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Sam's Market Renovation and Earth Day Celebration

April 19, 2008
CADA Kicked Off Earth Week with a Successful Celebration of the Reopening of Sam's Market

SACRAMENTO - The Capitol Area Development Authority (CADA) held a "grand reopening" event on April 18 to celebrate the restoration of the Sam's Market building and the kick-off of Earth Week activities involving the businesses located at 14th and O Street. "The Art of Being Green" was the theme for the celebration because the architectural restoration and recycling of older structures is a green practice through the preservation of the materials, embodied energy and human capital expended in the original construction of such structures. Click here to see photos.

The Sam's Market building is one of Sacramento's oldest mixed-use structures and is one of the few surviving examples of the Capitol Park Neighborhood's early 20th century residential and commercial past. Built before 1915 and housing Sam's Market for more than 50 years, it is a Neo-Federalist structure with two floors of apartments above the neighborhood corner store. Renovation of the building was completed by CADA in February 2008. In addition to necessary structural repairs, CADA restored the building's exterior to its early 20th century appearance and commissioned an exterior mural by Sacramento muralist and illustrator Michael Mikolon. The mural, "The Bounty of Life in California", which adorns the west side of the building, was inspired by the colorfully printed labels used on wooden produce crates and print advertisements from that era. It is a landscape montage featuring orange orchards, the Sacramento River, Mount Shasta, a rainbow trout and the State Capitol.

"We are excited to celebrate this successful CADA project and ensure a long life for this important piece of Sacramento's history," said Paul Schmidt, CADA Executive Director. "Sam's Market serves an important need in the Capitol Park Neighborhood, both for residents and employees working nearby. We are pleased the Wong-Matsuura family, owners of Sam's Market, is continuing its service to the community."

The festivities and program included a dedication and ribbon-cutting ceremony. Vice-Mayor Rob Fong, Will Semmes, Chief Deputy Director of the State Department of General Services and Graham Brownstein, ECOS Executive Director spoke. Environmentally-friendly canvas shopping bags featuring the Sam's Market mural were distributed to customers by participating 14th and O Street businesses (Gaylord, Spicy Pickle, Samurai Sam's, Spanglish, Vallejo's Capital Dry Cleaners, Sam's Market, KI Gifts and Spinners).

CADA would like to thank and recognize participating organizations:

California Lottery
Department of General Services
Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS)
Fremont Community Gardeners
Pepsi
Sacramento Old City Association (SOCA)

For more information about "The Art of Being Green" celebration, contact Karen Fleming, CADA Communications Administrator at 916-322-2114.