'Historic' Carter Sparks' Tour - Page 2

"Otherwise, the house was entirely original. We didn't move any walls, and nobody had moved any walls before," he said of the split-level home, of which they are only the third owners. "Some of the bedrooms have the original fold-down desks for the kids. We kept all that."

The retired architect said his Sparks' design is "probably one of his best," and includes an 18-foot-high glass wall at the back that is partly shaded by trees but nonetheless serves as "almost a passive solar [heating] system."

No doubt, at least one attraction of the home tour will be getting to ask questions of the proud Donaldsons—especially of Wayne, whose career included helping restore the state capitol building, 120 adobes, and half of the restored buildings in San Diego's Gaslamp Quarter.

"Some of the volunteers [positioned at the six homes] will actually be family and friends of the homeowners, and the homeowners will be there themselves," Steinberg said of the tour, scheduled from 10am to 4pm June 1. "They're aware that people will ask about their material choices, their service providers, things like that."

There is a catch, though, for all you would-be procrastinators out there: ticket sales will close at noon on Friday May 31.

"Brown Paper Tickets is not set up for tickets on tour day…[and] we just don't have the people power, the volunteer power to do that," Steinberg explains, noting 400 tickets have already been sold. "Traditionally, we have capped the tours at about a thousand tickets."

Tickets for '60 Years of Streng Bros. Homes' cost $40 online, or $50 when purchase includes a membership in Sacramento Modern.

"If you're buying a ticket, it pays to be a Sac Modern member," pitched Steinberg, adding an ominous warning: "People typically put off the decision. Don't be one of those people—or you'll miss out!"

For tickets and more information about the June 1 Sacramento Modern home tour, click here.