Crocker, E. B., Art Gallery
historic place
The Crocker, E. B., Art Gallery, a historic place in Sacramento County, has a notable history. It began with Judge Edwin B. Crocker and his wife Margaret, who collected art during a European trip from 1869 to 1871. The gallery building, designed by architect Seth Babson, was erected in 1870 to house their private collection. This Italianate-style building, completed in 1872, was part of their grand home at Third and O streets. It opened to the public in 1872, with proceeds supporting the Sacramento Library. The collection included European paintings and master drawings, and works by California artists. In 1884, Mrs. Crocker donated the building and its contents to the City of Sacramento. This act established the first public art museum in the Western United States. Renamed the Crocker Art Museum in 1978, it remains the oldest art museum in the Western United States. This site is historically significant as a foundational public art institution in the American West.