Three historic homes off 21st and Q Street in Sacramento’s Winn Park Historic District have been preserved and renovated into 12 housing units, which supports the City’s initiative to preserve historical aspects of Sacramento and to allow for a greater array of housing types.
City Council in 2018 voted to include these three homes into the Historic Winn District protecting them from demolition. The homes have been restored with their original façades intact. The homes showcase “Classic Box Architectural Style” and display features such as decorative capitals, pilasters, eave brackets, dentils, and spacious porches with clinker brick.
Built in the early 1900s by developers Wright & Kimbrough, these homes are the last remnants of a 14-lot housing tract. While the exteriors retain their historic charm, the interiors have been transformed into four modern units each. The lots were merged to share utilities and common amenities such as parking, bicycle racks, backyard space, and garbage services.
“This is a great example of fulfilling the City’s plans for missing middle housing, while also preserving the historical aspects of the original structures,” said City Preservation Director Sean de Courcy.
The renovation, led by Comstock Johnson Architects, Inc., Spark Studio Design, and M7 Builders, LLC, overcame significant challenges, including weather damage, past fire damage, and typical wear and tear of century-old buildings. The project preserved much of the façade and repurposed original features, such as blue bricks from a painted fireplace, which were incorporated into a front entry stairway.
Current owner Yasmin Henry, who continued the project in honor of her late parents, Ronald Henry Sr. and Irene Henry, expressed satisfaction with the outcome. “My dad purchased the lots in the early ’70s,” she said. “I am very happy to say the project has reached completion. I believe my parents would be extremely pleased with the final product.”
These homes, once single-family residences, served as fraternity/sorority houses in the 1980s and became part of the punk/grunge music scene in the 1990s and 2000s. In 2016, the buildings faced potential demolition, but Preservation Sacramento campaigned for their historic designation, leading to their inclusion in the Winn Park Historic District in 2018.
For more information about historic landmarks and districts in Sacramento, visit the City’s Historic Preservation web page.
