware store, bottle shop, various grocers, pharmacy, clothing stores, jewelry store, furniture store, post office, bank, photography studio, various restaurants and bars, shoe repair shop, and a movie theater. Original Village store owners included the Maleville Brothers -- who may sound somewhat familiar as they later opened the renowned Coral Reef restaurant and tiki bar down the street.

The theater, the New Village Theatre, was designed by Gastono "Gale" Santocono and had Heywood-Wakefield seats.

Of note, Town and Country Village (and its surrounding homes designed by John W. Davis) were so highly regarded that they were featured at length in the October 1951 issue Architectural Forum. Per the article:

Jeré Strizek of Sacramento used to pay builders $100 a house to put up homes around his new shopping center. Now he builds most of them himself for his own account -- 381 houses plus 63 apartments this year. But he still thinks the home builder should count on his shopping center for his real profit.... From Jeré Strizeks's point of view the results are fine: his shopping center is outstandingly profitable and he will soon start another.

After Strizek's success with Town & Country Village in Sacramento, he went on to build similar developments in other cities. Other projects included a Town & Country Village in Los Angeles (as evidenced in the above coin) and Camelback Town & Country Village Shopping Center (1956) in Phoenix, Arizona, which "has survived with its original character intact" according to the City of Phoenix Historic Preservation Office and Ryden Architects in their fantastic book "Midentury Marvels: Commercial Architecture of Phoenix 1945-1975." If anyone has additional evidence of other developments by Jeré Strizek, please feel free to add this information in the comments section below.

Other major trade publications such as American Builder, Architectural Record, Progressive Architecture, Architectural Forum, Interiors, and Engineering News-Record -- to name a few -- also reported on Strizek's successful developments. In addition to the the housing subdivisions in Arden-Arcade near Town and Country Village, Jeré Strizek developed other projects and subdivisions, including Bohemian Village (designed by architect Herbert Goodpastor), North Haven, the Highlands, and North Highlands. For more on Strizek's developments and projects here in Sacramento and beyond, see my Flickr set, which includes other images from vintage postcards and findings from my microfilm research.

Join us for INFINITE SPACE: The Architecture of John Lautner

2012-01-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, January 22, 2012, join Movies on a Big Screen, AIA Central Valley, SacMod, and Sactown Magazine for a screening of INFINITE SPACE: The Architecture of John Lautner at the Guild Theater at 7:30pm to 9:00pm. Please arrive in time to allow yourself a moment to learn more about our organizations and get comfortable before the film begins -- and feel free to stay to talk with us more afterward.

Renowned architectural filmmaker Murray Grigor explores John Lautner's dramatic spaces with choreographed camera moves, as Lautner himself provides the commentary, speaking with insight and within recordings culled from archival sources. Other voices join him: comments from Frank Gehry and his peers who were influenced by Lautner, the emotional memories of original clients, owners and builders, the remarks of Frank Escher, the architect who restored the Chemosphere house, and Julius Shulman who famously photographed all the great modernists.

Original drawings and historical photographs from the John Lautner Archives at the Getty Museum are layered with the artistic photography of seminal buildings, bringing to life Lautner's quest to create timeless space.

You've probably admired his designs from some of your favorite films!

John Lautner on Film from curbed los angeles on Vimeo.

Remember to RSVP for this event and get your tickets online via Brown Paper Tickets. Looking forward to seeing you there!

This film is a precursor to SacMod's celebration of the Roush residence in Sacramento - designed by Terry Waters, a Taliesin fellow and architect who worked with John Lautner. Stay tuned for more about this upcoming event!

SacMod is a 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to promoting, preserving and protecting modern art, architecture and design in the Sacramento region. We're the folks behind the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour.

AIA Central Valley's mission is to improve the quality of the built environment through leadership, mentorship and design excellence; fostering sustainability beyond architecture.

Movies on a Big Screen is an ongoing film festival/microcinema that started in September of 2006 in Sacramento, CA.

Sactown Magazine is a bold bi-monthly magazine that gives you a refreshingly different perspective on our great city.

Atomic Ranch 2012 Calendar Features Two Sacramento MCM Homes!

2012-01-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

Just in case you didn't get the calendar you wanted during the holidays, here's one I know you'll like.

Our friends from Atomic Ranch Magazine (AR) are offering this calendar, which features two homes from Sacramento - both of which were on Sacramento Modern's (SacMod's) 2010 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour.

Keep your eyes open for upcoming 2012 AR issues, which will be highlighting three homes from SacMod's 2010 tour in separate issues!

Already have a calendar? How about a 2012 SacMod annual associate membership? Associate member benefits include a discount to paid SacMod events and having first crack at reserving a seat/purchasing tickets.

SacMod was formed to educate and promote understanding and appreciation of mid-20th century modern art, architecture and design in the greater Sacramento, California region. SacMod has been accomplishing its goals through events, research, and development of educational materials and information resources. Run exclusively by volunteers, SacMod has coordinated large scale events such as the 2010 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour, film screenings, and has provided education, technical assistance, and research findings to students, local and regional organizations, architects, designers, architectural historians, as well as local and national media.

With your help, SacMod can continue to promote awareness and preservation of Sacramento's mid-20th century modern heritage through future events, research, and education. Please use the "Add to cart" button in the upper left margin of this link.

AIA Central Valley and SacMod Screening of "EAMES: The architect and the painter"

2011-12-30T22:36:00.000-08:00

On 12.19.11, AIA Central Valley (AIACV) and SacMod screened "Eames: The Architect and The Painter" to over fifty design enthusiasts.

The event was held at AIACV in Sacramento. SacMod and AIACV took the opportunity to celebrate our native daughter, Ray (Kaiser) Eames. We provided several images from her life in Sacramento.

Ian Merker of AIACV was the best host ever!

Special thanks to Mimomito who brought cupcakes decorated with Ray's fabric pattern to celebrate what would have been Ray's 99th birthday on 12.15.11 and took pictures of our event.

To kick off the film screening, Eames Demetrios graciously Skype'd in and spoke with us about his grandparents and their work.

We are grateful to Miles Treaster & Associates who brought several examples of the Eameses' furniture, an original rare wooden splint developed for WW2, plus several brochures, an Eames coffee table book, and other written materials.

Our friends from Sactown Magazine generously distributed copies of their original Premier Issue from Dec/Jan 2006/2007 (with a well-written and researched article about Ray Eames) and their current issue. Happy 5th Anniversary, Sactown!

Thanks to KVIE for the wonderful gift bag and to Jason Cohn of Bread and Butter Films for printing two film posters for our silent auction.

Last but not least, thanks to those who attended and supported our event! We received great feedback from those who attended. The film provided an intriguing glimpse into the Eameses' creative process and dedication. We highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in their lives and prolific work, which ranges from architecture, furniture, film, textiles, art, industrial design to other intellectual and creative pursuits. This film celebrates their work and humanizes them -- not only highlighting their triumphs but also what went on behind the scenes.

Look for more events in 2012, including the screening of Infinite Space, a documentary about John Lautner -- one of the most revered 20th century architects. We will also be having an event to celebrate a very special residence in Sacramento designed by Terry Waters, an associate of John Lautner.

Merry Christmas from Eichler Homes

2011-12-25T11:46:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas from Eichler Homes! (Circa 1960s ephemera from my collection).

Ghosts of Christmas Past - K Street, Sacramento

2011-12-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

A rare glimpse into life in Sacramento: K Street in its heyday, circa 1954

Here's a neat peek of K and 10th Streets in downtown Sacramento back in the day. Note various features, such as the Crest Theatre, which I've posted about before here. Also in view are: Roos Bros., Joseph Magnin, Leed's, Green-Hayden Co., Hale's, Hotel Sequoia, Hart's, and others.

K Street shoppers, downtown Sacramento

Most of Sacramento's retail shopping in the 1940s and 1950s was done in downtown Sacramento - before shopping malls became in vogue.

What K Street in downtown Sacramento used to look like

- via the Sacramento Room, Sacramento Public Library

Then came the shopping malls. The prevalence of suburban shopping malls slowly took its toll on K Street. See for example, this 1957 public domain PR short, "Shopping Can Be Fun: A New Concept in Merchandising", which chronicles the Hillsdale Shopping Center in San Mateo, California.

K Street has since gone through several phases of revitalization efforts -- including a pedestrian mall and, more recently, an attempt to reintroduce traffic on K Street. I'll be featuring a post with more information about the history of Sacramento's 1960s pedestrian mall in the future.

What the future now holds for K Street is anyone's guess, though we hope it's a bright one. In the meantime, we can remember its past.

Happy hyperbolic holidays!

2011-12-22T17:34:00.000-08:00

The entryway to the Sacramento Zoo, designed by Rickey & Brooks (1961).

The largest building originally served as a concession stand to all of William Land Park.

The City of Sacramento recently hired consultants from Mead & Hunt to conduct a Historic Cultural / Landscape Survey of William Land Park. Per Mead & Hunt's report, these hyperbolic paraboloid structures "meet the National Register, California Register, and Sacramento Register evaluation criteria as individual properties independent from their association with William Land Park."

Further, Mead & Hunt concluded the Zoo entry structures were eligible "in the area of Architecture – Designed by the local architectural firm of Rickey and Brooks, this series of three interconnected buildings are an important, rare, and intact example of Mid-Century Modernism in Sacramento."

On December 7, 2011, SacMod attended the City of Sacramento Preservation Commission Meeting and spoke in favor of Mead & Hunt's report: "We want to thank everyone involved in the Historic Cultural Landscape survey of William Land Park and support Mead & Hunt's findings, especially those regarding Fairytale Town and the entryway concession buildings at the Sacramento Zoo. SacMod highlighted both of these historic assets as 'points-of-interest' during the first Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour last year. These have been a part of the park for 50 years and are historic landmarks.

The Zoo entrance and Fairytale Town are part of Sacramento's collective memory and provide an irreplaceable and distinct sense of place. In particular, the structures at the Zoo entrance are a rare kind of mid-20th century construction – hyperbolic paraboloids – also known as hypars. I have brought an historic postcard image for you to see them as they originally were. There are few remaining examples of hypars left in Sacramento. The Zoo entrance structures are the most easily recognized examples in town.

SacMod supports Mead & Hunt's recommendations and wishes to see our historic assets preserved. We look forward to working with the City and Zoo in this regard."

Celebrating Ray!

2011-12-15T17:03:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Ray Eames, Sacramento's native daughter and one of the most important 20th century modernists! See my earlier post about Ray Kaiser Eames for more background on her Sacramento roots.

She would have been 99 today. We'll be celebrating Ray on Monday, December 19, 2011 at the AIACV/SacMod screening party for "EAMES: The Architect and the Painter." Special thanks to our good friends at AIACV hosting this event. And thanks to those of you who RSVP'd via Brown Paper Tickets -- be sure to arrive by 7:30 to ensure seating. Early arrivals get priority Eames chair seating!!

Festivities for the evening will include:
- a silent auction for two posters from the film;
- a furniture display courtesy of the wonderful folks at Miles Treaster & Associates;
- photos of Ray's life in Sacramento;
- vegan cupcakes from the lovely gals at Mimomito;
plus other displays and surprises!

SacMod's 2011 commercial building tour posted on Historypin

2011-11-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my pal, Amanda B., I was able to easily and quickly post SacMod's 2011 self-guided commercial building tour online on Historypin.

Historypin is a site for posting historic photographs using Google Maps as a base. You can also write additional information about these images and organize them into tours and collections. Historypin is free to use, both as a visitor and user. There is also a free smartphone app that supports iPhones and Android smartphones. I tested it on my iPhone and it worked perfectly (though many more features currently exist on the site versus the app). Historypin's developers are working on adding new features for next year.

The possibilities are endless for historians, architectural buffs, archivists, and anyone who loves vintage images. This is only the beginning; can't wait to add more from SacMod's other tours!

Thinking differently: Apples + Eichlers

2011-10-25T12:58:00.000-07:00

It appears both Apple co-founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak had strong connections with Eichler homes. The biography, Steve Jobs, written about the Apple co-founder by Walter Isaacson, was released yesterday. It was sad news, as most of you know, when Jobs passed away earlier this month. According to the newly released biography, Jobs lived in an Eichler home.

Per an article from NTDV (special thanks to the folks at the Mid-Century Modern Fresno Facebook page for pointing out this article): "After Steve Jobs anointed Walter Isaacson as his authorized biographer in 2009, he took Mr. Isaacson to see the Mountain View, Calif., house in which he had lived as a boy. He pointed out its 'clean design' and 'awesome little features.' He praised the developer, Joseph Eichler, who built more than 11,000 homes in California subdivisions, for making an affordable product on a mass-market scale." Per Cult of Mac: "Jobs has cited him as a direct inspiration. In fact, he described the clean elegance of those homes as the 'first vision for Apple.'” See Architizer's post for more on this.

I would also like to mention that Apple's other co-founder and inventor, Steve Wozniak (aka Woz), lived in an Eichler Home. For 14 years, Woz lived on Edmonton Avenue in the Fairorchard Eichler subdivision of Sunnyvale. In the Winter 2001 edition of the Eichler Network newsletter (now known as CA Modern), Marty Arbunich interviewed Woz.

According to Arbunich's article, Woz moved into his Eichler home in 1958, after his father got a job with Lockheed. Per Woz, "It was my favorite home ever... my feelings of a perfect home will always rest with that particular home." It was the home in which Woz built his first computer and built a house-to-house intercom with his neighborhood buddies.

Woz further elaborated on his growing up in an Eichler home in his biography iWoz: Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I Invented the Personal Computer, Co-Founded Apple, and Had Fun Doing It
(co-written by Gina Smith): "When I think of that street, looking back, I think it was the most beautiful place you could imagine growing up.... Edmonton Avenue was actually a small Eichler subdivision -- Eichler homes of that period were kind of famous for being architecturally interesting homes in middle price ranges. They stand out as special homes to this day."

It's an interesting coincidence that both Apple co-founders admired Eichler homes. I'm not suggesting causality; you can draw your own conclusions. At any rate, here's to thinking differently!

So little time, so much to tell!

2011-10-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

Busy, busy month! Swinging by the old blogeroo to make a couple of announcements. You can stay better informed regarding Sacramento modernism by joining SacMod's Facebook page. Join us!

Vintage Sacramento Zoo postcard from my Flickr photostream

First, good news for the hyperbolic paraboloid structures at the entrance of the Sacramento Zoo. I've written about these beauties before.

The City of Sacramento hired consultants Mead & Hunt for a Cultural Landscape Survey of William Land Park. (You may download their draft report here.) SacMod has been watching recent developments at the Zoo, particularly those endangering the circa 1961 entrance structures. Mead & Hunt determined that the Zoo entrance and Fairytale Town are eligible for national, California, and Sacramento historic registers. SacMod will continue to monitor and advocate for these structures.

Second, Atomic Ranch Magazine has just published the Atomic Ranch 2012 Calendar. We're excited because it features two homes that were on the 2011 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour! Specifically a home designed by architect Carter Sparks and a Sacramento Eichler home. Atomic Ranch came to Sacramento this summer. Three homes from last year's tour will be featured in separate upcoming issues. I'll be sure to post as the articles and pictures are published.

Finally, AIACV and SacMod are teaming up again -- join us for a free screening of EAMES: The Architect and The Painter. You may recall from my earlier posts that Ray Eames was born and raised here in Sacramento. Join us and other like-minded modernists at AIACV on Monday, December 19, 2011 from 8 - 10pm. Reservations for this free event through Brown Paper Tickets.

Even more things being planned for future SacMod events! Stay tuned!

Some Thiebaud you may not know

2011-09-30T13:37:00.000-07:00

Sacramento-area artist Wayne Thiebaud is well known for his vibrant pop art and masterful landscape paintings. Sixty years ago, in 1951, Thiebaud held his first one-artist exhibition, "Influences on a Young Painter" at the Crocker Art Museum. Last fall, the Crocker featured him again in their inaugural re-opening. You may also recall I've mentioned him before in a previous post on mid-century modernists in Sacramento.

In the interest of educating people about mid-20th century art, architecture and design in the Sacramento region, I'm posting some examples of Thiebaud's works in other mediums.

From my Flickr photostream

First, a delightful kinetic water sculpture/installation in collaboration with Jerry McLaughlin from 1952 which was on display at the California State Fair. The installation was featured in the prestigious Arts & Architecture magazine in November 1952:

"This fountain which was done as a part of the Art Exhibit at the California State Fair is an amusing and often rather wild composition in moving water. While its several parts are in motion there is a constantly maintained interest, and within the interplay dazzling confusion becomes part of a very engaging pattern and texture. The devices which are ingenious in material and form take on a lively life and vitality under the compelling movement of the water. The variety and the unexpectedness of the activity, the sometimes frantic, sometimes serene water in motion is fresh and cool and stimulating.

Thiebaud and McLaughlin have freely and playfully used the propelling water itself to move the objects, and in turn this movement within the water creates a beautiful and sometimes hilarious experience."

Next, a series of art education films featuring Mr. Stubby Pencil. These circa 1955 films featured animation by Wayne Thiebaud, Patty Thiebaud and Pat Dullanty. The Academic Film Archive of North America apparently has a copy of one of a handful of short films that they produced.

From the Sacramento Bee: June 9, 1955

The 16 millimeter films, made over hundreds of hours in the Thiebaud's basement on Portola Way, were produced by Bailey Films, Inc. of Hollywood. Two of the films reportedly premiered in the Long Beach Film Festival. How I would love to see these films!

SMUD HQ Building mosaic, "Water City" by Wayne Thiebaud

Finally, here is "Water City" -- a glass mosaic that wraps around the first level of the SMUD Headquarters Building in Sacramento. This piece was originally a serigraph in 1957 that served as a study for the Sacramento Municipal Water Utility Department (SMUD) mural (and a demonstration serigraph at the California State Fair). The SMUD Headquarters building, designed by Dreyfuss & Blackford, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Hope you found these images of Thiebaud's lesser known works as interesting as I do! For more images, visit my Flickr set. I'll continue to add to the set as I come across other items.

Help save an iconic Neutra-designed home from demolition!

2011-09-27T15:51:00.000-07:00

via Neutra.org

Hard to believe, but this historic and architecturally significant home is being threatened with demolition. Please take a few seconds of your time to sign a petition supporting the restoration and repurposing of this iconic home into the Neutra Library.

How you can help:
1) sign the petition here.
2) For further actions on how to help, stay tuned on the status of the home here.

Time is of the essence; do your part and don't let the McMansions win!

Sacramento's sense of place

2011-09-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Can't wait to go to tonight's reception for Iconic Sacto with works by Andrew Patterson-Tutschka, Joe Santos, and Tom Spaulding.

The reception is at the SMUD Art Gallery from 4-6pm today, but you can still check out the show through October 8th.

The show celebrates Sacramento's unique sense of place through its built environment and signage. Per the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission, the show:

"... features depictions of the essential Sacramento locations which shape our region's identity and history, and create a sense of place. From Spaulding's striking photographs of historic buildings and picturesque central valley locales, to Santos' arresting watercolors of neon signage, to Patterson-Tutschka's masterful plein air depictions of Sacramento street life and private interiors. ICONIC SACTO represents Sacramento from all sides reinforcing why this region holds such a unique appeal."

Here's a little bit more about the show and the artists.

I would like to see more efforts made to preserve our vintage signage, which is so important to Sacramento's identity. Some towns (I'm looking at you, West Sacramento) have even gone as far as wiping them out on purpose.

Thank goodness for these wonderful artists who are documenting our past before it is demolished. Let's go farther and preserve it, lest we wish to become McCity, Anywheresville.

Walking the walk... and talking the talk!

2011-09-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

Big day this Sunday, 9.18.11!

From about 10am to 3pm SacMod will be at Marshall Park (corner of 27th and J Street) for the street fair for Sacramento Old City Association's 36th Annual Home Tour. We'll be handing out SacMod's free self-guided walking tour which features the exteriors of six commercial mid-20th century buildings in Midtown. Come and support SOCA, who has been a huge supporter of MCM in Sacramento (see my previous post for details).

Tomorrow will also be the first day SacMod will be offering annual associate memberships at a one-time special discount. Stop by for details!

Later that same day at 7pm, come see the presentation on "Sacramento Architecture: From the Gold Rush to Mid-Century Modern." My friend and historian, Bill Burg, will be talking about the Gold Rush through the 1930s; I'll be handling the part about mid-20th century architecture in town. The discussion will be at Time Tested Books and is part of the Living Library Series.

Hope to see you tomorrow, one way or the other! We'll be the ones drinking lots of coffee :)

Free self-guided walking tour of six Midtown MCMs on September 18, 2011!

2011-09-09T16:51:00.001-07:00

Come say hello to SacMod at Marshall Park (J and 27th Streets) on September 18, 2011 during the street fair for Sacramento Old City Association's 36th Annual Home Tour.

You know what makes for a great day? Seeing the beautiful historic homes on SOCA's tour and learning about six Midtown MCM buildings that you walk past all the time!

SOCA's tour starts at Marshall Park, at the corner of 27th and J Street. A street fair at the park features local contractors and artisans specializing in historic home rehab and remodeling, local businesses, artists and crafters displaying their wares, local nonprofits, advocacy and history organizations. Local musicians Tender Cinders, Garage Jazz Architects, The Freebadge Serenaders, and Emile Dalkey will perform in the park. Home Tour participants can show their tour wristband for a 15% discount in the restaurants of the nearby Sutter District.

SacMod will be at the fair from about 10am to 3pm and will have copies of our free self-guided walking tour which features the exteriors of six commercial mid-20th century buildings in Midtown.

Our friends at SOCA have been huge supporters of SacMod and MCM architecture in Sacramento. SOCA's efforts were instrumental in getting the SMUD Headquarters building nominated on the National Register of Historic Places.

MCM fans, it's our turn to support SOCA -- bring your walking shoes and see you there!

Tiki Tuesday! The Tropics: a 1940s Sacramento nightclub

2011-09-05T21:52:00.000-07:00

From my ephemera collection via my Flickr photostream

I sure could go for a fruity drink right now! Just this last week I finished the narrative for SacMod's official 501(c)(3) status and wrote the guide for SacMod's free self-guided walking tour featuring six mid-century modern commercial buildings in Midtown.

I'm just stopping the old blogeroo to share some tiki goodness with you in a segment I'm calling "Tiki Tuesday." I'll be talking about other classic Sacramento tiki spots in future posts.

First stop: An oldie, but goodie. The Tropics. 1019 1/2 Jay Street, Sacramento, California.

From the collection of my friend and Sacramento historian, William Burg.

Unfortunately, I don't know who these happy people are; I do so love the couple dancing in the background!

According to Billboard magazine (October 9, 1943, page 21), the success of the Tropics was in part due to a larger phenomenon: "Soldiers Bring Prosperity to Sacramento Spots; Acts Profit"

"Sacramento, Oct 2 -- With soldiers from three neighboring fields -- Camp Kohler, McClellan, and Mather Field -- virtually taking the town over after dark, Sacramento night spots are flourishing and multiplying.... Tropics upstairs night spot, which opened the first of the year has ... augmented the orchestra. Gabriel Silveira leads a five-piece combo. Spot is owned by Yubi Separovich and Frank Radich."

In his article regarding Zombie Hut (I've shared my research findings about the legendary Zombie Hut here, here and here), Valcom News reporter Lance Armstrong stated that the Tropics nightclub "advertised itself as the 'Pacific Coast's most beautiful nightclub' with 'dancing, entertainment and tropical drinks'."

If the name Yubi Separovich sounds familiar to you, here's why; Mr. Saparovich is credited with saving Sacramento baseball in 1943 through a heroic last-ditch effort. He worked feverishly to keep the Sacramento Solons in town and later became their general manager. At various points in time Mr. Saparovich owned several other businesses in Sacramento, including a liquor store, carpet store, grocery store and an industrial loan company.

In a toast to The Tropics and in honor of Mr. Separovich and Mr. Radich, here's a classic, old-school tiki cocktail recipe: The Mai Tai.

Mai Tai photo and recipe via Chow.com.

From: Beachbum Berry's Sippin' Safari, by Adapted from Martin Cate via Jeff Berry

Cheers, and, Aloha!

My MCM Sacramento Research Projects

2011-08-20T14:55:00.000-07:00

Don's Bottle Shop. 611 16th Street, Sacramento. (1962) From my Flickr photostream

Well, hello there! Sorry I've been out of touch -- been a bit busy these days. I'm working on several research projects. Here are several examples:

1) MCM (Mid-Century Modern) Sacramento Grid Project:

I'm cataloging the Sacramento "grid" (the numbered and lettered streets in the downtown, midtown, and East Sacramento areas). This means I'm observing, photographing, documenting, and determining through research the original dates and designers of all remaining mid-century modern buildings in downtown and midtown Sacramento.

As of today I have a 5-inch binder full of images and information. I'm starting by casting a wide net (see picture above), and including all buildings that appear to have been built between 1945 and 1970. My focus is mostly commercial, governmental and social gathering spaces, but there are a few residential buildings (mostly apartment complexes) in there too.

My sources:
1) Microfilm reels from the Community Development Department (permits, plans, renderings)
2) Newspaper archives and microfilm reels
3) Internet links and tidbits
4) Old magazines and books
5) Old postcards, matchbooks, brochures and other ephemera
6) Old City Directories
7) AIA Historical Directory
8) Oral histories by architects/designers and their families, friends and colleagues
9) Old maps
10) Found photos.
11) Etc. Basically anything and everything I can get my hands on.

Wish me luck! This ought to keep me busy for a while! Results will be published in some format, perhaps a guide or as individual walking maps.

(Speaking of walking maps, did you know that Sacramento Heritage, Inc. has several downloadable walking tours of various areas in Sacramento? They also have wonderful photos posted on Flickr. Also, if you haven't already, I highly recommend you get ahold of Robin Datel et al.'s well-researched and wonderful walking guide to Oak Park.)

2) Self-Guided MCM Walking Tour for the 36th SOCA Home Tour

SacMod (Sacramento Modern) is working on a free mini-MCM walking tour which we've specially tailored to accompany the SOCA Home Tour this upcoming September 18, 2011. (SacMod, as you may recall, brought you the 2010 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour last year).

Our mini-MCM tour will focus on a several MCM buildings in the Marshall School/New Era Park Neighborhood. We'll be there with a table at the tour's Street Fair area (Marshall Park - J and 27th Streets) and some information/materials about Sacramento Modern aka SacMod -- including our free self-guided walking tour. You can buy tickets to the 36th SOCA Home Tour via Brown Paper Tickets. I was a docent at last year's tour and thoroughly enjoyed being a guest at several early 20th-century buildings and homes.

3) Upcoming talk on historic architecture in Midtown next month.

More on this as information becomes available. I'll be talking very briefly about MCM architecture in midtown with examples after my friend/author/historian Bill Burg talks about earlier architectural styles.

4) Sacramento MCM ephemera collection

I've been creating a personal library of images and information regarding MCM Sacramento. Mostly of postcards, matchbooks, brochures, and magazine clippings. I do this on a daily basis.

5) Rickey & Brooks survey

I'm beginning to collect information on works by Rickey & Brooks, the architect/designer team who designed our home and many other MCM buildings in Sacramento.

6) Ongoing microfilm research

I try to browse and scan relevant newspaper articles from the Sacramento Bee and Sacramento Union as well as relevant special reels from various sources.

I do all of this in my "spare" time; keeps me busy and out of mischief. Have a great week everyone!

Residential Bomb Shelters in Sacramento

2011-08-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

I'd like to begin seriously by remembering the victims of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, who suffered horrific injuries and death at the detonations of Little Boy and Fat Man 66 years ago. May we never forget.

_______________________________________

I've been gathering images of home fallout shelters and building materials from the 1950s and 1960s here in Sacramento. At first I found them an amusing curiosity. Later I found them ironic; and then, simply sad. There is no way I can do justice to the history of the Cold War culture in my short post. For a better overview please visit the links I've highlighted.

"Be like Bert: when there is a flash, duck and cover -- and do it fast!"

Undoubtedly this civil defense video produced in 1951 and first aired at the beginning of 1952 was reflective of a trend: people were genuinely frightened and felt they needed to do something to protect themselves. In hindsight, the recommendations and specs for these shelters and materials seem woefully inadequate and ridiculous. But they tried.

Drastic times called for drastic measures and Sacramento was no exception. Many thought that Sacramento -- as the capitol of California and home to two Air Force bases -- might be a prime target.

Here's what I've unearthed from microfilm digging and other research:

February 24, 1951: Fam-Shel Air Raid Shelter Ad in the Sacramento Bee

"Is There a Need for Air Raid Shelters? Your answer to that is as good as ours, but we all know preparedness before possible disaster from modern air borne weapons is of vital concern to every one of us."

May 21, 1955: Basalite Expanded Shale Concrete Products Ad in the Sacramento Bee

"Survival Materials... after atomic bomb tests at Survival City, Nevada!... These two typical home structures withstood the 35 kilo ton (equivalent to 35,000 tons of TNT) nuclear blast... on Doomsday Drive, AT ONLY 4700 FEET FROM GROUND ZERO"

November 6, 1960 Sacramento Bee Ad: Fox Hole Family Fallout Shelter

June 27, 1961 Sacramento Bee article: "Model Home Contains Built-in Bomb Shelter"

"Sacramento, with only a half-dozen family bomb and fall-out shelters, may have considerably more before the year is out.... Technical advice was supplied by Sacramento civil defense officials, and, as a result, Ken Johnson, director of Sacramento City-County Civil Defense has termed the eight by 24-foot shelter one of the best and most effective family shelters he has ever seen.

The house under which the bomb shelter is built was the brainchild of Jerry Blomberg, and design was by a local architect....

One of the beauties of the bomb shelter is that it can be utilized for many things in day to day living. It could be a playroom for children, a wine cellar, used for limited storage, or could make a fine, soundproof den."

Later United Press articles dated August and September, 1955 from Texas, Oxnard, and Sarasota, state smaller dimensions for the innovative room (eight-foot-six by eight feet) -- and refer to it as a bathroom. To add insult to injury these articles have regrettable titles with the unfortunate pairing of the words "bathroom" and "bomb." These articles also refer the model home as the "Blomberg House" and lists the architect as Carter Sparks.

According to a Time Magazine article from September 1, 1961 entitled "Building: Shelter Skelter":

"Sacramento's Atlas Bomb Shelter is starting to merchandise a 35-ton prefab model for six that, depending on excavation costs, will sell for between $5,000 and $6,000. 'We haven't done any advertising yet,' crows Atlas' Boss Frank Ringer, 'but even so, there's so much demand we can hardly keep up with it.'"

I guess shortly after speaking with Time, Atlas had a change of heart about advertising; I found an ad dated only nine days later after the Time article:

September 10, 1961: Atlas Bomb Shelter Ad in the Sacramento Bee

"You wouldn't go to sea without a lifeboat aboard! Now danger of a nuclear war threatens us. Now you can have radiation and blast protection at your home."

October 5, 1961 - photos of a fallout shelter in Fair Oaks, CA (1, 2), are taken to accompany an October 11th article written by Austin Scott of Associated Press:

"Mrs. Hubert H. Miller of Fair Oaks, CA., and her children Cynthia 4 and David, 2½ make a practice run for their $5,000 concrete and steel backyard fallout shelter… Miller is a fallout shelter contractor.... In Sacramento, area shelters have been built for as little as $200 and as much as $10,000. (AP Photo)"

"Pretty Snug -- Mrs. Hubert H. Miller, of Fair Oaks, Calif., and her two children, David, 2 1/2, and Cynthia, 4, are fairly snug in their $5,000 concrete and steel fallout shelter. Mount-fixed bicycle provides exercise and is connected to an air filtering pump. Emergency water and food supplies are stored in cabinets and under wall cots. Storage batteries supply electricity for ceiling lights." (Source: hard print of an AP wirephoto stamped from the Examiner)

According to a Sacramento Bee article by Dixie Reid dated February 25, 1988, one of the first fallout shelters was sold to Paul and Florence Maxson in 1959:

"The price was $3,000, a lot of money in those days. But soon the Maxsons and their three children had what history recorded as Sacramento's first private underground bomb shelter.

It was a novelty for a while. Youngsters in the South Sacramento neighborhood begged to look at it. Reporters wrote about it. But the Maxsons never got around to stocking it with emergency rations, and before long Paul Maxson was storing his bookkeeping-business records in it."

In the end, it turned out that overall the home fallout shelter business in Sacramento sort of bombed. As a result, civil defense officials looked to large public buildings which, at that time, included the Pacific Bell Building at Watt and Marconi, Memorial Auditorium, the State Department of Transportation building downtown, and the Federal Building and Courthouse on Capitol Mall which, reportedly could hold 11,135 people. Other reports I've run across include a small shelter in the old Broadway Hardware site, a residence in Land Park, and a small shelter undeneath the Taggart building on Alhambra and J.

For further reading I recommend:
The new (super-sized) doomsday shelter
Baby Boomers: Life in the Freezer
1962 Fallout Shelter Handbook from Wardomatic
Photographs of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum

I'd love to hear from you if you recall other sites or homes in Sacramento that had a bomb/fallout shelter!

Remembering Joseph L. Eichler

2011-07-26T13:59:00.000-07:00

photo by Russell Illig

It has been 37 years since builder Joseph L. Eichler passed away (July 25, 1974). As such, it seems fitting to talk more about him and his work.

In addition to being the owner and overseer of Eichler Homes, Inc., he was a progressive, intellectual humanitarian. His attention to detail set him apart from his colleagues. For an outstanding and in-depth look at his life and achievements, I highly recommend reading "Joe Eichler Profile" by Paul Adamson from the Eichler Network.

I'd also like to share Joseph L. Eichler's obituary that I found on the front page of the San Mateo Times dated Saturday, July 27, 1974:

Joseph L Eichler, 74, whose Peninsula homes won national recognition — many of them built in central San Mateo — died Thursday at Sequoia Hospital, Redwood City, of a heart ailment.

Hailed as the "sympathetic builder" by Architect Frank Lloyd Wright, and known at one time as the butter-and-egg builder," Eichler built more than 15,000 homes and 15 major apartment complexes and even in his recent years of semi-retirement, continued Peninsula home building.

His glass and redwood homes, with, their advanced, open styling, won every major award for architectural excellence the firm ever competed for on an international scale.

His Geneva Towers in 1966 — a federally assisted, low-rent, high-rise housing project, was the largest of its kind in the country. Although the firm he founded in 1947, Eichler Homes, Inc., went bankrupt after he sold it to two Los Angeles investors in 1966, Eichler returned to the field subsequently and developed the J. L. Eichler Associates, Inc., which in 1972 merged with the Klingbell Company, a Santa Clara-based firm which operated thousands of rental units.

Eichler was born in New York City and attended New York University, where he received a degree in accounting. He moved to the Bay Area in 1924, and made a fortune in the wholesale dairy business.

He applied merchandising principles to home building, after founding his firm in 1947, and hired top designers and architects to build homes in the developing Peninsula market.

One of his most controversial experimental homes was the X-100. built in the mid- 1960's in the Eichler Highlands, west of San Mateo.

It contained garden areas with translucent walls, sliding doors instead of windows: glass dividing walls, sky domes (to enjoy the stars on clear nights and to cut electric bills), a concealed cooking surface in the dining table, and a plumbing "core" with two baths, laundry, utility and kitchen in one location, separating free activity and living areas.

A strong proponent of civil rights, Eichler quit the Associated Home Builders organization because it would not endorse civil rights legislation.

Active as a Democrat and conservationist, he was county co-chairman of the Adlai Stevenson presidential campaign, and was Northern California chairman of the presidential bid of Pierre Salinger. Active also in philanthropic endeavors, he was the 1958 recipient of City of Hope's "Man of the Year" award. It was pointed out at that time that Eichler had donated major scholarships to colleges and universities, made liberal contributions to various charitable institutions, and had a major interest in aiding building funds for colleges and the Family Service Association.

Survivors include his widow, Mrs. Lillian Eichler of Burlingame; two sons, Edward, and Richard, and four grandchildren. Funeral services will be conducted at 3 p.m. Sunday at the Roller and Hapgood Funeral Home, Palo Alto.

Free Screening of "The Greenest Building" Documentary at the Crest!

2011-07-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

"The greenest building is... one that is already built."

- Carl Elefante, AIA, LEED AP

On Monday, July 25th, 2011, “The Greenest Building,” a new hour-long documentary will be shown at the Crest Theatre, 1013 K Street, Sacramento. All ages are welcome, and there is no charge for admission. Doors open at 6:30 for the 7PM show. A panel discussion will follow at approximately 8PM, highlighting the ideas in the film in relation to recent and upcoming preservation projects in Sacramento.

Per the event flyer, "The Greenest Building provides a compelling argument for conservation, rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of our existing building stock as the single-most effective strategy for reducing, reusing, and recycling one of our most important consumer products -- our buildings."

Screening of the film is presented by the Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA) and the Crest Theatre. More details are available via a Facebook event page, which encourages: "If you are interested in buildings, community development, sustainable communities or just plain want to find out if existing buildings really are worth keeping, plan to attend this special event."

I started this post with a quote by Carl Elefante. He has some thought-provoking ideas about modernist buildings in his June 2008 essay, "Renewing Modernism" from Places (Forum of Design for the Public Realm):

As modernism becomes historic, the 'modern-era' building stock, as it is often termed, is moving into a period of refurbishment.... Numbers alone indicate the importance of preserving and transforming modern-era buildings. Structures from the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s represent more than 55 percent of all nonresidential buildings in the United States.... over the next generation, renovating modern-era buildings represents an even larger and more difficult endeavor than designing new buildings....

... working with modern buildings is redefining preservation thinking and technology. Modern architects and builders were famously forward-looking and quick to innovate, frequently incorporating materials and methods with little track record and no established methods for maintenance, repair and reconditioning.... The preservation of modern-era buildings will be driven by sustainability, and making modern-era buildings sustainable will be no small undertaking.....

The challenge lies in three areas. First, the fractured urbanism and far-flung suburbanization of modern-era cities presents tough problems.... Second, improving the exterior envelopes of modern-era buildings will be difficult and may favor replacement over enhancement. Third, modern-era buildings were designed in an era of cheap energy, and nearly all depend on fossil-fuel-consuming systems to be
habitable, even on the most basic level....

These implications and challenges are not what lovers of mid-century modern architecture necessarily want to hear, but they are indeed food for thought. In another essay Elefante highlights the important role of historic preservation: "To fully capture the value of the existing building stock requires merging two disciplines: historic preservation and green building. It requires an understanding of how to respect and renew what is already here and a vision for where and how to transform the legacy of the past into the promise of tomorrow."

Further links and ideas regarding green building and historic preservation:
- CA State Parks Green Preservation in the News
- Sustainable Historic Preservation
- Smart Growth and Sustainable Preservation of Existing and Historic Buildings
- Calculators for embodied energy
- the Original Green

I'm looking forward to seeing The Greenest Building and hearing what the panel has to say. Hope to see you there.

CarterSparks.org!

2011-07-18T15:53:00.000-07:00

With great delight and admiration I'd like to announce a website my friend and colleague, Justin Wood, has been preparing: an "informal archive" of works designed by Sacramento's beloved architect Carter Sparks. Please visit CarterSparks.org for a look at Sparks' works and additional detailed information.

Per Justin's welcome section from CarterSparks.org: "This project originally started as a private repository for notes and research related to the Sacramento, California area architect, Carter Sparks. Sparks practiced a contemporary style of design from roughly the mid-1950's until the early 1990's. He was best known for his design work on behalf of the Streng Brothers designing 'modern' tract homes."

I "met" Justin on Flickr a couple of years ago and was thrilled to discover someone else in town with similar interests. Since then we have been freely discussing and sharing our research findings about mid-century modern architecture in the Sacramento region. I've posted about Carter Sparks many times in my blog (look under "posts by topic" in the left margin) and am so happy to see Justin's diligent and thorough research developed into a resource now available to all of you!

Please contact Justin if you have any additional information regarding any home in the archive -- or any home you believe should be in the archive. As Justin states: "There are more works out there, and some that are gone forever. One of the intentions of this archive is to catalog and bring awareness to Sparks' works so that they may be appreciated and saved when they are threatened."

One of my favorite features of the archive is the Visual Index of All Custom Homes. It allows you to see the evolution in Sparks' designs over time.

While you're at it, check out Justin's cool art work and his other MCM-related site, Modern Valley, which features "post and beam mid-century style architecture in the Sacramento Valley..."

California State Fair -- Something for Everyone!

2011-07-09T00:31:00.000-07:00

State Fairgrounds at Broadway & Stockton Boulevard as seen from the air. Sacramento, California - From my personal postcard collection

It's that time of year again - only five more days until the California State Fair, where "Big Fun" has been happening since 1854. The first CA State Fair was in San Francisco and showcased things such as a three foot long, ten lb. carrot (Bugs Bunny would be jealous!); 72 lb. beets; and two inch long peanuts.

Sacramento has been home to the Fair since 1859. In 1909, the fair was moved to a new site at Broadway and Stockton Boulevard (as seen in the postcard above) where it continued for the next 58 years. In this post I'm sharing a sampling of images from the Stockton Boulevard site.

It just wouldn't be a Fair without entertainment, right? Check out what they did for kicks in 1913: crash two locomotive engines together!

Video of vintage footage via LiveLeak

Even though this scene below is from over 50 years ago, anyone who has been to the Fair should recognize this familiar parking situation!

Postcard of the Fairground via the Sacramento Room's Digital Collection at the City of Sacramento Public Library

California State Fair Agricultural Building, Sacramento, California - from my personal postcard collection

This postcard states: "The California State Fair is housed in its own seven-and-a-half-million-dollar plant in the capital city. It is the largest state fair in the United States, featuring a two-million-dollar livestock parade, harness and running races, a nightly horse show and a brilliant nightly stage review."

Lovely ladies going to see the Horse Show, 1941; Found photo - from my personal collection

Newspaper ad for the 1950 California State Fair - from my microfilm research

Hall of Flowers - via the Sacramento Room's Digital Collection at the City of Sacramento Public Library

Cute girl in front of the Hall of Flowers, 1951 - Found photo from my personal collection

California State Fair Agricultural Building - from my personal postcard collection

The postcard above says: "Flowers in riotous profusion border the lagoon in front of the Agricultural Building at the State Fair."

California State Fairgrounds at the Broadway & Stockton Boulevard site - from my personal postcard collection

Here is an example of the entertainment in 1964: check out Rocket Man!

Article from the Sacramento Bee, September 1, 1964

Per the article: ".... Using a rocket belt developed by the Bell Aerosystems Company, the Rocket Man, by means of jet propulsion, shoots up to heights in excess of 60 feet and travels at 60 miles per hour. The belt is the only known means of propelling a man above the ground in controlled free flight.... Literally free as a bird, the Rocket Man puts on a fantastic Buck Rogers demonstration which would only have been considered science fiction a few short years ago." That's entertainment!

1967 was the last year the Fair was held at the Broadway and Stockton Boulevard site. Since then, most of the buildings have been lost to fire or destroyed by the wrecking ball. In 1968, the Fair was opened at Cal Expo, where it remains today. I look forward to sharing some cool information about the "modernistic" buildings at Cal Expo designed by Wurster, Bernardi and Emmons in another post.

In the meantime, put on your favorite comfortable shoes, wear sunscreen, and bring your sunglasses and a hat. It's time for some Big Fun!

There's Something Happening Here: Design Collectives

2011-06-23T17:20:00.000-07:00

This last weekend I had the pleasure of attending an open house at Building212, "a unique creative space in Sacramento's Mansion Flats District. Building212 is home to a diverse group of craftspeople, whose work spans the spectrum from cabinetry to jewelry." It was wonderful to see and celebrate the work of Phillip Garcia/14th Street Millworks, Maya Kini, Brian Schmitt, Sherry Olsen and Stephen Schubauer. For more pictures of the open house, visit Rik Keller Photography.

I had previously visited Building212 in April when friend/colleague Ian Merker made arrangements to show Erik Bricker, director of Visual Acoustics, the exciting design and craft work at the building. Before the screening of his film at the Crocker Art Museum, we were showing Erik around town to give him a sense of what is happening here in Sacramento. During our visit, I was struck with a profound admiration and recognition that, in the last couple of years, I've been noticing a positive trend in Sacramento: craftspeople, creatives, artists and workers are building communities together. Not only sharing physical space, but also sharing visions, dreams, passions and ideas. People are coming together, taking a leap of faith and putting their trust in others. They are taking action and building cooperative, collective, and collaborative spaces.

If you take a look around, it doesn't take long to find them. Here is a brief look at a few collectives in addition to Building212:

Urban Hive
A cooperative co-working space.

Photo by Daisy Sugiyama via Urban Hive's Facebook page

Per their website:

"The Urban Hive gives that independent a place to go--an un-office, if you will--to work, create, collaborate, refresh and (yes) play. Think of it as a great company culture, just without the company. We provide a professional work space for independent workers, creatives, and small companies. Coffee, wifi, and a community of Sacramento's coolest coworkers come standard. Choose to work café-style, desk-style, or office-style.

We think that one of the things that makes our community so great is the dramatic space that we call home. Located in an industrial modern space that includes a full art gallery, conference and meeting rooms, art and design studios, and even traditional offices. It is a place that inspires and encourages non-linear, creative, out-of-the-cubicle thinking.

More than the space, though, Creatives benefit from the community environment where spontaneous brainstorming stimulates idea exchange, fosters networking and even provides opportunities for project collaboration."

Capitol Creative Collective
A group of creatives that regularly meet and have a design directory.

Fun and camaraderie C3 style, via Facebook

Per C3's Facebook page:

"The CCC is a consortium of multi-disciplined designers, artists and architects founded by designer Jake Favour in Sacramento. The CCC started life as a small gathering of creative friends over a few pints and steadily grew into the Sacramento areas largest designer gathering...."

Beatnik Studios
A cooperative photography studio/gallery/event space.

Per their blog, "Beatnik Studios is a cooperative studio/gallery located in the heart of the Tower District at 2421 17th Street just off Broadway." On Facebook: "Sacramento's source to create, celebrate & collaborate with the community and elevate the amazing talents that surround us."

Verge Center for the Arts
A non-profit arts organization dedicated to the ".... promotion and support of contemporary art in the Sacramento region ... through the production of contemporary art exhibitions, artist residencies, educational programming, and by providing affordable studio space to Sacramento artists.

via Verge Center for the Arts' Facebook page

Per Jesse Powell, Verge's founder:

"In founding Verge, I had two goals: create a supportive incubator of artists where ideas could be shared and collaborations made, and create a gallery for contemporary art that would both educate Sacramento and be significant on an international stage...."

Bows Collective
A group of spirited people running an art gallery, retail shop, and a cafe with a beer and wine bar.

Bows Collective via Facebook

Per their website:

"We are a house of inspiration. We bring the creativity and quality and love and attention to everything involved in our work. Be it the food, the clothing, the art, the music, the beer and wine, the jewelry and furniture. Everything has been lovingly chosen and brought forth for your enjoyment. We are a collective of people who are very dedicated to the concept of being a small seller of all things special."

Scout Living

Scout Living via Facebook

A mid-century modern and antique collective with independent sellers of 20th century furniture and design. All of the sellers helped design the retail space and take turns working in the store. Enduring friendships have formed and they often consult with one another and help identify each other's finds.

Finally, I feel a need to mention that BlankBlank (now in Courtland) was one of the first collaborative design partnerships in Sacramento. At the time BlankBlank included designers Curtis Popp and Rob Zinn. I believe they helped provide inspiration to those that have followed.

The advantages of being a member of these communities like these are numerous. They provide a source of support and inspiration; a way to bounce ideas off of others and problem-solve; a feeling of being more connected and less isolated; an opportunity for synergy and collaboration. They remind me of a fundamental Gestalt principle that I learned first in psychology and later in design: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.

Here comes the Sun(flower Farmers Market)

2011-06-16T17:17:00.000-07:00

Great news for our neighborhood this month! As reported in the Sacramento Bee, we'll likely be welcoming a Sunflower Farmers Market in the Sutterville Shopping Center (located at the corners of Del Rio Boulevard and South Land Park Drive). This seems like a great time to share with you what I've gathered on the history of the center, which was originally built in 1955.

Original rendering of the Sutterville Shopping Center, 1955

The Sutterville Shopping Center was designed by Los Angeles architects Karel Kooper & Curtis C. Maybeck. Built with a steel and wood frame, the center was decorated with native stone and brick. The original occupants of the center were:
- a Cardinal super market;
- Land Park Pharmacy, owned by Joseph Russ and Ted Econome;
- a coffee shop owned by William Thompson;
- an interior decorating and furnishings store owned by Richard McClernon;
- a women's clothing store owned by Mrs. Andrew Bartolini and Mrs. Vera Wacholder;
- a variety and toy shop owned by Doris Gossling;
- Swift Cleaners dry cleaning shop;
- a barber shop owned by Louis Caldwell, and;
- a beauty shop owned by Charles Crowley.

As noted in a Sacramento Press article earlier this year, "The building near South Land Park Drive and Sutterville Road has always been anchored by a grocery store since its construction in the early 1950s – from Cardinal and Lucky Stores to Compton's Market and Wilco. But the 21,000-square-foot, ground-floor space has been empty since a Prime Market left about two and a half years ago."

Cardinal comes to Sutterville - from my microfilm research, Sacramento Bee

According to this month's Bee article, Sunflower Farmers Market signed a 30 year lease at the Sutterville Shopping Center and "tenant improvements will begin immediately with major upgrades at the 30,000-square-foot store site...." Of course, I hope any exterior changes are consistent and sensitive with the shopping center's original mid-century modern architecture. For example, Parkside Pharmacy's remodel blends nicely with the center's original style, right down to the dimensional letters on top of the center's soffit.

Let's give a big welcome to Sunflower Farmers Market -- looking forward to having their wonderful store in our neighborhood!

Beautiful home designed by Caywood & Nopp

2011-06-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Special thanks to my pal jwoo, who posted the listing for this outstanding 1963 custom mid-century modern ranch in Carmichael on Facebook and helped me finally make the connection where this home is located. I've had an old two page Architectural Digest article from 1965 and knew that the home likely still existed but had no idea as to where.

Architectural Digest, Summer 1965, pp. 86 & 87. From my collection

Per the listing, "Rare opportunity to own a 4400 sqft one story home on the American River w/outrageous river riews! Pvt. gated setting w/pool, boat hoist & retractable stairs to the river. The main house has 3 bedrooms and an office. There is a one bedroom apartment w/living room, kitchen, separate bedroom and full bathroom w/its own entrance for a live-in or an additional bedroom/playroom for the main house."

I love the use of natural materials with special attention given to the ceilings and surfaces - such a well-crafted home with gorgeous views of the river! I can only imagine that architects Grant Caywood and Jack Nopp had a great time designing this home. According to the listing agent, the home was built for the family that started Crystal Dairy and then was owned for 40 years by philanthropist Hardie Setzer of Setzer Forest Products.

A little more about the architects: Grant D. Caywood was a respected and decorated WWII pilot who helped rebuild Germany by designing roads, hospitals, shopping centers and homes after the war. In 1953, he founded his architectural firm in Sacramento. His firm worked on diverse projects throughout Northern California, including the KCRA television studios, the Sacramento Municipal Airport Master Plan, and numerous commercial buildings, residences, and institutions. He was Chairman of the Sacramento City Planning Commission from 1953 to 1957. He shared his passion with his students – as an instructor/lecturer in both aeronautics and architecture.

Jack D. Nopp worked independently in Ukiah before working with local firms such as Barovetto & Thomas and Cox, Liske & Associates. He worked with Grant Caywood from 1963 to 1978, and designed several residences and commercial buildings in Sacramento and Placerville.

I've posted a little bit about Mr. Caywood previously in this blog. He was friends and neighbors with the original owners of our Eichler home. In 1962, Mr. Caywood designed an addition to our Eichler home. He also designed a wonderful lighting system in the dining room and den, a cool bookcase, and an improved roof and gutter system.

I'm not an agent nor am I affliated with one; I am posting this as a public service to those who are interested and love MCM design and architecture as much as I do.

blushing Gee. Thanks!

2011-06-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Issue 28 of Sactown Magazine. June/July 2011

What a pleasant surprise yesterday evening when my husband opened the latest issue of Sactown Magazine and said quietly, "Did you know that you're mentioned in here?" I replied incredulously, "What do you mean?!" But there I am on page 66 of Issue 28 (June/July 2011) with other Sacramento MCM friends in the story entitled "Best of the City" under the heading "Mod Squads."

Per the article, "... you need to know about three very cool sites that celebrate '50s-era design in our fair city. The first, Eichlerific, is a must-read blog launched with a focus on modern homes in Sacramento... but has grown to encompass all things mid-century here, from local landmarks to artists and the modern architects who helped shape this city."

Wow, Sactown! Thank you so much and I will endeavor to live up to your kind words.

I'm in great company under the "Mod Squads" category with my friends at Mimomito and Scout Living -- who, by the way, are in the middle of their soft opening today of their new store located at 1215 18th Street in Midtown. See Toni's post on Mimomito for an inside peek and make your way over there. They're open unusually late -- until 10pm tonight! You can also read more about their new store in an article by Brandon Darnell in Sacramento Press here.

Photo of Scout Living owners Stefan Bloom and Erin Boyle by Brandon Darnell via Saramento Press

If you can't make it in today, check them out during regular business hours (tba) or wait to celebrate with them during their Grand Opening during Art Second Saturday on June 11, 2011 from 5:00pm to 9pm. See you there!

All That Jazz

2011-05-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

MoMo Club ad from my microfilm research: Sacramento Bee, March 10, 1951

In honor of this weekend's 38th Annual Sacramento Jazz Festival & Jubilee, I decided to drag out some old jazz club ads I found during my microfilm research this last year. The ads are from the late 1940s and 1950s when the West End (now downtown and Capitol Mall) was really hopping.

The West End has a long and interesting history, which I hope to give justice in telling some day. For now, I'll quote an article written by Stephen Magagnini in the Sacramento Bee on June 5, 2005, describing the West End as:

"a multiethnic neighborhood between 10th Street and the Sacramento River that was home to citizens of Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Mexican and African descent, as well as nightclubs, card clubs and brothels. The Bee once called it one of the worst slums in the nation."

Here are the places for which I have found ads thus far:

Nitz Jackson's Zanzibar: 530 M Street (Capitol Avenue); at the southwest corner of 6th and Capitol.

Via the Center for Sacramento History from the Eugene Hepting Collection

This former restaurant/bar was transformed into a club in 1941 and remained open until November 1949.

The Zanzibar had performers over the years like Louis Armstrong, Dizzy Gillespie, Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge, Saunders King, Edith Griffin, Sunny Gonsalves, Hunter Gray Trio and Vincent Theodore "Ted" Thompson's combo, to name a few.

Zanzibar ad from my microfilm research: Sacramento Bee, October 20, 1948

Hovey Moore's MoMo Club: Across the street from the Zanzibar, also at 6th and Capitol. Open until the mid-1950s.

Via the Center for Sacramento History from the Ralph Shaw Collection

Back in the day many entertainers played at the MoMo, including Duke Ellington, Josephine Baker, Jay Payton, Stuffy Bryant, Leroy Harold, Harrel Wiley, Lil Allen Robinson, Gene Morris, Emily Foster, The Rhythmettes, Leo Valentine Trio, Opal Mann, Four Sharps and a Natural, and Betty Shepherd.

MoMo Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, May 27, 1950

MoMo Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, June 6, 1950

MoMo Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, July 15, 1950

MoMo Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, September 16, 1950

MoMo Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, February 17, 1951

Al Oxman's Clayton Club: 1126 7th Street, in the former Clayton Hotel which became the Hotel Marshall in the 1940s.

Via Sacramento Public Library: Sacramento Room's Digital Collection

At the Clayton Club headliners such as Cab Calloway, Billie Holiday, The Treniers, Gene Bell, Happy Johnson Quintette, and many others performed here.

Clayton Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, February 7, 1951

Clayton Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, February 16, 1951

Clayton Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, February 21, 1951

Clayton Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, February 28, 1951

Clayton Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, March 10, 1951

Clayton Club ad from my microfilm research. Sacramento Bee, May 7, 1952

Redevelopment of the West End began in the late 1950s and early 1960s. These days, most nearby jazz heard playing is in Old Sacramento.

From my microfilm research: Sacramento Bee, October 28, 1962

Apparently there were other clubs as well, such as the Cotton Club on 6th Street Between J and K, and the Congo Club at 329 Capitol Avenue -- I'll have to see if I can find any vintage ads from these clubs during my microfilm researching.

Stay cool this weekend, hepcats!

Mystery MCM Mosaic

2011-05-23T23:36:00.000-07:00

Untitled mosaic, from our collection

Sometimes I get lucky and run across something that just feels right. For instance, I found this mid-century modern mosaic during the last 15 minutes it was for sale on eBay back in 2002. It was being sold by someone in San Diego who knew very little about it. All I knew was that my husband and I instantly fell in love with it and bought it for our second anniversary.

It's been quite a trip ever since. Turns out another bidder was writing a book and wanted to include the mosaic in it. We had it professionally photographed for him and sent the slides off to Australia. You can find it on page 68 in the 2003 book Beatsville by Martin McIntosh of Outré Gallery. Check out the gallery and Martin's other cool book Taboo: The Art of Tiki. Highly recommended reading!

Last year I happened to notice an awesome and eerily similar mosaic in the home of my buddy and Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour co-coordinator, Dane Henas.

photo by Carl Costas via the Sacramento Bee

The colors and scale were about the same as our mystery mosaic. Dane explained his mosaic was by well-known mid-century artists Jerome and Evelyn Ackerman. In addition to their wonderful website, you can read more about them here and here.

Mermaid, mosaic panel, 1957.
Elipses, mosaic panel, 1958 via AckermanModern.com

Evelyn Ackerman, Puerta, 1959, Mosaic tile, ERA Industries
48.5”h x 13”w via Los Angeles Modern Auctions Blog

Source unknown: via ObjectsUSA.com

Aha, I thought. A clue! I immediately contacted the Ackermans who thought our untitled mosaic was designed in the late 1950s by their associate, architect Sherrill Broudy. That's where my trail has ended to date.

Yesterday I ran across a great website -- Mid-Centuria -- and to my surprise I saw our mystery mosaic! With kind words acknowledging it came from my Flickr photostream and a plea for further information about the artist.

Sigh. Alas, the mosaic remains a mystery. If anyone out there can positively identify the piece or the artist, we'd be very thankful.

1949: Crest Theatre's Gala Premiere

2011-05-14T01:52:00.000-07:00

Via Sacramento Public Library: Sacramento Room's Digital Collection

"When you pass thru this portal

You leave all cares behind you."

The above quote greets all who enter the Crest Theatre -- a historic city landmark and a place of many memories for multiple generations in Sacramento. In this post, I'm going to share some pictures and information regarding the Crest Theatre's Gala Premiere on October 6, 1949.

The Crest Theatre has had a long and complicated history dating back almost 100 years. Here is a brief overview:

Empress Theatre: In 1912, it was first built as the Empress, a vaudeville theater started by Big Tim Sullivan and John W. Considine. They hired Seattle architect Lee DeCamp and the doors opened on January 19, 1913. Alexander Kaiser, father of famous mid-century designer Ray Eames, was the manager.

The Hippodrome: In 1918, the Empress became the Hippodrome, which showed both vaudeville acts and films. In 1927, the Hippodrome became a full-time movie theater. A fire gutted the interior in the 1940s and later, in 1946, the marquee came crashing down without warning, injuring three people and killing Mrs. R.S. Potter who was visiting from Alta in Placer County. Subsequently, Fox West Coast Theatres decided to tear down the Hippodrome to the original brick walls and start anew.

Via the Center for Sacramento History's Eugene Hepting Collection

In 1949, construction began for the Crest Theatre, designed this time by architects Cantin and Cantin from San Francisco.

From my Flickr photostream

According to a two-page advertisement placed in the Sacramento Bee on October 5, 1949:

"The Crest Theatre is the consummation of an ideal. In creating it, we of Fox West Coast Theatres sought the ultimate in perfection in Motion Picture Theatre Construction. To achieve this goal, we engaged the most progressive and modern creators in the engineering, architectural and decorative professions. To their knowledge, we added the years of research of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences -- together with the exhibition experience of our own organization. All were carefully welded to bring to reality -- the perfect theatre -- a model of theatre construction for years to come; a theatre embodying the miracles of modern science and comfort, blending beauty and graciousness with practical utility...."

Photos taken October 29, 1949 - Via Sacramento Public Library: Sacramento Room's Digital Collection

From my Flickr photostream

The Crest Theatre's Gala Premiere was held Thursday, October 6, 1949. Five-thousand people attended the festivities, including: several stars of the film That Midnight Kiss; Governor Earl Warren; and Mayor Belle Cooledge. According to the article in the Sacramento Bee the next day, there were "giant searchlights... two floor shows, free orchids, sleek black limousines" and lots of "stiff shirted Fox West Coast executives."

From my Flickr photostream

The event was also covered by a MovieTone news reel: "Governor Warren Attends Opening of Crest Theatre" which can be seen via History of Movie Theatres in Sacramento by KVIE.

Stills from History of Movie Theatres in Sacramento by KVIE

The Crest Theatre continued to show films until 1979, when it closed, according to the Crest's website, due to "a variety of factors including the decline of the K Street mall, television and multiplexes.... From 1980 to 1986, various people tried to operate the theatre with out much luck." In 1986, a spirited group of people renovated the Crest. Go here for a fascinating, amusing and detailed history, which included a re-opening featuring the film Singin' in the Rain and a visit by Donald O'Connor.

In 1995, the Crest was treated to a $1 million dollar makeover to restore it to its original grandeur. More recently, the Crest's neon marquee was refurbished after 60 years. The sign for the September 21, 2009 re-lighting ceremony proclaimed "10 stories high, 2 miles of neon, 1 fantastic sign!"

The future of the Crest continues to look bright after Bob Emerick purchased it earlier this year with the promise of protecting and preserving it. More here.

If you're like me and can't get enough of the beautiful Crest Theatre, I highly recommend checking out photographs lovingly taken over the years by talented photographer Tom Spaulding.

Vintage postcard of K Street, including the Crest Theatre, from my Flickr photostream

1961 Custom Residence of James C. Dodd, FAIA For Sale

2011-05-06T17:13:00.000-07:00

James C. Dodd was Sacramento's first African-American licensed architect and worked on several key Sacramento landmarks in the 1950s, 60s and 70s. In 1982 he was admitted to the AIA (American Institute of Architects) College of Fellows for outstanding contribution to the profession and public service.

Mr. Dodd's personal custom residence is currently for sale. I am not an agent or affiliated with one, but I was honored to take photographs of this home to celebrate Mr. Dodd's memory and document his work. The home has true mid-century details and materials throughout. It needs some patience, vision, and mid-century modern love to make it shine. It is located in the Golf Course Village neighborhood, right below Bing Maloney Golf Course. Here are two historical ads I found while looking at microfilm (1, 2) from 1955 that reflect other modern homes in the neighborhood.

Mr. Dodd graduated from UC Berkeley in 1952. He became a member of AIA in 1957. In addition to working at the firms of Baravetto +Thomas and McCabe, Cox + Liske, he opened his own firm in 1960.

Mr. Dodd's projects (per his self report to the AIA, his obituary, and my research) in Sacramento region included:
- Brutalist-style Crocker Art Museum Herold Wing expansion (1969) (Associate architect with McCabe, Cox & Liske);
- Aerojet Prototype Housing, 1969;
- Sacramento Community/Convention Center;
- Shiloh Baptist Church, 1961;
- Sacramento Capitol City S.D.A. Church;
- science building at UC Davis;
- the redesign of Sacramento High School;
- Rescue Elementary School in El Dorado Hills;
- Jackson Elementary School in El Dorado Hills, 1969;
- Holly Heights in Willits;
- Walnut Village in Ukiah;
- Cypress Ridge (a solar energy project) in Fort Bragg;
- Sunshine Manor in Lakeport;
- Highlands Village in Clearlake Highlands.

Of note, the Center for Sacramento History recognizes the importance of Mr. Dodd's contribution as Sacramento's first African American architect and has an archive record of several drawings as well as a few photographs taken of him at the height of his career.

Mr. Dodd worked tirelessly in the community, including but not limited to: doing public service for Big Brothers; being president of the Central Valley chapter of the American Institute of Architects; giving speeches with Toastmasters and serving as chairman of the Board of Governors of the CA Community Colleges.

I am posting this as a public service to those who are interested and love MCM design and architecture as much as I do. I was happy to document this home for historical purposes and to honor the memory of Sacramento's first African-American architect.

Armet & Davis in Sacramento: Remembering Eldon Davis

2011-04-27T12:42:00.000-07:00

via Chris Nichols of Los Angeles Magazine

Sad day in Googieland, my friends. Eldon Davis, of Armet, Davis, Newlove Architects in Los Angeles passed away last Friday. I've posted before about their work here in Sacramento and wanted to elaborate further today. More on that below but first a little history.

(Aside: I've been hobbling around post-surgery and became aware of Mr. Davis' passing via the personal and public Facebook pages of Alan Hess, Mid-Century Modern Fresno, John Crosse of Southern California Architectural History, MH of Modernesia, and SH of Modern Tulsa to name a few. Many thanks to them for alerting me to the news.)

via Valerie J. Nelson, Los Angeles Times

Per Mr. Eldon's obituary from the Los Angeles Times:

"With architect Louis Armet, Davis opened a local firm in 1947 and developed a reputation for being willing to try almost anything to catch the attention of motorists who sped by.

The architects were chief proponents of Googie, named for a now-defunct cafe in West Hollywood, and derided by critics in the 1950s and 1960s 'who didn't think a lot of our work but we didn't care,' said Victor Newlove, a partner in the firm who started as an intern in the 1960s.

With their soaring and exaggerated roof lines, their buildings appeared to defy gravity, a structural innovation for which Davis was largely responsible....

Neon signs became a trademark, and they devised an animated sign for Pann's, a coffee shop in Westchester. Run by the same family since it opened in 1958, the restaurant is probably the best preserved example of Davis' work, Newlove said....

Other Davis designs include prototypes for local Denny's and Bob's Big Boy restaurants, blueprints that were exported across the country.

'They brought modern architecture to the daily life of the average Angeleno,' said Alan Hess, who wrote the 2004 book "Googie Redux."

'There's a great deal of interest and affection for their buildings,' Hess said. 'The work of Armet and Davis is as significant to Southern California as Richard Neutra or Rudolph Schindler.'"

via Los Angeles Times

Alan Hess did a great interview with Madeline Brand of Southern California Public Radio yesterday. Have a listen.

During my microfilm searches, I've run across three buildings by Armet & Davis in Sacramento thus far. The following is by no means an exhaustive list but simply what I've verified to date.

The Big Top Restaurant, 1962: via my Flickr photostream

1962: SAM'S BIG TOP RESTAURANT. (Note the similarities to Norm's in picture above!)

From my microfilm research, Sacramento Bee, February 11, 1962, page D12 -- "DOWNTOWN RESTAURANT -- Construction is scheduled to start at 16th and K Streets about March 1st on the Big Top, a restaurant to be operated by Pioneer Restaurants, Inc., headed by Sam Gordon. The facility will occupy the site of the former Stan's Drive in. Containing 3,650 square feet of floor space, the restaurant will feature 24 hour booth and counter service. It will have seating accommodations for 97 persons and parking space in the rear for 45 cars. The restaurant will be decorated in a circus theme."

Sadly, Sam's Big Top Restaurant at the corner of 16th & K Streets is no longer there. But thanks to the power of microfilm research, we can enjoy the pictures of it after it was newly constructed:

Night view of The Big Top Restaurant, 1962; via my Flickr photostream

Interior view of The Big Top Restaurant, 1962; via my Flickr photostream

1964: EPPIE'S COFFEE SHOP. I've written about this still existing but unoccupied building before. But here are some "new" pictures from my microfilm research.

Eppie's Coffee Shop rendering, 1964; via my Flickr photostream

Rendering from the Sacramento Bee, Sunday Jan 19, 1964 p. C6 -- "Angular roof lines are key feature of Louis Armet's design for Eppie's Coffee Shop, a $250,000 development on which work has begun at 30th and N Streets"

Eppie's Coffee Shop completed, 1964; via my Flickr photostream

Photo from my microfilm research - Sacramento Bee, Sunday June 21, 1964 p. D24 -- "OPERATING - Eppie's Restaurant and Coffee Shop, a $285,000 folded roof structure, opened last week at 30th and N Streets, a corner on which one motel was recently built and construction of another is about to begin. The restaurant is operated by Sacramento caterer Eppie Johnson under a lease from Edwin J. Bedell, former capital hotel man and restauranteur. The structure was designed by the Los Angeles architectural firm of Armet and Davis."

1968: EPPIE'S COFFEE SHOP #2

Eppie's Coffee Shop #2 completed, 1968; via my Flickr photostream

Photo from my microfilm research, Sacramento Bee, Saturday August 17, 1968 p. D5 -- "NEW AREA RESTAURANT - Eppie's Restaurant No. 2 opened last Thursday at 6431 Florin Road. The restaurant has a California modern decore (sic) in an orange color scheme. The Lawrence Construction Co. of Sacramento was the contractor for the 4,000 square foot building designe by the architect (sic) firm of Armet & Davis of Los Angeles. The restaurant represents a total investment of $390,000."

I'll be keeping an eye out for more Armet & Davis designs in Sacramento. For more pictures and information on Googie architecture in Sacramento, please visit my incomplete and ever-expanding Flickr set.

Life at Dreyfuss & Blackford in 2011

2011-04-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy to be sharing a fun video recently posted by Jason A. Silva et al. of Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects. It's a glimpse into their life and work at D&B in the present -- with a nod to their past, of course. Their firm put this together for an open house event with AIACV. Love this!

2011 Dreyfuss & Blackford Life from Jason A. Silva, AIA on Vimeo.

You can keep up with their current and future work by checking out Jason's other Vimeo posts, Dreyfuss & Blackford's Flickr photostream and website.

From Dreyfuss & Blackford | Architects & Planners brochure

I've posted before about the work of Dreyfuss & Blackford in three separate posts (see 1 2 3). There is still so much to say about this Sacramento architectural firm who has been going strong for over 60 years!

Thanks for joining us at the Crocker Art Museum for Visual Acoustics

2011-04-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Introductions by Ian Merker, AIACV and Gretchen Steinberg, SacMod

Many, many thanks for those of you who joined us at the successful screening of Visual Acoustics at the Crocker Art Museum on Thursday, April 7, 2011. We were pleased and humbled to see the event almost sold out. Thanks to the Crocker Art Museum for collaborating with AIACV and SacMod and letting us use their new and beautiful state-of-the-art venue. Thanks also to Director Eric Bricker for making his wonderful film (his first!) and taking the time out of his busy schedule to join us.

Our educational display with photos taken by Julius Shulman in Sacramento

Eric Bricker, Director of Visual Acoustics and Gretchen Steinberg, SacMod

Dane Henas from SacMod being goofy -- doing his best Vanna White impression, ha ha!

We presented an educational display with several photos that Julius Shulman took in Sacramento in the early 1960s. We decided to seek them out and research them at the last minute so people could enjoy a special connection with him in our town. Many thanks to historian John Crosse (who was also a researcher for Visual Acoustics), JW and B for their contributions to our educational display. Thanks also to Ian Merker from AIACV (our colleague and co-presenter extraordinaire) for printing the images and providing the materials to display the images. Special thanks also to our former SacMod colleague Kris Lannin Liang who had to move away from Sacramento but initially worked on this event.

Jerry Blomberg and Dane Henas with an original copy of an ad featuring Jerry's Sacramento home

My favorite Shulman pictures taken in Sacramento are of a home in South Land Park Estates; these were featured in a 1961 ad for American Saint Gobain glass. The home was collaboratively designed by homeowner Jerry Blomberg and George Muraki, with George Muraki being the architect on record. Last year we printed the ad we had researched for the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour display. Little did we know at the time that the images were taken by Julius Shulman. I invited Mr. Blomberg to join us at the event and was so pleased to see him show up -- with his own copy of the ad and another magazine article that I had been looking for but was unable to find in time!

Director Eric Bricker leading a post-screening discussion

Here are more photos taken at the event. Thanks again to everyone who made the event possible; and a shout-out to Midtown Monthly and to Sacramento area bloggers Davis Life Magazine, Mimomito, Rebecca Crowther of Sac History Happenings (Sacramento Bee), Capitol Creative Collective, Glitter and Grunge and our Twitter friends for helping spread the word.

Did you know that Julius Shulman photographed several Sacramento buildings?

2011-04-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

We will be sharing some of these photographs with you in person at Crocker Art Museum's Film Frame: Visual Acoustics this Thursday evening. My favorite photos of the bunch are of a residence designed by Sacramento architect George Muraki for the Blomberg family. You may recall that Mr. Muraki's personal home was featured in the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour last June.

Why not come directly to the Crocker after work? Remember -- admission includes access to the museum. Have a bite to eat at the Crocker Cafe and relax with a cocktail.

See Crocker's website for details on buying tickets. Hope to see you there.

Visual Acoustics at the Crocker with Director Eric Bricker on April 7, 2011 at 7PM

2011-03-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

"Stahl House (CSH#22)” photographed by Julius Shulman (1960)

"In a way, you can stop time." - Julius Shulman

A special screening of the documentary Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman will be held at the Crocker Art Museum on Thursday, April 7, 2011 at 7:00 PM. This film celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, whose photographs brought modern architecture and progressive architects into American mainstream. Director Eric Bricker will introduce the film and lead a post-screening discussion. Anyone with an interest in Modernism, photography, architecture, and design should enjoy this film.

“Kaufmann House” photographed by Julius Shulman (1947)

Part of Crocker Art Museum's Film Frame series during "Thursdays 'til 9", Visual Acoustics is being presented in collaboration with SacMod -- an organization dedicated to promoting, preserving and protecting modern art, architecture and design in the Sacramento region -- and AIA Central Valley, the local chapter of the American Institute of Architects.

Tickets to the event are $6 for Crocker Art Museum members and $12 for non-members. Admission to the film includes admission to the museum, which will be open until 9:00pm. Food and drink will be available for purchase at the Crocker Cafe until 8:45 PM. For more information and to order tickets online, go to http://crockerartmuseum.org/learn-do/details/7705-film-frame

Julius Shulman, from VISUAL ACOUSTICS, an Arthouse Films release 2009. Copyright Aiken Weiss.

A self-taught photographer, Julius Shulman possessed an intuitive ability to capture spaces from the best perspective. By including people in his photographs, Shulman brought modern architecture to life.

I've been digging and cross-referencing about Julius Shulman taking photographs in Sacramento. As an added treat for folks who join us at the screening, I'll be sharing these photos.

“Julius Shulman and Richard Neutra” (1950)

Visual Acoustics highlights the importance of great design and underscores the need for further celebration, education and preservation of excellent mid-20th century architecture. The architects that Shulman worked with believed they could change the world through better design. That spirit and excitement is alive and well here in Sacramento's design community; I would like to see this further encouraged and nurtured.

Please join AIACV and SacMod at the Crocker to see this wonderful film.
All photos from VISUAL ACOUSTICS, an Arthouse Films release 2009. Copyright J. Paul Getty Trust.

Your Eichler Hostess is Calling....

2011-03-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Notice anything different around here? *blink blink blink*

That's right, I got a makeover. Many thanks to Ben Della Rosa for the new 'do! Check out the cute extra graphics in the left margin as you scroll down. I feel swell!

I've been slaving away in the kitchen working on serving up some new posts about mid-20th century Sacramento. I have several things on the burner and can't wait to dish them out!

In honor of my new look, thought I'd share the above ephemera with you: It's a door knob tag used by Eichler hostesses. What's an Eichler hostess? Thought you'd never ask.

Per a December 10, 2000 article by Patricia Leigh Brown for the New York Times:

"In model homes, Eames and Bertoia furniture mingled with hanging salamis and the aroma of roasting turkey, making modernism homey. 'We weren't selling, we were educating,' said Catherine Munson, a Marin County real estate broker who has sold some 3,000 Eichlers since 1958."

According to an article written by Marty Arbunich from the Eichler Network quoting the lovely Ms. Munson:

"the Eichler organization had this concept that these hostesses were to be some sweet, little housewives who told the potential buyers as they walked through how groovy it was to live in an Eichler home. We were supposed to look pretty and decorative, demonstrate the swivel table, and serve chocolate milk and graham crackers to the kids."

Consider me your Eichler hostess; I'm not selling, I'm educating.

Design Matters: Helping Disaster Victims

2011-03-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

via Rob Dobi (with special thanks to Flyer Design Goodness)

I've been looking around for a way to best help the people of Japan and elsewhere in the aftermath of earthquakes, tsunamis, and difficult conditions with low supplies. I found a couple of organizations who have helped disaster victims in meaningful and creative ways:

ShelterBox - well-designed, efficient disaster relief specifically tailored to each situation.

Architecture for Humanity - assists in long-term rebuilding efforts.

My thoughts are with those around the world who are in crisis; I wanted to share these resources. Please feel free to share your favorite relief organizations in the comments section below.

If you build it, they will come

2011-03-10T10:38:00.000-08:00

I'll bet you're wondering what I've been up to and if I've run out of things to say. On the contrary, I've been so busy researching, learning, and living that I simply haven't had time to share my findings here.

Speaking of learning, there will be a free screening of "I Build the Tower" at AIACV tonight at 5:45pm, hosted by the ASLA California Chapter and AIACV Emerging Professionals. This documentary is about the life and work of Sam Rodia, the Italian immigrant who built the world-famous Watts Towers. The film also includes one of the last interviews of R. Buckminster Fuller.

Check out the trailer for this film below -- I find this sort of building/sculpting absolutely fascinating. Several years ago I visited the Dickeyville Grotto and am always interested in learning about people who feel compelled to create things.

This is one of many exciting events that AIACV will be presenting this year.

As a matter of fact, AIACV and SacMod (we brought you the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour last June) will be screening the documentary Visual Acoustics at the Crocker Art Museum auditorium on April 7, 2011 at 7pm. Also present will be director Eric Bricker, who will be introducing the film and responding to questions about the film after the screening. I'll be sharing more details about this in an upcoming post.

Going Home

2011-02-13T15:49:00.000-08:00

San Gorgonio Pass | Desert Painting with Sand Verbena by my grandmother

Palm Springs. Much has remained the same yet much has changed since I was growing up there in the late 60s and 70s. It is well-known for being ground zero for mid-20th century architecture.

My grandparents lived in Banning and Beaumont, CA from 1946 or so to ~2005. I grew up in Beaumont with my grandparents almost all my life. We would travel to Palm Springs just about every weekend, where they had a second home in Cathedral City and later, Palm Desert.

As a child and teen, I rarely took notice of the desert's beauty. When I returned home during college, I was able to see the desert with a refreshed outlook and was enchanted by the subtle warm colors -- the oranges, pinks, yellows, purples.

From February 17 to 27, 2011 Palm Springs Modernism Week will celebrate its rich architectural heritage and the people who created it: William Krisel, Donald Wexler, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, William Cody, and others.

For a taste of various facets of Palm Springs and the desert, I recommend watching the following:

Desert Utopia: Mid-Century Architecture in Palm Springs from Design Onscreen.

Bagdad Café (1987) quirky film but perhaps my favorite depicting my homeland. From the sun-faded vintage signage and assortment of interesting characters, this is the desert I also knew and loved -- as much as the architecture.

Palm Springs Weekend (1963) - self-indulgent teens in the 60s; not the most flattering view but you can occasionally glimpse vintage PS in the background.

Part of Pee-Wee's Big Adventure featuring the Cabazon dinosaurs - my favorite childhood landmark of all time! I used to live ten miles from what used to be an awesome roadside attraction.

From my Flickr photostream

The dinos are still there but they have been taken over by creationists. Rrrrahwrrrr!

Some suggestions mentioned to me from my friend, Kimberly, over at Cinebeats:

The Satan Bug (1965) - per Kimberly, "a fun sci-fi/espionage thriller and it has some nice MCM interiors."

Diamonds Are Forever (1971) - "has some great scenes that are shot in the famous Elrod House in Palm Springs."

To this day I still consider the area my first "home". The desert's mid-20th century architecture and design undoubtedly imprinted on me. I encountered many incredible people while I was growing up in this area -- I believe it draws like a magnet all sorts of interesting folks. The desert is full of interesting eccentrics, exotics, innovators, scientists and other believers. I don't know of any other place on earth quite like it.

Sacramento Eichler Homes Neighborhood in CA Modern!

2011-01-14T20:59:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! Special thanks to Dave Weinstein and the Eichler Network for featuring our neighborhood in the latest issue of CA Modern!

Check it out - there are some great pix and quotes from folks in the neighborhood, including four wonderful households that recently participated in the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour this last June.

It's been a little over two years since I started this blog -- after we purchased Dr. H's wonderful home. I looked around and found very little about our neighborhood, Eichler Homes in Sacramento, or about mid-century modern architecture in our region. In my attempt to fill this void by researching our recent past, I've learned many interesting and exciting things.

If anyone out there has additional information that they'd like me to share here about the neighborhood or other goodies of note, drop me a line at the email address noted in the upper left hand corner.

Cheers!

How Now Cow Town? Sacramento Moo-dernists

2011-01-11T14:23:00.000-08:00

via Sacramento Room Digital Collection

A friend, author, community activist and avid Sacramento historian recently expressed his disdain for the phrase "cow town" when used to describe Sacramento. We occasionally encounter this term in a pejorative context. To the derogatory label "cow town" -- I say bull!

Crystal Dairy Ad from 1956, Sacramento City Directory

I'd like to go on record to say I'm proud of our bovine history. Our Eichler Homes neighborhood in South Land Park Hills used to be part of land owned by the Reichmuth family, which I wrote about here. According to a book by Carlos Alcalá, "The Reichmuths... had a 358-acre dairy, which may explain why a street... is named Holstein." Our nearby neighbors in the Pocket area also had a dairy.

In addition to our rich history, we have had and continue to have a sophisticated lineup of artists, designers, innovators and thinkers in Sacramento.

Moo

Without further a-moo (yes, I'm going to run the puns into the ground), I'd like to mention just a few of the many sophisticated modernists from Sacramento.

Ray (Kaiser) Eames via Library of Congress

Designer RAY EAMES: was born and raised in Sacramento. Her modernist legacy hardly needs any introduction; however, if you want to know more, I've written about her Sacramento roots in a previous post.

Wayne Thiebaud via New York Times

Artist WAYNE THIEBAUD: has proudly called Sacramento his home for nearly 60 years. Per a recent New York Times interview, " 'Aren’t the colors marvelous?' he asked one afternoon recently, as if seeing this watery Netherland-like country outside Sacramento for the first time... 'It is a pretty real place,' mused Mr. Thiebaud... 'There’s a sense of lineage, of families over generations,' he said. 'The Gold Rush and the Pony Express made Sacramento a substantial place in terms of enterprise.'"

Thiebaud's first solo show was at the Crocker Art Museum in 1951, when the museum director was....

Don Birrell, via Reference Library

Artist DON BIRRELL: Mr. Birrell was the Crocker Art Museum director from 1950 to 1953. When he was offered a job to work at the Nut Tree in Vacaville, it was such an enticing offer he couldn't refuse. When the Nut Tree's owner said Birrell could work in a place with toys, airplanes and food, he admitted, "I couldn't pass it up." And those who remember the Nut Tree in its glory days will recall what he did there with great fondness.

Per Reference Library, "He brought Eames chairs to the toy shop — for a time, Nut Tree was the sole retailer on the West Coast for Eames furniture. He commissioned dish patterns (which are now in the MoMA permanent collection) and brought Dansk flatware into the dining room. Dishes were plated exactly as Don Birrell designed it. In four years, he and the partners had expanded Nut Tree to include a toy shop, gift shop, toy train, airport, its own clothing line and its own design studio. All of this before Alexander Girard's Textiles & Objects shop opened its doors in 1961."

I will add that much of the Nut Tree's whimsical fabulousness predates Disneyland, and definitely predated the "It's a Small World" attraction. And you know who designed several of the legendary Nut Tree's iconic buildings?

Albert Dreyfuss and Leonard Blackford, via Dreyfuss & Blackford's Flickr photostream

Architects DREYFUSS & BLACKFORD: their renown Sacramento architectural firm has a noteworthy portfolio all over Northern California. I've written about them here.

Russ Solomon, via MidTown Monthly

Founder of Tower Records RUSS SOLOMON: Not many people realize that "the largest record store in the nation" started right here, in Sacramento -- four miles up the street from our Eichler Homes neighborhood. Mr. Solomon started the record store in his dad's drug store.

1948 Tower Drug ad: "Remember Tower Drug has Phonograph Records"

A huge proponent of the local art scene for years, Mr. Solomon is still active in the arts community. You can check out his photography exhibit of local artists through March 4th.

Fellow Sacramentans, it's udder-ly ridiculous not to be proud of Sacramento's history of moo-vers and shakers. When someone calls Sacramento a cow town, don't have a cow. Smile and say, "MORE COW BELL!"

The Tiki Gods Approve

2011-01-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

Last month during the kids' winter break, we ran away to Maui and stayed at the delightful Ka'anapali Beach Hotel. As you may know after reading my blog for a while, I am all about tikis (we have several in our backyard); I've been looking for the chance to add to our collection.

For a little background about tikis in Hawaiian history, visit Mythic Hawaii and Ancient Huna.

The tiki gods must have been smiling on us; on our last day, we met master third generation tiki carver, Funaki Tupou. We were so glad to meet him and see his incredible work.

He uses wood from the Monkey Pod Tree and his tiki carvings incorporate ancient Hawaiian symbols. The tiki above with the extended tongue is a warrior. He found a nice home with a family from the MidWest.

We were enchanted by the pair below. Our son liked the warrior; our daughter, who loves turtles, liked the smiling one. She had just swam with a Green sea turtle in the ocean the previous day. The turtle symbolizes long life and good luck.

Can't wait for them to arrive! Just so happens he visits Sacramento periodically and we will likely order more. We really love his work and are pleased to be purchasing his art directly from him.

Time Flies!

2010-12-31T21:43:00.000-08:00

Vintage postcard of The Clock Shop, Sacramento

Whew, what a year it's been!

The Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour completely took over the first seven months of my year - a real labor of love and totally worth it. The tour donated $3,000 to our neighbors at the Short Center South -- a day program that serves adults with developmental disabilities.

Our small but spirited army of three also founded Sacramento Modern (aka SacMod), a non-profit association whose mission is to promote, preserve and protect modern art, architecture and design in the Sacramento region. We're working on events for the coming year. Stay tuned for announcements and the unveiling of our new website. Many of you have expressed an interest in participating; thank you and bear with us while we make room.

My favorite thing has been rediscovering our region's recent past by researching who designed and built our city. I look forward to learning more in the months ahead.

Here's to a happy, healthy, peaceful and productive 2011!

Chair-y Christmas!

2010-12-23T17:06:00.000-08:00

Here's a 1948 advertisement for Eames' iconic LCW, LCM, DCW and DCM - available back in the day in Sacramento at Breuner's.

From the Sacramento Bee, October 27, 1948, Page 9:

"Breuner's Decorator Galleries Presents the Eame's (sic) Chair from the Herman Miller Collection - the most widely publicized and used chair in the entire field of Modern Design. So comfortable as an occasional chair in the living room. So comfortable for the conversation group or cocktail hour. So comfortable as side chairs in the dining room. So comfortable for pull-up chairs at long bridge sessions."

Adjusting for inflation (I used the CPI Inflation Calculator):
Dining chair, metal legs and low chair, metal legs, in 2010 dollars = $385.69
Dining chair, wood legs and low chair, wood legs, in 2010 dollars = $407.93

These chairs were originally available to the public in 1946 and are still available to this day. (A bit more pricey, even adjusting for inflation). For further information on the history of these chairs, more here.

Beautiful Sacramento Eichler for sale!

2010-12-18T20:31:00.000-08:00

A lovely three bedroom, two bath Sacramento Eichler home has come up for sale this week. Many of the home's original details -- such as the majority of the Philippine mahogany walls and the original cabinets -- have been kept intact. Hurray! Act quickly, I don't think this one will be around for very long! See the link for more photos and details.

Thanks to JW for the heads up on this one -- I pass these along as a public service to those who are interested and love MCM design and architecture as much as I do.

Remembering those in need this holiday season

2010-12-17T13:21:00.000-08:00

I hope you've enjoyed my posts on holiday decorations and gifts -- but the best gift of all is giving to those in need and to causes and organizations that serve our community. Due to the economic downturn, this has been a hard year for many in our region. Sacramento has also seen hard times in the past. This post is a nod to that history -- along with suggestions on how to help our fellow Sacramentans right now.

Many people are familiar with the work of photographer Dorothea Lange -- did you know she took many photos in the Sacramento region during the Great Depression? Here are some examples of photos taken at American River Camp in November of 1936.

Destitute family. American River camp, Sacramento, California.

Five children, aged two to seventeen years

Child of migratory worker. American River camp near Sacramento, California

Daughter of migrant Tennessee coal miner.

Living in American River camp near Sacramento, California

Migrant winter camp on outskirts of Sacramento, California.

Please view this excellent video with additional pictures and stories the people who lived in American River Camp during that time.

Here are some organizations that provide assistance at the local level. This is by no means a comprehensive list but, rather, a starting point. It includes favorites from some of my local friends. Do you have any favorites? Please feel free to share in the comments section.

Sacramento Steps Forward
Loaves & Fishes has many programs that feed the hungry and shelters the homeless. Some of my friends' favorites include Mustard Seed School, Women's Empowerment, and affiliate programs such as Family Promise of Sacramento and SafeGround Sacramento.
Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services
River City Food Bank
Sacramento Crisis Nurseries
Sacramento Children's Home
Big Brothers and Sisters of the Greater Sacramento Area
Wellspring Women's Center
Tubman House
My Sister's House
St. John's Shelter Program for Women and Children
Meals on Wheels
Sacramento Habitat for Humanity
Wind Youth Services
Breaking Barriers
See also seasonal programs such as the Sacramento Bee's Book of Dreams and USPS' Operation Santa.

Happy Big Seven-Five, Tower Bridge!

2010-12-15T22:22:00.000-08:00

via Sacramento Room's Digital Collection

Today, the Tower Bridge in Sacramento celebrated its 75th birthday. The bridge was originally dedicated on December 15, 1935. A great article, including pictures of the original dedication ceremony, can be found at Sacramento Press.

I'm including some pictures of Tower Bridge from my postcard collection. Note the above postcard shows the bridge and State Capitol but no Capitol Mall! That is a long post for another day, with a rich and interesting history all its own.

If you are interested in an in-depth look at the bridge, start with a brief but excellent history of the bridge at the Historical Marker Database. Additional history, construction pictures, and a look at the controls can be found here (you'll have to scroll down a bit). My favorite group of pictures is available via American Memory from the Library of Congress -- lots of black and white photos as well as sketches and plans of the bridge.

Tower Bridge was designed by Alfred W. Eichler, who was a Senior Architectural Designer for the State Department of Public Works. The bridge was the first vertical lift bridge on a California highway and was originally painted silver. According to the Historical Marker Database, "Eichler conceptualized the Tower Bridge in the Streamline Moderne architectural style, a later outgrowth of Art Deco that gained worldwide popularity between World War I and World War II (1919-1938), as the style symbolized progress, modernization, speed, efficiency, and technology."

In addition to the Tower Bridge, Alfred Eichler also designed many other state buildings throughout California. He was also a watercolor artist and photographer. You can see some of his art displayed on his great nephew's website as well as a biography.

Structural engineers Frederick W. Panhorst and George Thompson also collaborated on the Tower Bridge project. Panhorst, according to Caltrans, "served as the Chief of the Bridge Section of the California Division of Highways from 1931 to 1960. He was also a National Director of the American Society of Civil Engineers." A bridge over the Russian Gulch on Route 1 in Mendocino County is dedicated to him. A wonderful collection of Mr. Panhorst's papers can be found online.

My favorite way to drive in to Sacramento is using CA State Route 275, going over the Tower Bridge, and driving down Capitol Mall. I recommend this route to all newcomers and locals who like to mix things up and take in the scenery.

Gifts for the Sacramento Modernist

2010-12-10T11:12:00.000-08:00

Looking around for a great gift for your mid-century/modern fan? Here's a list of things that you can get around town. Prefer to shop online? Follow the links below and you won't have to do much more than click your way through.

via Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects

For the local architecture admirer: a book celebrating Dreyfuss & Blackford's 60 years of "notable works past, present and future." I love this. WANT!

via Archpaper

For the modern art lover: a membership to the Crocker Art Museum. This is a gift that will keep giving throughout the year. Great art, great programming. Yes.

via Lumens Facebook page

For the lighting and design aficionado, anything from Lumens. Check out their mid-century and retro lighting and their clocks and radios.

via Ginger Elizabeth's Facebook page

For the gourmand, delicious chocolates and more from Ginger Elizabeth. Beautiful, modern, and delectable chocolates! This gift is sure to win you brownie points.

via Brooks Novelty Antiques and Records

For the those who yearn for a blast from the past, Brooks Novelty Antiques and Records has old jukeboxes, pinball machines, and advertising memorabilia. Oh, and records. Lots of records.

via Fringe21 on Facebook

For the vintage fashionista, go to Fringe. This boutique that sells gifts, vintage jewelry, and clothing is constantly changing and evolving but always chic. Cool home accessories too!

For the mid-century modern bookworm, look no further than Richard L. Press Fine & Scholarly Books on the Arts. See my earlier post for more details.

via Roundtrip on Etsy

via Chuka on Etsy

via kittygirlvintage on Etsy

For those who love handcrafted and vintage goodies, check out our local Etsy dealers from the SacEtsyTeam.

If you're making a list and checking it twice, it's easy to keep it local. See also my previous posts on vintage furniture and retro and vintage decorations. Happy holidays, everyone!

Tour featuring six cool MCM homes in Napa this weekend!

2010-12-08T22:22:00.000-08:00

Special thanks for this intel to fellow blogger Kimberly of Mid-Century Living. Kimberly has an amazing mid-century modern home in Napa, a keen aesthetic, and a good eye for design.

On December 11, 2010 Napa County Landmarks/Napa County Historical Society, will host the 22nd Annual Holiday Candlelight Tour. This year the tour will showcase "impressive 'California Modern' homes in Monticello Park, a mid-century neighborhood on the outskirts of Napa. These large and lovingly maintained homes demonstrate the beautiful and innovative design features of post-war architecture and landscape design."

via Napa County Landmarks

For more information, read this great article from the Napa Valley Register.

via Napa Valley Register

I wish I could go to this! If you go, please take pix and send me a link!

Mod Menorahs and Designer Dreidels

2010-12-03T16:06:00.000-08:00

We almost burned down the house with my daughter's handmade menorah last night. May I suggest that wood is not a good material? Which brings me to a post I've had on my mind for weeks; you didn't think I was just going to talk about Christmas, did you?

Turns out many others have beaten me to it and have done a great job too -- here are a few:

via Invisible Agent

The Invisible Agent did a spectacular post on Mid-Century Modern Menorahs. Go. Visit. Enjoy. (Thanks Amy!)

I looked around on Etsy and found this lovely spage-agey one. Love it! And it's sold, darn it:

via ourhousevintage on Etsy

Looking for something newer? DesignMilk has some beauties to share:

via DesignMilk

And Whorange weighs in as well:

via Whorange

I also ran across some really nice dreidels. Here's one available by Nambé, designed by Marilyn Davidson:

via Nambé

And here are some by a nice Jewish boy named Jonathan Adler:

This one's for you who fling your latkes in the air some time; saying Aaay-Oh; spin the dreidel (thanks Jason!):

Have Yourself a Merry Mid-Century Christmas

2010-12-03T10:51:00.000-08:00

While running around town I've noticed some great vintage and retro Christmas items. Here are a few that caught my eye recently:

Jingle/East Sac Florist has a wonderful mid-20th century display in their store. They had several beautiful themed trees as well, including a Dia de Los Muertos tree!

If you are looking for vintage decorations I noticed that 57th Street Antique Mall has them flying in and out on a daily basis. Tomorrow is a good time to visit; they are having a winter sale. Thanks to Mimomito for the intel! Here's what I found at 57th Street the other day:

This post was inspired by a friend who is creating a 1950s-1960s Kitschmas this year. Anyone out there have an amazing mid-century Christmas display to share?

Santa baby, just slip a table under the tree!

2010-11-29T14:30:00.000-08:00

Looking for some great vintage MCM gifts this holiday season? Buying vintage is good for the planet, you know: reduce, reuse and recycle! Even if you're like me and deck the halls with matzoh balls, Hanukkah is right around the corner -- so here are some great resources for you to consider:

Deco the Halls, December 4-5, 2010, in San Francisco. Reportedly the largest Deco and Modernism sale in the country. There will be 150 dealers, a vintage hat fashion show, an interesting lecture, and an exhibit of 20th Century purses. I've been to this show in the past and have enjoyed it. Bring your wallet!

via Bows & Sparrows

Midway Antique Mall - the great folks at GoogieTime are using more space and have turned several areas into a mid-20th century haven. Be sure to stop by the Dean Martin room! And read this fantastic post by lovely and delightful Erin of Bows & Sparrows for more pix and intel.

Mimomito - Our pals at Mimomito have their fingers on the pulse of thrifty finds around town by vigilantly scouting out local shops, thrifts and scouring Craigslist -- so you don't have to! See their awesome post on Etsy finds under $100. Does it get any better than this? I think not.

Sacramento Antique Faire - coming up this December 12th. You can find a ton of interesting items under the Capitol City freeway every month. This last Spring, I found a couple of lunchboxes for our collection at the faire. Erin of Bows and Sparrows did a great write up on her website recently. Check it out.

Oh, and: Santa baby, a 54 convertible too, light blue.

Gobble gobble, circa 1948

2010-11-25T17:26:00.000-08:00

More from the way-back machine: Sacramento, 1948.

If you made dinner at home, perhaps you would have picked up a turkey from American Poultry Company and some rolls from Muzio Bakery. If you forgot to pick up some candy or adult beverages, no worries -- Tower Drug is open *and* they deliver!

Perhaps you'll be heading over to Hughes Stadium for the City Championship Football Game between the C.K. McClatchy High Lions and the Sacramento High Dragons. (Spoiler alert -- the Lions won that year!)

Feeling like dining out? You have lots of choices around town. The menu at Rosemount Grill and Cocktail Lounge includes whole Pacific baby lobster. How about some roast domestic duckling at Hotel Sacramento? Baked Virginia Ham at the Hotel El Rancho as you enjoy music for dancing by Ernie Hecksher and His Orchestra? Not interested in the usual Thanksgiving fare? Boitano's has the usual stuff plus spaghetti raviolis. Don't know what time to bring your brood over for Thanksgiving Dinner? Bring 'em any time between 12 noon and 12:30 A.M. to Frasinetti's!

And -- don't forget to head to Downtown Sacramento to do your shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

Which reminds me -- be at the corner of 10th & K at noon tomorrow for the unveiling of a window display just like they used to do at Breuner's. Here's an old ad from 1948:

Thanksgiving in Sacramento, 1949

2010-11-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so I bid all of you a Happy Thanksgiving and leave you with a little piece of Thanksgiving in Sacramento, 1949. Let's take a trip in the way-back machine! "Places to take the family for Thanksgiving dinner":

From my microfilm research: Sacramento Bee, November 23, 1949, page 18

Many familiar players here: The Chuck Wagon, Robert's Fish Grotto, Frank Fat's (the original location near the Capitol -- still in biz -- respect! Redo by Sacramento MCM architect Sooky Lee, I must add).

But sadly, no Zombie Hut :( Bummer! 'Cause that menu looks mighty tasty.

However you choose to celebrate the holiday, have a wonderful one! Aloha!

Historic Holiday Window Display in a MCM building on K Street!

2010-11-19T15:44:00.000-08:00

Sacramento County Historical Society is working to construct a full-sized animated circa 1910 holiday display. The display will be at the Roos-Atkins building, 1001 K Street, in downtown Sacramento (next door to the Crest Theatre). This building was designed by noted Sacramento architect Harry J. Devine, Sr. in 1946.

1946 picture of Roos-Atkins during construction

Completed building

The premiere for the display is November 26 at noon. The display will remain operational until January 8, 2011. Detailed information can be found here.

The display will use the Gaffney Display Company animated figures used in the windows of Breuner's department stores for decades -- in a new display created by local artists. Here are some vintage scenes of the Bruener's displays via my Flickr pals (and real-life friends):

Breuner's 12th old-fashioned, musical, moving Christmas display

Breuner's 16th old-fashioned, musical, moving Christmas display

1946 display

1955 display

1956 display

K Street was once the epicenter of shopping and nightlife in Sacramento. Here are some scenes from its heyday from my postcard collection:


10th and K Streets - Roos-Atkins can be seen in the far left of this picture

K Street

K Street, near 10th Street

K Street

K Street, Night View

Be there to support local historians and people who love Sacramento! You can also help out by donating here.

MCM architect's home for sale

2010-11-07T10:54:00.000-08:00

Another home that was on the first-ever Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour on June 26, 2010 is currently for sale.

This outstanding home in South Land Park Estates was designed by Sacramento architect George Muraki around 1956 for his family. After being unjustly fired from the California State Department of Employment and interned with other Japanese Americans during WWII, Muraki became a prominent Sacramento region architect and Sacramento City Planning Commissioner.

This home features a central enclosed atrium that provides wonderful natural light. The current owners have updated this mid-century modern home into a comfortable family home that they share with their three children.

See more information and pictures about this home here.

Bookcase experiment - the after

2010-11-03T11:25:00.000-07:00

You may recall my previous post on the planning process and before picture. Thanks to the great work of our friend and contractor, John DiDomenico, the bookcase looks awesome!

This bookcase is in our MCM ranch where we live -- up the hill from our Eichler neighborhood.

I happen to love the bookcase both ways -- with and without the color panels -- and think the flexible system is perfect for our needs. We can change them out or repaint them as we wish. We put a number on each panel so we know where it belongs in the sequence.

Right now we're enjoying this playful punch of color!

Spirits of Halloweens Past

2010-10-31T11:09:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. It's my favorite holiday! I have fond memories of my grandmother taking me trick-or-treating and then staying home with her after I turned 10 to hand out special bags of candy and toys to kids.

She had a fun-loving and goofy side -- she surprised me with a knitted and crocheted pumpkin one year! My kids love this guy.

Three years ago it was also my grandmother's last night so we light a special candle called a Yahrzeit in her memory.

My grandmother at work, age 24 (1937)

Hope your Halloween is filled with fun surprises and loving memories!

Sacramento Room's New Digital Collection

2010-10-21T22:40:00.000-07:00

When I heard about the Digital Collection project at the downtown Sacramento Pubic Library from the great folks in the Sacramento Room, I was really excited. And boy, did they deliver!

The new collection "features digital images of photographs, menus, postcards and other items from the Sacramento Public Library’s Special Collections."

This project was indeed a labor of love; per their site: "over 3,000 photographs, postcards and menus form the original Sacramento Digital Collections which – from beginning to end – took over a year to compile, scan, and describe. The project mission is to provide an image-based window into the social, political and economic history of the Greater Sacramento area, from the 1840s to the present-day."

The images are a real portal to the past -- enjoy!

Bookcase experiment - the before

2010-10-18T21:12:00.000-07:00

You'd think we would have had our fill of home improvement stuff after preparing our home for the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour. But we have lots of Big Ideas and it's time to get back to work.

Our palette - colors chosen from George Nelson's Sunburst clock

When we designed and installed the bookcase, it was always our intention to paint the various shelves and their backings different colors. We simply never got around to it. That's a good thing as I'm not sure we would have picked the same palette.

Our bookcase sans paint - picture by John DiDomenico

Now that we are ready, we also want a system that will be flexible to changes over time -- something that would allow us to return the bookcase to neutral or switch out colors later on. We decided on painting wood panels and slipping them into place. Our friend and contractor John DiDomenico is helping us out with this.

Applying where we want the colors to John DiDomenico's excellent color layout

designed to avoid the same colors touching each other

The panels, primed and ready for color

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Old School!

2010-10-13T23:20:00.000-07:00

Hey! Look what I dragged out from my old design school portfolio: some ~1999 pix of that I took of old Sacramento buildings and signage that I adore. I took these during a photography class; all manual settings on my old 35mm camera. Poke around on my Flickr links below to learn more about these places.

Cardinal Bowling Lanes sign, Del Paso Heights, Sacramento. Circa 1962.

Lil Joe's Over A Million Steaks Sold, Del Paso Heights, Sacramento. Circa 1946.

Gunther's Ice Cream, Curtis Park, Sacramento. Circa 1949.
Building designed by Koblik and Fisher.

Arden Motel sign, Del Paso Heights, Sacramento.
Circa 1961/62 per Sacramento Suburban Directory.

Tower Theatre, Land Park, Sacramento. Circa 1938.
Building designed by William B. David

Iceland Ice Skating Rink, Del Paso Heights, Sacramento. Circa 1940.
Building designed by Charles F. Dean

Crest Theatre, Downtown Sacramento. Circa 1912. Remodel circa 1949.
Formerly the Empress Theater. Original building designed by Lee De Camp.

Mr. Robert's Pink Poodle sign, formerly on 16th Street, Sacramento. Circa early 1960s.

I developed the black and white film in my sink at home and then took off for UC Davis in the wee hours of the morning to print them. I scanned the prints, scratches and all, on an old HP 8.5x14 inch flatbed scanner that must have weighed at least 25 pounds.

Sometimes old school is best.

Pix from the San Jose Modern Tour!

2010-10-12T16:01:00.000-07:00

A slideshow of pix from my Flickr set

We had a great time getting back together with kindred MCM historian, Heather M. David, and checking out the cool buildings, signs, vintage goodies and cars. The self-guided driving tour of mid-century roadside highlights in San Jose was the first of its kind in the area and thoroughly researched by Heather.

If you didn't make it to the tour, take a look at my pix -- and if you haven't already, buy Heather's fabulous book, Mid-Century By the Bay! As Heather notes, "As development pressures continue into the 21st century, San Jose's mid-century buildings, signs, and roadside attractions are rapidly disappearing."

Happy Eames Powers of Ten Day (10.10.10)!

2010-10-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've always loved the classic 1977 film, The Powers of Ten by Charles and Ray Eames. The film is about the relative scale of things in the universe. I bought the book over ten years ago and can't wait to show our young kids the film and the book today. It is roughly nine minutes or so; if you haven't seen it, please take the time to do so! Check out their site, which relaunched today -- and check out the film below.

If you're in the Los Angeles area, visit the exhibit at the Eames Office on Pico Boulevard in Santa Monica. If you're in the Bay Area, check out the special events at the Exploratorium. I found this well-written post by Jamer Hunt -- about applying the powers of ten to real life design challenges -- particularly relevant.

The Eames Office celebrates the legacy of Charles and Ray Eames each year with a different theme. Eames family members Lucia Eames and Llisa Demetrios were recently in Sacramento for a wonderful presentation on the Eames Legacy at AIACV. Sacramento, as you may know, was the birthplace and home of Ray Eames during her childhood. I've posted more regarding Ray Eames' Sacramento history before here.

Retro in the Metro: Where to go for a vintage experience in Sacramento

2010-10-07T13:41:00.000-07:00

Shout out to our friend Dave Weinstein at the Eichler Network for his article in CA-Modern Magazine on "BLASTS FROM THE PAST - 15 retrolicious ways to break through the time warp and relive the mid-century today." Some cool kids, including my friend, Heather David and yours truly are quoted within.

Dave couldn't fit everything into his article about where to find mid-century-ish experiences in Sacramento, so I'm going to fill you in here. I'm starting with a small list and we'll build on it as time and information roll in. If you're feeling nostalgic for a walk down memory lane or a visit to the land that time forgot, check these vintage eateries and places out!

First, I'm going to start with more detail about two of the places mentioned in Dave's article: Pancake Circus and Country Club Lanes.

Al & Bud's Platter (now Pancake Circus) - more info on my Flickr page

How we love thee, oh Pancake Circus -- and we've mentioned it before here and here. I was excited when I discovered during one of my microfilm research sessions that the much adored building was designed by Sacramento architect Sooky Lee. Mr. Lee is responsible for other beloved buildings around town, including Vic's Market (formerly Jumbo Market) and HOT ITALIAN (formerly Young's Fireside Shop). We featured the former Jumbo Market as a "Point of Interest" during the 2010 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour.

I was going to do a detailed history about Pancake Circus but the awesome folks at Capital Public Radio have already done a comprehensive time line. Thanks guys!

So.... Go! Eat pancakes in a diner that would make a great set for a Quentin Tarantino movie.

The building of Country Club Lanes - more info on my Flickr page

Country Club Lanes - it's a Flintstones meets the Jetsons kind of bowling alley, including a place called "Candlerock Lounge." Yaba-Daba DOO!

Designed by Long Beach architects Powers, Daly and DeRosa, this stunning bowling alley boasts three hyperbolic paraboloid roofs. Powers, Daly and DeRosa produced many stunning Googie buildings, including the Futurama Bowl in San Jose which will be one of the many awesome attractions featured this Saturday, October 9, 2010 in "San Jose Modern: A Driving Tour of Mid-Century Highlights." Put together by the lovely and talented Heather David and sponsored by Nor-Cal Doco-Momo. You *are* going to this, aren't you? I previously posted about it here.

Hungry for more?

Jim-Denny's Hamburger and Chili - circa 1934. Recently featured in a recent episode of Man vs. Food.

Old Ironsides - circa 1934. Met my husband here! Yeah, I'm classy like that.

College Cyclery - circa 1935. Cool peeps with cool bikes.

Gunther's Ice Cream Shop - circa 1940. My favorite animated neon sign in town! Designed by William Koblik and Alfred M. Fisher.

Trails Restaurant - circa 1940. Not much changes around these here parts.

Iceland - circa 1940. Like a phoenix, Iceland is rising from the ashes of its tragic fire earlier this year. Should be ready for business again soon. Designed by Charles F. Dean.

Lil Joe's Over One Million Steaks Sold - circa 1946, according to current owner.

Vic's Ice Cream - circa 1947. A Land Park neighborhood institution.

Hollywood Hardware - circa 1948; current location since 1959. Best selection of hardware in our neighborhood.

The Broiler - circa 1950. Steak and potatoes! Not the original location but the original restaurant.

East Sacramento Hardware - circa 1951. Another great old-fashioned hardware store.

Marie's Do-Nuts - circa late 50s (still researching). Awaken your inner Homer Simpson at 1:00 AM.

Jamie's Broadway Grille - circa 1959. Order the turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. You won't be sorry.

Fairytale Town - circa 1959. Run the Crooked Mile! But watch your step.

Sam's Hofbrau - circa 1959. Meat under hot lights!

Sacramento Zoo entrance - circa 1961. More hyperbolic paraboloid splendor. Designed by Kenneth C. Rickey and Fred E. Brooks.

Lucky Cafe - current location since ~ 1962. Another Sacto favorite.

Corti Bros. Market - circa 1962 remodel by former occupant Grand View Market. Best wine selection in town.

Taylor's Market - circa 1962. Formerly a Safeway; operated by the same family and friends of the original owners.

Land Park Ski & Sports - circa 1964. Former home of Woody's Smorgasburger transformed into a ski shop chalet. Designed by Neil Munroe Johnson.

Senator Savings & Loan (now Chase Bank) - circa 1964. This awesome round bank steals the show on Freeport Boulevard. Designed by Silvio L. Barovetto and Albert B. Thomas.

Suzie Burger - circa early 70s revamped Phillips 66 station. PBR on tap!

California Auto Museum - began in the 80's and going strong with an awesome display of mid-century vehicles and other automobiles from other eras.

Rick's Dessert Diner - circa 1986 retro styled dessert mecca in Midtown. I ate my very first lunch when I moved here for a professional job in 1989: a giant piece of cake and a tall glass of milk. Yum!

Midtown Stomp - swing and Lindy Hop the night away!

This is just a small list that I would like to expand -- let me know if I've forgotten one of your favorite Sacramento retro hangouts! I'll be featuring some of these in future posts.

Oh yes I did!

2010-10-03T11:36:00.000-07:00

We don't even own regular pink flamingos but I couldn't resist these awesome mid-century Halloween accessories!

From Flamingo Pink, Inc. - the Skel-a-mingo! Comes in pairs; flocks available too.

Squawk!

One of my favorite MCM homes in Sacramento

2010-09-30T11:36:00.000-07:00

... is on the market! See listing for details.

Don't miss this stunning gem tucked in Land Park and was on the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour this last June.

According to my research for the Tour guidebook, this two bedroom, two-story, 1963 custom home was designed by Robert N. Hill of Morris Construction Company. According to city records, the home’s first residents were real estate developer Robert C. Powell and his wife, Jeanette, an award-winning interior designer. Robert C. Powell developed several communities and properties in Sacramento including Campus Commons, Governor’s Square, Gold River, and Pavilions Shopping Center. Morris Construction Company was operated by Robert S. and Steven T. Morris. Their company built many homes throughout Sacramento.

This unique home includes its original pool, dramatic floating staircase, broken slate floors and concrete masonry. There is even a little door near the bar for passing cool drinks to guests outside at the pool! The current owner recently and sensitively remodeled her home using natural and hand-crafted materials. An open floorplan and floor-to-ceiling windows provide a perfect setting to showcase modern furniture and art.

via Sutter Buttes/John DiDomenico Photography

More gorgeous pix of this home here (first home posted).

The home was also recently featured in a detailed article in the June issue of Inside Publications, which can be downloaded here.

When I was researching this home for the tour, I felt that there was more to know about its history. Will continue to research and post when/if I find out.

Mimomito for local and thrifty mid-century furniture finds!

2010-09-26T14:39:00.000-07:00

Interesting furniture/homeware finds (and humor) abound from the folks over at Mimomito, an awesome newcomer to the Sacramento blog scene. The blog was started when "a group of friends in Sacramento that found out about each other’s furniture obsession and started sending craigslist links to one another – and cluttering up the walls of Facebook with ads about couches and coffee tables. We’ve honed and concentrated our powers into this blog to surface great furniture in and for the Mid-Town Sacramento community."

via Mimomito

Be sure to check out their naughty "Do Not Want" posts, hahaha!

Check out Rose and Serene's travels and finds on craigslist, local antique stores, thrifts and yard sales. Thanks to my good friend, Toni, for the tip about this fun blog!

Sorry I haven't been blogging much this month. Been busy being a mommy and wifey. And, ahem, -- planning the next Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour. Oh yeah: it's ON! More on that later.

Do you know the way to San Jose?

2010-09-02T09:42:00.000-07:00

My friend and kindred MCM historian, Heather, is working on an incredible driving tour in San Jose that is not to be missed! The tour -- "San Jose Modern: A Driving Tour of Mid-Century Highlights" -- is sponsored by Northern California Chapter of Docomomo. According to the tour flyer, this event features:

".... a self-driving tour of mid-century roadside highlights in San Jose. Tour stops will include the Century 21 Theater (1964), Community of Christ Church (1967), San Jose Water Co. building (c. 1960), San Jose’s Center for the Performing Arts (1972), car dealerships, restaurants, antique stores and more.

Date: Saturday, October 9th

Registration Desk Open 9 AM – 12 PM
Registration Location: Starbucks Coffee, 5180 Stevens Creek Boulevard (near the former Futurama Bowl Sign)
Tour Hours 9 AM – 6 PM
• Exclusive access to select interiors
• Discounts at San Carlos Antiques Row
• Antique car show
• Mid-century window displays
RSVP to rsvp@docomomo-noca.org for more information about meeting times and places.
Tickets $25 ($20 for members)"

Here are some pix of places highlighted on the tour:

via hmdavid

Heather recently sold many copies of her fabulous book, "Mid-Century By the Bay" here in Sacramento during the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour. Excellent reading, I highly recommend it!

via hmdavid

Hope to see you there! Help spread the word and support our friends who work so hard to document MCM treasures.

Harry Jang, AIA, Residence (1963)

2010-08-22T15:50:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to see this residence after admiring it from the street over the last ten years during walks with my family and dog. It's a fantastic home and is now for sale. It's located on a gentle hill in South Land Park Terrace.

I once shared a van ride to the airport with Mr. Jang's widow - she noticed my home was close to her old home and we both requested we take a little detour and drive past it. She wistfully said "My husband designed this home" as we admired it from the outside.

Built in 1963, this home takes full advantage of the hillside upon which it is built. The lower part of the home has an amazing cinder block carport, a backyard, and a separate in-law quarter (which I would use as a game room).

Inside, there are tons of original details (cabinetry hardware, hanging glass pendants, wood paneling, and built-ins) that have remained. These are exactly the sort of thing that I look for when I purchase an MCM home. I prefer original, untouched homes; when "updates" occur, these details are lost.

Harry Jang was a Sacramento architect born in nearby Courtland. He received a bachelor's degree from UC Berkeley in 1949 and became an architect in 1956. Per his obituary in the Sacramento Bee,

"One of 12 children of Louise Jo and Choy Jang, he was a 1939 graduate of Courtland High School who attended Sacramento Junior College before being drafted into the Army on the eve of World War II.

He switched to the Army Air Forces, was trained as a navigator, became a first lieutenant and was assigned to the 306th Bomb Group. As a crew member on B-17s, he survived 35 combat missions over Europe. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross. He worked as an architect for the state Department of Rehabilitation."

I would buy this home in a heartbeat if I didn't already have two local MCM homes already! Someone is going to get an awesome home. Please, oh please: don't let it be a flipper who messes it up!

For more information and pix, please see this detail report and the MLS listing.

A nice surprise

2010-08-19T16:16:00.000-07:00

I found a really nice handmade card on my doorstep this week from the Short Center South! The Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour donated a $3,000 from this year's tour.

The Short Center South is a South Land Park neighbor and a wonderful day program that serves adults with developmental disabilities. The Center offers classes in a studio setting, taught by artists working in their own disciplines. Classes include drawing, painting, ceramics, mosaics, photography, music, dance, theatre, textiles, crafts, sign language, reading, computers, physical education/exercise and classes that further social skills and personal growth.

My kids holding the card to show how big it is!

If you haven't visited their studios and seen their artwork, check them out. You probably have already seen their work around town; they recently completed a public mural that is displayed on Franklin Boulevard. For more information about their work, see their website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

The Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour is proud to support our neighbors at the Short Center South -- many thanks to all of you who participated and contributed!

Eichler Homes in Sacramento

PLEASE VOTE for the Sacramento Zoo Entrance in Dwell Magazine's "Rethinking Preservation" contest

Sacramento's Blomberg Homes in CA Modern Magazine

Jeré Strizek's Town and Country Village in Sacramento

Join us for INFINITE SPACE: The Architecture of John Lautner

Atomic Ranch 2012 Calendar Features Two Sacramento MCM Homes!

AIA Central Valley and SacMod Screening of "EAMES: The architect and the painter"

Merry Christmas from Eichler Homes

Ghosts of Christmas Past - K Street, Sacramento

Happy hyperbolic holidays!

Celebrating Ray!

SacMod's 2011 commercial building tour posted on Historypin

Thinking differently: Apples + Eichlers

So little time, so much to tell!

Some Thiebaud you may not know

Help save an iconic Neutra-designed home from demolition!

Sacramento's sense of place

Walking the walk... and talking the talk!

Free self-guided walking tour of six Midtown MCMs on September 18, 2011!

Tiki Tuesday! The Tropics: a 1940s Sacramento nightclub

My MCM Sacramento Research Projects

Residential Bomb Shelters in Sacramento

Remembering Joseph L. Eichler

Free Screening of "The Greenest Building" Documentary at the Crest!

CarterSparks.org!

California State Fair -- Something for Everyone!

There's Something Happening Here: Design Collectives

Here comes the Sun(flower Farmers Market)

Beautiful home designed by Caywood & Nopp

*blushing* Gee. Thanks!

All That Jazz

Mystery MCM Mosaic

1949: Crest Theatre's Gala Premiere

1961 Custom Residence of James C. Dodd, FAIA For Sale

Armet & Davis in Sacramento: Remembering Eldon Davis

Life at Dreyfuss & Blackford in 2011

Thanks for joining us at the Crocker Art Museum for Visual Acoustics

Did you know that Julius Shulman photographed several Sacramento buildings?

Visual Acoustics at the Crocker with Director Eric Bricker on April 7, 2011 at 7PM

Your Eichler Hostess is Calling....

Design Matters: Helping Disaster Victims

If you build it, they will come

Going Home

Sacramento Eichler Homes Neighborhood in CA Modern!

How Now Cow Town? Sacramento Moo-dernists

The Tiki Gods Approve

Time Flies!

Chair-y Christmas!

Beautiful Sacramento Eichler for sale!

Remembering those in need this holiday season

Happy Big Seven-Five, Tower Bridge!

Gifts for the Sacramento Modernist

Tour featuring six cool MCM homes in Napa this weekend!

Mod Menorahs and Designer Dreidels

Have Yourself a Merry Mid-Century Christmas

Santa baby, just slip a table under the tree!

Gobble gobble, circa 1948

Thanksgiving in Sacramento, 1949

Historic Holiday Window Display in a MCM building on K Street!

MCM architect's home for sale

Bookcase experiment - the after

Spirits of Halloweens Past

Sacramento Room's New Digital Collection

Bookcase experiment - the before

Old School!

Pix from the San Jose Modern Tour!

Happy Eames Powers of Ten Day (10.10.10)!

Retro in the Metro: Where to go for a vintage experience in Sacramento

Oh yes I did!

One of my favorite MCM homes in Sacramento

Mimomito for local and thrifty mid-century furniture finds!

Do you know the way to San Jose?

Harry Jang, AIA, Residence (1963)

A nice surprise

blushing Gee. Thanks!