Tucked between 2nd and Court Streets in downtown San Bernardino, Sole Alley has long been more than just an alleyway; It’s been a stage, a canvas, a gathering place. For decades, local artists and community members have transformed its walls and pavement with murals, music, and memory, making the alley a symbol of creative resilience in a city that knows how to rebuild.

Now, thanks to the Clean California Local Grant Program and a partnership between Arts Connection, the City of San Bernardino, Realicore, and dozens of local artists and creative businesses, Sole Alley has entered a new chapter.

On July 18, 2025, the community celebrated the grand re-opening of the alley with a ribbon cutting ceremony that marked the official unveiling of its transformation. What was once a weathered-throughway now pulses with vibrant murals, a permanent outdoor stage, native plant landscaping, and improved walkability. But more than that, the space has been reimagined as a site of cultural connection—where art, memory, and public life intersect.

The vision for Sole Alley was not created in a vacuum. From the beginning, the project was guided by community voices through a series of public listening sessions and design workshops hosted by Arts Connection and its partners. Residents, artists, and business owners shared memories, dreams, and frustrations about the alley—and those conversations directly informed the redesign. This wasn’t just a beautification effort. It was an act of placekeeping, of anchoring history while making space for future expression.

“The alley has always been alive,” said Alejandro Gutierrez, Executive Director of Arts Connection. “It’s where people came to create when they didn’t have a stage, when they didn’t have a gallery. This project doesn’t overwrite that—it honors it, and builds on it.”

The improvements funded through Clean California now provide permanent infrastructure to support ongoing community events, performances, and informal gatherings. A new outdoor stage invites live music and open mics. A mural corridor celebrates local artistry and cultural heritage. Native plants soften the edges of the space, creating small green nooks in an otherwise concrete corridor.

In a city often defined by its challenges, Sole Alley stands as a reminder of what’s possible when public investment meets community creativity. As Alejandro put it, “Sole Alley is more than a beautification project—it is a space of remembrance and reinvention. It reflects the creative pulse of San Bernardino: resilient, grassroots, and ever-evolving.”

The alley’s revival is not just a win for downtown aesthetics—it’s a signal of the community’s commitment to cultural life, local economies, and creative identity. With this re-opening, Sole Alley is a destination. A gathering place. A testament.

And for San Bernardino, that matters.