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urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 2:58 PM

Thought this would be a good place to bring together al of the recent news stories about the Crocker Museum, Indian Museum and now the new Perfroming Arts Theater at the Crest.... Cerainly there's enough going on in Sacramentoto keep this a lively thread...

The Crocker Expansion:
Groundbreaking July 26, 2007 with and estimated completion date of 2010

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Huge boost for museum
Crocker's top benefactors pitch in an extra $10 million for coming expansion
By Bobby Caina Calvan - Bee Staff Writer

Two of the Crocker Art Museum's biggest boosters are reaching deeper into their pockets, each pledging an additional $5 million for a major expansion that would triple the size of a facility struggling to accommodate its burgeoning collection and supersized ambitions.

The $10 million infusion was announced at a fundraiser at Cal Expo on Saturday night, as the museum prepares to break ground next month on its new $85 million wing and launch a broader appeal for cash among the general public.

To date, the museum's capital campaign has relied on a relatively small group of benefactors -- 164, by the museum's count -- who have contributed $80 million of the $100 million goal.

The biggest contributor has been the Joyce and Jim Teel Family Foundation -- a product of the Raley's grocery fortune -- which announced on Saturday that it would add $5 million to its earlier pledge of $8 million.

Mort and Marcy Friedman, who chair the museum's fundraising campaign, also announced they would donate another $5 million to the effort, bringing their total contributions to $10 million.

"The story here is the unbelievable generosity" of the Teels and Friedmans "for their significant gifts," said Lial Jones, the museum's executive director. "They have been absolutely essential to our progress every step of the way."

"We have worked really hard to get to this point," said Joyce Raley Teel, an honorary co-chair for the museum's capital campaign. "My family is proud and privileged to give this gift to the Crocker, because it leaves this legacy."

The donations represent the region's heftiest philanthropic effort to support a cultural endeavor that has fared poorly in the competition for government funding. Arts funding has dropped precipitously in California in recent years. Last year, the state ranked last in the nation in per-capita spending -- just 6 cents per resident -- for art programs, a statistic that concerns boosters of the arts.

Museums such as the Crocker have had to increasingly rely on wealthy patrons to fund programs and major capital projects.

"You can't have a great city without extraordinary institutions," added Marcy Friedman.

The city, county and state have kicked in $18.5 million for the museum project -- although the sale of a nearby lot, near Capitol Mall and dubbed "Lot X," is expected to increase the city of Sacramento's contribution.

The Crocker is a joint partnership of the city and the Crocker Art Museum Association.

The Crocker's expansion, when completed in 2010, would expand the museum's footprint at Second and O streets, but also would undoubtedly extend its reach across the Valley -- and could help it to begin rivaling museums of greater size and stature.

"When this museum opens, it will be an icon for the city," said Jones, the museum's executive director.

"It is not just about an art museum. It's about civic pride."

That sentiment was shared by Mayor Heather Fargo, who calls the museum "a critical piece in our downtown revitalization."

The expansion allows the city's redevelopment engine to continue revving. "We've been really improving downtown Sacramento," Fargo said, "in making it a magnet for the people in the city and beyond."

Requests for bids for much of the construction work are to go out this week, and a groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled for July 26. The first phase involves shifting Second Street to accommodate the museum's expanded footprint.

The new wing would expand the Crocker to 170,000 square feet. The new museum would approach the size of San Francisco's Museum of Modern Art, which has 225,000 square feet for galleries, exhibits, cafes and shops. The Crocker will have the same amount of space for traveling exhibitions as the newly renovated de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park.

"For the first time, it will be a light, warm, inviting space," Jones said. "Museums are educational institutions. What we really want to do is engage visitors with works of art."

Foremost, the new wing will allow the museum to showcase a larger selection of its collection of 14,000 works of art, including its vast array of California art and ceramics -- and one of the country's most impressive collections of master drawings.

"Our collection is already world-class," said Jones. "What we don't have is the ability to show the works that give our museum its stature."

The museum's galleries have room for just 4 percent of the Crocker's collection, just a third of the industry standard.

While the expansion is expected to dramatically improve the art lover's experience -- with more to see, airier galleries, a roomier gift shop and a much- demanded cafe -- some of the most crucial improvements will be mostly out of view.

For the first time, the museum will be equipped with a freight elevator and a loading dock, standard amenities at major museums.

At times, oversized paintings have had to be removed from their frames, rolled up, then reframed for display. Some pieces have had to be slipped through windows -- because of narrow halls, low doorways and other architectural quirks that sometimes make maneuvering difficult at the museum.

Many of those quirks have been both blessing and curse. The old Victorians that originally comprised the museum lend a distinct sense of history and ornate color to the facility, but their halls have been constricting.

The Herold Wing, which features the architectural sensibilities of the 1960s, will be torn down.

The final edifice will be a marriage of the new and old. Much of the gleaming new facade will be stark white -- giving it a glow designed to harken that of the nearby Capitol -- but will be seamlessly anchored by the museum's existing Victorians, once the home and private art gallery of Judge Edwin B. Crocker, whose family was among California's "Big Four" railroad barons.

The museum's architects -- Gwathmey, Siegel & Associates -- designed the expansion of the Guggenheim in New York and the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle.

In the past 11 months, nearly 160,000 people visited the Crocker. The expansion is expected to help the museum draw as many as 300,000 visitors, perhaps more, annually once the new wing opens.

The museum also hopes to boost its membership from the current 9,400 to more than 12,500 by 2010.

_________________________________________________________________
Crest Theater (Performing Arts Center?)

Crest renovation in the works
By Mark Anderson Sacramento Business Journal
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

An investment group is in escrow to buy the Crest Theatre on K Street with plans to add more performing arts acts.

The Crest, last renovated a dozen years ago, is one of the businesses that has remained vibrant on the largely moribund K Street Mall.

Jim Brennan, president of Trancas Ventures of St. Helena, said he sees the Crest being a small version of New York City's Lincoln Center.

Brennan would not comment nor return calls. He has had discussions with Crest management, who say they have had only initial meetings.

"He (Brennan) is pretty excited about the things that we do here and with the direction downtown is taking," said Sid Garcia-Heberger, general manager of the Crest.

Across the street from the Crest, local developer David S. Taylor Interests Inc. is developing a cabaret-style performing arts venue on the ground floor of a building that would have other retail, some office space and residential units.

That space has been shuttered since the Woolworth's store there closed 12 years ago.

The Crest runs art house and foreign movies, as well as hosting about 10 film festivals a year. It's main stage has been used as a concert venue for years, with bands such as Taj Mahal to Nirvana gracing the floorboards.

In its current configuration, the Crest has a proscenium stage which can accommodate a fairly large band, but it has no wings, back-stage or fly loft rafters for live performances.

The theater is owned by a group of trusts from a longtime Sacramento family, and operated by separate company.

The Crest got a remodel in 1995, which added two smaller theaters downstairs to the single 975-seat auditorium on the ground floor. There has been a theater in that location since 1912. The original structure, called the Empress, was set up for live Vaudeville entertainment. It was gutted and completely remodeled into a large ornate movie palace starting in 1946. Opening night of the Crest was October 1949.

Art center status planned at Crest
By Bob Shallit - Bee Columnist
Last Updated 5:14 am PDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Story appeared in BUSINESS section, Page D1

If a proposed sale goes through, Trancas Ventures wants to model the Crest Theatre on New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

A wine country investment group is hoping to buy Sacramento's venerable Crest Theatre and turn it into a performing arts center modeled after one of New York's most famous entertainment venues.

"It will be kind of a small Lincoln Center right in the center of the city," says Jim Brennan of Trancas Ventures.

That comment came at a brief City Council appearance last week. Since then, no additional information has been forthcoming from the investment group, indicating that a purchase of the property is not yet completed.

Crest manager Sid Garcia- Heberger also is being coy.

"We've talked with the prospective buyer, but we have no comment at this point," she says.

Brennan, whose group has acquired a half-dozen other properties on K Street Mall over the past year, indicated during his three-minute council talk that a deal for the 95-year-old theater was all but done.

He described himself as a graduate of New York's Juilliard School of performing arts, a musician and a longtime developer who has been involved in major urban renovation projects in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter, the South of Market area in San Francisco and elsewhere.

He said his focus now is on downtown Sacramento, where St. Helena-based Trancas has earmarked $75 million for projects that include conversion of the former Roos Atkins building, at 10th and K, into office condos.

The group's interest in the Crest, at 1013 K, excites Michael Ault, executive director of the Downtown Sacramento Partnership.

The current owners and managers have done a great job of bringing varied events and films to the theater, he says. But a deep-pocketed investor coming in, upgrading the theater while maintaining its "funkiness?"

"That's great news," Ault says

_____________________________________________________________________
The California Indian Heritage Center

California Indian museum finds a site
Published 12:00 am PDT Saturday, June 2, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B2

WEST SACRAMENTO -- A planned museum to showcase the heritage of California Indians found a home Friday when the city agreed to donate riverfront property for the cultural center that will include an amphitheater.

The California Indian Heritage Center Task Force had tried to put the museum on the banks of the American River, but was unable to resolve land issues.

The West Sacramento Parks and Community Services Commission will consider a formal proposal on June 8 to donate 43 acres.

The California Indian Heritage Center will have a library, exhibit space and landscaping with indigenous gardens.

-- M.S. Enkoji

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 3:09 PM

Wine bars are back - and booming
By Mike Dunne - Bee Food Editor
Last Updated 6:08 am PDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Story appeared in TASTE section, Page F2

Their names were as noble as a label glittering with gold (Mansion Cellars, Private Reserve) and as naive as a jug of Chianti from the Tuscan hills (Fiasco!).

That was nearly a quarter of a century ago, when a booming economy and a newly confident California wine trade gave rise to the first wave of wine bars in Sacramento.

And then they were gone, and residents returned to taverns where Boodles and Bud rather than Mondavi and Mirassou were the drinks of choice. As the economy flattened, the wine bar came to be seen as frivolous, or maybe just too limited in scope to call for much repeat business.

But now the wine bar is back, showing up mostly in midtown Sacramento but also in the Sierra foothills and even out at Sacramento International Airport.

Enotria Restaurant & Wine Bar has been around for 12 years, but the other players are relatively new. Three have opened this year, and speculation abounds that three more are preparing to take root.

The United States is on the verge of becoming the world's most wine-friendly country, and the proliferation of wine bars, not at all limited to Sacramento, reflects the nation's growing confidence with and curiosity about wine, say observers of the scene.

"A whole generation has grown up with exposure to wine to one degree or another, and wants to continue that exposure," says Gary Locke, a principal in San Francisco's London Wine Bar, which opened in 1974 as the country's first.

Michael Chandler, wine director for Enotria in North Sacramento, sees the revival of the wine bar as a reflection of the public's interest in drinking more lightly and more leisurely.

"People are looking to relax, to consume more slowly, and they know that they can remember a conversation better after a glass of wine than after a martini," Chandler says.

Wine bars generally don't have plasma-screen TVs, jukeboxes or pool tables, which helps to hear conversations, and perhaps remember them.

Local wine bars vary in focus and tone, but they share the same goal -- to give guests an opportunity to taste a broad selection of wines. It's like visiting a wine region, but without having to drive from winery to winery to sample a sweep of wines.

But the trek is no less expensive. Wine tasting can be a costly night's entertainment, with 2- and 3-ounce pours generally costing around $3 and $4, 5- and 6-ounce pours often starting out at $6 or $7. And almost without exception, a glass of wine calls for something to eat, and a menu is likely to be presented with the wine list.

A tip: With an unfamiliar wine, start with a taste. The amount in the glass may seem small, but it's enough to decide whether to invest in a larger pour or a bottle.

To varying degrees, wine bars customarily try to be educational. Some offer not only wines by the glass but wines by the flight, usually three small tastes grouped by style, varietal, appellation or the like. Vino Volo at Sacramento International Airport has flights of "spring rosés" and "Sierra reds," while Enotria's slate of 10 flights includes "crisp and refreshing whites," "Spanish reds" and "bubblies."

Another teaching tool favored by some wine bars is the informed yet approachable and encouraging staff, customarily "wine geeks" themselves who love to chat about their favorite region or to share their latest discovery.

In contrast to the area's first round of wine bars, when a dozen wines seemed an astonishingly varied mix, today's wine bars customarily offer 30 to 40 wines by the glass, often hundreds more by the bottle, which also can be ordered and opened on the premises.

Today's wine bars also put more emphasis on food. In addition to the requisite assortments of olives, cheeses and cured meats, they often offer more ambitious plates -- braised brisket at 58 Degrees & Holding Co., potato and green-garlic soup at Carpe Vino, slow-roasted baby back ribs at L Wine Lounge & Urban Kitchen.

Which leads to the question: What's the difference between restaurant and wine bar? It's a gray area, becoming even more muddled as wine bars expand and diversify their menus and as restaurants latch on to "wine bar" as part of their name, even when their wine program isn't significantly different than what can be found at numerous trattorias, bistros and grills.

creamcityleo79

Jun 6, 2007, 3:30 PM

I'm glad West Sac was able to get the Indian Museum. The west side of the river is just as important as the east. With all the development going on in West Sac and all of their newfound arts, cultural, and retail amenities, they are shaping up to be quite a great city...and this is GREAT for Sacramento. It provides more diversity in choices for living, shopping, and playing. So, I'm glad for West Sac!

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 3:31 PM

ozone

Jun 6, 2007, 3:40 PM

Does anyone know exactly where the riverfront site that is being donated to CIHC is?

sugit

Jun 6, 2007, 3:48 PM

Tribe gives $1.5 million to Capital Unity Center
By Stephen Magagnini - Bee Staff Writer
Friday, June 1, 2007

The Capital Unity Center got a little closer to its $20 million goal Thursday when the Rumsey Band of Wintun Indians pledged $1.5 million to the proposed center for diversity and tolerance.

The Rumsey Band operates Cache Creek Casino. The tribe has given away more than $12 million to more than 160 organizations, projects and programs since October 2000, according to spokeswoman Taryn Kinney.

"The tribe is thrilled that we are able to help the community in this way," Rumsey Tribal Chairman Marshall McKay said in a prepared statement.

The Capital Unity Center, which will be at the corner of 16th and N streets, will be an interactive multimedia learning experience dedicated to inclusion, diversity and dialogue across racial, ethnic, gender and religious lines.

State Sen. Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, president of the Sacramento Unity Council, said the group has raised $8 million of the $20 million needed to build and run the Capital Unity Center.

"We're grateful to the Rumsey Tribe for their vision in understanding the importance of teaching diversity and acceptance," Steinberg said. "We expect 100,000 kids a year to make this journey."

The idea for the center was born after the 1999 firebombings of three synagogues, the NAACP's Sacramento headquarters, the Sacramento Japanese American Citizens League and the home of Asian American City Council member Jimmie Yee.

wburg

Jun 6, 2007, 4:11 PM

I'm still trying to figure out what the Crest "Performing Arts Center" thing is supposed to be. The Crest already has multiple film festivals, live bands, musical plays, and other stage events--in other words, it's a "performing arts center" now.

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 4:12 PM

I'm glad to hear about the Capital Unity Center.

On a side note I'm very excited about the propect for the Crest becoming a perfroming Arts Center.

Having a 900 (+)seat theater at that location would be perfect for K street.

The Community Center Theater seats 2,452, while the Memorial Auditorium seats about 3,867.

The last time that I attended the Philharmonic in Sacramento, the CCT wasn't completely sold out, but there were only a few seats open.

I don't know whether the Crest will be attractive to groups such as the Philharmonc or Ballet. But perhaps for other Perfroming Arts, a 900 seat theater will prove perfect.

I would also like to see Michael Morgan bring back Mocha and Mozart that the old Sacramento Symphony used to promote.

In any case a new perfroming arts theater will certainly compliment the CCT, Wells Fargo Pavillion and the new 10th and K street 200 seat Cabaret.

It will be interesting to see if the local historical preservationists object to the new owners making any changes, just as they objected when the city proposed converting the Memorial Auditorium into a concert hall/opera house.

wburg

Jun 6, 2007, 4:42 PM

urban encounter: When was this? The Memorial Auditorium has always been a concert hall, and there haven't been any significant changes in its interior configuration since the Auditorium was built. Preservationists objected when the city proposed tearing the Auditorium down, and I think the consensus at this point is that not tearing it down (and RETAINING its use as a concert hall) was a Good Thing.

The point is, there already IS a 900+ seat theater on K Street, and there is already something happening there, seven days a week. We're not talking about some vacant storefront here.

sugit

Jun 6, 2007, 5:06 PM

Let's not jump to any conclusions until he actual comes forward and say what he wants. ..upgrading the theater while maintaining its "funkiness" sounds like something I want to hear more about.

If this guy wants to do something to improve The Crest, let it be heard before people jump on him for the sake of not wanting anything changed. The Crest is a multiple purpose venue, but anything that bring more and different performances deserves a good look.

The only thing I worry about it them having to cut back on films. It's one of the only venues (Other than Fools/Shiny Objects) that I know of for films like that. We all know the owners of The Tower aren't going to do shit to clean it up a bit, so let's be happy that this guys wants to actually put money into it.

ozone

Jun 6, 2007, 5:39 PM

In reading the article (this or another) it sounded like they would have to create a backstage which it currently doesn't have.

wburg

Jun 6, 2007, 6:02 PM

Not entirely accurate...there is a "green room" off of stage left, which is used as a makeup/dressing room for stage events, and there is a huge dressing/prep area beneath the stage, accessible from both sides of the stage via stairs, with multiple dressing rooms and a large storage area. There isn't a physical "backstage" directly behind the stage because the screen sets on the back wall of the building.

There are differing reports, but what I'm hearing is that the buyer wasn't aware of the many things already going on at the Crest.

ozone

Jun 6, 2007, 6:37 PM

Yeah the article I read didn't mention any of that. Thanks for the info.

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 6:50 PM

urban encounter: When was this? The Memorial Auditorium has always been a concert hall, and there haven't been any significant changes in its interior configuration since the Auditorium was built.

I didn't say that there were any significant changes..
I said that "it will be interesting to see if the local historical preservationists object to the new owners making any changes, just as they objected when the city proposed converting the Memorial Auditorium into a concert hall/opera house. "

I guess you answered my question as to the response from (at least one) local preservationist.

Take a walk down memory lane for a moment

The Auditorium was closed in the 80's (shortly after Arco Arena opened), supposedly due to seisimic safety concerns, though most people believe that it was a quid pro quo ,so as not to compete directly with Arco for smaller shows and concerts.

The city looking for alternative uses for the Auditorium, so that it could be reopened, put a proposal to the voters seeking an $80 million rehab of the memorial, which would have turned the memorial into a symphony/opea house. The work would have included new balconies, fixed floor seating as well as acoustical and seismic upgrades. The work would have been done by the same company (the name escapes me) that rehabbed New York's Carnegie Hall in the 80s....

Preseravtionist lead by the SOCA, (if i recall) objected that the renovations would alter the historical integrity of the interior Auditorim and floated an alternative that forced the city to spend $10 million on seisimic upgrades and a much smaller inerior rehab, and the guarantee that the Memorial would be reopened as a multi purpose auditorium

Voters went to the polls with the two choices and by a very narrow margin approved the minimal $10 million rehab.

Preservationists objected when the city proposed tearing the Auditorium down, and I think the consensus at this point is that not tearing it down (and RETAINING its use as a concert hall) was a Good Thing.

I don't recall any serious consideration to tearing it down.

I think the concern was that if the city didn't find a new use for the structure and spend the money to rehab the Auditorium, the building would simply remain closed and continue to deteriorate and then the city would have no choice but to knock it down.

But as i said, the city promoted the idea of using the Memorial as a symphony/opera house.

Thankfully the Memorial was given a new lease on life.

The point is, there already IS a 900+ seat theater on K Street, and there is already something happening there, seven days a week. We're not talking about some vacant storefront here.

There is no harm in seeing if Trancas can improve the use for the Crest. If they can turn it into a 900 seat perfroming arts center ( which Sacramento is currently lacking a theater in the 1000 seat range), then why not allow them to explore it???

Maximizing it's potential might bring in more pedestrian activity to K street, promote the performing arts and may even secure the Tower Theaters as Sacramento's premier Art House.

BTW wburg

The Memorial is a mulit purpose auditorium.

Not a concert hall.

wburg

Jun 6, 2007, 7:16 PM

I guess I'm not clear on the difference...if there are concerts there, isn't it a concert hall? In addition to being useful (and used) for events other than concerts? I'll have to go take a look down memory lane (or its more reliable relative, Research Boulevard), as it appears I don't know the full story on this one...I was in high school in the 1980s and didn't read the paper much.

It seems a little weird that it would be necessary to close the Crest to secure the Tower as Sacramento's "premier" art-house, since it would be Sacramento's *only* art-house left...we've got the Crest and the Tower, and the Crest is currently operating, and is already busy. If the Tower wants to be Sacramento's "premier" art-house, then the New York based company that owns the theater should get the theater in better shape, and start doing what the locally owned Crest has been doing for years--running a tight ship, drawing in-demand movies and performers, and generally *being* a performing arts center already.

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 10:17 PM

If the Tower wants to be Sacramento's "premier" art-house, then the New York based company that owns the theater should get the theater in better shape,

Without question, we're in agreement here.

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 10:22 PM

Arts groups plan new rehearsal space
Sacramento Business Journal - 11:34 AM PDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007by Mark AndersonStaff writer

Four of Sacramento's largest performing arts groups will unveil detailed plans next Wednesday for a $25 million rehearsal and office space in downtown Sacramento.

The Sacramento Philharmonic, The Sacramento Ballet, California Musical Theatre and Sacramento Opera along with the city of Sacramento plan to develop a four-story building at 14th and H streets.

The city has committed $9 million to the project, which will be a 47,000-square foot building. The building is expected to cost $25 million, with the balance of the cost made up by rents paid by arts groups and a capital campaign. The center could open in the fall of 2009.

The rehearsal space will allow the groups significant savings compared to what it costs to rehearse in the Community Center Theatre.

urban_encounter

Jun 6, 2007, 10:24 PM

West Sac lands Indian Heritage Center
Sacramento Business Journal - 9:22 AM PDT Wednesday, June 6, 2007by Mark AndersonStaff writer

The city of West Sacramento appears to have landed the $80 million statewide California Indian Heritage Center on the banks of the Sacramento River.

City staffers and California State Parks are working to develop the center on 43 acres of city-owned land that faces Discovery Park and the confluence of the American River.

The city and state hope to hammer out an agreement by the end of August that would transfer the land that would make it the only state park in West Sacramento. The transfer would involve no money, but it would require a commitment from State Parks to work quickly to develop the Indian Heritage Center.

"We do have a list of concerns and issues, but it is nothing that we don't think can be overcome," said Maureen Pascoe, program manager for redevelopment in West Sacramento.

One of the issues is that some of the land sits atop a levee, with the rest between the levee and the river. Many years ago, the site was home to a restaurant and a boat repair shop. Still, most of the land is higher than the high- water mark measured in Old Sacramento.

"We think it is a good development site that would stay dry," she said. The land had been considered as a site for the next governor's mansion, back in the early second term of Gray Davis.

West Sacramento has kept the land reserved to be used for "something of note and merit," Pascoe said. The cultural center fits that definition.

"It is a good location," said Larry Myers, chairman of the California Indian Heritage Center's task force looking at sites.

The task force had spent nearly two years trying to make the project work in north Sacramento, on land that was on both sides of the American River around Northgate Boulevard. The city was willing to help project organizers pay for the land, but the project fell apart when the land's multiple owners asked for more money and they complicated negotiations with other demands.

The task force is still interested in using the north side of the river around Northgate -- which sits on high ground -- for interpretive uses and gatherings.

"That site was split in two, this site is split in two, they are just a little farther apart," said Kathy Taylor, superintendent of the Capital District California State Parks.

The task force had also briefly considered sites in Folsom and Rocklin.

The West Sacramento project benefits from the land being transferred to the state for the center for free, Taylor said. "The enthusiasm has been very encouraging from the city of West Sacramento."

Many details have yet to be worked out. One thorny difficulty may end up being parking. West Sacramento doesn't want massive parking lots around its riverfront, and the center would take up most of the land. And homebuilders JTS Communities Inc. and The Grupe Co. own neighboring parcels.

The city is willing to give the land to the state, but it is offering it with strings, which include a level of quality of any improvement to the land and demands for a construction timetable.

The center is to be used for "Big Times," gatherings of tribes for cultural observances. The center would also include such things like a library and a collection of artifacts, art and baskets. It will be run for and by native people, she said. "This will be a very different operation, a very strong California Indian role in operations and management." The site now allows riverfront access and is used regularly by anglers and people seeking out its sandy beach.

The land is near a site that two decades ago was known as the Lighthouse Development, which was bankrolled by Japanese investors. The plan at the time called for a luxury marina, riverfront condominiums, luxury housing, shops and a golf course. The golf course was built, but the rest of the development lay dormant for nearly 20 years and the project was taken back by lenders. The golf course has since been converted into housing, with more houses still yet to be built.

travis bickle

Jun 6, 2007, 10:29 PM

ya know, everytime you turn around it seems that West Sac. really has it together.

ozone

Jun 7, 2007, 12:41 AM

So from what I'm reading in that article -the new governor's mansion in West Sac is off?

I wonder how accessible this site is -especially to tourists who won't always be driving?

creamcityleo79

Jun 7, 2007, 3:02 AM

ya know, everytime you turn around it seems that West Sac. really has it together.

It's because West Sac is a smaller city. So, it's easier to get around opposition. Also, the city has a very aggressive urban growth philosophy.

travis bickle

Jun 7, 2007, 2:38 PM

It's because West Sac is a smaller city. So, it's easier to get around opposition. Also, the city has a very aggressive urban growth philosophy.

I would wager that the latter is more important than the former...

goldcntry

Jun 7, 2007, 3:26 PM

So from what I'm reading in that article -the new governor's mansion in West Sac is off?

I wonder how accessible this site is -especially to tourists who won't always be driving?

The site is or will be accessible in two ways. For pedestrians, the River Walk will be able to accomodate them as development allows the River Walk to be expanded northward.

For drivers, the site is accessible via 5th Street that turns into Lighthouse Drive and provides access to Fountain Drive and the area for the Indian Museum. When the realignment of 275 (future Tower Gateway Blvd) is completed, 5th street will have a signal intersection (at the northside of Raley Field).

sugit

Jun 7, 2007, 9:34 PM

Man, Joyce Raley Teel is really dropping some big bucks to help get these facilities built. In addtion to the 13M for The Crocker, looks like she is giving 5M to the Studios for the Performing Arts building at 14th and H.

Naming of the Performing Arts Studios (BC36)
Location: 725 14th Street (District 1)
Recommendation: Adopt a Resolution, approving the naming of the Studios for the Performing Arts project ("SPA Project") building "The E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts".

City Council Staff Report (http://sacramento.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&event_id=2&meta_id=115093)

http://bp3.blogger.com/_a7jnNn-bmW4/RiajJoU5OJI/AAAAAAAAAEI/yPkz-rVKWBs/s320/untitled.bmp

http://bp2.blogger.com/_a7jnNn-bmW4/RiajPYU5OKI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/NbeP0yrYHZk/s320/untitled1.bmp

TowerDistrict

Jun 7, 2007, 9:38 PM

hehe... "E. Claire's" would be a great name for a dessert cafe. :)

BrianSac

Jun 7, 2007, 9:51 PM

:banana: hehe... "E. Claire's" would be a great name for a dessert cafe. :)

:banana: Good One, Tower.

sugit

Jun 7, 2007, 9:51 PM

Next up for the PG&E building....Sacramento Museum of History, Science and Technology (I assume same as SMASHp)

http://sacscimuseum.blogspot.com/

The city is giving them an ERN for a year to work out details. This does seem like a very good spot for this.

Staff Report (http://sacramento.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=7&event_id=2&meta_id=115095)

Wells Fargo, Teichert, and PG&E have expressed interest in supporting the project, along with others

http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/997/untitleddk7.png

ozone

Jun 7, 2007, 10:48 PM

This is not the SMASHp - that was a prtty old blog I just resurrected. The concept is more evolved -but basically it's the same idea. It'll be a wonderful asset to our community and the location is ideal. With all that is planned the Sacramento Riverfront will be quite dynamic in 5-10 years.

urban_encounter

Jun 8, 2007, 1:08 AM

:previous:

I really hope they can make it work and the early support from Wells Fargo, PG&E and Teichert makes this sounds promising.

ozone

Jun 10, 2007, 5:05 PM

This is the first in the "Growing in Stages" series, the Bee's occasional look at evolving performance venues in the area. It's a long article. If you want to read the article from the web -http://sacbee.com/entertainment/story/211009.html

http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8355/9167x10natomasdtrc7.gif
Opening soon in Sacramento: a pristine, state-of-the-art performance venue. Built at a cost of $8.2 million, the technically advanced, 365-seat Benvenuti Performing Arts Center impresses by any standard. Its numerous amenities and production capabilities position it on the top rung of local arts facilities.

Local performing groups would be thrilled to work on its stage -- the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra is already scheduled, and the Sacramento Ballet has expressed serious interest.

However, first call goes to the high school students at Natomas Charter School. The striking, angular-roofed building was built by the school to showcase its performing arts academy. The young actors will work on a stage whose facilities compare to those of UC Davis' Mondavi Center and the Wells Fargo Pavilion.

That one of the region's best stages belongs to a high school illustrates a crossroads reached by local performing-arts groups. [IT ILLUSTRATES SOMETHING ELSE TO ME] As they grow, becoming more sophisticated along with their audiences, venues haven't kept pace. However, there is some relief on the horizon, and the Benvenuti soon will have company as several long-planned projects take shape around Sacramento.

A 210-seat, cabaret-style theater will open in 2008 at 10th and K streets in the old Woolworth building. Uptown at 27th and Capitol, the B Street Theatre is planning a building with two theaters opening in 2010 amid the new Sutter Medical Center complex. Finally, the most far-reaching plan is a performing-arts complex at the heart of a multi-use development at the downtown railyard that would likely include four theater spaces of various sizes and a performing arts academy.

Where can I hang my hat? Every performing-arts group would love to have its own venue. It's like having your own house. You do with it what you want, fitting the place to your needs. Ensembles in Sacramento are no different.

"The issue is in the hearts and minds of most artists in our community," observes Donald Kendrick, artistic director of the Sacramento Choral Society. Kendrick's group, which has performed in New York, Europe and China, has no permanent home in Sacramento. He feels like a vagabond in Sacramento.

"I've been here for 22 years, and I'm still waiting for the right theater to appear for our group," Kendrick says.

A mid-1990s study commissioned by the city cited the need for additional venues for local performing groups. In the intervening 10 years, the area has gained the Mondavi Center at UC Davis and the Wells Fargo Pavilion for the Music Circus.

The Mondavi, with the 1,801-seat Jackson Hall and the 200-seat Studio Theatre, books a world-class presenting season most of the year and occasionally hosts university-affiliated groups. Under terms of the city's agreement with its on-site neighbor the Sacramento Theatre Company, the Wells Fargo Pavilion operates only during the summer, when it presents the Music Circus.

Neither hall really addresses the needs of many Sacramento-based performing groups. Most theater groups scramble for limited openings at spaces such as California Stage, The Space, Thistle Dew Dessert Theatre and the Wm. J. Geery Theater.

Some groups, such as the compelling Synergy Stage ensemble, have gone on hiatus because they have no place to work. But there has been some positive movement, as the Lambda Players enterprisingly acquired its own small space -- a 49-seat theater on 17th Street, off Broadway.

In 2005, the Davis Musical Theatre Company built the $1.2 million, 240-seat Hoblit Performing Arts Center in east Davis. And recently, the young community company Big Idea Theatre announced that it would take over the scruffy Actor's Theatre space on Del Paso Boulevard vacated by Ed Claudio, who ran a theater there for 16 years.

Meanwhile, the 3-year-old professional Capital Stage struggles with complications from working on the confining Delta King riverboat, which also houses a busy bar above the claustrophobic theater space and a noisy interactive dinner theater next door.

"We are pushing the capabilities of our current space to the limit," says Stephanie Gularte, Capital Stage's artistic director. "Our long-term survival and growth as a professional company require a venue with greater seating capacity, more sophisticated production elements, and appropriate space for our actors, crew and staff."

For groups with complex needs and larger audiences, there's little available beyond the venerable 2,500-seat Community Center Theater, a useful but problematic building. "It's a limiting issue on what we can possibly do here," says Timm Rolek, artistic director of Sacramento Opera. "We're still working with state-of-the-art 1974 technology backstage. The world is drastically different."

It's actually a whole new world, says Jonathan Williams, the Benvenuti's technical director, whose theater has computer-assisted capabilities no one else in the region can match. Williams is also an artistic associate with Capital Stage and is well aware of local theaters' capabilities.

"We can actually model shows in a three-dimensional virtual world before we put anything on the stage," Williams says of the high school theater. "This is the type of thing you find in big Broadway houses."

Besides modern technology, audience capacity is an issue, and intermediate-size venues are also on wish lists.

"We clearly have a big gap in sizes of theaters, and the 500-seat range and a 1,000- to 1,200-seat theater seem to be most requested by the operators," says Barbara Bonebrake, who works for the city as director of the Convention, Culture and Leisure Department.

Bonebrake says the city is in the final stages of hiring consultants for another study to assess where we are now and what the community could support. [OH GOD ANOTHER STUDY COMMISSIONED BY THE CITY. THEY MUST GET HARD-ONS JUST LOOKING AT A FILING CABINET. THESE GUYS CAN'T THINK FOR THEMSELVES? SOME OF THESE DEPARTMENTS ARE A RACKET -WTF DOES THE CCL DEPT DO?]

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/82/3027x10kstreetdtxa9.jpg
Cabaret on K Street
The new theater closest to completion is a space at 10th and K being developed by David Taylor and associates for use by California Musical Theatre and the Paragary restaurant group. Construction crews are gutting the former Woolworth building, and construction on a 210-seat cabaret theater is expected to begin soon.

The $17 million project came together after California Musical Theatre executive producer Richard Lewis reasoned that he could model the success of colleagues in cities such as Pittsburgh and Denver who are doing well with smaller theaters.

"I go to these conferences -- the Independent Presenters Network, the League of American Theaters and Producers -- and my buddies there are saying how they're having great success with their 200-seat spaces," Lewis says. "Well, I was basically tuning that stuff out because I don't have that theater."

CMT's productions are staged in its 2,203-seat Wells Fargo Pavilion or are Broadway Sacramento presentations at the Community Center Theater. But the numbers clicked in Lewis' head. The fact that one producer ran "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" over four years and another ran "Forever Plaid" for 18 months to the profitable sound of $1.2 million in revenue made him think again. Lewis also knew the city wanted to do something with the space at 10th and K, but tearing the building down and putting up something else from scratch was financially prohibitive and would have taken years.

"So I called up Tracy Michael with the city and said I had this really stupid idea: 'What if this space was a really classy Randy Paragary restaurant and inside was a 200-seat cabaret theater?' " Because the city has long wanted to transform the K Street area, Lewis' "stupid idea" gained traction, especially when developer David Taylor and restaurant maven Paragary came on board.

The city redevelopment agency, which owns the property, had previously sought ideas for the building, and the Taylor group had already submitted several options.

"The city asked us if we would consider putting in a black-box theater in our project," recalls Elle Warner, a Taylor Associates architect familiar with the project. Lewis' idea made everyone happy, so the project has leapt forward.

"This is a venue Sacramento doesn't have," Lewis says. He also stresses that it will not be dinner theater, though some food will be available.

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/6279/2047x10cabaretpn4.jpg

B Street busts out
Meanwhile, across town, the gleam in Buck Busfield's eye is sparked by an old medical office building. It's the site of the B Street Theatre's proposed complex at 27th Street and Capitol Avenue. The producing director of the popular midtown company hopes to produce theater there in 2010.

The site will hold two theaters. The first will be a 360-seat proscenium space with an orchestra pit below and a second tier above. That theater will be the dedicated home of B Street's family programming and will run other B Street shows in repertory when possible.

"The mission of Theater for Children is to serve a lot of people," Busfield says. "We're not looking for a niche audience; we want to throw a really wide net. A lot of kids and a lot of adults. Naturally, you need more venues and bigger ones."

Especially if you've reached the point where you have more subscribers than you have seats. The family series now runs in the 112-seat B2 space.

"We're maxed out where we are now, and the market's telling us they can tolerate more," Busfield says.

The building will also house a 250-seat thrust stage similar to the main 186-seat space that B Street operates now. This smaller space for adult-oriented material will also allow for more ambitious production elements.

The B Street Theatre complex is just a part of the redevelopment spurred by Sutter Medical Center's desire to renovate its midtown facilities. Also getting a makeover is Trinity Cathedral, across the street from where the B Street would call home. The theater complex costs a little over $30 million, while the total project is now budgeted at more than $456 million.

"We've been talking about this for about a decade, but it got real in 2003 when Sutter decided to develop the land," says Busfield. Sutter Health is donating the land to the B Street, and the two groups expect to partner the B Street's family theater offerings with Sutter Health's pediatric healing arts programs.

The B Street has retained a cadre of consultants to circumspectly guide the theater through the complexities of fundraising and the enigmas of orchestrating public perceptions. The theater declined to release any images of its planned venues.

Unwilling to go into specifics, Busfield does vaguely hype the theater, saying it will take a "unique approach." The organization has been quietly fundraising for several years and has 70 percent of the project funded through pledges and other revenue streams, but still needs about $10 million to finish it.

http://img519.imageshack.us/img519/7913/717x10railyarqw8.jpg

Bright lights, big city
Richard Rich has no problems going public with his plans. Rich, development director for Thomas Enterprises, the Atlanta-based organization that owns the intriguing 240 acres of railyard next to the Sacramento River, has many suitors. Rich has met with arts groups such as the Choral Society, California Musical Theatre, the Sacramento Philharmonic, Capital Stage and the Sacramento Ballet, assessing needs and desires for the proposed development there.

"What can't happen is to throw a bunch of venues into an existing pie, the current population, and expect anything good to happen out of it," Rich says.

He knows that different organizations have different needs and that several theaters in the complex would make sense.

"We're looking at four of varying sizes. Between 1,200 to 1,600 (seats) is the largest house, but this is all open to discussion right now," Rich says.
The dialogue has been going on for over a year, with the arts community lobbying Thomas Enterprises for the multiple venues as part of the new mixed-use development. Rich and many others believe that this is a crucial time for the Sacramento region to control its destiny.

"Sacramento's future as a first-tier city depends in part on its ability to provide a cultural critical mass for its residents," Rich says.

Rich also has in mind an ambitious educational component, a performing-arts academy that would have its home in the development. "It sets this project apart from anything we've considered before. There'll be a K-12 component -- we're not exactly sure how that gets structured yet -- and there'll be a bachelor of fine arts program."

Retail and residential components are also parts of the expansive project, which could potentially double the size of downtown.

What Rich doesn't initially mention is a sports arena component to the project.

"If the support were there for it, we have places on site for it," he allows. "We're not actively lobbying for or against."
In the next breath, he adds, "We'd love to have an arena downtown, but it's not a focus of our initial planning. We're making allowances for it, though."

Rich says the theaters and other elements are the focus: "museums, restaurants, markets, things that make a community. An arena would be a great benefit, but it's not a key to making a downtown."

The vision thing
Just who will lead is the question everyone asks. There has been a vacuum dating back to 1972, when the Alhambra Theatre became a supermarket through 2000, when a needed amphitheater was shuffled off to Marysville, 50 miles away. [THANKS TO EAST SAC NIMBYS]

Warren Smith, executive vice president of the West Sacramento-based River Cats and a veteran of last year's ill-fated campaign for Measures Q and R to build a railyard arena, knows that the community must be involved and informed about what's at stake.

"I think people want to be entertained in a downtown district, but I don't know that for sure," Smith says. [WTF?] "I think we need to have a good communitywide dialogue and see what comes to the top so we can prioritize. We only get so many bites at the apple. If we're going to do it, let's make sure it serves the community as a whole."

Studies and plans abound for regional performance venues. :rolleyes: Along with the city's upcoming study of area venue needs, the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission recently surveyed arts groups and individuals on that and related topics.

On Wednesday, plans will be unveiled for the four-story, 47,000- square-foot structure that will house rehearsal and office space for the four groups as well as the ballet's Center for Dance Education. The proposed $25 million facility should be available for occupation in fall 2009.

Last week, potential buyers of the Crest Theatre announced that they'd like to turn its three separate spaces into a "small Lincoln Center" performing arts complex in the center of the city. That kind of venture could buy the region time for something like the railyard project, which realistically is years away from even breaking ground.

"When you ask a room full of artistic people, 'What do you want?' you get a lot of answers," Rich says. "That's in today's market, not even thinking about where will the market grow in the next decade, because our focus really is 20 years out.

"We're building this piece of the city to be the part of Sacramento that it wants to be."

ozone

Jun 10, 2007, 5:06 PM

removing double post

sugit

Jun 11, 2007, 4:20 AM

Sounds like they hit a home run with the new stage in Natomas. That is what I would like see added to The Crest, that mid sized venue everyone is talking about for these type of performances.. Keep everything they are currently doing, but hopefully be able to put more shows on like what will be shown there.

Considering what the building currenly looks like, I'm shocked how nice this place looks.

http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2007/06/07/18/302-7X10KSTREETDT.embedded.prod_affiliate.4.JPG

econgrad

Jun 11, 2007, 9:19 AM

:previous:

I must say, WHAT AN AMAZING ARTICLE!!!!!
As a performer here, I am totally stoked! I missed this article in the Bee, Thanks for posting this Ozone! Wow....

wburg

Jun 11, 2007, 4:39 PM

The Alhambra Theater was a movie theater, not a theater for stage plays, nor was it an arena-sized venue, so I'm not sure how its demolition affected the performance arts in Sacramento. The lesson of the Alhambra is that it's important to think about what the city loses when the urge to expand and modernize bumps into our history, specifically our architectural legacy. The other hazard of premature demolition is bowling over Sacramento's existing cultural base: as hard as it may be to believe, we have a *lot* of homegrown talent in the music, filmmaking and theater worlds.

Do we need more theaters? Hell yes! I like the idea of a theater in the Railyards, and adaptive reuse of some of Sacramento's former industrial/garage type spaces would be a great way to have more theaters on the cheap. I'm not so hot on "adaptive reuse" of spaces that are already viable, active businesses that are locally owned, especially when there are so many other opportunities available.

jsf8278

Jun 17, 2007, 3:19 AM

I guess this thread would be a more appropriate place to pose this question...
Has anyone been to the MARRS site over on 20th st? Im out of town for the summer and was just wondering what's going in there, and what it will eventually be.
:cheers:

wburg

Jun 18, 2007, 4:14 PM

The art gallery over there was pretty busy on Second Saturday. I'm not sure what the story was, the group I was with was just walking past rather than going into many galleries, but I am assuming mixed retail/office. Not sure if there is a residential portion, but if there is they probably wouldn't get much sleep. I did hear that the developer is insisting that the businesses in the project have to agree to stay open late as a condition of lease. Hopefully this will encourage more late-night (or at least late evening) business in midtown.

TowerDistrict

Jun 18, 2007, 5:40 PM

yup, the MARRS project is two stories, with office above and retail, restaurant, and gallery space below. i know there's a couple architectural firms already occupying the space above. the solomon-dubnick gallery and luigi's down below. i would assume a larger restaurant tenant is in the works.

econgrad

Jul 24, 2007, 2:54 AM

Discovery Museum lands Smithsonian affiliation
Sacramento Business Journal - 10:09 AM PDT Monday, July 23, 2007
The Discovery Museum of Sacramento is the first institution in Northern California to be inducted into the Smithsonian Institution. It was awarded Smithsonian affiliate status this weekend.

The designation gives the Discovery Museum access to Smithsonian art from the existing 19 Smithsonian museums and nine research centers from around the nation. Both the Gold Rush History Center in Old Sacramento and the Science and Space Center on Auburn Boulevard are now officially Smithsonian affiliates. Both centers, as part of the Discovery Museum, will have access to a vast network of artifacts, exhibits and other resources to enhance the breadth of exhibits and collections already at each museum.

"The inclusion of the Discovery Museum into the Smithsonian network will help enhance Sacramento's artistic growth," said Rep. Doris Matsui, a Smithsonian regent. "The families, children and museum lovers of Sacramento will now have access to the hundreds of treasures owned by the Smithsonian."

In addition to artifact loans, the museums will have access to performing arts programs, educator workshops, and speaking engagements by experts from varying fields.

"It is wonderful that we have been able to bring a heightened level of cultural enrichment to Sacramento through the Smithsonian," Matsui said. "Bringing these resources from Washington, D.C., to Sacramento will create a well-rounded exposure and level of education to students and families alike."

Matsui is one of three members of the U.S. House of Representatives to be named to the Smithsonian Board of Regents by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Matsui is also the only member of Congress to serve on the Smithsonian Board Governance Committee, which oversees the activities of the Board of Regents and the Smithsonian Institution.

travis bickle

Jul 24, 2007, 1:38 PM

creamcityleo79

Jul 24, 2007, 3:31 PM

Years ago (I'm going to say in the early 80s, but it may be even earlier) there was a proposal to build a "Smithsonian West" in Sacramento. If I recall correctly, the late Bob Matsui was one of the proponents of that. It looks like his he and his wife never gave up. Oustanding work!
Bob and Doris Matsui have been ruthless fighters for Sacramento in Washington and here at home. They should have a park named after them or something like that. They deserve to be honored. I guess his name on the Federal Courthouse is enough for some. But, most people don't even know it's named after him. Maybe the wonderfully nondescript Southside Park should be renamed Matsui Park....just a thought.

econgrad

Jul 25, 2007, 4:04 AM

^
I like that.. Matsui Park

ltsmotorsport

Jul 25, 2007, 6:05 AM

I third that motion.

wburg

Jul 25, 2007, 4:33 PM

Bob and Doris Matsui have been ruthless fighters for Sacramento in Washington and here at home. They should have a park named after them or something like that. They deserve to be honored. I guess his name on the Federal Courthouse is enough for some. But, most people don't even know it's named after him. Maybe the wonderfully nondescript Southside Park should be renamed Matsui Park....just a thought.

"wonderfully nondescript?"

I might have a thing or two to say about that...in fact, you'll be able to read all about it in October:

http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=arcadia&Product_Code=0738547964&Product_Count=&Category_Code=

Southside Park is pretty much the least "nondescript" part of the central city. It has a rich history and an amazingly diverse culture. The park was named for the neighborhood by the Southside Improvement Club, a local community-based club, who demanded that the city provide a park for their neighborhood (until Southside Park was built, there weren't any public parks in Southside.)

If you're going to do a "Matsui Park," it seems like it would make more sense to do it in proximity to the old Japantown area. There is a little bit of a tribute to the neighborhood at the Nisei War Memorial.

TowerDistrict

Jul 25, 2007, 4:50 PM

wburg

Jul 25, 2007, 5:24 PM

I'm pretty sure he meant the name "Southside" not the character of the neighborhood and park. Which is very nondescript, and was probably named so in haste or a lack of agreement on a more colorful name. Kinda like our alphanumeric street grid.

I couldn't really care less what the park is named, btw. But seeing as in the next 10 years there will be over 10 new parks and plazas i don't see too much reason to rename any existing ones at the moment.

Kind of a different story. Southside Park was deliberately named Southside Park because it was located in the Southside neighborhood, and its creation was advocated for by a group called the Southside Improvement Club. The Southside club was a significant political force in Sacramento for a long time: they got the old R Street and Y Street levees removed, brought streetcar service to Southside (to better serve the neighborhood and the new park) and for a long time Southside membership was considered an important stepping stone to holding local political office.

It wasn't one of the original parks designated by John Sutter Jr., but a later addition, and there was quite a bit of process involved in the site's selection, designation and design, between the years of roughly 1905 to 1912. The site had previously been a collection of separate lots, including a couple of vegetable gardens and a small dumping ground. When the owner of the land learned that the city had agreed to the park idea and wanted a pond in the middle, he offered his lot because it was usually flooded out for much of the year anyhow.

cozmoose

Jul 26, 2007, 1:54 AM

New building triples existing facility,
adding much-needed gallery space,
visitor amenities and operational efficiencies

July 26, 2007 – Sacramento, Calif. – The Crocker Art Museum officially broke ground today on its 125,000-square-foot expansion with a ceremony involving city and county officials and donors to the project. The groundbreaking begins a nearly three-year construction and move-in process with a grand opening expected in early 2010. The museum remains open throughout construction.

The new wing, designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects of New York, is approximately 125,000 square feet and will more than triple the size of the current facility, adding four times the space for traveling exhibitions and three times the space for permanent collection exhibitions. The expansion will also provide dedicated programming space, including an education center and auditorium; onsite collections care including secure art storage and a conservation lab; a loading dock and freight elevator for easier art handling; a café; and an additional 7,000-square-foot courtyard.

“The City along with private donors are investing in one of Sacramento’s most precious regional treasures,” said Mayor Heather Fargo. “The Crocker Art Museum will continue to be a welcoming cultural destination for residents and visitors for many generations to come.”

The Crocker is undertaking a $100 million capital campaign to fund the building and add to its endowment. To date, the campaign has raised $82 million, $12 million from the City of Sacramento, $4 million from the state of California, $2.5 million from Sacramento County and $63.5 from 166 individuals and foundations.

“With 80 percent of our fundraising goal achieved, we are now beginning to talk more widely to museum members and friends who share in our conviction that a world-class museum will be central to cultural growth in our region,” said Campaign Co-Chair Marcy Friedman. “The generosity that has come from this community is unprecedented for a cultural institution. These gifts come from individuals who, not only love art, but who clearly recognize the economic and public value that will come to Sacramento with the Crocker’s expansion.”
“Today’s groundbreaking brings us a step closer to realizing the art museum that Sacramento deserves – one that will greatly enhance the visitor experience with more amenities such as a café, the ability to show each of our key collection areas and blockbuster traveling exhibitions, and dedicated programming space for art classes, film, lectures and concerts,” said Lial Jones, Director, Crocker Art Museum.

The Crocker Art Museum was founded in 1885 and continues as the leading art institution for the California Capital Region and Central Valley. The Museum offers a diverse spectrum of special exhibitions, events and programs to augment its collections of California, European and Asian artworks. The Crocker is located at 216 O Street in downtown Sacramento. Museum hours are 10 AM–5 PM, Tuesday–Sunday; Thursday until 9 PM. For more information on exhibits and events call (916) 264-5423 or visit crockerartmuseum.org.

# # #

Media Contact: LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti
Media: (916) 264-1963
Mobile : (916) 213-9402
Public: (916) 264-5423
216 O Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
www.crockerartmuseum.org

sugit

Jul 26, 2007, 2:05 AM

I forgot about this. Did anyone happen to get any pictures?

cozmoose

Jul 26, 2007, 2:13 AM

I forgot about this. Did anyone happen to get any pictures?

:previous: Look at the date. This is actually happening tomorrow.
I guess Crocker folks were excited and released their press release one day early.

sugit

Jul 26, 2007, 2:17 AM

*In my best Carlos Mencia voice*

De De Deeee

:doh:

Anyone know when it takes place?

cozmoose

Jul 26, 2007, 2:24 AM

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k118/cozmoose/0044_m88.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k118/cozmoose/0044_r28.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k118/cozmoose/0044_r29.jpg

I'm glad Crocker is finally becoming museum for 21st century but i'm still not
happy with the design.

Current building can only display only 4% of Crocker Museum's collection.
If thats true, is this expansion big enough?
Expanding by three times sound impressive, but thats still only room for 12% of Crocker's art collection.

sugit

Jul 26, 2007, 2:33 AM

I don't think the design is great by any means, but I don't think it looks bad either. There is just nothing too exciting or WOW about it, other than the important addtional space they are getting.

With regard to display space, I'm not really sure what the norm is for museums.

For comparision purposes, I think the SF MOMA is around 200K. So with the 125K addition, plus however many square feet it currently is, it would be in the ball park of that museum, so maybe its enough.

I'm sure someone out there knows though.

cozmoose

Jul 26, 2007, 2:48 AM

From Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects
http://www.gwathmey-siegel.com/portfolio/proj_detail.php?job_id=200044

The existing Crocker Art Museum is a 45,000 square-foot complex made up of the historic Crocker Art Gallery, family mansion and various later additions. Their current facilities are outgrown and inadequate. The goal was to elevate the museum to the level of a world-class facility through the re-programming, restoring and upgrading of existing facilities, and expanding the museum by 100,000 additional square feet.

So new Crocker complex will be about 145K sq ft.
In comparison, SF MOMA is 225K sq ft.
Another comparison is the recently expanded Portland Art Museum, checking in at 240K sq. ft.

To me, Crocker went from woefully inadequate to cozy....

sugit

Jul 26, 2007, 2:55 AM

Is the expansion 100K or 125K? Seems like there are two different numbers out there.

cozmoose

Jul 26, 2007, 3:12 AM

Is the expansion 100K or 125K? Seems like there are two different numbers out there.

Someone from the architect firm and the museum were on a sac public radio show today.
In addition to the expansion, existing building will also be overhauled resulting in more usable space.
So I think the expansion is 100K while increase in usable space will be 125K.

Also, it was revealed that 37 member committee picked the current proposal! :runaway:
Architect guy said that was the biggest committee his firm had to deal with.
But at least the selection was unanimous.

creamcityleo79

Jul 26, 2007, 3:46 AM

brandon12

Jul 26, 2007, 4:02 AM

Also, it was revealed that 37 member committee picked the current proposal!
Architect guy said that was the biggest committee his firm had to deal with.
But at least the selection was unanimous.

that's awesome. a 37-member committee. Only in Sacramento.

wburg

Jul 26, 2007, 6:08 AM

I did mean the name. :)

I figured that out fairly quickly. I'm just arguing the case for the original name, which comes from the neighborhood in a very real sense. And hey, if you want a place for "Matsui Park," there's a block in the old Japantown district that is currently vacant...except for some pilings.

travis bickle

Jul 26, 2007, 1:30 PM

that's awesome. a 37-member committee. Only in Sacramento.

Plenty of neighborhood planning groups are that big. What's incredible is a unanimous vote!:sly:

goldcntry

Jul 26, 2007, 1:34 PM

that's awesome. a 37-member committee. Only in Sacramento.

That's what you get when you have so many state workers here in Sacramento... I can say that because I am one. We ususally have 37 member committees to decide what kind of toilet tissue we should have... :sly:

arod74

Jul 26, 2007, 2:47 PM

Yeah the design doesn't look very cohesive. Aside from the skylights and materials, I can't say I like very much about the building. The cylinder looking entrance looks really unimpressive. It looks like 37 people each had a little section to design. I hope the finished building looks better than it does on paper..

JeffZurn

Jul 26, 2007, 3:19 PM

Can you picture this?
$85 million expansion for Crocker Art Museum
By Mary Lynne Vellinga - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Thursday, July 26, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1

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New York architect Charles Gwathmey has designed the modern addition to the Crocker, with skylights on the roof.
Sacramento Bee/Autumn Cruz

Downtown Sacramento has seen some spectacular dreams go poof in the past year -- a new basketball arena, twin 53-story condominium towers -- but the ambitious expansion of the Crocker Art Museum is poised to become reality.

The city-owned Crocker breaks ground today on an $85 million expansion that will more than triple its size.

A courtyard will separate the two Victorian mansions that currently house the museum from a strikingly modern addition clad in white aluminum and gray zinc panels.

Museum staff members were buzzing with anticipation Wednesday as they ferried famed New York architect Charles Gwathmey around town to discuss his design.

First, the city will move Second Street to make way for the new building. Then, the concrete, 1960s-era Herold Wing will be torn down. Construction on the 125,000-square-foot addition is slated to begin in the fall.

"It's a really big deal for the city of Sacramento to build any museum, but to build a museum as significant as the Crocker is really outstanding," Mayor Heather Fargo said Wednesday. "The community has really stepped up."

Gwathmey, of Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, came to attend the festivities. Deeply tanned and dressed in a polo shirt, he threw a sport coat on for media appearances. Gwathmey has designed houses and apartments for celebrity clients such as Faye Dunaway, Steven Spielberg and David Geffen.

He also has done many library and museum projects around the country. He designed the addition to Frank Lloyd Wright's iconic Guggenheim Museum in New York. Recently, like other big-name architects, he's turned to designing high-rise condominium towers.

Gwathmey's modern addition to the Crocker, which features saw-toothed skylights on the roof, was blessed by the city's Design Review Board with minor changes.

Lial Jones, the museum director, said the idea of mixing old and new has generated little controversy. Times change, she said.

"Judge Crocker, when he built this building, built a piece of high-concept contemporary architecture," she said. "That's what we're doing now, and I think people understand that."

Gwathmey said he enjoys creating modern additions to historic structures. "It's great to engage in the history of architecture by commenting and extending its legacy," he said.

When working alongside the Italianate mansions built by Judge Edwin B. Crocker, Gwathmey said he sought to include elements that visually extended those in the originals.

The historic porches and balconies, for instance, are echoed in a curving porch on the two-story reception area of the new building. The new building will be the same height as the old ones.

Gwathmey said he chose white aluminum because it will work well with the light in Sacramento and because it echoes the Capitol a few blocks away.

Compared with other museum clients he has worked with, Gwathmey said, the Crocker fundraising effort is on a more solid fiscal footing as construction begins.

Between signed pledges and contributions from local and state governments, the Crocker has raised $82 million of the $100 million it is seeking to both fund the addition and boost its meager endowment.

Other museums typically break ground when they've raised only about half the money needed, said Jones, the Crocker's director.

The effort received a big boost in June when Arden Fair mall owners Mort and Marcy Friedman doubled their $5 million pledge, and the Joyce and Jim Teel Foundation -- funded by the Raley's grocery chain fortune -- raised its contribution from $8 million to $13 million.

"It was clearly the right thing to do," Marcy Friedman said in a phone interview Wednesday. "Sacramento needs this facility in order to stand up proud among all other cities."

Friedman, who has spent seven years co-chairing the fund drive, said she hopes it will establish a precedent under which the city's wealthy will start giving more to local causes.

"This city has long had a not-so-sterling reputation in terms of raising philanthropic dollars for anything," she said. "There's plenty of money in Sacramento; don't let anyone tell you there isn't. It's a matter of creating a culture and climate in which people feel proud to give up some of the money that came from their years of working in this city."

Once construction begins, Jones expects the donor base to expand dramatically as more people give smaller gifts. To date, 166 individuals and foundations have signed pledges to donate $63.5 million. The city of Sacramento has committed $12 million.

More money could come from the city's sale of Lot X, a parking lot near the museum. The city is currently seeking a buyer.

The museum addition will quadruple the space available at the Crocker for traveling exhibitions and will triple the display area for the permanent collection.

At the moment, the Crocker can show only 4 percent of its collection at any one time. And that collection keeps growing, Jones said.

In recent years, the museum has become a magnet for ceramics collectors looking to make significant donations. Recent additions include a collection of Asian ceramics dating from the 16th to the 18th century, and a collection of 18th- and 19th-century Meissen porcelain tableware from Germany.

"I predict by the time of the opening, we'll have the fourth-largest collection of ceramics in the United States," Jones said.

JeffZurn

Jul 26, 2007, 3:27 PM

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sugit

Oct 12, 2007, 4:53 PM

Irvine Foundation gives $4.1 million to Valley arts groups
By Edward Ortiz - Bee Arts Critic

In an unprecedented shift in focus and resources onto the Central Valley, the James Irvine Foundation has awarded $4.1 million in grants to be divided among 15 arts organizations, including five in the Sacramento area.

Those five are the Sacramento Philharmonic, the Sacramento Ballet and the Crocker Art Museum, which will each receive $325,000; the Sacramento Opera, which has been awarded a $250,000 grant; and the Magic Circle Theatre of Roseville, which was selected by the foundation for a $200,000 grant. The $1.4 million in grant money is to be used over a three-year period.

"We see a real opportunity in the Central Valley to support its arts organizations and increase the vitality of its art sector," said Martha S. Campbell, vice president for programs for the San Francisco-based Irvine Foundation.

The foundation is one of the largest private organizations that gives grants to nonprofit arts groups in the state.

The local awards come after a recent county-by-county Irvine Foundation report, which found that the fast-growing Central Valley has been deeply under-served by foundations.

Some Central Valley counties received less than $10 per capita in annual foundation giving, the report said. In Sacramento County, it is $68 per capita. The state average is $102 per capita.

The per capita figure reflects the amount of grant dollars divided by the total population of a county or region.

"The need to fund in the Central Valley is very present," Campbell said.

That sentiment is echoed by Ruth Blank, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Region Community Foundation.

Blank oversees nearly $100 million spread out among 375 local grant funds. However, most of the funding the community foundation dispersed last year went where donors dictated -- namely health and human service organizations and youth programs. Only 3 percent went to the arts, Blank said.

"I think it is exciting that Irvine looked where foundation monies were going in California and realized that the Central Valley was being left out," she said.

Until now, most of the grant funding by the Irvine Foundation has been to organizations in Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But as a result of the report, the foundation invited 30 Central Valley arts organizations to apply for funding.

"This is one way to help these arts organizations to meet evolving changes and to build their capacity to reach more audiences," said John McGuirk, the foundation's director of arts programs.

For their part, reaction from local recipients was one of elation.

"Getting a grant from the Irvine Foundation -- it's just like getting a Good Housekeeping stamp of approval," said Rod Gideons, executive director of the Sacramento Opera.

The grant will be used to hire a development director and will also be leveraged to raise funds from other foundations, he said.

Indeed, the grant money is not intended to fund programming. Instead, it is meant to help strengthen the administration of each organization, with most funds slated for staffing and board development. In turn, it is expected that this will assist a group's ability to expand its audience base.

For the Sacramento Ballet, the monetary award represents the largest one-time grant the organization has ever received from a foundation in its 53-year history.

"It's extraordinary, to get this kind of funding for capacity building," said Kerri Warner, the ballet's executive director.

The money, she added, will be used for developing a strategic plan, including a business plan for its new Center for Dance Education.

The Sacramento Philharmonic intends to use some of its grant money to help brand the organization. "One of the things that we identified during this grant process is that people in the community were not aware of us," said Marc Feldman, the director.

For the Crocker Art Museum, which recently broke ground on an ambitious $85 million expansion project, the $325,000 grant will go a long way toward strengthening its position as a leading visual arts institution, said museum director Lial Jones.

Jones said the grant will be used for board and staff development, as well as for increasing audience numbers and audience diversity.

"What's unusual about this grant is that the Irvine Foundation did a survey of arts organizations throughout the state and they talked to us about what would be most beneficial for us, in the long term," Jones said.

"And overwhelmingly, the arts organizations and cultural organizations said the No. 1 challenge was capacity building."

Up until it was chosen as a recipient by the Irvine Foundation, the largest one-time grant that the Magic Circle Theatre had ever received was a $50,000 grant from the city of Roseville, said Kris Hunt, head of public relations and a grant writer for the regional theater.

Now, they will be able to use the foundation funds to do training for its board of directors and allow the company, which has a yearly budget of nearly $1 million, to hire two new employees, Hunt said.

Magic Circle was chosen over other theater applicants because of its large children's theater component, said Ted Russell, the Irvine Foundation's senior program officer.

"We were impressed with their artistic leadership and their community connectedness," Russell said. "We looked at the theater as a whole and what it means to the immediate community, and we saw that this organization is important to Placer County."

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sugit

Nov 23, 2007, 7:37 PM

Also from the BJ today.

His head is in the right place...but I think the location is the wrong place.

For as ugly as CC Park can be at times, it really is well positioned when DT takes off down the road and still does have a handful of cool events through out the year. Plus, there is no way in hell people would let a park named after Cesar Chavez get built over.

I personally would rather see a Concert Hall somewhere on the eastern end of K Street. I've always thought this building at 12th and K would make for a killer concert hall (as well as that small office building next door to it for something smaller). I dig civic spaces in old buildings.

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7564/1334/320/12thandK1.1.jpg

Problem is (and always seems to be the case) we don't have a lot of Lillian Disney and Eli Broad type money here. The Crocker was a great accomplishment and shows there is money for civic projects like that from very generous people..but can something of that scale happen again this soon?

How about first things first though...get the damn CC Theatre renovated and expanded!

Build world-class flagship concert hall downtown
Sacramento Business Journal - by Homayoon Barekat

The capital city of the largest state, and the world's seventh-largest economy, deserves a new concert hall -- in downtown Sacramento.

The ideal location for a new concert hall is Cesar Chavez Park. I understand the social and ethnical significance of the park and its name, but another park in the city could be named after the late labor leader. A concert hall would benefit a greater number of people than currently use the park.

Sacramento could have a world-class concert hall in an iconic building, and we would also get rid of an unappealing park in an underused, yet valuable space. What else happens there these days other than the farmers' market six months a year, occasional free concerts and exhibitions, public restrooms and a sandwich place? And other than being a refuge for the local homeless, not much else happens there at night.

The concert hall would also be part of the Sacramento Civic Center, which does not yet exist; enhance civic pride; make Sacramento (and its downtown) a better place to live; attract more tourists; and numerous other benefits. It's safe to say we would not have too many dark nights in the new concert hall throughout the year.

To understand why it is crucial for a downtown concert hall one needs only to look at Los Angeles with its Disney Symphony Hall. In 1984, Lillian Disney -- the widow of Walt Disney -- donated $50 million to build the concert hall as the home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Sadly, she did not live long enough to see the concert hall built. In the following years, the original Disney donation was wasted on administrative and useless consulting expenses. After a few years, an underground parking garage was built below where the new concert hall was to stand.

In October 2003, the new concert hall had its grand opening, almost 20 years late and several times over budget at almost $260 million. It was made possible by additional donations from benefactors such as the Los Angeles developer and billionaire Eli Broad and others, plus a huge contribution from Los Angeles County.

Several municipalities have used a combination of public and private funds to build new concert halls and museums in North America and Europe, including Philadelphia, Orange County and Bilbao, Spain, in recent years. And many more are planned, including Paris and Hamburg, Germany.

The evolution of this trend may have started with two architectural masterpieces, the Philharmonie in Berlin and the Sydney Opera House in the 1960s. More recently, the trend is best exemplified by the new Guggenheim museum in Bilbao designed by the world-famous architect Frank Gehry, also responsible for the Disney Symphony Hall. As the New York Times recently put it, Bilbao "became synonymous with the ensuing worldwide rush by urbanists to erect trophy buildings. ... The so-called Bilbao Effect ... (became) a textbook example of how to repackage cities with 'wow factor' architecture."

Now, the Bilbao Guggenheim is celebrating its 10th anniversary.

For some reason, people flock to iconic buildings, with no intention of attending events inside. Yet other people like to be part of the performance experience in a new and exciting concert hall. That is exactly what has happened in Los Angeles with the Disney Hall. Many people unfamiliar with classical music, and other forms of music and performing arts, have been attracted to this amazing and breathtaking concert hall. Many of them may not otherwise have attended the same event were it performed across the street in the older Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Therefore, the building itself must be as important as the event. In this way, The Disney Symphony Hall has singlehandedly revived parts of downtown LA, and there are even plans of turning Grand Avenue, which the concert hall fronts, into another Champs-Elysees.

In Sacramento, this type of revival should take place in downtown. It would be shortsighted to build the future concert hall as part of The Railyards project. There are rumors that the main developer in that project wants to have a number of smaller venues built for various local performing arts groups. This is a very bad idea. The proposed site in downtown is ideal for a 2,200- to 2,400-seat concert hall, which should accommodate the entertainment demand in the Sacramento region. Let the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra, Sacramento Theater Group, Sacramento Choral Society and others try to fill a larger space with exciting concerts and performances. Instead of a handful of smaller and miscellaneous venues, let's have a world-class flagship concert hall, and let's have it where it deserves to be -- in downtown Sacramento.

Homayoon Barekat, the director of Northern California Friends of Gustav Mahler, is a city of Sacramento employee. He has worked in the city's Development Services Department since September 2005.

urban_encounter

Nov 23, 2007, 9:07 PM

Build world-class flagship concert hall downtown
Sacramento Business Journal - by Homayoon Barekat

The capital city of the largest state, and the world's seventh-largest economy, deserves a new concert hall -- in downtown Sacramento.

The ideal location for a new concert hall is Cesar Chavez Park. I understand the social and ethnical significance of the park and its name, but another park in the city could be named after the late labor leader. A concert hall would benefit a greater number of people than currently use the park.

Sacramento could have a world-class concert hall in an iconic building, and we would also get rid of an unappealing park in an underused, yet valuable space. What else happens there these days other than the farmers' market six months a year, occasional free concerts and exhibitions, public restrooms and a sandwich place? And other than being a refuge for the local homeless, not much else happens there at night.

The concert hall would also be part of the Sacramento Civic Center, which does not yet exist; enhance civic pride; make Sacramento (and its downtown) a better place to live; attract more tourists; and numerous other benefits. It's safe to say we would not have too many dark nights in the new concert hall throughout the year.

I like the idea and i like the location. He's right that the city needs to do something with Caesar Chavez, because other than Friday Concert in the Park
and Wednesday's Farmer's Market, that is not an attractive place to be. Unfortunately parks today are turned into camp grounds for [people with nowhere else to go (or no motivation to get off the streets), crack dens, and a place ot booze it up and harass downtown workers.

But a concert hall is something that Sacramento badly needs; (and no wburg the Memorial Auditorium is not a concert hall)..

sugit

Nov 23, 2007, 9:35 PM

Speaking of Theaters..

Tomorrow their is a public meeting planned for the renovation of the Community Center Theater and the proposed $3 ticket facility fee to help fund it.

Monday, November 26, 2007 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Community Center Theater Lobby

Items under consideration for renovation include Building Systems, ADA Improvements, House Seating Area, Technical Equipment/Backstage Area, Lobby Area, and 13th Street Patio Area.

arod74

Nov 23, 2007, 9:56 PM

DALINSAC

Nov 23, 2007, 10:07 PM

While I agree a really nice concert hall would be great, I wouldn't want to pave under one of the only few open area parks in downtown. Beside asthecially I think the park is pretty nice. There are plenty of flop buildings downtown you could knock down that I would put ahead of paving over a park. If the community center theater were ever refurbished correctly, I think that would probably mitigate any need for an additional concert hall.

I think the park is pretty nice too. Good downtown location. It's up to the citizens to 'take back the park'. The more people use the park, the more the dealers, druggies, etc. will feel uncomfortable being there. Out of place, if you will. CC Park could be as vibrant as Bryant Park in Manhattan. That's what aggrivates me with some of our community. They whine and complain about the homeless but at the same time, they actually let them run them out of town. The homeless have the upper hand.

otnemarcaS

Nov 23, 2007, 10:47 PM

While I agree a really nice concert hall would be great, I wouldn't want to pave under one of the only few open area parks in downtown. Beside asthecially I think the park is pretty nice. There are plenty of flop buildings downtown you could knock down that I would put ahead of paving over a park. If the community center theater were ever refurbished correctly, I think that would probably mitigate any need for an additional concert hall.

I agree. It's an asset to have a park like that in the downtown core. Once it's gone, it can never be replaced. In SF, the mere thought of converting an open space park like that into any kind of building will be shot down in a hurry. Not even for a historic concert hall. What I'd like to see is more uses for the park. Similar to how Pioneer square in Portland draws people into that downtown with a variety of activities. Or like the Saturday Market also in Portland which is an open air crafts market that is always open and packed, rain or shine.

IMO, better to knock down buildings like that eyesore Biltmore hotel than to take away open space in the downtown core like CC park.

ozone

Nov 24, 2007, 1:48 AM

No way in heck will a concert hall replace CC Park. IMO it's actually a really bad location for one anyway. Most new concert halls like many new museums are designed as civic icons and so visability is an important factor.

This guy is way off when he says: "It would be shortsighted to build the future concert hall as part of The Railyards project. There are rumors that the main developer in that project wants to have a number of smaller venues built for various local performing arts groups. This is a very bad idea. The proposed site in downtown (meaning his proposal) is ideal for a 2,200- to 2,400-seat concert hall, which should accommodate the entertainment demand in the Sacramento region." Smaller theaters are not the same thing as main concert or festival hall.

I think that if we build a large concert-festival hall a better site would be Capitol Mall, 3rd and N streets -across from Crocker Park-possiblity as part of a develepment of the Lot X and the I-5 Deck. It's a very visable location with direct access to the Riverfront and could be a new venue for the Jazz Festival.

urban_encounter

Nov 24, 2007, 8:56 AM

I think that if we build a large concert-festival hall a better site would be Capitol Mall, 3rd and N streets -across from Crocker Park-possiblity as part of a develepment of the Lot X and the I-5 Deck. It's a very visable location with direct access to the Riverfront and could be a new venue for the Jazz Festival.

There's zero chance of that happening.

They're never going to deck I-5..

ozone

Nov 24, 2007, 5:32 PM

There's zero chance of that happening.

They're never going to deck I-5..

I kind of agree with about the whole deck thing. Of course, I expected your comments-not only because you think the idea of turning the park into a concert hall is a good one but also because you knock down everything I write.

My point WAS more that there's a lot better places for a concert hall than CCP. Even the Railyards would be 10X better place. There's 100% greater chance that a deck will be built over I-5 than a concert hall will be built atop CCP.

urban_encounter

Nov 24, 2007, 6:03 PM

My point WAS more that there's a lot better places for a concert hall than CCP. Even the Railyards would be 10X better place.

Since your feeling a little disrespected by the perception that I shoot down everything you suggest, let's find some area of agreement..

I agree with what you said here (above)..

There are better places for a concert hall than CCP, without a doubt.
I guess my point WAS, (and Homayoon Barekat's point WAS), that a concert hall, could add to a vibrant civic center and help to eliminate an eyesore that now currently exists at CCP...

I've worked with the homeless on many occassions, so i don't believe in displacing them just because they're homeless. But i think many of the people at CCP, are chronic drunks, drug addicts and in many cases aggressively pan handle. Those elements do need to be be agressively dealt with.

Sacramento needs to get these people off the street, (somehow).
For the sake of the homeless (who are also preyed upon by these elements) and for the long term health of Downtown Sacramento.

Agreement #2

I also think a new Concert Hall (specifically for music) and a Perfroming Arts Center should be in the Railyards. I think the idea of an arts academy would be a huge boost to the arts in Sacramento.

ozone

Nov 28, 2007, 6:25 PM

Sorry I was a bit touchy. I'm trying to quit smoking--again..argh- and I actually thought you were someone else.

The revamped CCP has failed because - One it's surrounded on two sides by substandard buildings/businesses. But mainly because the renovations were pretty lame. I submitted a proposal for the CCP renovation but was too late for consideration. Besides I doubt it would have been picked. The city seems to play it way too safe IMO. They need to go back and treak the park again.

Here's what I would do to CCP. Not a big thing but would improve it a lot IMO.

Install an attractive neo-historical type fencing w/landscaping around the park. Many of NYC's smaller parks have fences around them and they nice looking. This way the park could be literally closed at night to prevent uninvited overnight 'guests'.

Install an enclosed children's playground on the east side of the park. There's not enough playgrounds downtown anyway and more kids and parents around would tend to discourage certain behavior.

Remove the tacky blue rubber-coated picnic tables (most of which are perfectly set back for groups of 'undesirables' to hang out) and the cheap plastic Costco trash cans.

Add a lot of comfortable benches in the outer circle, (in the DG between the o. pear trees) and on the edge of the inner circle close to the fountain.
It's a big stupid mistake to remove park benches just because some drunks and loafs sometimes use them -because it then denies the rest of us, well-socialized people, a place to sit.

Plant bushes, shrubs, hedges around the stage to discourage people from sleeping and laying-about along the edge.

Upgrade the little pavilion so that it's more than just a 7-5 coffee & sandwhich shop. When the contract expires for whoever is there now, the city should require the place to stay open until at least say 9:00 and on weekends. Oddly enough I would grant them a liquor license. They could expand the patio and put a railing around it. More "eyes" on the park will make it safer.

Keep the fountain turned on and lit at night. Turning off fountains and lights to save money is just being a "penny wise but a pound foolish".

innov8

Nov 28, 2007, 9:04 PM

Oh ozone, you must have been thinking of me :) The only idea I have shot
down repeatly is the idea of the I-5 Bypass. With a passion you have
written to the Bee and News and Review like it has a chance… I’m sorry but
that’s not happening in our life times.

I agree with all your ideas for CCP… I would also recommend that some
serious pest exterminations be done as well. I’ve been though that park late
at night/early morning and there are quite a few rats hanging out and eating leavens.

arod74

Nov 28, 2007, 10:22 PM

I agree with all your ideas for CCP… I would also recommend that some serious pest exterminations be done as well. I’ve been though that park late at night/early morning and there are quite a few rats hanging out and eating leavens.

Seriously, I wouldnt let a small child near that place after dark for fear that they would get carried away by a mob of rats. Was walking past it from the Esquire Imax after checking out Beowolf and I still can't decide who is more aggressive in the area: the panhandlers or the rats.

arod74

Nov 28, 2007, 10:42 PM

Glad to see Mercy get the green light from the city council yesterday much to the disgust of all the hundreds "mythical" nimby's(as wburg used to like pointing out) that attended the meeting. I am tired of my neighbors squawking about how this hospital expansion is the devil. Boo hoo, some temporary traffic and construction noise. This freakin hospital has been servicing the neighborhood for over 80 damn years people. How horrible of them to want to improve their capacity to heal the community. So selfiish... just because a few don't want to be inconvenienced. Where is the spirit of self sacrifice these days so others may benefit? Jeez, the Germans had less opposition on their march through Paris. I don't want to see any of these a-holes being ambulanced to the new state of the art heart center when they are clutching at their chest. They can take business 80 to some Roseville hospital.. sorry, end of rant.

sugit

Nov 28, 2007, 10:47 PM

arod74 - what was the opposition really like? Watching the council made it seem like a jungle in there.

Was it a handful of people making all the noise, but in reality most people were accepting of it?

arod74

Nov 28, 2007, 11:15 PM

It was a zoo. People outside picketing. People playing the "poor children card" by marching their sappy faced kids to the podiums to get some cheap sympathy. Pathetic. The Bee article was very accurate. Most of us have stood opposite of Steve Cohn on many issues being proponents of developement and Cohn being a pretty big tight-ass against change, but I was very impressed that he didn't give in to all the pressure from many of the voters in his district and vote against the project. My opinion of him has improved exponentially...

TowerDistrict

Nov 28, 2007, 11:36 PM

I didn't know Cohn was in favor of it. In fact, the couple statements I've
heard of his all sounded like he was opposed to the expansion. I had just
heard yesterday that Cohn thought the removal or destruction of even one
home was not acceptable... or something along those lines.

Who voted against? There was one dissenter, right?

arod74

Nov 28, 2007, 11:50 PM

Majin

Nov 28, 2007, 11:53 PM

Jeez, the Germans had less opposition on their march through Paris.

ahahhahahahahaha...... nice

TowerDistrict

Nov 29, 2007, 12:13 AM

I don't blame Cohn for voting in favor at all. I don't even think he "betrayed"
his constituents as most of the NIMBY types keep shouting. In fact in many
cases like this, there is a silent majority who communicate by letters and
general conversation that support projects like the hospital expansion.

Though I really can't say too much. I don't know many details of the project
at all. You know... it being wwAAAAaaay over East Sac and all. ;)

jsf8278

Nov 29, 2007, 1:11 AM

Lauren Hammond was the lone no vote. She thought it would be too much of a disruption. Cohn has appearently been working with the hospital to get as many concessions as possible. I guess he may have informally taken a pole of his fellow concil members, saw that it was a lossing battle so decided to make the new project plan as appealing as possible by working with Mercy.. but who really knows

I watched some of the meeting last night...and I cant believe I took time away from studying to do that but whatever.
I caught the part where Hammond gave her reasons why she was against it. It basically boiled down to the fact that there were too many conditions in the approval. To me, her explanation made her sound uneducated, or uninformed. She's against everything though, so I wasn't surprised.

sugit

Nov 29, 2007, 5:29 PM

Did anyone get a chance to check this out?

Speaking of Theaters..

Tomorrow their is a public meeting planned for the renovation of the Community Center Theater and the proposed $3 ticket facility fee to help fund it.

Monday, November 26, 2007 from 6:30 - 8:00 pm
Community Center Theater Lobby

Items under consideration for renovation include Building Systems, ADA Improvements, House Seating Area, Technical Equipment/Backstage Area, Lobby Area, and 13th Street Patio Area.

ozone

Nov 29, 2007, 5:30 PM

Hammond may not be uneducated nor uninformed but she is consistently illogical. I was really surprised by Steve's vote though. Last night I was talking to an administrator at Mercy and she also lives in the neighborhood. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. This move will give us a top-notch heart care facility here in Sacramento. So I'm pleased will the vote.

cozmoose

Nov 29, 2007, 5:35 PM

This thread has been hijacked.
how does Mercy hospital fit into Sacramento Arts, Culture, and Entertainment?

ozone

Nov 29, 2007, 5:47 PM

This thread has been hijacked.
how does Mercy hospital fit into Sacramento Arts, Culture, and Entertainment?

OMG we broke the rules. Cyber caning for us all.

arod74

Nov 29, 2007, 6:11 PM

Yeah, sorry cozmoose. I kinda derailed the thread with my Mercy rant. I intended to post in the general construction thread but I guess I lost my place when I followed up on innov8's post on rats in the CCP. I say its all good if the posts are development related...

goldcntry

Nov 29, 2007, 6:55 PM

Well, the fireworks and the histerics on CBS13 news has been kinda entertaining...

... like an afternoon on Hwy 50 stuck in traffic... but fun none the less...

sugit

Dec 15, 2007, 2:15 AM

Community Center Theater raises curtain on scaled-back plan
Renovation would focus on glass in lobby, new seats and rest rooms
Sacramento Business Journal - by Mark Anderson Staff writer

Sacramento has embraced reality in its hopes of renovating the Community Center Theater, and is seeking scaled-back plans for the project.

The city is studying the feasibility of raising $38 million to fund the renovation.

The project is half of what the city wants, but the reality of funding must be considered, said Judy Goldbar, general manager of the Sacramento Convention Center complex, which includes the theater, convention center and Memorial Auditorium.

Sacramento has been considering some kind of renovation to the theater for years. The last time the city had momentum for an upgrade, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, derailed the effort. By the time the city got back on track to remodel the 1974 building, construction materials and cost increases doubled the price.

A year ago, the city put together a plan to address all the theater's problems -- a hefty $78 million renovation project. Officials evaluated how to pay for that, but couldn't come up with a plan. A study of available sources found that most people aren't willing to donate money to renovate the city-owned theater, Goldbar said. And any fundraising effort would coincide with the ongoing $100 million capital campaign for the expansion of the Crocker Art Museum.

Rather than go after donor money, the city is tapping into realistic sources: Hotel-room taxes, a $3 ticket service charge, and naming rights to the building.

Room taxes represent more than half of the funds, at $20 million, collected at $2 million annually. A new seat tax would raise $1 million annually. The city would potentially bond those income streams to get the money to do the work in 2009.

Sacramento will find out in the spring what is financially possible.

The consultant for the city, Millennium Advantage, found theater naming rights could garner $10 million, Goldbar said. City staff is estimating proceeds at $7 million. If that doesn't turn up, the city can pull a little more out of room taxes, she said.

"I think people will be willing to pay $3 in a facility fee if they think they are getting something for it," said Richard Lewis, executive director of California Musical Theatre, which puts on shows in the Community Center Theater. His company rents the theater 14 weeks a year. It also puts on Music Circus shows in the Wells Fargo Pavilion. That venue has a $5 facility fee, which paid for building a new structure.

"I don't know if people will be willing to pay a fee if it's just for new carpet and seats. You have to show them something," Lewis said.

The major remodel envisioned wrapping the gray concrete structure with a glass lobby, renovating the backstage, front lobby, loading dock, and all systems and seats. It also called for adding 72 bathrooms stalls, mostly in new women's rest rooms.

The scaled-back plan is for new seats and systems, 12 new bathroom stalls and a glass-fronted lobby on the L Street side.

For the performers and producers, the lack of space backstage is a "major issue," but the arts groups can continue to live with it, said Rod Gideons, executive director of the Sacramento Opera.

"Patron amenities are extremely important," Gideons said. "I fully supported the whole remodel, but of course we'll take what we can get."

Backstage can get very crowded. The opera has to use the green room for costumes, and he said the women's rest room situation is a "huge liability. The utmost importance is the dearth of ladies' rest rooms and the constrained lobby space."

He said it's a shame the city can't do the entire renovation. "Sacramento needs a premier performing arts venue. Sacramento deserves it," Gideons said.

The Community Center Theater sells about 300,000 seats a year, Goldbar said. That's a lot, but the building just doesn't have the same community support as the Memorial Auditorium.

Lewis agreed. He said people feel that Memorial is part of the fabric of the community, and the theater is just a building.

"You constantly hear it with Memorial Auditorium. People say 'I graduated there' or 'I saw a concert there,' but they don't have that same visceral connection with the Community Center Theater."

Community Center Theater upgrade Renovation estimate
* $15 million for seats, lighting, electrical, HVAC and sound
* $7 million for Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility improvements
* $10 million for lobby improvements
* $5 million for exterior improvements
* $1 million for back-of-house upgrades

Funding sources
* $1 million from food and beverage investment
* $7 million from naming rights
* $10 million from ticket facility fee
* $20 million from hotel tax ($2 million annually)

arod74

Dec 17, 2007, 3:33 AM

That's too bad that they have to cut back. For half the funding they were still able to get some of the major issues addressed which is a win I guess. I have a feeling that everyone will be lamenting some 10-15 years after the refurb that it was not sufficient and wanting to go back to the drawing board and possibly spend even more money to get it right the second time...

ltsmotorsport

Dec 17, 2007, 4:44 AM

It really is too bad. I would almost have them wait a few more years for the tax revenues from the railyards (assuming that stays on schedule) to fund a renovation worthy of discussion. This is just another example of doing enough just to get by.

"Don't let good enough be good enough" - Bill Parcells

doriankage

Dec 17, 2007, 4:49 AM

sugit

Dec 17, 2007, 5:18 AM

I hope they don't forget in the future that there is some serious upgrades to the facade that need to be done. Our convention there looks like it is in some small town in the Midwest.
Lets do it right the first time!

From the looks of it, it seems they will at least be addressing the L Street facade. I can't stand that brutalist architecture it currently has. Some glass along L Street would be cool. I wish they could have just done the whole thing at one time. I'm sure it will be cheaper than doing it over two phases, if they even get to phase II

wburg

Jan 7, 2008, 7:29 PM

I'd file this under "arts" in that it is a piece of public art:
http://media.sacbee.com/smedia/2008/01/04/19/210-6B5POLES.embedded.prod_affiliate.4.JPG

Bob Shallit: BloodSource leases former paint store – its colorful poles will stay
By Bob Shallit - bshallit@sacbee.com

It would appear that BloodSource has obtained the "pole position" as it races to get new donors.

The regional blood collection agency just signed a lease to occupy the former Fuller Paint store at 16th and Q streets, best known for the multi-hued cluster of 81 poles standing in its parking lot.

Starting this spring, the building will become the downtown blood collection site for the 60-year-old nonprofit. The lease coincides with relocation of the agency's headquarters from east Sacramento to a new building at Mather Field in Rancho Cordova.

Spokeswoman Leslie Botos says potential donors will readily recognize the new location – thanks to the colorful poles, created in the 1960s by the late graphic designer Saul Bass for Fuller Paint.

"People said we could get more parking there if we didn't have the poles and we said, 'Stop, no.' People really know those poles," she says.

BloodSource is committed to maintaining the unusual piece of public art, she adds, including periodically re-painting the poles.

Botos says the 8,500-square-foot site, located near a convenient light-rail stop, will be used primarily for automated blood collections – "the latest in blood-banking technology." Donors come in to have their blood removed and then transfused back after plasma and platelets have been extracted.

Traditional "whole-blood" donations, which are quicker, will be done there temporarily. Botos says BloodSource is seeking a second location in the downtown-midtown area for those collections.

sugit

Jan 11, 2008, 11:25 PM

On the other side of the street from East End Gateway I, looks like the Unity Center is going to start to demo the building on that site.

The site has been all fenced of with road blocks in the streets.

Capital Unity Center
16th and N
www.capitalunity.org
The Capital Unity Council strives to create an inclusive environment of understanding, acceptance, respect, and celebration of differentness with programs that provide opportunities for learning, partnerships, coalition building, access to services and information, promotion of sound public policy and assembly at our flagship Unity Center.

http://www.capitalunity.org/images/building.jpg

jsf8278

Jan 12, 2008, 1:32 AM

On the other side of the street from East End Gateway I, looks like the Unity Center is going to start to demo the building on that site.

The site has been all fenced of with road blocks in the streets.

Capital Unity Center
16th and N
www.capitalunity.org

http://www.capitalunity.org/images/building.jpg

Does anyone have info on a timeline for this project? The website doesn't say much.

sugit

Jan 12, 2008, 2:04 AM

I don't.

The only thing I can guess is if they are breaking ground soon, it would be 18-24 months since it seems like that's about how long most projects take.

urban_encounter

Feb 20, 2008, 5:42 AM

Plan for Indian museum was worth waiting for
Sites in West Sacramento and along the American will become regional landmark
Published 12:00 am PST Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Story appeared in EDITORIALS section, Page B6

California finally is about to get an Indian Heritage Center worthy of the historical and contemporary contributions of more than 150 Indian tribes. The tiny 4,000-square-foot California State Indian Museum at Sutter's Fort can house only a fraction of the basketry, beadwork, clothing and exhibits needed to tell the story of California's Indians.

A major plus is that that the new center will remain in the Sacramento region, to become an attraction that will draw visitors on the scale of the California State Railroad Museum in Old Sacramento.

It will be located on a 43-acre site in West Sacramento, across from the confluence of the American and Sacramento rivers. The joint Sacramento/West Sacramento Riverfront Master Plan (adopted in 2003) recognized that this land on the levee side of the Sacramento River would have limited commercial and residential potential, but would be ideal for a state park.

Only 10 acres of the site, atop the levee at the level of the 200-year floodplain, is developable. It's perfect for the Indian Heritage Center – large enough to accommodate exhibits, as well as a library, preservation lab, store and restaurant. A large pond on the site can be used for reed basket-weaving demonstrations. Outdoors, the site will connect with the planned bike/walking trail along the Sacramento River and have space for small gatherings and special events. Parking will be off-site, with State Parks operating shuttles to the center.

The operating model is the State Railroad Museum. The land and buildings will be owned by California State Parks. A private foundation will do fundraising and offer help with programming and interpretive services. On-site security will be provided by State Parks contract security personnel and rangers, as in Old Sacramento, in cooperation with city police.

As a state park, the 43-acre site cannot ever be used to develop a casino (a persistent and mean-spirited rumor than needs to be dispelled now).

Across the river in Sacramento, the American River Parkway between Northgate and Discovery Park will be used for outdoor interpretive exhibits (with the potential for large festival gatherings at the Boy Scouts' Camp Pollock).

Both Sacramento and West Sacramento will have a part in this project – and, eventually, a pedestrian bridge will link the center and the American River Parkway. The site is close to Old Sacramento and other area museums.

The California Indian Heritage Center Task Force has been working for years to find the right location and finally has got the right one. It has been worth the wait.

A lot of details and public meetings remain, of course. A Feb. 11 workshop on the project drew 100 people in West Sacramento. There is a lot of interest in this project. A few people seem to be holding out hope for a luxury housing, shops and a marina for the 43-acre site, but the Army Corps of Engineers and Reclamation Board (now the Central Valley Flood Protection Board) won't allow that on the river side of the levee in the post-Katrina era.

A state park is ideal and the Indian Heritage Center would be a major visitor attraction for the Sacramento region. Without major glitches, this project should be on track for a 2011 groundbreaking and a 2012 opening. It's about time.