So, you're looking for a photo of Elmhurst School on T Street in Sacramento. Maybe you're doing a genealogy project, or perhaps you just moved into a bungalow nearby and want to know what used to be there. Honestly, it's one of those hyper-specific local history quests that can either be a five-minute win or a three-hour rabbit hole. If you’ve spent any time driving down T Street lately, you know it’s a beautiful, leafy stretch, but the physical architecture of the neighborhood has shifted more than a few times since the early 1900s.
Let’s get the geography straight first because people often mix up these East Sac schools.
The Elmhurst neighborhood is that cozy, triangle-ish area bounded by Stockton Boulevard, Highway 50, and 57th Street. It’s famous for the T Street Parkway—that gorgeous, grassy median lined with elms and oaks. But finding an old photo of Elmhurst School on T Street in Sacramento requires knowing exactly which building you're talking about, because the "Elmhurst School" name actually moved around.
The School That Isn't There Anymore (But Sorta Is)
Historically, what locals called the Elmhurst School was actually the Coloma School.
Built around 1920, it sat right at 4623 T Street. If you go there today, you won't see a playground or a flagpole. You’ll see the Coloma Community Center. It’s a stunning Mediterranean-style building that looks like it belongs in a black-and-white movie. When you’re hunting for photos, searching for "Coloma School" usually yields way more results than "Elmhurst School," even though everyone in the neighborhood referred to it by the community's name for decades.
It’s a classic Sacramento move. We name things after the neighborhood, but the city records name them after something else entirely.
The building was designed by Dean & Dean, the same architects who did the Memorial Auditorium and Sacramento City College. If you look at a photo from the 1930s, the arches look exactly the same as they do now, though the trees were much, much smaller back then.
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Why People Keep Searching for T Street School Photos
There is something deeply nostalgic about T Street. It represents an era of Sacramento where "streetcar suburbs" were the peak of modern living.
Back in the day, the Central California Traction Company ran streetcars right through this area. Imagine kids jumping off a streetcar and walking a block to the school on T Street. When people look for a photo of Elmhurst School on T Street in Sacramento, they aren’t just looking for a building. They are looking for that specific 1940s or 50s vibe—the heavy wool coats, the vintage cars parked along the parkway, and the sheer amount of open space that just doesn't exist in midtown or East Sac anymore.
Where the "Real" Photos Are Hiding
You won't find the best stuff on a basic Google Image search. You just won't.
If you want the high-resolution, "see the expression on the teacher's face" kind of quality, you have to go to the Center for Sacramento History. They have a massive archive, but their online search tool is... well, it’s a bit old-school. You have to be patient.
- Use the term "Coloma School" instead of Elmhurst.
- Look for the "McCurry Photographers" collection. These guys took photos of almost every major building in Sacramento from the 1910s through the 1940s.
- Check the Sacramento Public Library’s "Sacramento Room." They have digital collections that include yearbooks and neighborhood surveys.
Honestly, some of the coolest photos I’ve seen of that T Street area aren't official school portraits. They’re "background" photos. Someone would take a picture of their new Ford parked on T Street, and in the background, you can see the distinctive arched windows of the school.
The Confusion With Other Schools
Wait.
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Before you get too deep, make sure you aren't actually looking for Phoebe Hearst or David Lubin.
Phoebe Hearst Elementary is nearby on 60th Street. It’s often lumped into the Elmhurst/East Sac school discussion. Then there’s the old El Dorado School. If the photo you’re imagining has a massive brick facade that looks slightly more "East Coast," you might be looking at a different campus. But if it’s that low-slung, elegant, classic California architecture on T Street? That’s the Coloma building.
How to Use These Photos for Research or Decor
If you manage to snag a high-res digital copy, people in Elmhurst love to blow these up and frame them. It’s a massive flex in the neighborhood to have a 1925 photo of your street hanging in your entryway.
But there’s a practical side to this too.
Architects and home restorers use these old school photos to see what the original landscaping looked like. Did you know the T Street Parkway used to have different types of shrubs? Or that the lighting fixtures were completely different?
The Architectural Soul of T Street
The school building—now the community center—is the anchor of the neighborhood. It’s why the houses on T Street are so coveted. You aren't just buying a 1920s Tudor; you're buying into a planned aesthetic. The architects of the school and the developers of the Elmhurst subdivision were obsessed with "beauty and utility."
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When you look at a photo of Elmhurst School on T Street in Sacramento from the 1920s, you see a lot of dirt. The trees aren't the towering giants they are now. It looks barren. It’s a reminder that the "lush" Sacramento we love was actually a very deliberate construction. We planted that shade. We built those arches.
What to Do Next if You're Still Searching
If you've hit a wall on the internet, it's time to go tactile.
Go to the Coloma Community Center at 4623 T Street. Walk inside. Often, these public buildings have small historical displays or plaques that include archival photos that haven't been digitized yet. Talk to the staff. There’s usually one person who has worked there for twenty years and knows exactly where the "old folder" is kept.
Also, check out the "Old Sacramento" or "Sacramento History" groups on Facebook. I know, Facebook can be a mess, but the local history nerds there are elite. They post scans of personal family albums that you will never find in an official museum. Just post: "Looking for a photo of Elmhurst School on T Street in Sacramento from the 40s," and wait. Someone’s grandma is probably in the third row of a class photo sitting in a shoebox in a garage in Land Park.
Don't just look for the building. Look for the context. The way the light hits T Street in the late afternoon hasn't changed in a hundred years, even if the names on the buildings have.
Actionable Steps for Your Search:
- Search the Right Name: Switch your search terms from "Elmhurst School" to "Coloma School Sacramento" or "Coloma Elementary T Street."
- Visit the Sacramento Room: Head to the central library downtown and ask for the "Neighborhood Files" for Elmhurst.
- Check the McCurry Collection: This is the gold standard for Sacramento architectural photography from 1900–1950.
- Join Local Groups: Use "Sacramento History" forums and social media groups to find non-digitized family photos.
- Verify the Address: Ensure the photos you find match 4623 T Street to avoid confusing it with Phoebe Hearst or other nearby sites.