‘Doors Open California’ Grants Public Access to Local Historical Sites

There are many, many people who’ve never been to that one historic site or tourist attraction in their hometown.

So many, in fact, it’s almost a badge of honor to have not visited these important places. (Hello, Alcatraz.) If you didn’t go during an elementary school field trip, you missed out.

Well, almost: For those ready to finally see some historic spots, a selection of California’s most storied buildings will be open to visitors throughout the month of September.

Doors Open California, an event celebrating historic homes, film locations, train stations, museums and more, begins this weekend. Organized by the California Preservation Foundation, the series gives attendees access to over 70 sites all across the Golden State for a one-time fee of $20.

The event’s map of locations shows Gold Rush relics, historic mines and a 150 year-old prison. In Southern California, visitors can stop by San Bernardino’s Historic Enterprise Building, the Inland Empire’s first skyscraper. People near Palm Springs can even tour Lee Watkins’ Rock House, which he built by hand at age 70.

Here in the Bay Area, there’s a wealth of intriguing buildings and sites that’ll be accessible to satisfy long-curious locals.

In Berkeley, for example, participants can visit the Berkeley City Club, formerly known as Berkeley Women’s City Club. Constructed 95 years ago, the site, now a hotel, was designed by famed architect Julia Morgan. Often referred to as the “Little Castle,” the venue has hosted famous speakers, social gatherings and more.

Not far from there, in West Oakland, interested parties can poke their heads into the Historic 16th Street Train Station, a site added to the National Register of Historic Places in January of this year.

With its high ceilings and art deco design, the station, once referred to as “Grand Central Station of the West,” was the terminus of the transcontinental railroad. During the Great Migration of the mid-1900s, the site served as a conduit for African Americans escaping the Jim Crow South, welcoming them to the West Coast and ushering in new Bay Area residents by the thousands.

The magnificently sculpted station has been shuttered since 1989, when the Loma Prieta earthquake left it in disrepair. Despite its chipped paint, cracked windows and graffiti-covered walls, it’s been used as a backdrop for wedding photos, boxing matches, documentary films and the classic music video for E-40, Keak Da Sneak and Lil Jon’s song “Tell Me When To Go.”

The California Preservation Foundation’s list also includes sites for history buffs, like Santa Clara University’s Cultural Resources Management (CRM) Program, which preserves indigenous artifacts. There are spots for artists, like Guerneville’s Pond Farm, where Bauhaus-trained ceramicist Marguerite Wildenhain led intensive summer workshops for over 30 years. And lovers of the outdoors have options, too, like Fremont’s California Nursery Historical Park, a 20-acre plot of land that’s full of trails, picnic spots and a rose garden.

For those who decided to skip class in 6th grade, and missed out on the trips to the jewels in our backyard, here’s your chance to make good.

Doors Open California runs Sept. 6–28 at various locations across California. More information here.