Sacramento: Winn Park

Neighborhood activist Kay Knepprath, longtime SOCA member and leader of the Sacramento Jane Jacobs Reading Group, leads this stroll on the sidewalks of Winn Park. Kay will show how ideas discussed in The Death and Life of Great American Cities can be demonstrated by the built environment of Sacramento’s midtown neighborhoods

Time: 2:00pm-4:00pm

Date: Sunday May 6, 2012

Event Start/End: 2620 P Street

Host Organization:  Sacramento Old City Association

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to wheelchairs, bicycles, seniors, and children. 

The area of Oakland we will be visiting was developed in the 1860s and 1870s, shortly after the transcontinental railroad was completed and Oakland was designated the western terminus. George Pardee’s father Enoch was a doctor in the Gold Rush era. George served as California’s governor from 1903 to 1907. Family members donated the home and belongings to a foundation and it is periodically open to the public for teas and tours.

Oakland is hosting the annual California Preservation Foundation statewide conference May 3-6 at the Oakland Marriott & Convention Center. It is also the city’s birthday (160th)on May 4th. Our Jane’s Walk will be taking place on the final day of the conference, and many conference attendees are expected to attend. The public is also cordially invited to take part. The Oakland Tours Program is sponsored by the city’s Cultural Arts & Marketing Department.

Time: 12:30pm-2:00pm

Date: Sunday, May 6th

Route: This walk leaves from the Oakland Marriott Hotel main lobby (1001 Broadway) and goes through the National Register listed Old Oakland Historic District to the home belonging to California governor George Pardee and his family, which was built in 1868. The home, located at 672 11th St. (approximately 6 blocks from the Marriott) will be open for guided tours on the day of the Jane’s Walk.

Host Organization: Oakland Tours Program

Registration: No cap for this event. RSVP to aallen@oaklandnet.com, or leave a message at 510 238-3234.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to bicycles, wheelchairs, children, and seniors.

Sacramento’s “Tweed Ride” is putting on its summer clothes, known as the “Seersucker Ride,” a Victorian-era themed event that encourages period dress and a more relaxed style of riding. This tour will begin in Marshall Park, ride through the northern neighborhoods of the Old City and south along the Sacramento waterfront, turning east at R Street to follow the route of California’s first railroad, ending at 14th and R Street. Portions of the tour will discuss the design of Sacramento’s historic neighborhoods, transportation of the Victorian era, including bicycles and electric streetcars, and visit some of Sacramento’s most notable architectural landmarks.

Time: 11:00pm-5:00pm

Date: Sunday May 6, 2012

Event Start: Marshall Park, 28th and J Street, Sacramento

Event End: Shady Lady Saloon, 14th and R Street, Sacramento

Host Organization:  Sacramento Old City Association and Sacramento Tweed

Registration: More information on how to RSVP coming soon.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to wheelchairs, bicycles, seniors, and children.

Exploring Oakland’s History on Foot with Interactive Audio

Join host Oakland Urban Paths as we explore some of Oakland’s evolving historical landmarks for Jane Jacobs Walk 2012. We’ll be joined by local groups 10ksteps, Once Upon a Time Happily Ever After and the Friends of the Cleveland Cascades as we walk from downtown Oakland to Lake Merritt and back, learning more with every step.

Time: 10:00am-12:00pm

Date: Sunday, May 6th

Route: Starts at the NE corner of 11th and Broadway in front of the Key System Building Mural. Ends at the Lake Chalet.

Host Organizations: Walk Oakland Bike Oakland and Oakland Urban Paths

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to bicycles, wheelchairs, children, and seniors.

Contact: Questions concerning this walk can be directed to info@oaklandurbanpaths.org.

Downtown Partnership tour guide Shawn Peter will guide visitors on a tour of locations significant to the history of rock & roll music in Sacramento, from the auditorium where the Beach Boys recorded their first live album to the theater that still bears the footprints of Kurt Cobain’s sneakers after stepping in wet paint before a Nirvana show. The role of Sacramento’s musical history and musical venues, both local bands and national acts (and local bands that became national acts) will be discussed, and the tour will include visits to several local music venues and bars. All tour participants must be 21 or older with valid ID!

Time: 6:00pm-8:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start/End: The Torch Club, 904 15th Street

Host Organization: Downtown Sacramento Partnership

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: All participants must be 21+ years old.

Architect Melisa Gaudreau will lead a tour of historic hotels, apartments and clubs surrounding the California State Capitol.  Discussion will review social and architectural context of the past and inquire into current relevance of the buildings in the midst of the Capitol Park, State office buildings of the 1930s, 1950s Redevelopment, and new infill.  Tour brochure of the Capitol area by Sacramento Heritage Inc. included.

Time: 12:00pm-2:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start/End: Sutter Club, 1220 9th Street

Host Organization: Sacramento Heritage, Inc.

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to wheelchairs, bicycles, seniors, and children.

William Burg, author of multiple books on Sacramento history, will guide this tour of Midtown’s mixed-use business corridor and adjacent residential neighborhood. Topics discussed will include the historic function of mixed-use neighborhoods and their modern interpretations, how architects responded to Sacramento’s environment and climate, and Midtown’s legacy as a regional epicenter of creativity and art.

Time: 3:00pm-5:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start/End: Old Soul at The Weatherstone, 812 21st Street

Host Organization:  Sacramento Old City Association

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to wheelchairs, bicycles, seniors, and children.

From the Gold Rush forward, Sacramento had a tremendous need for infrastructure. Not just roads and levees, but law enforcement, fire protection, and courts. Sacramento’s Historic City Cemetery is home to many pioneer lawmen, lawyers, judges and firemen, whose stories will be shared on this tour, along with stories of what happens when these systems do not function, as demonstrated by the February 1851 Vigilance Committee that hung murderer Frederick Rowe.

Time: 10:0am-12:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start/End: Sacramento Old City Cemetery, 1000 Broadway (main entrance)

Host Organization: Old City Cemetery Committee

Registration: No need to sign up, just show up at the posted meeting location.

Accessibility: This event is welcoming and accessible to children and seniors.

Los Angeles: What Would Jane Do

As we walk we will be discussing the unique history, architecture, and infrastructure of the Sliver Lake neighborhood in Los Angeles. The tour will pass by the site of a Three Stooges film, former homes of Richard Nuetra, Anais Nin, as well as current homes of multiple Grammy winners, and more. A local historian will join us to answer questions and paint a picture of the neighborhoods vibrant past. Guests will also be invited to join us for lunch following the tour.

Time: 10:00am-12:00pm

Date: Saturday May 5, 2012

Event Start: Starbucks 2556 Glendale Bl. @ Fletcher Dr. 90039.

Host: Dave Ptach, Los Angeles Stairstreet Advocates

Registration: Please RSVP via Facebook Event.

Accessibility: This event is accessible and welcoming to seniors and children.