In addition to being one of Sacramento’s oldest church structures, St. Paul’s Episcopal claims the title of oldest continuously functioning parish in the city, being directly descended from a small Episcopal community that first met in Blacksmith shop in 1849. After residences in several structures through the 1800s, the cornerstone of St. Paul’s present structure was laid in 1903. The church features some of California’s most prized stained glass windows, which were donated by prominent parishioners Leland Stanford and Mrs. Charles Crocker, respectively.
Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium opened in 1927, providing the city with an impressive stage for professional performances. It is named in honor of service members who died in World War I. With the exception of a ten-year period, the venue has hosted everything from concerts to high school graduations to gubernatorial inaugurations for almost a century. It seats 3,850 and continues to host events today. The building is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is part of the Sacramento Convention Center Complex.
Erected in 1877, the historic residence served as the Governor's Mansion from 1903-1967. It was built for local businessman Albert Gallatin, who was a partner in a hardware store called Huntington & Hopkins. The home is a beautiful example of Victorian architecture, featuring an ornate exterior and a four-story tower. It is closed to the public but was a house museum for many years. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
The Charles Lais home was built in 1896 and is regarded as one of the best examples of Queen Anne architecture in the city. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Sacramento Masonic Temple was completed in 1918 and was designed by Rudolph Herold. The building is largely unaltered from the time of its construction and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Built from 1886-1889, the ornate Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament was, at the time of its construction, the largest cathedral west of the Mississippi--and though currently dwarfed by Sacramento’s downtown skyscrapers, at a towering 216 feet it was also the tallest structure in the city for a time. The cathedral was the brainchild of Catholic Bishop Patrick Manogue, who had previously mined gold in California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains to pay for his church education. John Mackay, owner of the famed Comstock Lode silver mine in Nevada, was one of the cathedral’s key financiers. Built intentionally near the State Capitol, it has held inaugurations and funerals for mayors and governors through the decades. A recent $34 million restoration has reopened the iconic dome to the public again for the first time since the 1930s.
This historic Sacramento building became the tallest in the city when it was completed in 1926 at a cost of $1.5 million. The 242-foot structure was designed by local architect Leonard F. Starks who complied with the request of Elks Club members that their building surpass the height of the California State Capitol by five feet. With the completion of Elks Tower, several states and municipalities passed laws which stipulated that private construction projects could not exceed the height of government buildings. The structure’s Italian Renaissance styling makes Elks Tower a recognizable feature of the downtown skyline, even though the Order of Elks was forced to sell the iconic structure in the 1970s as their membership and influence declined. Some of the building's interior underwent a hasty remodel in that era, but current owners and tenants such as restaurants, offices, and lofts have supported a gradual restoration of the building's historic interiors. In addition to its architectural significance, Elks Tower reflects the influence of leading fraternal organizations and the construction boom of the late 1920s.
This small historical marker at the pedestrian entrance to the city hall parking garage commemorates a former fire station constructed in 1858. Following the city's incorporation in 1849, the Sacramento Fire Department was established one year later as an all-volunteer department. Organized in 1855, the Young America Engine Company No. 6 was an all-volunteer unit of firefighters formed by residents of Sacramento's Third Ward. A firehouse for Engine Company No. 6 was constructed in 1858, with the cornerstone dedicated on the first day of that year. In 1872, the city launched its new Sacramento Paid Firefighting Department, and volunteer units were replaced by paid professional firefighters and this became a city fire station. Although the original firehouse is no longer standing, a historical marker was added to the site on January 1, 1933, marking the 75th Anniversary of the Young America Engine Company No. 6.
Frank Ruhstaller was a Swiss immigrant who came to Sacramento as a young man. In 1881, he founded the Ruhstaller Brewery, which became one of the city's leading breweries. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The only monument in the nation honoring Mexican American soldiers that is located on the grounds of a state capital, “El Soldado” recognizes the service of nearly three hundred thousand Californians. The movement to create the memorial began as widows and mothers of Mexican American soldiers who were killed during World War II held meetings and raised funds for three years. Thanks to these efforts, this monument was dedicated in 1951 at the Sacramento Mexican American Center. The monument was refurbished in the 1970s and moved to the California Capitol Mall in 1990. Restored again in 2017 thanks to volunteers, a new plinth includes the names of California’s Mexican American Medal of Honor recipients. Efforts to expand the memorial are currently underway.
Three 9-foot tall bronze statues preside over this memorial to over 1,500 California Peace Officers who have fallen in the line of duty since statehood was achieved in 1850. The three figures on the memorial, which was dedicated in 1988, represent the different eras of law enforcement in California history, and were designed and sculpted by a retired County Sheriff Division Chief. Annual ceremonies are usually held at the site to commemorate the lives of officers lost each year.
Located on the grounds of Sacramento's Capitol Park, this historical marker was erected next to an Italian Stone Pine tree (Pinus pinea) on April 14, 1983. The historical marker commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which was in operation from 1933 to 1942. The CCC was part of the New Deal program established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help lift the U.S. out of the Great Depression. It employed young men to improve public lands in national parks and forests, including the planting of 3 billion trees.
The California State Capitol Museum interprets the history California, the city of Sacramento, and the State Legislature. Housed in the historic Capitol building, the Museum includes two exhibit galleries and restored offices of the Governor, Secretary of State, and Treasurer, along with a tour office that offers guided or self-guided tours, a theater that screens an introductory film, and a gift shop. Visitors can explore museum exhibits along with art, architecture, and legislative proceedings throughout the Capitol building and the memorials and monuments in Capitol Park.
In the 1800s California suffragists proposed several suffrage bills to the state legislature. They almost had success in 1893 when the legislature passed a suffrage bill, but the governor vetoed it. A popular referendum in 1896 also defeated women’s suffrage, largely due to voters fearing women would pass temperance laws. Suffrage organizations advocated for the vote until in 1911 another referendum narrowly passed and gave California women the vote. The vote held on October 10, 1911 initially looked as if the motion would be defeated, but as the count came in from rural counties the measure passed by only 3,587 votes. California became the 6th state to grant suffrage to women and in 1918 the first four women were elected to the California State Assembly. California ratified the 19th Amendment on November 1, 1919.
Located on the grounds at California State Capitol Park, the "Moon Tree" is a California redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) that was grown from one of hundreds of seeds which orbited the moon during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971. The seeds were taken into space in order to study the effect of prolonged weightlessness on seed germination and sapling growth. Afterwards, the seeds were cultivated by the U.S. Forestry Service Genetics Laboratory. In the mid-1970s, the saplings were planted at various locations around the country, with this particular "Moon Tree" taking root in Sacramento on the grounds of California State Capitol Park.
This monument and historical marker were installed in 1986 on the grounds of the California State Capitol Park to commemorate the Sisters of Mercy, an order of Catholic nuns who arrived in Sacramento in 1857 during the California Gold Rush. As missionaries, they served those who were sick, homeless, or children of miners. The Sisters established a Catholic school in the heart of the city and a health care ministry that later evolved to become the Mater Misericordiae Hospital (Mother of Mercy Hospital), their first hospital in Sacramento. An additional wing was added in 1951, and the facility is now known as the Mercy General Hospital.
Built in 1924 in the Renaissance Revival style, Sacramento's grand Hotel Senator has long been an integral part of city life, in one capacity or another. For decades, it functioned as a hotel, hosting both politicians and celebrities. Since the 1980s, the building has housed offices used by lobbyists, giving them easy access to the capitol, which is across the street.
Located on the grounds of the State Capitol Park, a statue and plaque honor the life and work of Father Junipero Serra. Though not without controversy, Serra is indisputably a central figure in California's history, credited with bringing Catholicism to California through the establishment of the Franciscan mission system and extending Spanish rule into "Alta California" in the late 1700s. The Christianizing and Europeanization of native tribes throughout California, however, led to their decimation through cultural suppressions and the deaths of hundreds of thousands by disease and warfare over the next century.
From 1908 to 1923, the California State Insectary supported the agricultural industry in California by providing farmers with beneficial insects to pollinate their crops. Prior to the widespread use of chemical insecticides such as DDT in the 1930s and 1940s, farmers relied on beneficial insects for crop pollination and as a natural approach to help keep unwanted agricultural pests at bay. The significance of beneficial insects (and other organic methods) is once again recognized today, following numerous documented problems and adverse health effects for people, animals, and ecosystems caused by the widespread use of chemical insecticides in the mid-20th century. The California State Insectary Building was designed in the Arts & Crafts style and is located on the grounds of California State Capitol Park, listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Dedicated in 2003, the World Peace Rose Garden was created at the site of an existing rose garden to symbolize peace between nations, cultures, and religions. Located within the 40-acre California State Capitol Park, this Victorian-style garden contains over 650 roses representing more than 150 different varieties. In one section of the garden, near the Vietnam Memorial, the rose varieties have been given names that commemorate U.S. veterans of war and medals of honor. Near the garden's northeast corner, the Peace Pavilion provides space for public ceremonies and civic events. In 1986, the flower commonly known as the rose was designated as the national floral emblem and official flower of the United States.
This Tour is a Walking Tour.
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A short walking tour provides a quick cross-section of architectural highlights and public monuments! A great way to learn about some of Sacramento's downtown landmarks along with the state capitol complex.
