Curtis Oaks Centennial to celebrate
with Home Tour

By Dan Murphy
Viewpoint Staff Writer

One hundred years ago, the first subdivision with the Curtis name was created. SCNA plans to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Curtis Oaks subdivision with a commemorative self-guided walking tour map, history displays, and a slideshow in conjunction with the annual Home & Garden Tour on April 28.

Curtis Oaks included the area bounded by Portola Way, Donner Way, 24th Street and Franklin Boulevard. The opening date for sale of the lots was May 2, 1907, hence the birthday celebration in conjunction with the Home & Garden Tour in April.

The subdivision surrounded the new street car line running down Fifth Avenue, which made it possible to live in the then suburbs of Curtis Park and commute affordably to work downtown. It was no accident that the Sacramento Electric, Gas, & Railway Company placed the line across our neighborhood. The subdivision was brainchild of developer J.C. Carly, who had arranged the purchase of this northern third of the Curtis Ranch. Carly, whose landmark home on Montgomery Way is featured in the Home & Garden Tour this year, engineered the positioning of the street car line.

Subdivisions in those days were sold as lots, rather than tracts of finished homes. The neighborhood soon began sprouting classic bungalows, which were America's primary architectural contribution to the worldwide Arts and Crafts movement. Earthiness and homespun rejection of the factory-produced ornamentation of the late Victorian style suited the contemporary Arts and Crafts ethos.

The middle class, seeking respite from urban woes and proximity to the world of work, was moving to the suburbs. Following the prevailing "rural ideal," they sought solace and a more wholesome family life in the relatively open country surroundings.

SCNA's Heritage Committee is creating the walking tour map of Curtis Oaks. The history displays will be at the J.C. Carly house and two Curtis Oaks houses on the Home Tour this year. To add to the tour enjoyment, the Curtis Oaks memorial talk and slide show of historical images at Sierra 2 in Room 10 will be offered at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. on the day of the Home Tour.

Return to Viewpoint Index