Colonel James Cannon Zabriskie
Colonel J.C. Zabriskie arrived in Sacramento in 1849 and served as second magistrate to the original city government. Zabriskie was a well respected lawyer who purchased the north half block of T Street bounded by 21st and 22nd Streets, whereon he lived with his family until roughly 1860. In the years following the flood of 1850, Zabriskie advocated for the removal of earth from the high point of the ridge to fortify and build levees around the city, which led to the ridge also being referred to as “Zabriskie’s Ridge”. Featured image: 1) Colonel James Cannon "J.C." Zabriskie.
Manuel Silva Nevis
In 1890, Portuguese pioneer Manuel Silva Nevis opened the Pioneer Winery at 20th and R Streets as well as the California Winery at 21st and S Streets. Nevis was an early Sacramento wine grower and vintner, as well as an early settler of the farming community that flourished in Sacramento’s modern-day Pocket region. Additionally, Nevis was a master carpenter and built a stately Queen Anne style home about a block north of the winery for his wife, Emma, and their five children. The Nevis home originally sat at 1830 21st Street, but was later moved to its current location at 1822 21st Street. As of 2020, the former Nevis family home houses the Edgar Institute.On Saturday morning, Sept. 21, 1907, one of the winery’s employees, Joseph L. Manica, who resided at 1621 R St., began to search for Nevis at the winery to receive orders regarding a new carload of grapes that was to be unloaded. After searching for Nevis for several hours, Manica eventually discovered Nevis’ straw hat lying alongside a vat. In worrying that Nevis might have fallen into the vat, Manica went to the bottom of the vat, where his worst fear was quickly realized. Details regarding this incident were published in The Sacramento Bee in Manica’s own words, as follows: “(At the bottom of the vat), I found him in a sitting position and when I shook him, I knew he was dead. I am convinced that he fell into the vat accidentally while on his way to the door.”Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) Manuel Silva Nevis, 2) Nevis family home located at 1822 21st Street, 3) The California Winery, which was located at 21st and S Streets.
Mayor Daniel W. Carmichael
In 1898, newlyweds Daniel and Myrtle (Robb) Carmichael moved into the majestic Queen Anne style home at 1903 21st Street in Poverty Ridge. The home was built by Myrtles's father, Charles Robb, who deeded the home to the young couple. The Robb family also resided breifly in the home before buildig another Poverty Ridge residence at 2030 23rd Street. Daniel Carmichael later became the mayor of Sacramento from 1917-19, as well as a representative in the State Assembly. He was also a major real estate land developer, having established the community of Carmichael in 1910 through his real estate company, The Firm of Curtis, Carmichael and Brand. Today the former Carmichael-Robb residence has been converted into law offices.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) Daniel W. Carmichael, 2) Myrtle Robb Carmichael, 3) A rare early 20th-century photograph of the Carmichael-Robb home at 1903 2st Street, 4) Mr. Charles Robb.
Fred and Caroline Mason Home
This iconic Queen Anne style home, with its towering turret and unique stained glass windows, is located at 1931 21st street and is believed to be the most photographed single-family home in the city of Sacramento. It was constructed in 1903 by Fred and Caroline Mason, proprietors of Mason's Steam Laundry as well as Mason’s Haberdashery. Both Mr. and Mrs. Mason lived in the home until their deaths.In the decades following Mrs. Caroline Mason’s death, the home she built with her husband at 1931 21st Street fell into disrepair and was at risk of being condemned. In 1969, Bill and Alice Smith, proprietors of a local photography studio, saved the property. The Smiths spent 14 years renovating and furnishing the home, including the installation of a new roof and adding steel beam supports to stabilize the structure. Even as the Smiths took pains to preserve the home, in the years following their deaths, the property once again needed major repairs. In 2017, a new family purchased the stately residence and performed a comprehensive and historically-respectful restoration of this beautiful home.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) Mason-Smith Home located at 1931 21st Street, 2) A 1890s image of the staff at Fred and Caroline Mason's steam laundry enterprise, which was located only a few blocks north at 21st and O Streets.
John and Eliza Stevens Home
In 1882, John and Eliza Stevens built a lovely Italianate home at 2110 U Street for their family of 4 children. The property was celebrated for its lush gardens, which used to extend the full ½ block of U Street between 21st and 22nd Streets. John Stevens was a celebrated citizen of Sacramento, as well as an early California pioneer, arriving with his family by the Isthmus of Panama in 1855 and taking up work as a carpenter and teamster in the young city. Stevens later served as the Vice-President of the Friend and Terry Lumber Company, President of the Pioneer Box Company, and Surveyor of City Streets. Mr. Stevens later championed the installation of sidewalks at Poverty Ridge. As of 2020, when this book was published, this lot was believed to be the largest intact pioneer-era parcel remaining in the Central City and the oldest remaining home in Poverty Ridge.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) The John and Eliza Stevens Home pictured circa 1895, 2) A late 19th century image of the John and Eliza Stevens Home, 3) John Stevens' obituary from March 11, 1914.
Edward Page Howe Family
In 1884, Edward P. Sr. and Ella Howe purchased land at 21st and V Streets in Poverty Ridge and constructed a beautiful Italianate style home. The front door to the residence featured a unique upside down spade window, purportedly a reference to Mr. Howe’s affinity for gambling. Back in his native Iowa, Howe co-authored a grammar book with his father titled “Howe’s Grammar” which became one of the most widely-distributed ELA textbooks in 19th century America. The Howes had one daughter, Ella, as well as three sons; Edward Page Howe, Jr., Samuel Luke Howe, and William Howe. As an adult, Ella Howe pursued a soprano study abroad ad lived for sometime in ew York before returnig to Sacramento. She died in 1967. Like his father, Edward Page Howe, Jr. was an educator and administrator at the Howe family’s private school. In 1890, he and his wife, Luella Slack Howe, built a Colonial Revival and Shingle style home next door to his parents at 2215 21st Street. In 1982, the property was added to the National Register of Historic Places.Instead of pursuing careers in education like their father and their older brother, both Samuel Luke and William Howe decided to study law. Samuel eventually became a senior partner in the firm Howe, Hibbitt and Johnson. He also served as Sacramento City Attorney and later assumed ownership of 2201 21st Street, where he lived until his death in 1945. Samuel Luke Howe is featured on the historic street marker representing the Howe Family Home in the Poverty Ridge Historic District.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) The E.P. Sr. and Ella P. Howe home located at 2201 21st Street, adjacent to the home of their son, E.P. Howe Jr., at 2215 21st Street, 2) Portrait of E.P. Howe, Jr., 3) Portrait of Samuel Luke Howe.
Rudolph Adam Herold
Rudolph Adam Herold was arguably Sacramento’s most prolific architect of the early 20th-century. Herold designed such buildings as the Sacramento City Hall, the Masonic Temple, Marshall School, and the Sacramento Hall of Justice. Between 1911 and 1913, Herold also designed and built a personal residence at 2100 22nd Street, adjacent to the McClatchy family home, which he also designed. The residence is a unique blend of Frank Lloyd Wright and Viennese Secession architectural styles. Rudolph and his wife, Frances, occupied the home until a year before Herold’s death in 1926. In the decades following the Great Depression, the McClatchy Family acquired the former Herold residence as accommodations for visiting journalists, artists, and musicians.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) Rudolph Adam Herold pictured shortly before his death, 2) The Herold family residence located at 2100 22nd Street.
C.K. and Ella K. McClatchy Family/McClatchy Library
In 1910, Sacramento Bee Publisher and Editor, C.K. McClatchy, and his wife, Ella, constructed a residence at 2112 22nd Street. The home was designed in the Beaux Arts and Colonial Revival architectural styles by famed local architect, Rudolph Adam Herold. The McClatchy family business--currently known as The McClatchy Company--is the recipient of over 54 Pulitzer prizes for excellence in journalism. Arguably, no other family has made a greater or more positive historical impact to the neighborhood. Following Ella McClatchy’s death in 1939, the McClatchy's two surviving children, Eleanor and Charlotte, presented the home to the City of Sacramento for use as a youth library in memorial to their mother, Ella K. McClatchy. Mrs. McClatchy had always been an avid supporter of young people and education. The McClatchy daughters also wanted to have a public library located closer to the recently constructed C. K. McClatchy High School, named in honor of their father.In the early 1990s, the city library system--in response to budget pressures--considered shuttering the neighborhood branch of the Ella K. McClatchy Library. Neighborhood residents promptly organized and formed a non-profit organization to ensure the branch’s continued survival. Thanks to the efforts of the "Ella K. McClatchy Library Friends", the McClatchy Library has been completely rehabbed and continues to receive much needed aid for library programs today.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) C.K. and Ella K. McClatchy, 2) The McClatchy residence, located at 2112 22d Street, as it appeared in the early 20th-century, 3) A circa 1949 image of Sacramento youth emerging from the newly created Ella K. McClatchy Library for Young People.
Joan Didion Family Home
The magnificent Colonial Revival mansion located at 2000 22nd Street was designed by Seadler & Hoen in 1911 for William and Mary Ross-Roan. Mary was the Director of the Board of the Bank of Sacramento. She passed away in the home in 1917 at the age of 69. In the late 1940s, the residence was acquired by Genevieve and J. Frank Didion. J.F. Didion was the Sacramento County tax and license collector. Genevieve Didion was a celebrated civic activist and a longtime member of the Sacramento City Board of Education. J. Frank Didion's granddaughter, Joan Didion, lived in the home for her last 2-years at McClatchy High School. Joan famously received her rejection letter from Stanford while living at the home (she later had the letter framed and keeps it as a memento). After graduating from Berkeley, Didion went on to become a literary icon. In 2005, Didion won the National Book Award for her nonfiction work, The Year of Magical Thinking. Today, 2000 22nd Street is colloquially known as the “Didion Home”.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) The "Didion Home", located at 2000 22nd Street, 2) A yearbook photograph of Joan Didio at the time she lived in the home, 3) Newspaper article from July 1952 anouncing J. Frank Didion's retirement as Sacramento County Tax Collector, 4) Portrait of local activist, historic preservationist, and longtime Sacramento City School Board member, Genevieve Didion.
Senator Grove Johnson Home
The Arts and Crafts style home at 1929 23rd Street in Poverty Ridge was built in 1915 and was likely intended as a retirement home for the recently widowed state senator, Grove Johnson, father to California Governor and U.S. Senator, Hiram Johnnson. Johnson arrived in California in 1865 and quickly established himself as a prominent Sacramento attorney. In 1877, he won a seat in the California State Assembly where he served until 1879. Grove Johnson also served in the California State Senate and later in the Fifty-fourth U.S. Congress. Today, the Johnson home has been converted to multi-family housing. However, most of the original exterior architectural details remain intact.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) California State Senator, Grove Lewis Johnson, 2) Grove Johnson's former Arts and Crafts style residence located at 1929 23rd Street.
Judge Peter J. Shields Home
Longtime Poverty Ridge resident, Judge Peter H. Shields, was born on a ranch along the American River in modern day Rancho Cordova. Shields’ father had purchased the ranch with gold nuggets that he’d personally excavated during the early days of the Gold Rush. Judge Shields led a long life of public service, serving as the private secretary to Governor James H. Budd, secretary of the State Agricultural Society, and a law partner to Hiram W. Johnson. At the age of thirty-eight, he was elected to the superior bench in Sacramento and served longer in that capacity than any other superior judge in state history. Having been raised on a ranch, Shields had a deep love for all things agricultural. For many years, he won gold medals at the State Fair for the livestock that he raised on his ranch. As one of the founders of the University of California at Davis, he maintained a life-long interest in the school and in youth. In honor of Judge Shields, the main library at UC Davis as well as the street running along its north side were named for him.In 1915, the contracting firm of Murcell and Haley constructed the Prairie School style homes located at 2009 23rd Street and 2015 23rd Street, and forming a court between the pair. In 1917, 2009 23rd Street was purchased by Sacramento Superior Court Judge Peter J. Shields and his wife, Carolee. The couple lived in the home for most of their lives. Judge Shields passed away at the property after his 100th birthday!Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) California Superior Court Justice, Peter J. Shields, 2) The Peter and Carolee Shields residence located at 2009 23rd Street.
Henry and Sally Taketa
The Colonial Craftsman home at 1900 23rd Street was built in 1941 for Henry and Sally Taketa. The day after the Taketas occupied their new home, panic swept the nation as the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. The Taketa family managed to sell their home just before being unconstitutionally forced by the United States government to relocate to the Tule Lake Japanese Internment Camp. During internment, Henry volunteered for the draft, and, after the war, the Taketas returned to Sacramento where Henry became a well-respected attorney. Both Henry and Sally were active in addressing the post-war issues that confronted Sacramento’s Japanese American community. Henry’s tireless efforts to document and share Japanese-American history in the region led to the creation of California State Historic Landmark NO. 934.Featured images (in order of appearace): 1) Henry and Sally Taketa pictured on their wedding day 2) The circa 1941 Colonial Craftsman home that Henry and Sally Taketa built at 1900 23rd Street.
