Category: events

Join us at Preservation Sacramento’s 2021 Virtual Historic Home Tour – October 24th and November 7th!

We are pleased to announce that we are collaborating with Preservation Sacramento for a virtual home tour in 2021!

Preservation Sacramento’s 2021 Historic Home tour is an online tour, including several unique and historic homes located throughout the city of Sacramento. Selected to ensure the safety and well-being of members, tour visitors, and homeowners, this video tour has several advantages.

The online tour is accessible for all, including those who are geographically far from Sacramento, and is accessible for those with disabilities that make physical access on tours like this more difficult. Unlike previous years, the tour is not tied to a specific neighborhood, so we chose a sampling of homes from different neighborhoods and eras. Sites throughout the city, impossible to visit using our more traditional tour format, are yours to explore.

The homes on this year’s tour include a Craftsman bungalow that’s the only historic landmark building in Natomas; a Mid-century Modern home in Sacramento’s only Eichler neighborhood; a Tudor Revival home in Curtis Park listed in the National Register of Historic Places; a 1960s concrete block auto garage converted into a unique home and art gallery; and the oldest home in Midtown, residence of a former Sacramento County Sheriff and vintner, once used as a “Headache Sanitarium.” You’ll see the homes inside and out, and learn their unique stories, exclusively available on this home tour.

The tour will be broadcast twice, on October 24 and November 7, with early and late shows, allowing flexibility for people’s varying schedules — or the ability to enjoy the tour a second time at later showings:                      

October 24, 2021
10 AM and 2 PM PST

November 7, 2021
10 AM and 2 PM PST

$20 for Preservation Sacramento and SacMod members; $25 for non members.

Tickets can be used for any of the four showings, or multiple times.

* Current Sacramento Modern members will also be able to buy tickets for $20 using a secret code; after you have updated your membership, we will send you the code in a separate email. Memberships are annual; if you renew or become a member now, your SacMod membership will run until December 31, 2022.

For the SacMod member discount:
To renew/join SacMod: https://sacmod.org/get-involved-join – you will receive an email with your special tour discount code

For the Preservation Sacramento member discount:
To renew/join Preservation Sacramento: http://www.preservationsacramento.org/join – NOTE: if you are already a member, the ticketing system should automatically recognize you

CLICK HERE for Preservation Sacramento’s 2021 Virtual Home Tour Tickets

How it works: After you purchase a ticket, you will receive a confirmation email from Preservation Sacramento (please ignore the part about printing out a QR code and bringing it to the tour site.) The week before the tour, Preservation Sacramento will send you an email with a digital tour brochure introducing you to the homes, and containing an event link. Please do not share the event link. On October 24, you can join the event via the link, either the 10 AM showing or the 2 PM showing (or both.) A separate email and link will be sent for the November 7 tour showing.

The Historic Home Tour is Preservation Sacramento’s largest fundraiser. Other than memberships, the Home Tour is their main source of revenue to carry out projects including surveys and nominations of historic properties, advocacy and lobbying to protect historic places, and their educational programs like the Preservation Roundtable.

SacMod has worked with Preservation Sacramento on several projects over the years. They have been very supportive of our preservation efforts — and we are delighted to be a part of their 2021 tour.

Cheers — and enjoy!

June 1, 2019: “60 Years of Streng Bros. Homes – 2019 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour”

SacMod is delighted to announce: “60 Years of Streng Bros. Homes – 2019 Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour”

WHEN: Saturday, June 1st, 2019 from 10AM to 4PM.

WHAT: This special-edition tour celebrates the 60th anniversary of Streng Bros. Homes — a Sacramento-based company founded by Jim and Bill Streng — who built and sold over 3,500 modern homes in Sacramento, Yolo, and Placer Counties over the course of 30 years. Our self-guided driving tour features a wide variety of Streng Bros. Homes models, with iconic exteriors and distinctive interiors that reflect the mid-20th century aesthetic and lifestyle!

Want to see some sneak peeks of the homes on our upcoming Tour to get you in the mood? Check out our featured homes post. For an in-depth look, you can read more about our Tour homes:
– An atrium model is highlighted in this great article from Inside Sacramento;
– A fantastic roundup of our tour from our friends at Eichler Network!    

In addition to six wonderful homes, our Tour also features fun extras, such as live music, vintage wares, Motel California book signing, informative displays, and extra treats and trinkets along the way (magazines, stickers, toys, candy)!

WHERE: Homes featured in this tour are located in Evergreen Commons and Overbrook (Sacramento), Eastridge (Citrus Heights), and Homewood (Carmichael); plus a rare custom modern home in Fair Oaks designed by architect Carter Sparks! (See new Preview Map below.)

General neighborhood preview map

Preview Map showing the Streng Bros. neighborhoods where the tour will take place, and other Streng neighborhoods

TICKETS: Tickets will be available online via Brown Paper Tickets (link : bpt.me/4103901) starting with member sales first on March 15, 2019 at 9AM. General sales will begin April 1, 2019 at 9AM. There will be no sales of tickets on tour day. You must buy your ticket online by Noon on May 31, 2019. Space is limited — buy your tickets early to ensure you don’t miss out! (The tour may sell out any time before the day of the event.)

MEMBERSHIPS: You can become a member any time and receive special rates at this and other upcoming SacMod events this year. It’s easy! Please visit our website — SacMod.org — and click the link “Get Involved/Join” to purchase a 2019 SacMod Annual Associate Membership via PayPal – $25 for a year of membership (good for one household). Within 24 hours, you will receive the password via an email from SacMod for member ticket pricing to use for your ticket purchase at Brown Paper Tickets.

BIG THANKS to this year’s homeowners (and tour sponsors) who helped make the tour possible with their generosity and support! Watch for more details to come!

Carter Sparks : Architect, Modernist, Friend

photo courtesy Jennifer Sparks

(There are NEW and EXTENDED gallery hours for the exhibit through closing on Oct. 25th: M&W 10:30-4:00 pm, T&Th 10:00-7:00 pm, Fridays 9:00-4:00 pm & Saturday Oct 21st 10:00-2:00 pm.   Please see map and parking notes at bottom of page.)

Sacramento Modern is pleased to present Carter Sparks : Architect, Modernist, Friend, opening October 4th at the Kondos Gallery located on the Sacramento City College campus. 

Sparks is one of Sacramento’s most recognized and beloved Modernist architects, and is best known for his work with Streng Brothers Homes. Alone, as the architect for the Streng Brothers, Sparks contributed to over 3,000 modern residences in the Sacramento Region. In addition to these plentiful examples, Sparks designed commercial and civic buildings and many custom homes for individual clients, ranging in feature and style from modest low-slung concrete block and plywood structures, to expressionist forms employing hyperbolic roofs and symphonic beam play, to larger cathedrals of redwood and glass.

Architectural rendering of the Fava Residence, 1956 by Carter Sparks

A charismatic individual, and ardent believer that an architect’s design should be based on an extended study of clients’ wants, needs and personality, Sparks forged close and enduring friendships with many of them. This exhibition will feature early drawings, renderings, photographs, models and ephemera surveying Sparks’ output from the early 1950s, until the early 1990s.

Detail from Norskog Residence, 1963/1980. Photograph by Justin Wood

Sparks studied engineering at Oregon State University before his studies were interrupted by WWII, during which he served as an ensign air navigator for the Navy. He resumed his studies after the war, and in 1950 earned a Bachelor of the Arts in Architecture from UC Berkeley. Sparks worked as a draftsman for two architectural firms in San Francisco: first for Mario Corbett, and later with Anshen and Allen (who designed homes for Joseph Eichler). In Sacramento, he was a designer with Gordon Stafford. After earning his state license, Sparks opened his own firm in 1954. He partnered with Donald Thaden for a few years, but primarily worked as a sole practitioner.Sparks was born on February 26, 1923 and passed away October 30, 1996.

Exhibition runs from October 4 -25, 2017 with an opening reception October 11th from 4:30 – 6:30 pm.  

The exhibit is FREE, but parking is not—and is enforced 24/7; be sure to purchase a parking permit at one of the machines in the North Lot ($2 CASH ONLY) or Parking Structure ($2).

There are NEW and EXTENDED gallery hours for the exhibit through closing on Oct. 25th: M&W 10:30-4:00 pm, T&Th 10:00-7:00 pm, Fridays 9:00-4:00 pm & Saturday Oct 21st 10:00-2:00 pm. 

Curated by Sacramento artist Justin Wood of the Carter Sparks Archive ( www.cartersparks.org ) and Sacramento Modern ( www.sacmod.org ).

For inquiries and sponsorship opportunities, please contact sparksarchive (at) gmail.com

Donate to help support the Carter Sparks : Architect, Modernist, Friend exhibition:

Photograph of the Clauss Residence, 1963. Photographer unknown, possibly John Clauss

June 18th, 2016: Next Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour!

SacMod’s highly praised and most requested event is back! Join SacMod (Sacramento Modern) on Saturday, June 18, 2016 at the Sacramento Mid-Century Modern Home Tour from 9AM to 3PM. Tickets sold online here.  To order tickets by phone, please call Brown Paper Tickets at 1-800-838-3006. Phone orders are available 24/7.

Details below!

Our 2016 tour will feature a wide variety of mid-20th century living — highlighting the time period’s distinctive architecture, design, and lifestyle. Spend a fun day touring some of Sacramento’s best mid-century homes, gardens, and vehicles in Sacramento’s beautiful South Land Park, Land Park, and Hollywood Park neighborhoods. From minimalist to kitsch, moderns to ranch homes, and everything in between. Our collectible guidebook features in-depth historic information, related points of interest, and local vintage resources.

Space is limited — buy your tickets early to ensure you don’t miss out!
Continue reading →

Charles Phoenix: Sacramentoland

A Live Comedy Slide Show Performance Celebrating the Capitol City like it’s a Big Theme Park!  
Charles Phoenix: Sacramentoland - October 16, 2015
Charles Phoenix: Sacramentoland – October 16, 2015

Brown Paper Tickets Buy Now
Brown Paper Tickets Buy Now

Prepare for your local pride to SWELLL when Ambassador of Americana, Charles Phoenix, sweeps us away on a madcap adventure as he uncovers the stories and glories of Sacramento’s classic and kitschy landmarks and lore.

With his gracious sense of humor, unbridled enthusiasm, and keen expertise,  Charles lavishes the city’s most colorful “attractions” with the respect they SO deserve; revealing the unique style, backstories, and pop-cultural significance of Pancake Circus, Jim Denny’s, Iceland Skating Rink, Gunther’s Ice Cream, Vic’s Ice Cream, Sam’s Hofbrau, County Club Lanes, Fairytale Town, Tower Theatre, Crest Theatre, and Old Town.  

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Historic Mercury Cleaners Neon Sign Reinstalled!

Video courtesy of Roberta Deering

On June 26, 2015, the historic Mercury Cleaners Neon Sign (circa 1946-47) was returned to 16th Street near O Street in Sacramento. SacMod was happy to be invited to participate in the relighting ceremony! The sign and business were integrated across the street from their original location and into the new Legado de Ravel Apartments complex. 

Hats off to:

• CADA for understanding the importance and relevance of the Mercury Cleaners sign and working so hard to return it to 16th Street;

• To Pacific Neon for their skilled renovation;

• To all who helped behind the scenes on this project — many individuals and organizations were involved.

Our City’s historic neon signs are cultural artifacts and landmarks. They are handmade works of art. They provide a sense of place and tell the story of our city’s past.

Unfortunately, we’ve been losing them at an alarming rate. There used to be thousands — and now there are only around 100. They are lost to disrepair, abandonment, and redevelopment.

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Capital Decades 1960s at the Sacramento Library

Capital Decades 1960s
Capital Decades 1960s

On May 12th, 2015 at 6:30 pm. we are joining our friends at the Sacramento Public Library again this year for “Capital Decades: 1960s.” We’ll be teaming with James Scott for “The Best of Times, the Toughest of Times: Sacramento Life, Leisure and Reaction to that Damned War in Southeast Asia.”  Join us and reminisce or learn about our local history!

Join SacMod for two 2014 AIACV Experience Architecture Week events!

Bateson.1981ProgArch.PhotobyRobSuper
The Bateson Building is one of several buildings featured on the Drawing Safari, October 12, 2014. Photo © Rob Super

Sacramento Modern (SacMod)  will be teaming up with the Central Valley Chapter of American Institute of Architects (AIACV) for two great events this October: a Drawing Safari on October 12th and a film screening of “The Vision of Paulo Soleri: Prophet In The Desert” on October 13th!

What exactly is Experience Architecture Week? AIACV President Kris Barkley explains here and here.

Continue reading →

Mid-Century Madness!

We’re excited to check out “Mid-Century Madness”, a show at Blue Line Arts in Roseville. Opening this Thursday, June 5 — with an Artist’s Reception June 21 — it promises to be a fun exhibition featuring Mid-Century inspired artwork, period furniture, lamps and other crazy stuff representative of the era curated by Tony Natsoulas with contributions from members of SacMod (Sacramento Modern)!

For more information, see the flyer or check out Blue Line’s website at http://www.bluelinearts.org/exhibits/exhibits.html

Mid-Century Madness Flyer