By William Burg
Until recently, tours of Sacramento were limited to Old Sacramento, in a sort of designated “history petting zoo.” Read more »
By William Burg Photos courtesy of the Center for Sacramento History
In 1887, real estate developer Edwin Alsip subdivided the 230-acre William Doyle ranch into 56 whole and partial blocks and gave the subdivision the name “Oak Park,” named after an eight-acre oak grove at its center.
By Bill Burg
The Bel-Vue Apartment Building, located at 809 L Street, is an understated and long-neglected landmark that faces demolition in the near future. Some of Sacramento’s architectural landmarks are obvious, based on their prominent role in history, association with well-known individuals, or architectural grandeur and scale. Sometimes, buildings become landmarks because of their association with ordinary people, and simply avoided demolition long enough to be recognized as historic. The Bel-Vue, originally known as the American Cash Apartments, is a building of the latter sort. Despite its landmark status, it faces demolition by its owner, the city of Sacramento. Read more »
by William Burg
Before the days of the World Wide Web, social networking sites and weblogs, zines created an underground network of communication, using the post office and in-person distribution to disseminate news and ideas between subcultures. Zine creators were driven by a desire to create their own media and share ideas with others without access to traditional media outlets. Typically zines are photocopied, often clandestinely on an office photocopier or at a local copy shop, but some were professionally printed on newsprint or glossy paper. Most zines didn’t make money, or lost it prodigiously, but profit is seldom the motive for zine making. Read more »