Vallejo’s Capitol Improvement
Vallejo’s Capitol Stairs Mosaic Project has 51 steps eight years in the (re)making
If the devil is truly in the details than it’s obvious the demon has had its way with Vallejo’s newest destination: the Capitol Stairs Mosaic Project
Story and Photos by Patricia Kutza
Climbing its 51 steps at a gallop will get you to the top fast. But along the way, you will have missed this exquisitely-detailed collection of images celebrating Vallejo’s storied history.
It’s really a staircase meant to be climbed at a leisurely pace. Viewed individually there are 510 hand-painted tiles that are portals spanning its past and present. Change your perspective by taking a few steps back, they transform to fluid cascading images.
The Stairs themselves are not a new addition. Unadorned they had already been in use for a century. Back in the day-circa World War II- downtown Vallejo was jumpin’ and the Steps provided a convenient route for denizens of the Heritage District who lived just above the Steps to check out the Lower Georgia Street area.
For starters, there was something for everyone who liked to hang around the saloons, cardrooms, casinos and brothels located on Georgia Street.
Closer to the Steps on Virginia St, there was a mix of hotels (Capitol and Vallejo), theaters (Marval and Rio), billiards (Jay Bozeman) as well the Carnegie Library. And nearby on Branciforte , Sacramento, and Santa Clara Streets, you could get your shoes shined, visit the Salvation Army store and the Naval YMCA or get a bite at the Barrel Club.
But times changed and the Steps fell into disrepair. Set back from the foot and car traffic on Sonoma Boulevard it was easy to miss them. And miss the view from the top of the stairs that on a clear day must have made residents feel that they could touch the sun setting on San Pablo Bay.
A valiant attempt to resurrect the Steps back in 2014 met with resistance from several quarters and prospects were looking dim. But city activists, such as landscape designer Sarah Nichols, were not to be derailed by these setbacks.
Nichols had this vision that the Steps could attract visitors to Vallejo much like the San Francisco-based 16th Avenue Tiled Steps staircase that is now a favored destination for both its residents and visitors.0
Nichols also had the smarts to lure the two marquee designers of the 16th Avenue Tiled Steps, Aileen Barr and Colette Crutcher, to take on the project.
They were game but alas not readily available. After all, they had steps to finish. All 163 of them.
But the stars eventually aligned in Nichols’ favor. City-based and community funding was secured through an alliance with the Vallejo Community Arts Foundation, (see the By The Numbers Infographic at the end of this story) and Nichols, then chairperson of the Capitol Stairs Working Group, shepherded the project to completion.
As in every history book, the unfolding narrative is sometimes more telling when considering what is left out, then left in. The intent with the Capitol Stairs’ narrative, say Barr and Crutchers, is to not only pay tribute to its maritime and shipbuilding industry.
But also to give a nod to the lesser-known people, places and events that have shaped Vallejo’s growth.
Like the Boys from Boston — The 211th Coast Artillery Anti-Aircraft Regiment from Boston, Massachusetts who came to Vallejo a few days after the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor. Their mission: to protect Mare Island Naval Shipyard and the City of Vallejo from any further Japanese attack.
And Samoset Hall — home to the Samoset Tribe №22, organized in 1869. For Vallejo’s once burgeoning naval population, the Naval YMCA, built in 1903, offered an alternative housing option away from Georgia Street’s hustle and bustle.
The tile depicting whaleboats bridges Vallejo’s maritime heritage with its ongoing passion for all-things-whaleboat.
Viewed close-up or at a distance, the Capitol Stairs Mosaic Project is a gift to treasure now and to share with future generations to come.
The Capitol Stairs
602 Capitol St. Vallejo,
CA. 94590
IF YOU GO
- For a deeper dive into Vallejo’s history in the area closest to the Capitol Steps, read Brendan Riley’s Lower Georgia Street — California’s Forgotten Barbary Coast.
- Combine your trip with a visit to the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.
- Check out the Vallejo Capitol Stairs Mosaic Project Facebook page.
- For additional information on nearby Napa, read Ginny Prior’s article on kayaking or Karen Misuraca’s piece on San Francisco’s maritime trail.
