Cesar E. Chavez Plaza

Cesar E. Chavez Plaza is a city park in Sacramento, California named after César Chávez. For more than a century the downtown square has been a focal point for community activities, including the Farmers' Market, music concerts, and community rallies.Occupying an entire block between I and J Streets, and 9th and 10th Streets in downtown Sacramento, Cesar Chavez Park and Plaza currently stands on Old City Plaza founded in 1849 by John Sutter. At one time, the California State Capitol Building was proposed for the location, but the idea was abandoned in 1857 after residents voiced concerns. In 1872, developer and land designer John Keating was hired to create a plan for the park. Many of his original design elements, including the central fountain, circular pathways, and cross-axial walkways still remain today. Cesar Chavez Plaza was designated as part of the Plaza Park/Central Business District Historic District on the city's Register of Historic and Cultural Resources in 1985, and has since been utilized in efforts to bring more residents and businesses to Sacramento's downtown core.Many prominent and historic buildings with notable architecture surround Cesar Chavez Park and Plaza. To the north of the plaza is architect Rudolph A. Herold's 1911 Beaux-Arts–style Sacramento City Hall and to the south is the newly renovated Citizen's Hotel, originally built in 1926 and designed by G. C. Sellon & Company. Other notable buildings adjacent to the Cesar Chavez Plaza include architect Loring P. Rixford's 1918 Renaissance Revival style Central Library and Leonard Starks' 1933 Neoclassical Federal Post Office Building. The Neoclassical California State Capitol Building, designed by M. Frederick Butler and built between 1861 and 1874, is only three blocks away in Capitol Park. Framing the northeast corner of the Cesar Chavez Plaza is the California Environmental Protection Agency Headquarters, the first building in the United States to receive Platinum LEED certification. Two designated Sacramento City Landmarks exist in Cesar Chavez Plaza, the A.J. Stevens Statue (1888), and the Coleman Memorial (1926).