$20 All Access Pass to “Doors Open California” Historic Site Weekend (Sept. 20-21)

75+ Sites Across the State | Just $20 to access all sites | Weekends from September 6th – 28th

Doors Open California is the largest statewide celebration of historic places in California. Enthusiasts of historic architecture, design, and cultural heritage will have access to over 75 sites across the state on the weekends during the month of September 2025.

The California Preservation Foundation announces the 4th Annual Doors Open California, offering exclusive behind-the-scenes tours of historic places statewide. Spanning September weekends, the event features over 70 unique sites, including hidden museum vaults and inaccessible historic buildings. For a $20 flat fee, attendees gain rare access to preserved architecture and enlightening stories across various cities. Some museums will offer free entry.

• Download a Region-by-Region PDF of the schedule

Please Note: All sites noted with an asterisk (*) are likely to fill up and have limited capacity, so we recommend registering early and selecting your planned sites to visit as early as possible.

September 20 – 21 (San Francisco Bay Area, Sonoma, San Luis Obispo, and San Jose Areas)

City: FREMONT
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Big House / Bunkhouse
9/21 | 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM

A History Mystery solved: the 1917 remodel of the 1876 Shinn Ranch House

From a few dusty clues in the archives, we knew that H.A. Minton was the architect of a 1917 remodel of the 1876 Shinn Ranch “Big House.” We were extremely surprised to find that Columbia University had nine plans for the remodel. What would the plans tell us, we wondered? We received the plans recently. One room was turned into a charming Colonial Revival style dining room, electricity was brought in, the old ranch kitchen was modernized, and much more. Tour with plans in hand.

The Last Bunkhouse of the Shinn Ranch China Camp.

By some estimates, the bunkhouse was built in 1917. There are still many mysteries surrounding the building. The Shinn archives give us many clues about the Chinese workers on the Shinn Ranch. For several years, a team of Fremont citizens have been researching, writing historical context, and making connections to preserve this fragile building in the park. Come for an update and talk to the team. See the exhibit in the Shinn House Museum.

The site is in process of applying for the National Register of Historic Places.

Hours and details may change. Please check our website closer to the date. https://www.historicshinnhouse.org/home

Shinn House Website: will have more information on the H.A. Minton remodel and the bunkhouse and times and activities. www.historicshinnhouse.org

Doors Open: Sunday 10-noon

Doors Open House tours with Minton Plans: Doors Open ticket holders only for the special H.A. Minton tour. Your tour is free with a Doors Open ticket. Best to email us to reserve a time!

Meet the Bunkhouse team 10-12: Walk to the barnyard.

Museum may be open: Exhibits this year:

“Chinese Roots: Sketches of Life in the Washington Township” and “Emily Goes to the Fair: notes about 1915 Panama-Pacific International Exposition”

Location: Shinn Historical Park & Arboretum, 1251 Peralta Avenue, Fremont CA. Parking is free.

Self Guided walking tour of the park: Any time: https://sites.google.com/view/friends-of-heirloom-flowers/tour-guide.

Suggestion: Spend part of your day in the historic district of Niles, one of the stops on the Transcontinental Railroad. Have a meal in Niles or get take-out and bring it to the California Nursery Historical Park or Shinn Park. Take in a move at the Niles Film Museum.

Other things to do while in Fremont? https://sites.google.com/view/funthingstodofremonthistory/home

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City: Fremont
NEW THIS YEAR!
Film Detective: Charlie Chaplin’s Bay Area Footsteps
9/21 | 3:00 PM to 5:30 PM
In 1915, Charlie Chaplin’s skyrocketing film career shot to superstardom while here in Niles working for the Essanay Film Manufacturing Company (Niles is now part of Fremont). His comedic star was on the rise the previous year as he transitioned from the vaudeville stage to the world stage because the films he made with the Keystone company were seen around the globe. But here in just a few months during the winter and early spring, he made one and two reelers that are still viewed with great reverence by people of all walks of life who have access to a viewable screen (computer, phone or theater)
Today, the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum will share part of Charlie’s film legacy – at 3:00 pm we will screen his most famous films made in Niles so long ago – they are still sure to bring a chuckle or guffaw. At 4:00 pm, we will share a video on Charlie Chaplin’s Bay Area Footsteps created by silent films locations expert John Bengtson and then go on a walk around the neighborhood pointing out several locations as featured in these famous film shorts.
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City: Gilroy
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Gilroy’s Attic: Forgotten Artifacts Unboxed
9/20 | 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
Visitors will be given a tour of the Gilroy Museum basement which is now the Museum’s main storage area. The original use of the various rooms will be explained when the building functioned as the Gilroy Free Library. In the Museum’s main storage area, visitors will be given a short program on artifact storage and have the opportunity to see unique items not on display. Admission is free but donations are appreciated and directly support the Museum.
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City: San Jose
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Two Eras Collide: Adobe to Victorian
9/20 and/or 9/21 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
San Jose’s oldest building, the Peralta Adobe (1797), sits next to the Victorian Fallon House (1850s). Visitors can compare adobe construction with 19th-century domestic details like gas lighting. Kids can grind corn in the outdoor cocina, and docents share stories of early California life.
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City: Santa Clara
NEW THIS YEAR!
Time Layers: 2,000 Years Under SCU
9/20 – 9/21
The area in and around Santa Clara University’s campus exhibits evidence of thousands of years of occupation: it sits atop a Native American village, multiple iterations of Mission Santa Clara de Asis, and 1850s college foundations. This rare tour showcases artifacts from ongoing Cultural Resource Management (CRM) archaeological projects – Ohlone tools, Spanish ceramics, and ROTC relics – housed in the 1920s Ricard Observatory on campus. Learn about ethical cultural resource management at the intersection of academic and legally-mandated historic preservation!
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City: Atascadero
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
The Press Building of the Women’s Republic; leading a charge for Women’s Suffrage.
9/20 | 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM
The 1915 Press Building of the Woman’s National Publishing Company was the West’s largest rotogravure printing operation. Millions of copies of magazines, publications for women and SF Chronicle and LA Times inserts were produced each year. Founder Mabel Lewis, forged the way to creating a new utopia where women owned property, purchasing the land for the new city in the name of her Women’s Republic. The Italian Renaissance building’s terracotta details hide symbols of equality. As restoration continues the history and sometimes mystery is revealed. Onsite salvage work may reveal more treasures! For the FIRST TIME the DOORS to the Printery will be OPEN and tours conducted on the half hour from 9 am to 3 p.m. along with multiple displays on site. Special Treasure Hunt opportunity – sift the sand and help us find our history!
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City: San Luis Obispo
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Chumash Engineering Marvels
9/20 and/or 9/21
Visitors will see the inside of two circa 1801 Chumash adobes, converted around 1860 to a two-story Greek Revival adobe faced with redwood clapboard, along with the remains of a Chumash-built aqueduct that ran behind what was once a complex of 80 Chumash adobes of which only three survive. The Suaer-Adams Adobe is the oldest house and oldest inhabited building in San Luis Obispo County, owned by the family of accused bandit Pio Linares when he was shot down by the 1858 Vigilance Committee.
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City: Berkeley
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Architectural Tour of Maybeck’s Masterpiece, First Church of Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley
9/20 | Tour 1 @ 9:30 am, Tour 2 @ 11:00 am, Tour 3 @ 1:30 pm to 3:00 PM
Bernard Maybeck’s 1910 masterpiece, First Church of Christ, Scientist, Berkeley, is a world-class architectural treasure and National Historic Landmark. It is a brilliantly creative integration of Arts & Crafts, Byzantine, Romanesque, Japanese, and Gothic Revival, built of modern industrial materials yet designed to be unusually home-like and connected to its garden and community surroundings. Across from today’s People’s Park, the center of Berkeley’s counter-culture movement, the church’s warm and honest character is defined by simplicity, unity, harmony, beauty, light and peace. In terms of light and space, Maybeck’s Masterpiece is the first truly American church.
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City: Orinda
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Redwood Valley Railway, Vintage Steam in Tilden Regional Park
9/20 and/or 9/21 | 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
The power of steam in technology was the key to the Industrial Revolution. Perhaps no where more keenly that In Transportation. Steam locomotives moved passengers and freight around the world for more than a century. The Redwood Valley Railway preserves this technology as it recreates passenger transportation as it would have been found on California’s North Coast in the first part of the 20th Century.
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City: Guerneville
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Pond Farm Pottery: Bauhaus in the Redwoods
9/20 | 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Discover Pond Farm, the historic ceramics retreat where Bauhaus-trained artist Marguerite Wildenhain taught intensive summer workshops from 1949 to 1980. Explore her hand-built studio and wood-fired kiln, set among redwoods in Austin Creek State Recreation Area. Docents share Wildenhain’s philosophy—rooted in Bauhaus ideals—and demonstrate traditional throwing techniques. See original tools and outdoor classrooms that reflect her belief: “No short cuts.” Now preserved by California State Parks, Pond Farm continues to inspire as a rare site where European modernism met California craft.
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City: Healdsburg
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Warnecke Architectural Archives
9/20 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Tours will begin at 11:00 am and at 2:00 pm. Tours will last 30-45 minutes. Space is limited to 25 people per tour.
The Architectural Archive, located at Warnecke Ranch in Sonoma County CA, contains significant, primary source materials by and about noted California architects, John Carl Warnecke and his father Carl I. Warnecke. Over 100 years of architectural plans, drawings, sketches, photographs, personal papers, journals, project files, and correspondence make up one of the most extensive, remaining architectural archives still in one family.(1911-2012). The archive contains irreplaceable and comprehensive materials from JCW and his architectural firm, John Carl Warnecke & Associates. Notable projects include Mid-Century Modern masterworks like the Hawaii State Capital, Asilomar Conference Grounds, Mira Vista Elementary School, the UC Santa Cruz master plan and library, and the John F. Kennedy Eternal Flame. The collection includes the work of 48 different architectural photographers including Morley Baer, Nathaniel Lieberman, Moulin Gabriel Studios, Rondal Partridge, and Gerald Ratto.
For more information about Warnecke Archive visit: https://www.warneckearchives.com
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City: Oakland
NEW THIS YEAR!
Visit Oakland’s 16th St. Station
9/20 | 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM
A rare opportunity to visit the Bay Area’s grandest railroad station, Oakland’s Southern Pacific 16th St. Station built in 1912, designed by Jarvis Hunt. A destination for transcontinental travelers and transfer point to local electric rail, the Main Hall and Baggage Wing will be open for visitors. View the elevated electric rail platform and the signal tower, where the switches were monitored. This station was the major hub for arrivals to northern California, and a central focus of organizing for the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and their leader C. L. Dellums. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in January, 2025; find out about prospects for re-use and restoration.
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City: Berkeley
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Julia Morgan’s Berkeley City Club
9/21 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
The club docents will introduce you to Miss Morgan, who was the first woman architect certified by the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and will lead you through the vaulted halls and arcaded courtyards of this medieval fantasy.
The Berkeley City Club is known for its steel-reinforced concrete walls and ceilings (artfully fashioned to look like wood), leaded glass windows, interior courtyards and magnificent indoor swimming pool. The building is a blend of Romanesque and Moorish styles of architecture common to the areas surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
Julia Morgan’s engineering skills, evident in the seismically solid building exterior, were matched by her attention to the interior designs for furniture, light fixtures, distinctive fireplaces and even dishes.
Constructed in 11 months, this six-story landmarked building opened in 1930 as the “Berkeley Women’s City Club” with a membership of over 4,000.
The Club’s founding group of women, all involved in separate civic, social, athletic and philanthropic causes, wanted to come together in a single, impressive, multi-use building. At the height of her career, Bay Area architect Julia Morgan was the natural choice for their project.
Originally a social club and residence for women, the Berkeley City Club has welcomed both women and men since 1962. Today it serves as a club, hotel, restaurant, events space and conference center.
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City: Oakland
NEW THIS YEAR!
Oakland’s Chinatown: Hidden Stories & The Search for Belonging
9/20 | 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM
Oakland’s Chinatown is a vibrant hub for immigrants and communities across the Asian diaspora. Come learn about the stories of the search for belonging in this historic neighborhood starting in the 1850s during California’s Gold Rush. We’ll start at the Chinese American Citizens Alliance lodge established over 100 years ago, where you can view photos of community leaders from the early 20th century from 2-3pm. From 3-5pm, those who want to participate in a walking tour can visit the sites most loved by the Chinatown community, and meet some of the local leaders. We’ll also share the best places to get dim sum and the neighborhood’s tastiest cultural cuisine!
This special program comes with an additional fee of $25 in order to cover host expenses. To pay the added fee, please visit https://events.humanitix.com/oakland-chinatown-stories after registering for Doors Open.
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City: San Francisco
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Treasure Island’s Time Capsule
9/21 | 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Welcome to Doors Open California! Come and explore a little-discovered destination awaiting you in the middle of San Francisco Bay. Originally designed as the site of California’s last world’s fair, this artificial island discloses the secrets of its past (airport! naval base!) even as developers are at work transforming it into its latest iteration: “San Francisco’s Newest Neighborhood.” Brand-new condominium towers rise alongside three beautiful Art Moderne buildings (George Kelham, architect) listed on the National trust of Historic Places. The Treasure Island Museum, located within one of those buildings, will introduce you to the island’s stories. Walking tours and presentations will provide first hand experience of all that the island has been. Come and learn more about the museum and its programs, and visit interesting and curious sites on the island: Doggie Diner heads, Burning Man sculptures, fire rescue training facility, art made from Bay Bride steel, a giant pickleball club, and sculptures remaining from the Golden Gate International Exposition of 1939-1940. Stay for lunch or dinner at one of the island’s bars and eateries. We’ll aim to provide you with a guide to all that is worth knowing about the island! Note: we are not experts on the redevelopment! https://www.treasureislandmuseum.org/location
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City: San Francisco
RETURNING DOORS OPEN PARTNER
Richmond District Time Machine
9/21 | 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM
This surprise mystery courtesy of thew Western Neighborhoods Project will be revealed as we get closer to the date. Be sure to register for updates!
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City: San Francisco
NEW THIS YEAR!
The Swedenborgian Church: Arts & Crafts National Landmark “Hidden” in SF
9/21 | 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
The amateur architect who brought the Arts and Crafts movement to California in the 1870s, Reverend Joseph Worcester, formed a circle of architects, craftspeople, and artists that collaborated on his vision to design of a small church that reflected reverence for Nature and the correspondences it holds for one’s spiritual awakening. Close friend of John Muir and landscape painter Wm. Keith, Worcester’s vision led the early architecture of much of the Bay Area, sparked the Spanish Revival style of California, and was the aesthetic basis for the rustic “Parkitecture” of the National Parks System. A lifelong friend of Daniel Burnham, some of the architects Worcester influenced were Bernard Maybeck, Julia Morgan, Willis Polk, Earnest Coxhead, A Page Brown.
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City: Petaluma
NEW THIS YEAR!
Riverfront Time Capsule: Petaluma’s Victorian Secrets
9/20 | 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Step back in time with costumed docents as you explore Petaluma—California’s most intact 19th-century river town. Learn how “Egg Capital” wealth shaped ornate commercial blocks and why the iconic Mystic Theatre remains a cultural landmark. Stroll past the McNear Building (1886), with its pressed-tin ceilings and ties to Petaluma’s grain and poultry trade. Along the way, enjoy stories of riverfront commerce and local lore that bring the city’s colorful past to life.
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City: Oakland
NEW THIS YEAR!
Black Panther Women: A Mural’s Radical Tribute
9/20 – 9/21
Jilchristina Vest’s mini-museum and mural – painted on her home – spotlights the Black Panther Party’s unsung heroines. Inspired by activist Ericka Huggins, the artwork depicts women who ran free clinics and breakfast programs. Inside, artifacts include protest signs and oral histories. Located near the Panthers’ original headquarters, this grassroots space challenges systemic erasure.