Interactive Map of Participating Sites

View the full-screen interactive map here

We’ve provided some downloadable resources and social media promotional tools for you to help spread the word about Doors Open California! Media inquiries can be directed to cpf@californiapreservation.org or by dialing 415.495.0349.

Download the schedule of events here, or browse below:

2023-09-07-Site-Details

Category: LearnScursions | Region: Central Coast Region | City: Salinas | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Rancho Days at the Adobe

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Boronda Adobe History Center, Salinas, California  93907

The staff and docents will provide guided tours of the 1844-46 José Eusebio Boronda Adobe. Our tours will be presented in English and Spanish for our “Rancho Days celebration” of that weekend. Our tour guides will be costumed as reenactors for the period of significance, and guests will be provided tours of the newly opened Gumper-Castro Library, which includes the integration of vintage Victorian architectural elements and a treasure trove of books on early California history and culture. Finally, smaller groups will be provided a behind-the-scenes tour of the Archival Vaults of the Monterey County Historical Society featuring the Spanish & Mexican Archives spanning the period from 1770 through 1856 and the Archaeology Vault with its collections predating European contact on the central California coast and Monterey Bay. Finally, guests will be provided refreshments consisting of Mexican and early Californio-themed chocolate and soups of the period.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Central Coast Region | City: San Luis Obispo | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Visit the Monday Club – A Julia Morgan Masterpiece

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: The Monday Club, San Luis Obispo, California  93401

A visit to The Monday Club is a unique opportunity to tour a 1934 vintage women’s club designed by Architect Julia Morgan. During the first quarter of the 20th century Julia Morgan was the first woman granted an architectural license in California, the 19th Amendment granting women a constitutional right to vote was ratified by Congress, and The Monday Club was founded by a dynamic group of women in 1924. Similarly significant contributions by civic-minded women were being made elsewhere in California and in the world.

Visitors to The Monday Club will enjoy viewing original architectural features including murals, hardwood herringbone floors and the open truss system that was a recurring element in many of Miss Morgan’s buildings.

Integral to appreciating the history of The Monday Club is an understanding of what was occurring elsewhere in our country and the world during this period. On display will be an educational timeline that we have created depicting 100 years of history and events in San Luis Obispo, California and the world. Interpretive discussion of the timeline will be part of the docent-led tours that will be ongoing throughout the Doors Open event and a scheduled lecture on Saturday, June 11, 2022, with Laura Sorvetti a Julia Morgan scholar will be included.

The mission of The Monday Clubhouse Conservancy is to preserve and restore the historic landmark known as The Monday Club of San Luis Obispo and to provide public access to the landmark for educational purposes, and to carry on other charitable and educational activities associated with this goal as allowed by law.

The Monday Club was nominated to the National Register of Historic Places in 2016, listing 16000245.

The Monday Clubhouse Conservancy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Central Coast Region | City: Santa Maria | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Historic Santa Maria City Hall

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 110 East Cook Street, Santa Maria, California  93454

Tour through the 1930’s Spanish style structure, the home of municipal government. Designed by Crawford a noted California architect. Behind the scenes tour of tower structure, City Council Chambers, courtyard and flagpole.

Category: LearnScursions | Region: Central Valley | City: Elk Grove | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Tour Elk Grove’s Oldest Home

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: 9941 East Stockton Blvd, Elk Grove, California  95624

The home was built in 1853 for widow Euphemia Foulks who traveled by covered wagon with 4 of her 5 children from Mansfield, Ohio to Elk Grove, CA. It is one of the last examples of the early California “single frame” construction. There are two rooms down stairs and one room in the attic for sleeping. On the grounds of Heritage Parks also is the San Joaquin Justice Court that was built in 1912 with two of the jail cells that came from the 1850 Sacramento City floating jail, the ship LaGrange. They will also be able to tour the two story full scale replica of the 1850 Elk Grove House that was a stage stop between Sutter’s Fort and the Mexican capitol for Alta California in Monterey. It is completely furnished in the 1880 era.

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Category: CACulture | Region: Central Valley | City: Fiddletown | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Tours of the Chew Kee Store Museum – Plus a presentation on the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival (or known as Autumn Moon Festival) by Elizabeth Wong of Joss House in Auburn, and a Tai Chi & Qigong Demonstration by local instructors.

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Fiddletown, Fiddletown, CA  95629

The Chew Kee Store Museum was built in 1850 when the Gold Rush was at its height.  All original artifacts make it a very unique museum.  It takes approximately 20 minutes to view the interior of the whole museum.  The Fiddletown Park is next door to the museum and that is where the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival presentation and Tai Chi/Qigong demonstration will be held.  Mooncakes and Chinese Chicken Salad will be available for purchase, as well as tea & water. Also available is a Walking Tour of Fiddletown that includes 16 historical buildings.

The Chew Kee Store Museum will be open from 12n-4pm.  We will also have two additional Chinese Buildings (Gambling House & General Store) open for viewing, both are brick and adobe structures.  Next door, in the Fiddletown Park will be the Chinese Mid-Autumnm Festival presentation and a Tai Chi demonstration by local instructors and a Qigong demonstration by local students.  All ages are welcome.

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Category: CACulture | Region: Central Valley | City: Isleton | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Hear from Three Generations of a Delta Farm Family at the Historic Isleton Museum

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Isleton Museum, Isleton, California  95641

Members of three generations of a pioneering family have agreed to speak about how agriculture has been carried out during their lifetime. They will discuss what it was like to grow up on a delta farm. equipment available to work the fields, crops that were grown, and how crops were transported to market. They plan to display photos and show hand-held tools used before mechanized ones were available.

In addition to the presentation, guests will be able to tour the newly renovated Bing Kong Tong Building in which the museum is located. The grand opening was October 20, 2022.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Central Valley | City: Sacramento | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Sacramento Valley Station – Tour a Stunning Historic Terminus

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 401 I Street, Sacramento, California  95814

The City of Sacramento completed an extensive renovation of the Sacramento Valley Station in 2017. The station has 4 spaces deemed to be significant under the National Historic Register. One of those spaces is the second floor corridor which was faithfully restored in our rehabilitation but is only accessible to lease tenants on a daily basis. This floor also contains one of two original vault doors in-situ. The renovation project added an exterior 1,200 sf roof deck on the third floor that is also not available to the public at this time. Both of these areas are accessible by elevator. The roof deck area will provides a vista of downtown and the Railyards area and a short talk on future development plans will be given. The tour will begin in the Main Waiting Room, under the MacQuarrie mural, with a discussion of the interior renovation of this significant space, and include other areas on the ground floor by guided tour. The tour will include details of the restoration, the creative use of the historic elements for sustainable energy design (eg. Storm Windows, radiant floor heat/cool under 6,000 sf marble floor, and recirculating stratified warm air through the Main Waiting Room chandelier medallions) and facts on the restoration of the historic mural.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Central Valley | City: Truckee | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Visit the Old Truckee Jail Museum slammer from 1875, which still works!

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 10065 Donner Pass Road, Truckee, California  96161

Starting at the Truckee Train Depot you’ll get a great look at nine interactive displays of Truckee History in our new Museum of Truckee History. We’ll then take a short walk to visit town’s first cabin that Joseph Gray built back in 1863. From there we’ll take a stroll down the first little wagon road into town, now Jibboom Street. Down at the west end of the street we’ll find the Old Truckee Jail Museum. This old jail no longer operates as a jail but it still works, so bring your camera. We’ll then climb a short but steep path to High Street and home of a lot of history and great photos from the Rocking Stone Tower that sits next our 1941 Veterans Memorial Building designed by California’s first State Architect, George Sellon. Back down the hill to our Victory Plaza, home of our mama Eagle protecting her young statue in honor of WW1 veterans. Stroll back across the street to the Truckee Donner Railroad Society Museum located in a Caboose car next to the train depot back where we started 3 hours ago. Plan on Tours leaving at 10AM, 1PM & 4PM both Saturday and Sunday. Tours provided by the President & Curator of the Truckee-Donner Historical Society and resident since 1962, the old miner and sure to be a great tour for Doors Open California participants.

Category: CACulture | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Tiburon | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Guided Tour of Angel Island Immigration Station

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Angel Island State Park, Tiburon, California  94920

Participants will have an opportunity to experience a 90-minute guided tour of the former US Immigration Station at Angel Island. The site is designated as both a California Historical Landmark and a National Historic Landmark. The tour will include part of the outdoor exhibits on the site, the Detention Barracks Museum, and the Angel Island Immigration Museum that recently opened in 2022 in the site’s former hospital building. The tour will be co-led by staff from Angel Island State Park and Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation. Visitors will learn about the history of exclusionary immigration policies, differential treatment, and immigrant stories connected to the site.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Benicia | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Tour of Benicia Capitol Building, California’s Third State Capitol

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 115 West G Street, Benicia, California  94510

Join us on California’s birthday September 9th, also known as admission day, to tour the Benicia Capitol building which served as the third state capitol of California. Visitors will have the opportunity to tour the building while listening to information about early governors, political figures, and the interesting origin of materials used to build said building. Additional information will revolve around the capitol that could not stay put and discussing where it has been, why it left, and ultimately how it ended up in Sacramento.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Berkeley | Date(s) Open: 9/09 

Architectural Tour of Bernard Maybeck’s Masterpiece – First Church of Christ Scientist, Berkeley

Location: 2619 Dwight Way, 94720 Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 

Bernard Maybeck’s 1910 masterpiece, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, is a world-class architectural treasure and National Historic Landmark. It is a brilliantly creative integration of Arts & Crafts, Byzantine, Romanesque, Japanese, and Gothic Revival, built of modern industrial materials yet designed to be unusually home-like and connected to its garden and community surroundings. Across from today’s People’s Park, the center of Berkeley’s counter-culture movement, the church’s warm and honest character is defined by simplicity, unity, harmony, beauty, light and peace. In terms of light and space, Maybeck’s Masterpiece is the first truly American church.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Berkeley | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Behind the Doors of the Berkeley City Club

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: , Berkeley, CA 

The club docents will introduce you to Miss Morgan, who was the first woman architect certified by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and will lead you through the vaulted halls and arcaded courtyards of this medieval fantasy.

The Berkeley City Club is known for its steel-reinforced concrete walls and ceilings (artfully fashioned to look like wood), leaded glass windows, interior courtyards and magnificent indoor swimming pool. The building is a blend of Romanesque and Moorish styles of architecture common to the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.

Julia Morgan’s engineering skills, evident in the seismically solid building exterior, were matched by her attention to the interior designs for furniture, light fixtures, distinctive fireplaces and even dishes.

Constructed in 11 months, this six-story landmarked building opened in 1930 as the “Berkeley Women’s City Club” with a membership of over 4,000.

The Club’s founding group of women, all involved in separate civic, social, athletic and philanthropic causes, wanted to come together in a single, impressive, multi-use building. At the height of her career, Bay Area architect Julia Morgan was the natural choice for their project.

Originally a social club and residence for women, the Berkeley City Club has welcomed both women and men since 1962. Today it serves as a club, hotel, restaurant, events space and conference center.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Orinda | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/0

 Steam Locomotives and Railway Technology

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 2481 Grizzly Peak Blvd, Orinda, California  94563

The power of steam in technology was the key to the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps no where more keenly that In Transportation. Steam locomotives moved passengers and freight around the world for more than a century. The Redwood Valley Railway preserves this technology as it recreates passenger transportation as it would have been found on California’s North Coast in the first part of the 20th Century.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Baby Observations and a Chinese bunkhouse: What they tell us about life on the Shinn Ranch

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1251 Peralta Blvd., Fremont, California  94536

Dr. Milicent Shinn’s child development studies were carried out at the Shinn ranch. Her observations of her niece were the basis of her PhD dissertation (1898) and later book, The Biography of a Baby (1900). Her study notebooks recording her observations of her nephew Joseph Jr. were recently discovered in the attic. In addition to observations about Joe Jr.’s language development and motor milestones, Dr. Shinn also recorded glimpses of family life, like Joe Jr’s love of Grandma Lucy and their Chinese cook, Fong Gan (perhaps because they both supplied him with sweet treats).

Efforts are underway to raise money to restore the fragile 100-year-old bunkhouse from the Shinn ranch “China Camp.”  The building will be used to highlight the historic role of the Chinese immigrants at the Shinn ranch and in our community. This history is recorded in the letters, ledgers, and photos of the Shinn House Museum. The building will be included in the nomination of the Shinn Ranch to the National Register.

The Shinn House Museum, at the back of the Shinn House, is open 1-4 pm. The Chinese Bunkhouse Preservation group will be on hand with the “Chinese Roots: Sketches of Life in the Washington Township” exhibit and will guide people to the bunkhouse.

Tours of the two story Victorian Shinn House are 1-4 pm first come first serve, for a donation $4 adult $2 child.

Location: Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum, 1251 Peralta Avenue, Fremont CA. Parking is free.

Park Website: https://sites.google.com/view/shinn-historical-park/home

Things to do in Fremont: https://sites.google.com/view/funthingstodofremonthistory/home

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Hidden Treasures of the Patterson House

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 34600 Ardenwood Blvd, Fremont, California  94555

The Pattersons had a successful farm and became pillars of the community. Their family story around this house reaches from 1857 to 1964 while several generations resides here. Learn about these fascinating people and their lives intertwined with the local history of Southern Alameda county. There will be special architectural tours at 11:00 am, 12:3o and 2:00 pm along with regular house tours 11:00 am and 2:00 pm Tot Tours (for families with children under 6) and full-length 45 minute tours at 11:30, 12:30, 1:30 and 2:30 pm.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Old Mission San Jose – Behind the Adobe Walls

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 43300 Mission Boulevard, Fremont, California  94539

Doors Open guests will be given a special viewing of selected historic vestments and silver processional candlesticks and crucifix from the earliest days of the Mission plus an opportunity to ring the 200 year-old bells in the bell tower. We will end with examples of the challenges of preserving historic artifacts from the former 1809 adobe church and the maintaining the integrity of our still-standing convento which houses the museum.

Before and after your private tour, you may take a self-guided or guided tour of Old Mission San Jose grounds. Learn about the history of Mission San Jose, a California Historic Landmark and a registered National Historic Place. Mission San Jose was one of the most productive CA missions. See the Mission Church said to be one of the most authentically reconstructed of the CA missions and containing several original artifacts from 1809. Learn about the interior decor, the crowning achievement of master craftsman, Sir Richard Menn. Tours include a walk through our historic cemetery which tells the story of settlers from all over the world, the patio garden’s historic roses, 200-year old olive trees and Mission grapes, and access to the Museum which is housed in the the still-intact 1809 convento.

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Category: CACulture | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Rebirth and Restoration of the Rancho Higuera Historical Park

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 47300 Rancho Higuera Rd., Fremont, California  94539

Guests are invited to visit the Galindo-Higuera adobe, located on the Rancho del Agua Caliente. This rancho was awarded to Fulgencio Higuera in 1839 by then Governor Juan B. Alvarado. At the time, this land consisted of 9,563 acres or 15 square miles, and it supported 11,000 head of cattle and several hundred horses.

Our guests can still enjoy the verdant green hills and can imagine what it looked like with no fences, and with rancho cattle dotting the hillsides.

140 years later, in 1979, the adobe was falling down. Historians, architects, preservationists, and archaeologists agreed that the adobe was significant and worth saving; and thus, the restoration began. A total of 7,500 bricks had to be made to replace those that were missing.

Inside the building now are displays that describe the hide and tallow trade, a video that shows how the land was used from the Ohlone period to the restoration, as well as a display of Ohlone artifacts.

This adobe and its current 20 acres represent an important chapter in Spanish-Mexican history in California, and we at the Washington Township Museum of Local History are happy to share this gem with you.

Special activities for children (and adults): brick making, branding with paint, design-a-brand, corn husk and/or clothespin dollmaking, candle dipping, play horseshoes, and rope the steer.

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Category: Artspiration | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/9

Rediscovering Vintage Lost & Found Films and Why They Matter – Special Presentation and Tour

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum & Edison Theater, Fremont, California  94536

There are elements of a scavenger hunt, a time-sensitive escape room and the Amazing Race when it comes to locating and preserving vintage films. What do you do when a film is falling apart and decomposing before your eyes? Is there any point in saving it? Many times in early filmmaking there were no titles or credits listed. How can one know what the film is about, when it happened and even who made it if there is no more information accompanying the spool of nitrate? And why does it matter? Find out how the state of construction of buildings as seen on the celluloid, listings in city directories can help document a time and place. Also, why other more minute details like rain puddles in the streets, license plates on cars, angles of the sun, non-standard film perforations, and (thankfully) excruciating detailed people who get every bit of information listed on a website or database help researchers find out the facts about a film made more than a century before. What research methods were employed before the internet made more things possible and why they sometimes still must be used to get answers. Film Historian and filmmaker David Kiehn will share some of the stories of how his work has gotten films the credit they deserve, whether it is the still well-known A Trip Down Market Street, post-earthquake footage from 1906 San Francisco or a Ringling Brother Circus Parade from 1902.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Visit the Washington Township Museum of Local History

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 190 Anza Street, Fremont, California  94539

Visit the museum to learn about the history of the Tri-City, from the Mission and Rancho Eras through to pre-incorporation — back when Fremont, Newark and Union City were made up of farms, ranches and dairies, and later, after the cities incorporated, suburban communities. Visitors will discover how the waves of families who moved here lived, worked, and established a thriving small-town community.

On view through September 2023: “Depicting Historical Places: Tri-City Artists & Their Work” – This exhibit features creations by local women of the past, including mosaics by Alice Ebright, photographs of historic buildings taken by Julianne Howe, and writings by Milicent Shinn. Artist Nancy Pratt’s watercolors of the five villages of Fremont round out the exhibit. These pieces interpret many of the same sites throughout the Tri-Cities across multiple decades, which showcase the multitude of possible interpretations of our local area.

Bonus: Our museum is a former fire station! Opened in 1954, the Mission San Jose station operated as a volunteer firehouse, as all former fire departments had been. Two years later, in 1956, Mission San Jose became part of the newly formed City of Fremont, and the volunteer fire department continued their service until the station officially became Fire Station #4 for the City of Fremont. In 1989, a new fire station was built on the corner of Paseo Padre Pkwy. and Pine St., where it is still housed today. In 1992, The City of Fremont leased our old fire station building to two local non-profits, and the Washington Township Museum of Local History opened its doors here later that same year.

We also feature an all-native California garden.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Gilroy | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Behind-the-Scenes Tour – Gilroy Museum Main Storage & Basement

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Gilroy Museum, Gilroy, California  95020

Visitors will be given a tour of the Gilroy Museum basement which is now the Museum’s main storage area. The original use of the various rooms will be explained when the building functioned as the Gilroy Free Library. In the Museum’s main storage area, visitors will be given a short program on artifact storage and have the opportunity to see unique items not on display. Admission is free but donations are appreciated and directly support the Museum.

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Category: Artspiration | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Guerneville | Date(s) Open: 9/9

Pond Farm Docent-led Tour for Doors Open

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: , Guerneville, CA 

Take a docent-led tour of Pond Farm Pottery and learn about the history of this significant cultural site that is on the National Register of Historic Places and a National Historic Landmark. Learn about the dreams and challenges of the Herr Family and Marguerite Wildenhain, the first woman master potter to graduate from the Bauhaus. Pond Farm was Marguerite’s home, school and studio for over 30 years and she taught hundreds of her students in the traditions of the Bauhaus. Pre-registration (no extra cost) is also required by visiting: https://stewardscr.org/events/pond-farm-docent-led-tour-doors-open-9-9-2023/

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Fremont | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Niles Canyon Museum Development Concept

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Niles Station – 37029 Mission Blvd. Fremont, Fremont, California  94536

The town of Niles (now a district in Fremont) was one of the most important cities for Bay Area railroads in the 19th and 20th centuries. The Pacific Locomotive Association, Inc., owner-operators of the Niles Canyon Railway will be running excursion trains on that day but also wants to present our concept plan for developing a full museum at this location, sharing images and collecting feedback. We will be presenting the images from the attached slideshow and identify the actual planned locations – stand right where the item will be rebuilt.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Oakland | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Access to Experts and Special Doors Open Tours of the California Genealogical Society

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 2201 Broadway LL, Oakland, California  94612

Visitors will have access to one of the largest and oldest genealogical libraries in the country. The society is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year. We will provide free access to the library and give tours throughout the day. Guests will see our stacks with over 36,000 genealogy books including city, county, and state histories, biographies and how-to resource books.

The California Genealogical Society (CGS) also has an extensive historic map collection, and a variety of family trees – some dating back to the 1920s. Our manuscripts and vertical files contain one-of-kind material that is indexed and available on our website.

CGS has a large collection of books for every county in California as well as books for every state and some resources for other countries. We also have a large number of City Directories for California.

On the tour day we will have a special showing of books about architects, designers and architecture.

Visitors will have access to our computers with online resources including Ancestry.com, FamilySearch, Fold3 (military records), American Ancestors, VitalSearch Worldwide, the Library of Congress Catalog, HathiTrust Digital Library, Internet Archive Books, Rootweb, SF Genealogy, and thousands of indexed records housed at the library.

Experienced researchers will be on hand to answer questions and help show visitors how to get started with their own family history research.

As guests depart the library they will be given copies of a self-guided tour of Uptown Oakland featuring several landmarks and other notable historic buildings including the Paramount Theater, I. Magnin Building, the Fox Theater and more – all within close walking distance. CGS is housed in the historic Brunner Building – a City of Oakland landmark. https://oaktownart.com/2010/03/18/the-breuner-building-a-gem-in-sea-glass-green/ There will also be docents from Oakland Heritage Alliance on had to lead short walking tours to these sites.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Oakland | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Mannequin Madness: where mannequins go to be Repurposed & Reused with Interactive Art Activities

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1031 Cotton St, Oakland, California  94606

When the California Cotton Mills (Oakland Landmark #24) was built in 1883, it was the largest cotton mill west of the Mississippi River. At its peak the Mill covered 12 acres and employed 1,500 workers, mainly Portuguese immigrants . The mill was demolished in 1956 for the construction of the Nimitz Freeway which literally cut though the center of the mill.

Mannequin Madness is located one of the few remaining structures from the Cotton Mill. We are the largest mannequin recycling company in the USA. We keep mannequins from going into landfills by acquiring them from retailers who are closing or remodeling locations. We then resell mannequins to businesses and private individuals who reuse or repurpose them.

A visit here offers the following:

videos and signage about the history of the building and surrounding area.

A behind the scenes tour of our mannequin warehouse

An art class making a flower crown headdress with faux flowers and mannequin heads as the canvas. ($30 fee per person which is a. 50% discount from the normal price)

This video by Bloomberg showcases our facility and what we do . https://www.bloomberg.com/news/videos/2022-03-03/mannequin-fascination-spurs-sustainable-business-video

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: San Francisco | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Curator’s Tour of the WNP Clubhouse

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Western Neighborhoods Project, San Francisco, California  94121

Western Neighborhoods Project (WNP) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit that preserves, interprets, and shares the diverse history and culture of San Francisco’s west side. In support of this work, WNP also launched the OpenSFHistory program to digitize and make accessible online thousands of historic San Francisco images.

Hang out with staff, board members, and volunteers at the WNP office and gallery in San Francisco’s Richmond District. Our doors our open and California Preservation Foundation insiders can register in advance for special curator’s tours of two exhibitions: a creative photography installation inspired by the life and legacy of Ansel Adams, who grew up in the Richmond; and a window display that celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Alexandria Theater, located on Geary Boulevard and 18th Avenue a stone’s throw from the gallery.

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Category: CACulture | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: San Francisco | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 GLBT Historical Society Archives Tour

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 989 Market Street, San Francisco, California  94103

The GLBT Historical Society collects, preserves, and shares LGBTQ history. Join us in the archives for a behind-the-scenes look at the work of the GLBT Historical Society on September 10th at 1pm. You’ll get a peek into the vault, where the archivists will share some of their favorite pieces and collections. Space is limited so be sure to reserve your spot.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: San Francisco | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 See a Victorian San Francisco Mansion – The Haas-Lilienthal House

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: Haas-Lilienthal House, San Francisco, CA  94109

Visitors will have the opportunity to walk freely through the rooms of the historic Haas-Lilienthal House while learning about its luxuriant decor and rich history. The house and its furnishings illustrate not only its Victorian origins but also the changes made to it during the 86 years it was occupied by the Haas and Lilienthal families. Visitors will be able to look into the past and see firsthand how three generations of this extended family lived during their time here, 1886 to 1972. Knowledgeable volunteers will be on hand to answer questions and share details of the architecture of this Queen Anne-style home, with its gable roofs, rounded bay windows, and classically derived ornamentation.

The Haas-Lilienthal House is owned and operated by San Francisco Heritage, a non-profit dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of San Francisco’s unique architectural and cultural identity. The house now serves as the organization’s headquarters and as the city’s only Gilded Age house museum open to the public year-round. It is also recognized as a National Treasure in 2012 by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and as San Francisco Landmark #69.

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Category: Diverse California | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: San Francisco | Date(s) Open: 9/10

SoMa LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District Tour

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: San Francisco South of Market neighborhood (various stops), San Francisco, CA  94103

Come visit the world’s first LEATHER & LGBTQ Cultural District, located in San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood! Since the 1960’s, SoMa has been home to a myriad of bars, restaurants, nightlife venues, publishing organizations, homophile organizations, bath houses, and more, putting SF’s Leather scene in the international spotlight. Leather culture was particularly robust along the stretch of Folsom Street once nicknamed the “Miracle Mile” and “Valley of the Kings”. Tour stops include:

Ringold Leather History Walk

The Stud

Lone Star / Ambush

DNA Lounge/Chaps

Eagle Plaza / Eagle

Church of Mankind Services

Hamburger Mary’s

Original Sud location (now Eve)

Fe-Be’s / Oasis

Hole in the Wall / Powerhouse

Dore Alley / Up Your Alley Fair

Driftwood / wicked Grounds

Folsom Street Barracks / Red Star

Mr. S Leather

Tour Guides: Eric Jost (City Guide volunteer)

Alex Westhoff (San Francisco Planning Department)

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Category: Artspiration | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: San Francisco | Date(s) Open: 9/9

Treasure Island, San Francisco–Historic 1939 Art Deco World’s Fair Building and Museum

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1 Avenue of the Palms, San Francisco, California  94130

Come visit Treasure Island’s fabulous Art Moderne air terminal, listed on the National Register. Since 1975 home to the Treasure Island Museum, with its exhibits and models showing and telling the island’s dynamic history and projection into the future. Our building was constructed in 1937/38 to accommodate Pan American Airways and its passengers during the years of the Clipper flights across the Pacific (1938-1945), and serving as the Administration Building for the Golden Gate International Exposition, 1939-1940. Treasure Island then (1942-1997) became a major naval station especially during World War II and subsequent Navy and Marine engagements in the Pacific. Now the building is headquarters to the Treasure Island Development Group, in charge of the new redevelopment on the island as its ownership is transferred from the Navy to the City of San Francisco. Visit us to see the wonders of the 1939/40 GGIE and learn about the naval years as well as the ongoing redevelopment. We will have tours, speakers, exhibits, objects, and perhaps music!

Open all day:

Our exhibit, “You Are Here: The Story of Treasure Island”

On the portico outside our building: “Pacific Unity Sculptures” remaining from Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939-40

Docents and volunteers on site for questions about the island, the art, the Navy and the Exposition

At the moment we only have two planned, timed events: 

11:30 Walking tour to historic sites on Treasure Island (one hour +)

2:00 “We Were There.” The Golden Gate International Exposition, 74 years and counting: an illustrated conversation with two who attended the fair as children.

Adjacent to our museum, visitors can also enjoy the Octoberfest taking place at Woods Island Pub! https://www.woodsbeer.com/island-club

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Category: CACulture | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: San Francisco | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Visit the GLBT Historical Society Museum

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: GLBT Historical Society Museum, San Francisco, California  94114

The GLBT Historical Society Museum, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Castro District, is the first stand-alone museum of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender history and culture in the United States. It celebrates San Francisco’s vast queer past through dynamic and surprising exhibitions and programming.

Open since January 2011, the museum showcases the sheer depth and breadth of the GLBT Historical Society’s archives, demonstrates the importance of queer history to the public, and mounts wide-ranging exhibitions with an emphasis on diversity and social justice.

Participants with Doors Open California can reserve their spot to visit the museum for free on Saturday, September 9, 2023.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: North Coast & Bay Area 

 A Rare Chance to see Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hanna House – Honeycomb House

SOLD OUT. NO Walk-ins Allowed. Questions? Email cglasser@stanford.edu

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Category: Artspiration | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Stanford | Date(s) Open: 9/9

Memorial Church: Glass Tiles and Stained Glass during the American Renaissance

SOLD OUT. NO Walk-ins Allowed. Questions? Email cglasser@stanford.edu

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: North Coast & Bay Area | City: Woodside | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Filoli – Special Tours and Doors

Open Access

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: Filoli, Woodside, CA  94062

Filoli offers a behind-the-scenes tour of its historic greenhouses, designed by Arthur Brown, Jr. of Blakewell & Brown, San Francisco. These greenhouses were built in 1921 and have been in use since their inception, by both families who resided at Filoli when it was a private home, and today as an integral part of preservation of historic plants and propagation to support 16 acres of formal gardens. Before and after your private tour of the greenhouses you are free to enjoy Filoli’s grounds and self-guide through the formal gardens, nature preserve, and historic Filoli mansion.

Category: LearnScursions| Region: Northern California| City: CA 96125
 Special Doors Open Tours at the Kentucky Mine and Museum | NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 100 Kentucky Mine Road, 100 Kentucky Mine Road, Sierra City, CA 96125, Sierra City, California, United States

Located on highway 49 in the historic gold mining town of Sierra City, the Kentucky Mine Museum is a real treasure. Tours take visitors from the entrance of the gold mine with its blacksmith shop, into a miners’ cabin, and on through the well-preserved stamp mill. By the end of the tour, guests will understand from beginning to end the workings of a California stamp mill.

The Kentucky Consolidated Gold Mining Company was formed in 1853 and was expanded to ten stamps in 1888. The mine was abandoned during the turn-of-the century and reopened by Emil Loeffler and his son Adolph. The Loefflers rebuilt the mill on the current site during the 1920s, reusing salvaged equipment from local mines from this early period. The mill was equipped with two water-powered Pelton wheels that turned belts and two 5-battery stamps in crushing ore to particles fine enough to pass through fine screens and onto the amalgamation shaker tables. Adolph Loeffler died tragically in a mine explosion in 1944; however, the family worked the ore up until 1953. In 1974, the mill was transferred to the Sierra County Historical Society to serve as stewards.

Today the park displays old mining equipment on the grounds and its museum exhibits let visitors glimpse into Sierra County’s rich history. Come visit the Kentucky Mine Museum to step into the past!

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Category: CACulture| Region: Northern California| City: Red Bluff
 Creating a Historic Chinatown Alley – Descendant Walking Tour | NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Historic Chinatown Alley & Hickory Street, Historic Chinatown Alley & Hickory Street, Red Bluff, CA, 96080, United States

Enjoy a walking tour by one of Red Bluff’s original Chinese families who settled in 1865. Learn about the new street named Historic Chinatown Alley and its vanishing Chinatown structures from the gold rush. The walking tour will make its way from Downtown Red Bluff to Oak Hill Cemetery where the five original 19th Century Chinese families are buried. At the cemetery, you will not only meet the Chinese American pioneers who made America their home but perform the 19th-century funeral rituals to thank the ancestors for all they have provided.

Category: LearnScursions | Region: Southern California | City: San Marino | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Inside the Michael White Adobe

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: The Michael White Adobe (at San Marino High School), San Marino, California  91108

Friends of the Michael White Adobe (FoMWA) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to the historic restoration and preservation of the Michael White Adobe. We are a broad coalition of community, industry representatives and preservationists committed to rehabilitating the building which defines our community rich cultural heritage. FoMWA works in close cooperation with the elected leadership of the San Marino Unified School District.

The Michael White Adobe is a hidden treasure of San Marino and LA County. One of only 38 remaining 19th century adobe structures in LA County, the Michael White Adobe is a significant Southern California landmark, and a reminder of how earlier settlers built homes, families and communities.

The Friends of the Michael White Adobe (FoMWA) welcome visitors to this open house event to tour the building which is typically closed to the general public, learn about the history & significance of the site, and hear about the work of FoMWA to preserve the building, develop educational material, and future plans! Tours will include an update on our Historic Structures Report.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: Southern California | City: Anaheim | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Anaheim Packing District Historical Tour

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 440 S. Anaheim Blvd, Anaheim, California  92805

Docents from the Anaheim Historical Society will guide guests through the historic buildings of the Anaheim Packing District. The Anaheim Packing District encompasses 3 historic landmarks, as well as the glorious 2-acre Farmers Park. The main ingredient of the foodie quintet is the Anaheim Packing House, one of the last remaining citrus packing warehouses (built in 1919) in Orange County, which has been historically preserved and retrofitted as a great original American market hall. The North anchor of the district is the Packard Building (built in 1922 -opened in 1923). Establishing the southern border is of the Packing District is MAKE, a 1917 former marmalade factory. Now, boasting more than 30 unique food and beverage artisans, the Packing District offers a culinary menagerie for families and visitors alike.

Also celebrate the 100th year of the Packard Building’s original opening date with a Packard car show at Farmers Park during the Doors Open weekend, as well as a reveal of the Packard Building Mills Act Placque. A 20-minute historical documentary about the historic Anaheim Packing District will also be on display for guests to enjoy at their leisure within the mini 4-seater theater inside the Packing House.

Car show featuring Packard cars and 1920s-1230s cars will be 11am-3pm. Historical tours will be every hour from 3:30-5:30pm- limited to 20 people per time slot. Live 1920s jazz bands will be performing 11am-9pm all day.

There will be 3 Anaheim Historical Society guided tours throughout the day of the Packard Building, Packing House and MAKE Building: at 3:30pm, 4:30pm and 5:30pm. Each guided tour is limited to 20 people and is approximately 45-60 minutes long. We will also have display boards at each of our locations for self-guided tours, which guests can take at their leisure throughout the day.

We are celebrating 100 years since the grand opening of the Packard Building.

11am-3pm Classic Car Show featuring Packards and 1928-1931 Ford Model A cars.

2pm-4pm Band Big Butter Jazz

3:30pm Historical Tour 1 (approx. 60 minutes) – meet at Packard Building

4pm-6pm Jazz Conspiracy

4:30pm Historical Tour 2 (approximately 60 minutes) – meet at Packard Building

5:30pm Historical Tour 3 (approximately 60 minutes) – meet at Packard Building

7-9pm Band 4 General Area Jazz

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: Southern California | City: Loma Linda | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Journey Through Time: Discover Old Roads of Inland Southern California

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1st stop at Frink Adobe, Loma Linda, California  92354

Travel through time and explore California’s history in a more than 35-mile journey along a centuries-old trail, in a self-guided tour through the beautiful and unique landscapes of Inland Southern California. Along the way, discover special events and learn about history you may have never known in your own back yard. Follow a path through San Timoteo and Live Oak Canyons and the San Gorgonio Pass that Indigenous people walked for centuries; they were followed by stagecoaches, trains, and automobiles. Explore multiple cultures’ different relationships with the land through time, including Native homelands, the first non-Native settlements, the first cowboys, citrus groves, trains, rail workers and their lives, 1800s schoolhouse, 1800s ranch home and wagon museum, stagecoaches, Native American traditional uses of native plants that stretch from ancient to contemporary times, and more. As part of the Doors Open California celebration, meet special guides who will help you experience special events, and gain access to history through first-hand, behind-the-scenes experiences.

Presented by a consortium of area groups, organizations and agencies:

-Two Canyons Conservancy (San Timoteo and Live Oak Canyons Parklands, twocanyonsconservancy.org)

-Redlands Conservancy (San Gabriel Mission outpost in Loma Linda area, the Asistencia, redlandsconservancy.org)

-Loma Linda Area Parks and Historical Society (Heritage Park, Frink Adobe, area citrus pioneer and historic Zanja irrigation ditch built by Native Americans, state historic landmark, https://llaphs.wixsite.com/lomalindahistory)

-Dorothy Ramon Learning Center (a Native American-led 501c3 saving and sharing Southern California Native American cultures, dorothyramon.org)

-San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society (Area Historical information and Mexican-American Railworkers exhibit with rail families, sgphs.org)

-Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District (Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum https://www.rivcoparks.org/gilman-ranch-wagon, and San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse, https://www.rivcoparks.org/san-timoteo-canyon-schoolhouse, both on the National Register of Historic Places)

-Gilman Ranch Hands (offering special events after the Stagecoach Days parade in downtown Banning)

-Malki Museum (Oldest Native American-run museum on a reservation, Native plant garden and cultural activities and exhibits, http://malkimuseum.org)

Special events! Discover and explore sites and activities open just for you on Sept. 9 :

History Hangout with Loma Linda Area Parks and Historical Society

Join family-friendly fun all day • Learn about Native Americans • Make adobe bricks like the pioneers • Explore the train locomotive • Tour historic homes • Play history games and more! • Celebrate the Frink Adobe, a birthplace of citrus history • Help save local history: Bring your own photos to be scanned into the community archives.

10 am-4 pm Sept. 9, Heritage Park, 25976 Mission Road, Loma Linda

llaphs.wixsite.com/lomalindahistory

MISSION OUTPOST and ANCIENT TRAILS

With Redlands Conservancy, Two Canyons Parklands

Historic Asistencia. Explore a re-created adobe outpost or estancia of the San Gabriel Mission, an early 1800s home on the range for mission cattle and the first Inland cowboys. 11 am-3 pm Sept. 9, 26930 Barton Road, Redlands redlandsconservancy.org

(Ancient Trails. Side trip along historic San Timoteo Canyon Road to Gateway Ranch, 31313 Live Oak Canyon Rd., trailhead to 20+ miles of open trails. Tour native plant garden, learn about Two Canyons Parklands!) twocanyonsconservancy.org

1800s SchoolHOUSE and TRAINS! With San Gorgonio Pass Historical Society

and Riverside County Regional Park and Open Space District

At Riverside County’s first school, the San Timoteo Canyon Schoolhouse, our 1800s schoolmarm will teach you about 1800s reading, writng, and ‘rithmetic. Explore life on the early railways in a special exhibit by railway-working families.

11 am-3 pm Sept. 9, 31985 San Timoteo Canyon Rd., Redlands

sgphs.org and rivcoparks.org

RIDE A STAGECOACH and MORE! Gilman Historic Ranch and Wagon Museum

with Riverside County Regional Open Space and Park District and Gilman Ranch Hands

10 am Enjoy the City of Banning Stagecoach Days Parade along Ramsey St.

(see Banning Stagecoach Days on Facebook)

11 am-3 pm Then mosey to Gilman Ranch, 1901 W. Wilson St., Banning, for a big community party and free family fun: Native American blessing by Ernest Siva; stagecoach rides along historic stagecoach road; museum tours; face-painting; gold-panning; old-time games; tour 1800s ranch home and MORE! rivcoparks.org

3 pm AC Dysart Park, 2101 W. Victory Ave., Banning, opens for Stagecoach Days.

NATIVE AMERICAN CULTURES with Malki Museum

Explore area Native American cultures at the oldest Native-run museum in the United States. Baskets, artifacts, exhibits, cultural beauty. Discover how native plants are used as foods, medicines, and more in a Native plant garden.

10am-4 pm,  11795 Malki Rd., Morongo Reservation, Banning, malkimuseum.org

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: Southern California | City: City of Industry | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Commemorating the Centennial of La Casa Nueva

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 15415 Don Julian Road, City of Industry, California  91745

The Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum is commemorating the centennial of the five-year construction of La Casa Nueva with an in-depth look at the design, construction and incredible decorative details of this one-of-a-kind Spanish Colonial Revival house. Built by the Walter P. and Laura G. Temple family, La Casa Nueva is a visual laboratory for looking at personal identity as well as romanticized history. A PowerPoint-illustrated talk, with period photos and images of original blueprints and renderings, and a tour of the structure, including areas not often seen by the public, will go into depth about this amazing dwelling. NOTE: Maximum attendance is per tour and we can do four each day.

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Category: Artspiration | Region: Southern California | City: Inglewood | Date(s) Open: 9/9

Inglewood Civic Center Arts and Culture Walking tour of public art, landscape design and architecture.

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 101 W. Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, California  90301

Tour the historic Inglewood Civic Center to explore the centerpiece of the city’s civic life. The Civic Center, designed by Charles Luckman Associates architects in 1973, includes the Public Library, City Hall and pedestrian zones. Luckman’s International Style, finished in large aggregate concrete, provided form and surface. The architecture is framed by Robert Herrick Carter’s thoughtful landscaping and Tom Van Sant’s innovative civic art coordination, features exterior art by Tony DeLap, Jack Zajac and Van Sant. You’ll learn about Inglewood’s success in securing a Works of Art in Public Places grant from the National Endowment for the Arts with tour leader Helen Lessick, Inglewood’s public art consultant and an Inglewood artist.

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Category: Artspiration | Region: Southern California | City: Los Angeles | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

Glimpse the Hollywood High School Library and WPA Mural

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1521 North Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, California  90028

Hollywood High School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its historical association with the surrounding community and campus development following the Long Beach earthquake of 1933. The campus is also architecturally significant as an excellent example of the Streamline Moderne architectural style. The Hollywood High School campus was designed in 1934–1935 by the architectural firm of Marsh, Smith & Powell. The school’s library building, which was originally constructed in 1910 and remodeled during the mid-1930s, with the exterior redesigned by Marsh, Smith & Powell to match the Streamline/PWA Moderne style of the other campus buildings. The library houses one of Los Angeles Unified School District’s (LAUSD) many WPA murals. Located on the on the west wall of the library over the library offices, the mural depicts imagery associated with early movies in Hollywood: dancing girls, harlequins, Mexican senoritas, and the shell of the Hollywood Bowl with dramatic masks at the top of the arch. The mural was painted by Haldane Douglas in 1934. In addition to the mural, we would like to display a slide show depicting other WPA murals found at campuses throughout LAUSD.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Los Angeles | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Los Angeles Union Station Hidden Gems

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: Los Angeles Union Station (Tour Begins in the Ticket Concourse), Los Angeles, California  90012

Built in 1939, Los Angeles Union Station is an architectural gem in the heart of downtown L.A. The historic Ticket Concourse features a restored 110-foot-long ticket counter crafted from American black walnut, a hand painted, stenciled acoustic ceiling adorned with massive bronze, chandeliers, towering 43-foot windows, quarry tile flooring traversed by a multi-colored marble runner, glazed polychromatic “Deco” tiles from Gladding McBean Co., and much more. While this space is not typically open to the public, the “Hidden Gems” tours will offer Angelenos a behind the scenes look at this breathtaking treasure. Union Station is designated a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and California Register of Historical Resources. Additional historic public spaces include the grand Waiting Room, entry vestibule, and the view of the facade with its iconic clock tower, followed by a stop at the original Fred Harvey restaurant, now a brewpub frequented by travelers and patrons alike.

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Category: Artspiration | Region: Southern California | City: Los Angeles | Date(s) Open: 9/9

Preserving El Pueblo: An Exhibition of Unseen Works from the Burnett Turner Collection

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Pico House Hotel, Los Angeles, California  90012

Located at the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, the circa 1869 Pico House Hotel is one of the most prominent and important landmarks abutting the Plaza (“La Placita”). Designed by architect Ezra F. Kysor, the hotel was built by Pío Pico, the last governor of California under Mexican rule. Rarely opened for events or meetings, this Doors Open opportunity will allow the public to visit the interior ground floor of the Pico House. Once inside, guests will have a chance to view previously uncatalogued maps, plans and renderings from the Burnett Turner collection. Turner served as the principal architect for El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument from the 1950s through the early 1980s. His work spanned more than thirty years and was instrumental in transforming many of the historic buildings into the Monument we see today. Besides the opportunity to experience the interior of the building, visitors will gain an understanding of the mid-20th century efforts to conserve the historic heart of Los Angeles for future generations.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Los Angeles | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 The Neutra Office Building, 1950 by Richard J. Neutra

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 2379 Glendale Boulevard, Los Angeles, California  90039

Attendees will see the Neutra Office constructed originally as the Planning Professionals Building in 1950. The office housed Neutra and Alexander’s combined practice during their partnership. The building features a number of character defining features associated with Mid-Century Modern architecture as well as some unique features of the architecture of Richard Neutra. The Building also has two office apartments (not accessible for this tour, but viewable via a QR code with video) offering insight into an early live/work, MFR, project by a master Modern architect.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Right around the corner from the VDL House | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Richard J. Neutra’s Reunion House, 1951

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 2440 Neutra Place, Right around the corner from the VDL House, Los Angeles  California

Attendees will learn about the history of this multi-generational design for a house by Richard J. Neutra, master architect, from 1951. After the fire at the nearby VDL House, Richard, Dione, and Dion purchased the house. Dione eventually sold it to Dion who lived there until his passing in 2019. House is in original condition with personal items of Dion Neutra. Reunion House features all the classic character-defining features of the Mid-Century Modern style. It also features many of Neutra’s most essential design elements including floor-to-ceiling glass doors, mitered glass windows, spider-legs, clerestory windows, water feature, etc.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Covina | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Open House at the Covina Bowl – A Mid-Century Bowling Masterpiece

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Covina Bowl, Covina, CA  91722

This event will provide visitors with the opportunity for a self-guided exterior tour of the Covina Bowl exterior with docents at various locations to share more detailed information. Guided tours of the preserved coffee shop/ dinner will also occur during the open house. Various historical documents will be displayed throughout the two-day open house. Special guests, including Charles Phoenix and the artist Shag, have discussed possibly participating in the two-day event. Details to follow (upon acceptance into Doors Open Event)

HISTORY

Since its closing in 2017, the fate of the Covina Bowl remained in limbo with rapid deterioration until the new Covina Bowl redevelopment kicked off with a plan that retains the core of the Covina Bowl while marrying it with a new housing development by Trumark Homes. The result of years of collaboration that included LA Conservancy, Friends of Covina Bowl, and Covina Historical Society, who worked closely with the City of Covina and Trumark Homes to find a win-win solution that retains many of the character-defining features, including the Polynesian-themed entry and coffee shop for the Covina Bowl Project.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: Southern California | City: Newport Coast | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Historic Seaside Cottages and the Crystal Cove Historic District Rehabilitation Update c2023

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Los Trancos Parking Lot, Newport Coast, CA  California

Visitors will get an insider’s tour of the North Beach Rehabilitation project at the Crystal Cove National Register Historic District, located at Crystal Cove State Park. Will include a tour of the restored and active portions of the Historic District including a “behind the gate” tour of the latest cottages under construction. This is a follow up on last year’s Doors Open tours. (Parking is $15 per vehicle).

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Category: CACulture | Region: Southern California | City: Pasadena | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Behind-the-Scenes Tour of the USC Pacific Asia Museum

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 46 N Los Robles Avenue, Pasadena, CA  91101

Built in 1924, USC Pacific Asia Museum is housed in a unique three-story Chinese Imperial-style residence. The serene garden courtyard provides a calm space for reflection and meditation in the heart of Pasadena. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the museum was designed by the architectural firm of Marston, Van Pelt & Maybury at the request of pioneering collector and entrepreneur Grace Nicholson (1877-1948). Ms. Nicholson, a noted authority on Native American and Asian Art and artifacts, supervised the design of her combination gallery and museum, which was completed in 1929. Designed in the style of a Chinese imperial palace and featuring a central courtyard with a garden, koi pond, and decorative carvings, it has been called an outstanding example of 1920s revival architecture and is unique for its use of Chinese ornamentation.

Doors Open California guests will be invited to experience a tour of the historic landmark including the downstairs galleries and upstairs living quarters which now accommodate museum staff offices. Visitors will be given an in-depth look at the rich history of the museum as well as plans for the museum’s path forward to increase cross-cultural understanding and exchange.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Pasadena | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Open House and Tour of Pasadena Heritage’s Historic Blinn House

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 160 N Oakland Avenue, Pasadena, California  91101

Attendees are welcome to visit the 1906 historic Edmund and Katy Blinn House, formerly the Women’s City Club of Pasadena. The Blinn’s moved to Pasadena in 1906 and had their home built by George W. Maher, a prominent Chicago architect. The Prairie-style home is the only known residence on the west coast designed by Maher. Mrs. Blinn passed the home to the Pasadena Women’s Club in 1945 and it was used as a clubhouse until 2020. It is currently the new headquarters of Pasadena Heritage as of May, 2022. We welcome the public to come visit and explore the house with guided docents, historic architects, and Pasadena Heritage staff. The Blinn House is located in the Ford Place Historic District (nominated by the City of Pasadena to the National Register of Historic Places in 2010). Developed between 1902 and 1916 as an exclusive upscale residential neighborhood, and intended to be a showcase community, of both single and multi-family homes, attendees can enjoy a self-guided walking tour of the area, now home to Fuller Theological Seminary. The beautiful Craftsman-style homes have been well-maintained over the years as they have been adaptively reused for the school’s administrative purposes.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Pomona | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 The Lassie House Tour

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: 1195 Washington Avenue, Pomona, California  91767

Built in 1900, The Lassie House is a historic landmark that was once the childhood home of Jon Provost – famously known as ‘Timmy’ from the television series Lassie. In 1927, the home was moved, from the original site, across Pomona on rollers pulled along by a team of mules. Provost, aka ‘Timmy’, lived in the home in its current location from 1955-1960, and would commute to Hollywood for his starring role in Lassie. The home was purchased in 2017 by Ray & Michelle Adamyk who extensively restored it to its original grandeur, with lots of Lassie touches, and invite you for a tour.  lassiehouse.com

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Riverside | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 The Peter J. Weber House

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1510 University Avenue, Riverside, California  92507

Designed by architect Peter J. Weber in the 1930s as a family residence and conceptual showcase of his work, The Weber House is a recognized City of Riverside Landmark. Built between 1932 to 1938, the house features an abundance of recycled and reclaimed materials, hand-carved details, innovative finishes, and some ahead-of-their-time systems.

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Category: CACulture | Region: Southern California | City: Riverside | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Trujillo Adobe – Visit One of the Oldest Structures in the Inland Empire

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 3669 W Center St, Riverside, California  92501

The Trujillo Adobe is Riverside’s 161 year old historic landmark. Registered by the State of California as a point of historical interest in 1968, the Trujillo Adobe is one of the oldest remaining structures in the area. Built around 1862, it predates the city of Riverside’s establishment.

https://savetrujilloadobe.com/

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: San Bernardino | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 A Special Chance to see the Historic Enterprise Building – Downtown San Bernardino

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 320 North E Street, San Bernardino, California  92401

Come take a guided tour of the Historic Enterprise Building. The grand 5-story 1927 modern classical historical place of interest is the site where the Inland Empire started in 1871 and is the last building of its kind in the region.

Learn the epic story of how the visionary entrepreneur and pioneer, John Andreson, ignited the fire for the birth of Southern California’s Financial Gateway: The Inland Empire, and how his sons built the most modern business structure in the valley.

This tour, guided by the building’s Creative Director, will highlight the site’s 156-year history and how it impacted the region.

By joining this tour, you support our mission and gain insight into downtown San Bernardino’s attributes: its rich history, culture, and current revitalization efforts- more than what its stigma describes.

One day only. Groups are encouraged.

Tour times: 10:15 am. 2:15 pm. 5:15 pm.

Arrival window of 15 minutes before your tour begins.

We will feature a walking tour portion of the building’s architecture, artwork, and offices. We will also show historical photographs, videos, and artifacts.

An interactive commemorative gift is included.

Note: The building has elevator access except for to the Mezzanine and Roof. Stairwells have hand railings.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Los Angeles | Date(s) Open: 9/10

 Exclusive Look at the Stunning Lobby of the 1925 Nirvana Building

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1775 N Orange, Los Angeles, California  90028

In 1925, architect E. M. Erdaly designed an Oriental Revival building that featured a pagoda roof, a pagoda shaped sign out front, and other interesting oriental details . Owners promoted its unique look as early as 1926, calling it the “most exclusive apartments in Hollywood” in a Los Angeles Times ad.

On July 13, 2005, the building was named cultural historic monument #816 for Los Angeles.

Once richly decorated with wall paintings and plaster reliefs, the lobby of the Nirvana building was stripped of all the decorative details and painted white and red around the 60’s . The restoration process , carried out by EC2 Art Conservation included the uncovering of the richly decorated walls and the restoration of all the murals. Elisabetta Perfetti, the lead Art Conservator on the project will be there explaining to visitors both the history of the building and the restoration process.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: Southern California | City: Ventura | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Tour of Ventura’s Newest Hotel, the Historic Elks Lodge.

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 11 S Ash Street, Ventura, Ventura  California

The former Ventura Elks Lodge BPOE 1430 is now Ventura’s coolest boutique hotel. The grand downtown building, constructed in 1928 in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, was occupied by the Elks fraternal organization from 1928 to 2004. When the Elks tried to sell the property, it sat on the market because the building was desperately in need of maintenance and was difficult to rehab for a change of use. Now the building has been transformed into the Hotel San Buena, a 32 room boutique hotel rehab that spared no expense on the details and was able to marry rehabilitation of historic elements with a compatible hotel use. The upstairs Elks Temple ballroom on the third floor is now the Velvet Hall event space. The expansive Lodge staircase, that was the only access to the upstairs Elks Temple, has been restored and an elevator added in the new addition for ADA access. Old fixtures and furnishings have buffed, burnished, reupholstered and rewired to include in the guest rooms and lobby. Sixteen new hotel suites have been sensitively added to the former parking lot at the back of the Lodge and follow the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards with a three-inch gap between the buildings.

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Category: LearnScursions | Region: Southern California | City: West Hollywood | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Plummer Park Cultural Resources Designation and Updated Citywide Multi-Family Properties Historic Survey

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 1150 and 1200 N Vista Street, West Hollywood, California  90046

The event includes the three following components:

1) An Open House for two recent locally designated cultural resources at Plummer Park including: 1) the Community Clubhouse (Great Hall/Long Hall), a Spanish Colonial Revival recreational facility constructed in 1937 through a partnership between Los Angeles County and the Works Progress Administration that was listed in the National Register in 2013, and 2) Fiesta Hall, multipurpose public building also in the Spanish Colonial Revival style built in 1949 that was previously determined to be eligible for listing at the local level for its significance in the context of Postwar West Hollywood as an excellent example of the Spanish Colonial Revival style.

2) Presentation of the 2023 Update to the Historic Context Statement and Citywide Historic Resources Survey of Residential Properties in the R2, R3, and R4 Multi‐Family Zoning Districts. This document will continue to be a vital tool for assessing the appropriateness of planning and building proposals that may potentially impact the integrity of eligible properties, as well as the neighborhood character and historical continuity.

3) Self-directed or guided tour of the nearby Plummer Park Apartments Grouping, which is a small cluster of apartment buildings constructed around 1929 that was locally designated in 1991.

Category: LearnScursions | Region: San Diego & Southern Border | City: Escondido | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 12,000 Years of Local History – Behind the Scenes Tour and Open House

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 16666 San Pasqual Valley Road, Escondido, California  92027

The San Diego Archaeological Center is a nonprofit museum, education, and research facility where visitors can explore 12,000 years of local history. Located in picturesque San Pasqual Valley, the Center houses over 1,000,000 artifacts from San Diego County. More information can be found at https://sandiegoarchaeology.org/

For Doors Open CA, visitors will be able to go behind the scenes for guided tours of the Center’s Curation Lab and Vaults. Visitors will also be able to view current museum exhibits, including Archaeology 101, which teaches the basics of archaeology through hands-on activities, and Lives and Lifestyles on Block 112: The Untold Story of San Diego’s Working Class, which examines the socioeconomic lives of people who lived in Downtown San Diego in the 1880s.

The Museum will be open 10 AM to 2 PM. Museum capacity is 100 guests. Museum admission: Pay what you wish (suggested $5/person). Admission can be purchased at the door.

Tours will be offered at 10:15 AM, 11:15 AM, 12:15 PM, and 1:15 PM. Tours can accommodate up to 10 guests per tour; first come, first served.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: San Diego & Southern Border | City: Lemon Grove | Date(s) Open: 9/9

 Lemon Grove Parsonage Museum (1897) and the H.Lee House (1928)

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: Treganza Heritage Park (both buildings in the park), Lemon Grove, California  91945

The Parsonage Museum (1897) was the original church in Lemon Grove. It fell into disrepair and the Lemon Grove Historical Society raised the funds to have it moved to its present location. Volunteers restored the Parsonage and volunteers still man the Parsonage. We have permanent displays of the history of Lemon Grove and change out a gallery throughout the year. Presently, we have the story of the Treganza Family and in 2020 we had the park renamed for them. Alberto Treganza designed and build the famous Lemon Grove Lemon for a parade and it has become a permanent fixture in our city. He was also the designer of the Spanish style Police Station in downtown San Diego across from Seaport Village as well as many private homes in San Diego.

The H. Lee House was saved from destruction when Highway 125 was built. With the help of Caltrans and fundraising by the Lemon Grove Historical Society, “Lady Lee” was trucked down to its home in the park in 2002. Citizens lined the street as she made her way, electric wires and trolley tracks were no obstacle for her! The Lee House is the home of Lemon Grove’s archives and where we present our History Alive lectures once a month. The Lee House can also be rented for events of all kinds.

The Parsonage can be a docent or self-guided tour and we will select archives to share as well as a tour of the house and lovely gazebo and gardens at the H. Lee House. We also have a Community Garden next to the Parsonage which we will arrange to be open for tours.

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Category: CACulture | Region: San Diego & Southern Border | City: San Diego | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 The Amazing history of the Cabrillo National Monument

NEW THIS YEAR!

Location: 2168 Pan American Road East, San Diego, California  92101

Learn how the Cabrillo National Park (CNM) site was created in 1913 by President Woodrow Wilson.

January 1934, Colonel John R. White, Superintendent of Sequoia National Park, whose jurisdiction also included Cabrillo, arrived in San Diego for his first visit.

When was the first statue placed at CNM? Why the statue has a Portuguese name and the National Park a Spanish name?

In 2015, Dr. Wendy Kramer, PhD, discovered thousand of pages and legal document, in three continents, proving that Cabrillo was a native of Spain.

Many other interesting facts with twists and intrigue about the Cabrillo National Monument as it is today. Power Point Presentation is 45 min.

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Category: IHeartArch | Region: San Diego & Southern Border | City: San Diego | Date(s) Open: 9/9 to 9/10

 Tour of the historic Villa Montezuma, a Stunning Victorian mansion

DOORS OPEN PARTNER SINCE 2022

Location: , San Diego, CA 

The Villa Montezuma, is San Diego’s amazing Queen Anne Victorian house museum and cultural center. The Villa is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is owned by the City of San Diego. Visitors to this beautiful landmark will get a glimpse into the past of the lavish lifestyle of eclectic pianist and composer, Jesse Shepard, who held many seances and performances at the home. Its wonderful stained glass windows and exceptional woodwork, showcases the level of detail incorporated into Queen Anne style architecture. https://villamontezumamuseum.org/_public_html/Home.html

Your Doors Open California registration fee of just $20 includes the following exciting perks. 

• Complete access to more than 70 sites across the state of California in six regions
• A Doors Open wrist bracelet, giving you access to all sites on the weekend
• Access to our special Doors Open California virtual map of participating sites
• Self-guided and virtual tours made available from Doors Open partners
• Special experiences and unique curated content, accessible only to Doors Open participants.