Consider the Rubik’s Cube challenge of assembling money to pay for an affordable housing project. In October 2019, California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office issued a statement highlighting a plan by the Capitol Area Development Authority a joint state and Sacramento city agency to construct an apartment building at 1322 O St. in Sacramento. Built on excess property donated by the state, it’s part of the governor’s initiative to use surplus land for affordable housing. As endorsements go, it doesn’t get much better. If it’s built, the project will cut rents through smart use of space. All 58 units would be microapartments of about 270 square
Sactown Magazine
The Lights Fantastic
Look down when you walk around town and you might spot some beautiful relics beneath your feet. Behold the magic of “vault lights” and how some cities are bringing them back to life.
February 1, 2020
The Idea
From the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, many cities around the world, including Sacramento, were built with subterranean rooms beneath the sidewalks that served as storage areas for streetfront merchants. And in the days before electricity was abundant, the most common way to brighten up these dark basement spaces was with “vault lights” (also known as sidewalk prisms or pavement lights) glass blocks or tiles inserted into the sidewalk to allow sunlight to flood the room below.