Description of the 2018 Urban Renaissance Home Tour benefiting the non-profit care and volunteer management of the East Sacramento McKinley Park Rose Garden.
The Urban Renaissance Home Tour was held on Sunday, September 23, 2018. It featured five beautiful East Sacramento homes of varying styles:
- Mid-century Original Stylishly Remodeled (46th Street)
- Gracious Classic with Contemporary Updates (43rd Street)
- A Sculptor’s Garden Compound (35th Street)
- Artist’s Colorful Cottage (33rd Street)
- Art Collector’s Home (35th Street)
Friends of East Sacramento, the organizer of the Urban Renaissance Home Tour, manages events at the McKinley Park Rose Garden and the Clunie Community Center. Friends of East Sacramento was formed in 2009 by Cecily Hastings and Lisa Schmidt to prevent the closure of the Clunie Community Center and to revitalize and maintain the McKinley Park Rose Garden.
See related blog posts: Sacramento’s Rose Gardens – McKinley Park Rose Garden and East Sacramento McKinley Park Neighborhood
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I had volunteered to be a docent for the Urban Renaissance Home Tour, and was thrilled to be assigned docent duties at the compound of Gerald “Jerry” and Deborah Walburg. Jerry Walburg is an internationally known sculptor.
See related blog post: Indo Arch – Sacramento Landmarks
It was a beautiful day for the event, sunny with a light breeze. I noted that many of the participants walked or rode bicycles, enjoying both the weather and the tree-lined streets of East Sacramento. I have always enjoyed walking the streets of East Sacramento on a pleasant summer day taking in the varied styles of the homes and checking out the landscaping for ideas.
Gallery 1632
The featured home at the Walburg compound was the 800 square-foot remodeled guest house, which also serves as an art gallery to periodically showcase the work of local artists. The main artist showcased during the Urban Renaissance Home Tour was Sacramento artist Christine Hodgins. Hodgins died in 2012.
The A’Cross Town exhibition of Hodgins sculpture and ink drawings are currently installed at both Gallery 1632 (hours by appointment) and Artspace 1616 on Del Paso Blvd.
The sculptures, which are suspended from the ceiling, are composed of flexible chicken wire covered by polystyrene foam and painted either a flat black or flat white. The installation at Artspace 1616 is significantly larger – but the installation at Gallery 1632 allows one to visualize how the art works in a home-like setting.
Walburg Sculpture Garden
Exiting the back door of the guest house participants had the opportunity to tour the backyard gardens of the compound which encompasses three city lots.
My daughter and I had toured the Walburg property during the annual East Sacramento Garden Tour in 2015. We had marveled at the lush gardens and the large metal sculptures that serve as focal points throughout the gardens. At the time, I had lamented the fact that I did not have a camera with me – so I took the opportunity after my docent shift to re-walk the gardens and take some representative pictures of the many sculptures there.
See related blog post: East Sacramento Garden Tour
While I did not make it to all four of the other homes on the tour – I did have a chance to tour the home on 35th Street featuring the home and art collection of the owner. It was very impressive and interesting as to how the art was showcased throughout the home.
All in all it was a fun day – for a great cause!
Comments on the Urban Renaissance Home Tour?
Did you have a particular home on the Urban Renaissance Home Tour that stood out as your “favorite”? What other comments would you add?
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The homes were really well chosen to show a range of architectural styles and decorating sensibilities. The docents were informed and helpful. The un-askable question on everybody’s mind was always, “How much did that cost?” That’s inappropriate for individual homes, but perhaps it would be possible to publish an combined range (e.g. renovations on the tour ran between $XXX and $YYY).
Thanks for your comment. Yes, I think that is often a question that comes to my mind when I check out open houses around the neighborhood.