For over sixty years, the 2nd Avenue freeway underpass was a gray concrete reminder of the 1960s Highway 99 construction project, which divided wealthier Curtis Park from Oak Park.
As happened in many predominantly black and brown neighborhoods in the 1950s and 1960s, the freeway project sliced through the area, exacerbating socio-economic inequality.
“This underpass has always been a kind of a portal between the haves and the have-nots, “ said Michael Stone, who lives a few yards from the underpass on the Curtis Park side of 2nd Ave.
Today, with cultural events like the Sacramento Black Cowboy Festival held in McClatchy Park and a wildly popular bakery with the foodie crowd, Oak Park is evolving. Still, the neighborhood struggles with crime and blight.
Stone and other residents say that a Caltrans program designed to improve neighborhoods around freeways, especially those with socio-economic challenges, has brought a ray of color and hope.
The transformation of the once bleak passageway began in August. One hot evening, a group of artists arrived with a projector, casting an image onto one side of the underpass. Using the projected image as a guide, they began painting an ambitious mural.