San Bernardino Transforms Downtown With $770K Sole Alley, a Community-Driven Arts District of Murals & Culture
4 min read
Photos by Manny Sandoval: Arts Connection Executive Director Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez speaks at the Sole Alley unveiling, highlighting how the project built on decades of local creative energy.
A once-overlooked alleyway in downtown San Bernardino has been transformed into a vibrant public art corridor, now known as Sole Alley — a $770,000 investment made possible through the Clean California Grant and collaboration between the City of San Bernardino, CalTrans, Arts Connection, Realicore Real Estate, and local creatives.
Located on West Fourth Street between D and E streets in the heart of the city’s Historic Arts District, Sole Alley now features community murals, brick-laid pavement, upgraded lighting, public seating, and a neon-lit archway entrance bearing the words “Sole Alley,” flanked by neon shoes and the phrase “Love and Unity.”
“This project represents collaboration, creativity, and community pride,” said Mayor Helen Tran during the ribbon cutting event on July 18. “Sole Alley is now a destination where people can connect, reflect, and celebrate the people of San Bernardino.”
Tran also recognized contributing artist Brenda Angel and added, “A heartfelt thank you to Arts Connection. Your commitment to community-based art and public engagement made this project possible. You helped bring together so many voices and vision into one powerful experience.”
Arts Connection Executive Director Alejandro Gutierrez Chavez emphasized that the project was guided by history and local creativity.
“This space carries history,” Gutierrez Chavez said. “For decades this alley has been used by artists to host shows, film videos, paint, gather, and connect with the community. We didn’t create that spirit — we listened to it, followed it, and made space for it to grow.”
The transformation was supported by over $700,000 in Clean California grant funding from CalTrans and included partnerships with city staff, organizers, and artists. Improvements include decorative pavers, bike racks, new landscaping, performance space, and lighting infrastructure.
“We added infrastructure via the pavement and bricks, public art, the signage, the mural and the neon sign out front,” said Gutierrez Chavez. “We have truly only built on what the community had already began.”
The murals lining the alley were created by seven Inland Empire artists: Angel Ba Soul, Heather Andrews-Horton, Victoria Banegas, A’kailah Byrd-Greene, Joel Lopez, Duan Kellum, and Juwaun McCrary, also known as UUPAH.
David Friedman, co-founder of Realicore Real Estate Group, which also played a key role in the redevelopment, reflected on the vision and long process behind the transformation.
“Was this project always easy? No. Have I gotten in trouble by the city during this process? Yes. Was it worth it? Yes. I think the results speak for themselves,” Friedman said. “The alley is walkable, it includes art, green space, there is a bike rack, and most important, it’s a space built with people in mind. It starts to move downtown away from car-centric infrastructure.”
Councilmember Theodore Sanchez also emphasized the alley’s dramatic evolution.
“It was not too long ago that this was just an alley. Nothing remarkable and certainly not a place that you would want to visit,” Sanchez said. “But several people did not see it that way. They saw this alley with vision and potential.”
Sanchez thanked the city’s Public Works Department and state partners for bringing the vision to life. “While getting here took money — and it did require expensive construction — our team delivered a beautiful project.”
Creative Grounds, a community-centered arts space located inside Sole Alley, has been instrumental in the area’s revitalization. Co-founder Duan Kellum recounted his journey:
“If you would have asked me six years ago, ‘Duan, you’re going to be a part of a space in downtown San Bernardino,’ it would have not registered,” Kellum said. “We’ve seen how this alley has transformed — from the good to the bad — and now this alley is beautiful. Just thinking about the number of people that will walk through this alley to absorb the art and culture and history makes me so appreciative.”
Despite the scorching heat that evening, the event drew a crowd that included Mayor Tran, Councilmembers Sanchez, Dr. Treasure Ortiz, and Mario Flores, as well as San Bernardino’s forthcoming City Manager Eric Levitt, who officially begins his role on August 4. Guests mingled in the courtyard with live music, vibrant murals, and a backdrop of dramatic summer clouds casting a glowing ambiance over the neon-lit alleyway.
Surrounded by small businesses like Viva La Boba, Diverse Sole, Three Little Blue Byrds Boutique, The Barbers Club, and Grounded Self Care Studio, Sole Alley is poised to become a permanent fixture for downtown events — including art walks, performances, and cultural programming.
What was once an overlooked passage is now a cornerstone of San Bernardino’s downtown revitalization — a corridor that honors its past while making way for a future rooted in creativity, culture, and community.
