A trip down memory lane in vintage Sacramento photographs

Historians trace the birth of practical photography to 1837, and it grew steadily over the decades through the 19th century before exploding into the mainstream in the 1900s. In fact, the rise of photography almost coincides with the growth of Sacramento as a city and state capital of California, and we have the iconic photographs to prove it.

Enjoy these 20 photos our beloved Sacramento from yesteryear, spanning from the mid 1800s to the 1980s. Whenever possible, we told you where, when, and even why the photo was taken. 

Sacramento river boat, circa 1800s.

Doc's Place - The Root Beer King (for only 5 cents!) Circa 1940s.

Grand entrance to Oak Park, early 1900s.

Ruhstaller's Lager Beer served at a Sacramento watering hole, 1880s or later.

Fireworks over Old Sacramento circa 1980s.

Early photo of the first transcontinental railroad, late 1800s.

William Land Park Plunge, 1947.

J Street past Sacramento State University - time unknown.

1601 J Street in 1901.

From the foot of J. Street, showing I., J., & K. Sts. with the Sierra Nevada in the distance, 1850.

The grand Hotel Sacramento in this 1909 postcard.

Sacramento Municipal Airport in the 1960s.

Accidental explosion of of MK-81 bombs being transported through Roseville Railyard, 1973.

Downtown mansion, mid to late 1800s.

The original and iconic Shakeys Pizza, East Sacramento, 1954.

Sacramento cable car, 1870s.

Alhambra Theater, year unknown.

The Buffalo Brewery on 21st Street, 1890s.

Camp for migrant agricultural and cannery workers, 1940.

Early hardware store in downtown, 3rd and J St., 1910.

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Did you enjoy this trip down memory lane with rare, antique, and vintage photographs of Sacramento? We'll be sure to bring you many more soon!

Sacramento's Most Distinguished, Stately and Iconic Buildings (Part 2)

In part one of this series, we covered our first ten most iconic buildings in Sacramento, and here are our next ten. If we left a notable building out or you have a suggestions, feel free to contact us!

1. California State Capitol

The venerable and magnificent white domed edifice that serves as the home to government in California, the State Capitol building in Sacramento opened January 1, 1874. Located on the west end of Capitol Park between L Street and N Street, its three floors reach 75.3 feet high. Construction on the State Capitol began in 1861 under architect M. Frederic Butler, who created the neoclassical building to replicate the White House and other state capitols around the country. The building underwent a significant restoration from 1975 until 1982, when the Capitol was retrofitted for earthquake safety. A trip to the California State Capitol can include visiting the Capitol Museum on site and a pleasant stroll around 40-acre Capitol Park, with its garden-like 11,40 trees, plus shrubs and flowers, represented from all around the world.

2. CalPERS headquarters

Many Sacramento residents don’t even know it exists, but the building with a ridiculously long name – the California Public Employees' Retirement System (CalPERS) Headquarters Complex, sitting at 400 Q Street in Sacramento, is a true modern marvel.  When construction wrapped up in the fall of 2005, CalPERS’ new home was a 1.1 million square foot mixed use building composed of two horseshoe-shaped buildings with 4-6 floors each in the midst of four blocks bound by 3rd, 5th, P, and R Streets, with a beautiful public courtyard in the center. Built with the help of a whole team of architects and designers from all over the U.S., the CalPERS headquarters actually came in at a cost of $192 million – significantly lower than the projected budget of $265 million.

3. Park Tower in U.S. Bank Plaza

Looking at the Sacramento skyline, this 26-story skyscraper is impossible to miss. It’s equally prominent to the city of Sacramento, as it’s listed the #22 most famous building in the city. The Park Tower was finished in 1991, and standing 380 feet above street level, was the tallest building in the city at the time. Rising from surrounding U.S. Bank Plaza, the Park Tower at 980 9th Street contains 414,000 square feet of office and commercial space.

4. U.S. Bank Tower

Not to be confused with the Park Tower, the U.S. Bank Tower is a 25-story edifice in downtown Sacramento that reaches 404 feet in the air.  Located at 621 Capitol Mall, and designed by architectural firm, Hellmuth, Obata + Kassabaum, Inc., construction started in 2006 and wrapped up in 2008, when U.S. Bank purchased the naming rights. The tower spans 46 floors of mostly offices, and is easily recognizable with a deck of LED screens at the top of the structure, displaying flowing blues and purple that are reminiscent of a river. The U.S. Bank Tower is the second tallest buildings in the Queen City and ranked #23 on the list of most famous buildings there.

5. Eastern Star Hall

If you’re driving past the 2700 block of K Street in midtown Sacramento you may miss it as your eye goes to Sutter’s Fort, but walk or cycle by and you’ll notice the charming Eastern Star Hall, a brick square meeting hall of Romanesque Revival architecture that was built in1928 as a place for the Masonic Women’s Organization to assembled, including for dances and social events. It remains one of only four such buildings constructed by the Order of the Eastern Star and in 1993 was recognized on the National Register of Historic Places.

6. Heilbron House

In 1881, German immigrant August Heilbron came to America and ended up in the budding city of Sacramento, where he made a fortune as a grocer and cattleman. With a then astronomical $10,000, Heilbron had his dream home built on the corner of 7th and Streets not too far from the newly constructed State Capitol. The mansion, built in classic Italianate architecture by architect Nathaniel Goodell, was part of Heilbron’s legacy and still is an iconic part of Sacramento history today.

7. Mesick House

Sitting in charming and historic Alkali Flats in Sacramento, The Mesick House is one of only two remaining High Victorians that feature a mansard roof. Originally built by owner Mary Mesick in 1875, the mansion on 517 8th Street was constructed in the Second Empire and Italianate Victorian architectural styles. The Mesick House is now ranked no. 14 on the list of most famous buildings in Sacramento and on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

8. Renaissance Tower

Another sterling building soaring over the downtown landscape, the Renaissance Tower at 801 K Street was actually the highest skyscraper in Sacramento when it was completed in 1989, but now is the fifth tallest. Its 28 floors reach 372 feet high and include a massive 336,00 square feet of office and commercial space.

9. Sacramento Public Market Building (Sheraton Grand Hotel)

Back in 1923, a brand new public market opened its doors with a grand affair, including a ten-piece orchestra and speeches by city officials that attracted 40,000 Sacramentans. The Sacramento Public Market Building was built by well-known architect Julia Morgan and commissioned by the powerful Glide family, who wanted a market for the city with a refrigeration system that rivaled the Crystal Palace Market in San Francisco. Even when the building transitioned form a market to the office of the California Secretary of State 50 years later and then to the current use as home of the Sheraton Grand Hotel, the structure remains one of Sacramento’s most important and recognizable addresses.

10. Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

Sacramento’s largest religious site, this Roman Catholic cathedral is the seat of the bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento. But for those who aren’t Roman Catholic, the cathedral is a proud landmark of civic as well as spiritual pride. Sitting at the intersection of 11th and K Streets, was constructed in 1889 for a total cost of only $250,000! With 1,400 seats, ample square footage and a dome that reaches 175 feet high with three spires 215 feet into the heavens, it’s one of the largest cathedrals west of the Mississippi River.

Sacramento's Most Distinguished, Stately and Iconic Buildings.

1. Bank of the West Tower

Bank of the West Tower is a 25-story high-rise that stands 397 feet high, also known as Five Hundred Capitol Mall, or The Pantheon. Spanning 433,508-square-feet, it includes a stunning 5-story atrium and lobby, retail on the first floor, offices, a 2-level penthouse restaurant/meeting area, and 10 levels of parking garage with 800 spaces. Construction started in 2007 under the watch of architect E.M. Kado & Associates, and developer Tsakopoulos Investments, and the Bank of the West Tower accepted its first tenant on May 26, 2009.

2. Wells Fargo Center

At 423 feet, The Wells Fargo Center in downtown Sacramento wins the honor of tallest building in the capital city of California. This 30-floor office building encompasses more than 500,000 square feet since it opened in 1992. The Wells Fargo Center actually occupies a whole city block, about 2.3 acres, and is highlighted by a stunning five-story interior atrium made from granite, marble, and glass, as well as the ground floor Wells Fargo History Museum. Architect Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum (HOK) and developers William Wilson & Associates and Crocker Properties redefined the Sacramento landscape with the Wells Fargo Center.

3. California Governor's Mansion

Between 1903 and 1967, the Historic Governor’s Mansion was home to thirteen governors starting with George Pardee (including Ronald Reagan, but only for four months), and just started housing its fourteenth governor in 2015 when Jerry Brown moved in. Originally built in 1877 in the Second Empire-Italianate Victorian for local hardware merchant Albert Gallatin, it holds thirty rooms in its thirty stories, as well as a historic park for its grounds, and is on the list of California Historic Landmarks and the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

4. Crocker Art Museum

The name may have changed from the E. B. Crocker Art Gallery to the Crocker Art Gallery, but this iconic museum still entertains, educates, and enlightens Sacramento art lovers. “The Crocker” is actually the longest continuously operating art museum in the western United States, and number 59 on the list of Best Museums in the entire United States. Located at 2016 O Street, the Crocker Art Museum building was built in 1877 by architects Seth Babson and Charles Gwathmey in Victorian Italianate and Classic Contemporary motif. With all of that distinguished history, the Crocker Art Museum is worth visiting not just for what’s inside, but the building, itself.

5. Esquire Tower

One of the more recent additions to the Sacramento skyline, the Esquire Tower, also called Esquire Plaza, went up in 1999, and features 22 floors and 248,416 square feet of office space, as well as the Esquire IMAX Theater, and a restaurant for good measure, with a height of 322 feet. It’s no wonder the Esquire Tower is ranked number ten on the on the list of Famous Sacramento Buildings & Structures.

6. John T. Greene House

If you’ve driven past McKinley Park on H Street in East Sacramento, you’ve probably noticed a stunning and expansive American Craftsman Bungalow home with wood shingles, handsome green trim, and a stone base. In fact, that’s the John T. Green House, built in 1925 by Pasadena architects Greene & Greene for Sacramento developer John T. Greene, who coincidentally was of no relation to his architectural team. The home was built based on the dimensions of the Golden Rectangle, an ancient law of proportion. No matter what the influence, the home remains one of Sacramento’s proudest structures, and now on the National Register of Historic Places in Sacramento County.

7. Pony Express Terminal

The history of California may not be the oldest, but it is certainly filled with epic events, amazing stories and colorful characters, and many of those are reflected in the Pony Express Terminal in Sacramento. Also known as the B. F. Hastings Bank Building, this building was the furthest western point of the legendary Pony Express mail system when it opened on January 1, 1852. It also served as the first location of the California Supreme Court. These days, the Pony Express Terminal still stands as part of the Old Sacramento State Historic Park, a National Historic Landmark District, featuring the second Gold Rush museum along with the Wells Fargo Center. Interestingly, the Pony Express has two separate addresses depending on whom you ask, with the NRHP listing it at 1006 2nd St. and HABS claiming it's at 128-132 J Street.

8. Blue Anchor Building

Sitting at 1400 10th Street in downtown Sacramento, this Spanish Colonial Revival style commercial building is one of Sacramento’s historic landmarks. It was first built by the architects Starks and Flanders in 1931 as part of the California Fruit Exchange, and named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

9. Sacramento City Library

The Sacramento City Library, located at 828 I Street adjacent to Cesar Chavez Plaza, is also referred to as the Central Branch, and the keystone of the Sacramento Public Library system. Built in 1918 with the help of funding from a Carnegie grant, architect Loring P. Rixford, designed the library to look like a late 19th century Italian Renaissance edifice, as it replaced the existing library that had stood since 1872 only one block west. While the exterior looks the same, the interior has undergone numerous renovations, and in 1992 the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

10. J. Neely Johnson House

While not a household name in Sacramento, the J. Neely Johnson house has a fascinating history. It was first built in 1853 for a horticulturist named William Cozzens who made the journey to California via Panama. Mr. Cozzens started building his house but unfortunately for him, couldn’t pay the construction bill on this Greek Revival-Neoclassical masterpiece, so he lost the house to the court.

The home was then purchased and lived in by the fourth Governor of California,

J. Neely Johnson, and subsequently State Treasurer Selden A. McMeans, and then California Supreme Court Justice David S. Terry. Adding to its mystique, the home’s three prominent owners, Johnson, McMeans and Terry members of the American Party, also called the "Know Nothings" because they conducted meetings in secret – some of them probably in this house.

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If you like Sacramento architecture, rest assured that we're far from done! Look for part two and three of this series coming soon, with more great buildings from the capital city.

Sacramento’s secret underground harkens back to The Great Flood of 1862 that nearly washed the young city off the map

Many Sacramento residents have heard about the secret underground city that sits below Old Sacramento and parts of downtown, but some have even joined the tours that delve beneath the earth to explore the tunnels and rough bricked basements of yesteryear. In fact, The Sacramento History Museum conducts those Underground Tours as a way to educate visitors and preserve our rich and unique heritage.

But far less Sacramentans realize why that underground city existed at all, and that they’re the last remaining relics of a stormy season that came very close to washing Sacramento completely off the map and rewriting California history forever.

In the autumn days of the Gold Rush of 1849, Sacramento had established itself as the first major city in California and a thriving transportation and agricultural hub with its position on the Sacramento and American Rivers.

But the very existence of the city was thrust in jeopardy with the Great Storm of 1861 – which is still the largest storm in California history.

The historic storm washed out a good portion of California and the Pacific Northwest, turning the Sacramento Valley into a giant “inland sea” that spanned 250 to 300-miles long and 60 miles wide.

The aberrational weather pattern was so huge that it moved as far east as Tennessee, where it shut down troop movements during the Civil War. But Sacramento bore the brunt, and as the storm began on Christmas Eve of 1861, Sacramento newspapers declared Christmas would be canceled. The heavy rains went on for 45 days straight without break, dropping 400% more rain than usual, causing flooding of Biblical proportions that came to a head in January of 1862.

By that month, the water level had risen so high in the low-lying city of Sacramento that steamships and smaller boats literally sailed through Old Sacramento and parts of downtown, rescuing people from their homes. Old Sacramento was completely submerged and thousands of residents died in the flooding and the rampant diseases that ensued. When freshly elected Governor Leland Stanford needed to come to Sacramento for his inauguration, he took a rowboat to the steps of the Capitol.

Soon, the legislature at the Capitol chose to evacuate Sacramento and temporarily moved operations down to San Francisco, and residents started following them. Only 13-years old at the time, the City of Sacramento was in serious jeopardy of being abandoned and therefore never evolving into the major metropolitan area we know today.

But the plucky and spirited Gold Rush settlers of Sacramento at the time weren’t going to be flooded out of their city without a fight. They knew that if they didn’t do something drastic to flood-proof their city, California’s economic and political power would shift to San Francisco.

To rescue their beloved city, the common citizens came to the leaders with an ambitious three-pronged plan: they would reroute the rivers; reinforce the existing levee system that had been constructed in the 1850s; and do something unprecedented at the time – raise the city streets.

Residents even agreed to self-tax to make the plan work, but still, there were plenty of doubters and some even considered it foolhardy, including the nation’s most famous writer at the time, Mark Twain.

"The system of raising its buildings has its advantages," Mark Twain wrote. "It makes the floor shady and this is something that is great in such a warm climate. It also enables the inquiring stranger to rest his elbows on the second-story windows and look in and criticize the bedroom arrangements of all the citizens."

But the monumental feat of engineering proceeded, and Old Sacramento and some buildings in the current downtown (roughly between I and N streets bordering the Sacramento River) were raised about 9 to 10 feet. One by one, workers cut through the foundations of houses, stores, and buildings, and then used a lattice of logs and hand-cranked house jacks (and a lot of manpower) to raise the structures. The 9-foot gaps that were created between the old ground level and the new were filled with mud and sand.

Other business owners found it easier just to leave their ground level be, sealing it off and building a new ground level or another story on top of it. Facing the colossal expense and workload, other storeowners couldn’t come up with the needed resources and had to close their doors and walk away. One Chinese herbalist did nothing, and his once street-level store was soon in a basement, though he kept doing business.

In all, it took 15 years to finish the street raising, as well as reinforcing the levees. When the dust settled, Sacramento was indeed livable again, saving the city but also creating plenty of unique structures beneath the earth, sometimes called “hollow sidewalks,” including tunnels, cellars, bricked up former storefronts, and other subterranean spaces.

Sacramento was the first city on the West Coast to raise its streets, predating Seattle’s similar architectural endeavor by 30 years. It became a rich and entertaining part of its history, with plenty or rumors of ghosts and paranormal activity underground over the decades, as well as a lot of illegal booze being served down there during Prohibition.

You can still explore the history of Old Sacramento, the early city, and the underground city with information and tours from the Sacramento History Museum at 101 I Street in Old Sacramento. Contact them at 916-808-7973 or www.SacHistoryMuseum.org.