national register nomination for boulevard park historic

Statement of Significance Summary Paragraph (provide a summary paragraph that includes level of
signficance and applicable criteria)
Boulevard Park is a residential suburban neighborhood designed and subdivided by the development firm
of Park Realty and the real estate sales firm of Wright and Kimbrough. Built on the former site of the
California State Fair’s Union Racetrack, the neighborhood was a streetcar suburb that integrated “City
Beautiful” principles of urban design and landscape architecture within Sacramento’s original gridiron
block plan. Building styles include a variety of Arts & Crafts and revival styles, but deed restrictions and
setback requirements ensured a consistent streetscape throughout the neighborhood. The subdivision plan
included two landscaped boulevards that give the neighborhood its name, three small parks located in
alleys, and a city park on the northern edge of the property. The neighborhood was marketed as a sylvan
retreat from the central city for both professional and working families. Proximity to streetcar lines gave the
neighborhood a connection to the central city, a connection that was severed when streetcar service ended,
workplaces relocated farther from the central city, and middle-class families moved to new automobile
suburbs farther from the central city. Boulevard Park is eligible for the National Register as a historic
district under Criterion A at the local level of significance for its role in the development of Sacramento’s
streetcar suburbs, and as a district that embodies the characteristics of early 20th century landscape
architecture, suburban neighborhood design, and residential architecture at the local level of significance.
The property’s period of significance is from 1905 to 1946, from the construction of the district’s earliest
buildings to the end of streetcar operation in the neighborhood.
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Narrative Statement of Significance (provide at least one paragraph for each area of significance)
Criterion A: Streetcar Suburbs, Progressive Housing Reform and Sacramento’s Urban Development
During the late 19th and early 20th century, electric streetcars allowed construction of new middle-class
suburbs at the outer perimeter of cities. In Sacramento, streetcar suburbs were first built in the 1880s and
1890s, outside the city limits to the southeast. The planned relocation of the California State Agricultural
Society racetrack to a new site in 1905 allowed the Park Realty Company and the Wright & Kimbrough
development firm the opportunity to create a new neighborhood that was already served by a streetcar line,
closer to the central city than other suburbs but far enough from industrial areas to avoid the noise, smoke
and traffic of downtown. In addition to its proximity to downtown Sacramento, its location within an
established residential neighborhood with good transit connections made the district a prime location for a
new streetcar suburb. In 1907, a separate streetcar line along C Street provided more transit connections for
the neighborhood’s residents. The neighborhood was served by streetcars until 1946. (Continued)
Criterion A: “City Beautiful” Suburban Design and Architecture
Boulevard Park’s overall design was strongly influenced by the “City Beautiful” movement, a movement
that promoted the design of better cities and cohesive suburban neighborhoods in the form of residential
parks and garden suburbs. A general plan of development, specifications and standards, and the use of deed
restrictions were essential elements used to control house design, ensure quality and harmony of
construction, and create spatial organization suitable for fine homes in a park setting. These design efforts
were intended for more than mere aesthetic effect; they were intended to alleviate the ills of the crowded,
polluted 19th century city, and eventually replace them entirely for middle-class and working people. The
district’s boundaries and arterial streets used the same grid pattern found throughout Sacramento’s original
city limits, but 21st and 22nd Street were widened into boulevards to allow construction of landscaped
medians, a prominent feature of “City Beautiful” suburbs. Lots were oriented toward the numbered
boulevards, while in the rest of Sacramento lots are oriented towards the lettered streets. Deed restrictions
mandated setbacks for buildings to create a consistent streetscape along the boulevards. A city park along
the district’s north edge and three smaller parks located in alleys reinforce the principles of “City
Beautiful” neighborhood design. Home sizes vary but show a consistent progression from modest and
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