Sacramento Old City Association’s 39th annual Home Tour, scheduled for this Saturday, September 20, highlights the northern end of Midtown Sacramento, featuring seven historic Midtown homes. Ranging from J Street to N Street north to south, 20th Street to 28th Street east to west, this neighborhood is known for its architectural and cultural diversity. Ranging from 21st century infill to the oldest building in Sacramento, Midtown is a true mixed-use neighborhood, combining stunning historic architecture, a lively arts community, a diverse residential neighborhood, and an active business district.

The tour starts at 2015 K Street, in between 20th and 21st–look for the street fair just east of the “Sidetraxx” nightclub building. The ticket booth on K Street will issue the wristband and tour brochure that guides you to each house (the wristband gets you in the door). The tour provides an in-depth tour through historic Midtown homes, where you can see how the architectural treasures of the city have been lovingly restored and maintained for contemporary use. The tour is self-guided; once you pick up your tour brochure and bracelet from the street fair, you can visit the homes at your leisure in whatever order you prefer. Each home is staffed by docents who will lead you through the home, with stories about the building, the people who lived there, and its restoration for contemporary use.

This year’s SOCA Home Tour focuses on Midtown Sacramento, with inside tours of seven of the city’s most fascinating and beautiful homes, located between 19th, 28th, K and N Streets.

Some of this year’s fascinating homes include:

* A Victorian home that became our city’s first gay & lesbian community center, funded in part by televangelist Jerry Falwell

* The former home of a President of the Sacramento City Wheelmen bicycle riding club, today the home of Midtown’s best-known giant chicken

* A home built for a member of one of Sacramento’s best-known political families circa 1900, the owners of a legendary downtown Sacramento tavern and restaurant

* A Craftsman bungalow built as a present from a doctor to his beloved wife, today a luxurious bed & breakfast inn

* Sacramento’s oldest home, the “Casa Grande” at Sutter’s Fort–which served as a family home for decades after Sutter left, and an emergency shelter during some of California’s worst disasters

*The Rooftop Alliance’s “UPark 2014” rooftop pop-up park will be located atop the 20th & L parking structure (western end) featuring a cluster of “parklets,” a dog park, and a rooftop barbecue

* In addition to the seven homes on the tour, the tour brochure includes sixteen supplemental tour stops, including some of Midtown’s most recognizable landmarks and some of its little-known secrets

Limited free parking for those attending the Home Tour is available in the parking structure on L Street between 20th and 21st Street–enter via 21st Street (parking lot), L Street (lower level parking structure) or 20th Street (upper level parking structure). Keep an eye out for the “Rooftop Alliance” rooftop park on the second story of the parking garage! If the lots are full, parking is available at the East End Garage, on 18th Street between L and Capitol; parking costs $2 all day. Free valet bicycle parking is available, courtesy of SABA, whose valet parking area will be set up at 20th and K Street in the Midtown Farmer’s Market.

Tickets are available online at socahometour2014.brownpapertickets.com. Tickets can also be purchased the day of the event at the street fair, located at 2015 K Street, for $30 per person. The street fair includes 40 artists, crafters, contractors, local history organizations and local businesses, plus live music by Mike Diaz and Cheryl Martin, Julie Bruce, Liz Sivell, and the Clutter Family Singers.

Advance tickets can also be purchased for $25 at:

Midtown Business Association, 919 20th Street

Time Tested Books, 1114 21st Street

Mixed Bag, 2405 K Street

57th Street Antique Mall, 875 57th Street

Avid Reader, 1600 Broadway

Collected Works, 4524 Freeport Boulevard

Or online at socahometour2014.brownpapertickets.com

This year’s SOCA Home Tour is sponsored by Ali Youseffi of CFY Development, Liz Edmonds and David Phillipp of Lyon Real Estate, and Luis Sumpter of Better Homes & Gardens/Mason-McDuffie Real Estate.

Tour homes and the street fair open at 10 AM and close at 4 PM. More info via info@sacoldcity.org or (916) 202-4815.

Sacramento Old City Association is a historic preservation and urban planning nonprofit, focused on the central city (once better known as the “Old City”) but working citywide to protect Sacramento’s historic resources and promote walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods. SOCA began hosting home tours nearly 40 years ago to promote the idea of central city living in an era when suburban sprawl was still king and American downtowns were still in decline. Today, a new generation is rediscovering our city centers, and the Home Tour celebrates the success of our mission–and how much more potential we still have as a community that celebrates our history while planning effectively for the future. More information about SOCA can be found at sacoldcity.org.