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B3017 CLARA Midtown, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing

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The expansion of residential suburbs in the 1960&#8217;s and 1970&#8217;s left our central city with stately but underutilized school facilities. Fremont School is one of 10 examples in the area that was designed by Dean &amp; Dean. It is a beautiful brick and terracotta building in the Spanish Revival style on a quiet Midtown street. It had a second life as an adult education center, which was shuttered in 2012.
After much discussion and negotiation, Fremont School now is the new creative home for Sacramento’s performing arts community, complete with outdoor performance space. The high ceilings and large classrooms perfectly suit rehearsal and teaching needs for <a href="https://www.sacballet.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento Ballet</a>, <a href="https://www.mckeeverdance.com/#index" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">McKeever School of Irish Dance</a>, <a href="https://sacprepmusic.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sacramento Preparatory Music Academy</a>, and several others.
There are many technical challenges to adapting an early 20th century non-reinforced masonry building to the needs of 21st century performing arts. For one, the west wing of the school needed a truly creative structural solution to make the former classrooms and hallways open up for ballet studios. With <a href="https://buehlerengineering.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Buehler Engineering</a>, an innovative solution of 36 post-tension cables made this need a reality. The red cables, typically buried within new concrete, are intentionally left visible and are viewable from the first floor School of the Sacramento Ballet studios. The structural system was more complex than other concepts but once optimized, it was the lightest and least costly solution for the budget.
On March 17, 2015, the Sacramento City Council approved spending to renovate the building for the performing arts community in Sacramento. On May 11, 2015, <a href="https://www.rsconstruction.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rudolph &amp; Sletten</a> started construction on the project. On March 9, 2016 the project &#8211; which was renamed <a href="https://www.claramidtown.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CLARA</a> &#8211; officially opened.
CLARA received the 2017 Rehabilitation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation; and Honor Award from the AIA Central Valley as well as the Divine Detail Award for the innovative structural solution. In 2017, the project also received an Award of Excellence in Historic Preservation from SEAOCC.
Photos by Chip Allen; historic photos courtesy of Center for Sacramento History.

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A9007 Museum of Science and Curiosity, 2002-2021

The SMUD Museum of Science and Curiosity (MOSAC) is a transformation project at the confluence of history, science, and community impact. Formerly the Powerhouse Science Center, MOSAC reimagines a long-dormant riverfront power station as a vibrant hub for science education, exploration, and civic engagement. Set against the banks of the Sacramento River, the museum is a cornerstone in the city’s riverfront revitalization and a destination for learning that connects past innovation with future discovery.

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The design of MOSAC grows directly from its context—physically and symbolically. Occupying the site of a once-abandoned PG&E power station, the museum forms a key part of Sacramento’s waterfront activation. It anchors the Robert T. Matsui Waterfront Park and serves as a southern gateway to the 32-mile American River Bike Trail, inviting cyclists, families, and visitors to engage with science through architecture and landscape.

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Vacant for over 50 years, the original 30,000-square-foot structure was carefully rehabilitated, including the construction of a new interior floor level. A striking two-story, 22,000-square-foot addition extends from the east, housing classrooms, a café, offices, and a light-filled lobby. A 120-seat planetarium punctuates the building’s mass, its zinc-clad hemispheric dome signaling the museum’s outward-looking mission. The facade is inscribed with angled vector lines—connecting the building to satellites, landmarks, and broader ideas—reminding visitors of our place within a vast, interconnected world.

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Museum of Science and Curiosity

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Originally designed in 1912 by noted architect Willis Polk in the Classical Revival style, the PG&E River Station B was formally closed in 1954 and lay dormant until MOSAC’s rebirth. Now listed on the National, California, and Sacramento Registers of Historic Places, the building is both a preserved landmark and a cutting-edge cultural destination. MOSAC is LEED Platinum certified, affirming its commitment not only to educational excellence, but also to environmental stewardship and sustainable design.

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Preservation Design Award—Rehabilitation

Vision Honor Awards—Building Healthy Places

Award of Merit—Rehabilitation, Renovation and/or Restoration

Best Project (Northern California)—Renovation/Restoration

Project Excellence Awards—Retrofit Metal Roof

Best Real Estate Projects—Adaptive Reuse

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Old Sacramento is the last remaining area in the city with direct access to the Sacramento river. Although the historic buildings in the district have been preserved, the vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian pathways throughout are confusing and disjointed. With previous installations of the Transcontinental Railroad’s western terminus, river levees to prevent flooding, and a major freeway bypassing the district, access has been blocked long-term to this jewel of the city.
Working in close coordination with a multidisciplinary team led by Atlas Lab, our solution proposes to restore waterfront access between Front Street and the river through creation of a signature park honoring Sacramento’s history, complete with narratives and native riparian vegetation. Creation of a separated pedestrian walkway and dedicated bike path along the embarcadero will also greatly improve access for all. The new dedicated bike path also provides a missing link in the regional trail system along the river. Additions of a performance space for outdoor concerts near the Tower Bridge, water splash pad with beach area for volleyball, and sheltered depot structure will encourage family and community engagement.
Team: 
ATLAS Lab, Inc. 
Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture 
Agency L+P 
Fehr+Peers 
Rana Creek Ecological Design 
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. 
Buehler Engineering

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Sacramento Waterfront Idea Makers Competition, 2019

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UC Santa Cruz Quarry Amphiteater

The Upper Quarry Amphitheater at UC Santa Cruz was designed in the mid-1960s by landscape architect Robert Royston inside of a natural stone quarry on campus. Graduations, protests, lectures and concerts were held in this 2,000 seat amphitheater until it deteriorated to the point it could no longer be safely used. Both a renovation and a rehabilitation, the project upgraded the venue to include accessible seating and better access for all patrons. The project scope also included rock-slope stabilization, safety fencing, improved emergency vehicle access, on-site stormwater treatment, regular and emergency power, and site lighting. Supporting the overwhelming request of the students, Wi-Fi was installed to serve over 2,000 simultaneous connections for streaming of live events.
The site now includes one additional row of seating, maintaining the original asymmetrical seat layout as closely as possible. Materials used represent the original design with revisions to improve long-term durability and maintenance. Stairs were also reconstructed in their original locations. The Upper Quarry Amphitheater is a historical resource under CEQA, and as such all modifications were sympathetic to the original design to not diminish the amphitheater’s historic integrity.
The project was featured in Landscape Architecture Magazine&#8217;s, January 2020 issue. It received a Special Mention from the jury of the 2020 Architizer A+Awards in the Architecture +Landscape category and was also chosen as a finalist in the Architecture +Preservation category.
Historic images are courtesy of University of California, Santa Cruz, Special Collections; Color photography by Kyle Jeffers.

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B6029 University of California, Santa Cruz Upper Quarry Amphithe

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B5033 Art Consulting Golden 1 Center, Drop by Drop, Bryan Valenzuela, 2015

Sacramento artist Bryan Valenzuela came to Dreyfuss + Blackford after being selected by the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Commission to design and create a work of public art inside Golden 1 Center.
He gave us his vision and drawings of a suspended river of 400 handmade glass spheres ranging in size from 12-20” in diameter. A discussion began about the kinds of materials and structural systems that would be needed to build this suspended artwork. We used this information, along with the artist’s input and feedback to create a 3D model and set of renderings for approval from the City of Sacramento.
When the Arts Commission requested major changes to the design, we worked with the artist to rebuild the model in keeping with his vision for the piece. Our 3D model was also used by engineers to run the structural analysis for the sculpture, in addition to fabrication of the curved steel support rods and placement of the vertical supports.

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Railroad Technology Museum, 2005

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The Bookery is a solution designed to respond to an international ideas competition requesting portable reading room designs incorporating bicycle parking, book storage and seating. The solution represents a layering of opportunities and a multitude of possibilities; it caters to perusal, reading and appreciation of books and also encourages communal development and the exchange of ideas.
The design begins with the idea of a 96’ x 96’ plane divided into three equal pieces, and when extruded creates three equal volumes. These volumes then undergo strategic manipulation – subtraction – to lead to the final modules. The conceptual carving out of the volume accounts for each module’s intended function – a seat, a book storage space, and a bike parking stand. The same process, applied in a different manner, allows for three different uses.
The final modules would be constructed out of 8&#8242; x 4&#8242; standard prefabricated sheets of locally sourced wood allowing for efficiency and ease of fabrication. They are layered to create the final volume and are connected to each other to allow for a predetermined range of rotation which allows for varied configurations and spatial adjacencies. A combination and configuration of modules can be chosen depending on individual site constraints.
The act of reading a book has the potential of transporting its reader into an altogether different world through imagination, and the Bookery aims to provide its users with the flexibility to create their own site and usage specific context.

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The Bookery, Portable Reading Room Competition, 2019

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Bookery Configurations

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Sacramento is known for trees. While a great beneﬁt for the hot climate and livability, the tree canopy unknowingly affects the future of the urban community. The detail of the tree obscures the forest’s horizon. River Lookout Towers seeks to engage local inhabitants with the natural landscape and increase spatial awareness of the Region. With a goal of multiple tower installations, a strong series of nodes are defined along the path of our most important natural resource landmark, the River. The towers allow public safe access to the changing river environment while protecting the natural habitat. Inside-looking-out, observers can see the broad region and their relationship to the other nodes, while those on the ground can use the lookout towers as landmarks, guiding residents and visitors to Sacramento’s most prominent feature.
The River Lookout Tower concept was proposed by design principal, Jason A. Silva at the 2010 Mayor&#8217;s State of Downtown address. It was then featured in Sactown Magazine in the December 2016/January 2017 issue.

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Idea Fair final-web background

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Coffee Tree, 1965

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This roadside restaurant, designed in 1965, was located on Interstate 80 (formerly US Hwy 40) about a third of the distance from Sacramento to San Francisco, at the major freeway interchange connecting to highways serving most of Northern California. The project was to provide the client with a lower cost, quicker service coffee shop across the highway from their existing restaurant/recreation complex, known as the Nut Tree.
The Nut Tree had long been the traditional rest stop between the mountains and San Francisco. In addition to the 140 seat coffee shop, the facility housed a merchandising area and gallery for displaying works by northern California artists. These same functions recall the environment of the Nut Tree which had a reputation for fine food, unusual merchandise and quality art, architecture and graphics.

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80036, Coffee Tree, 1965

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81027 Nut Tree, 1958-1989

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The Nut Tree, 1958 - 1989

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Sutter's Fort, Masonry Repair, 2015

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B2002 Sutter's Fort Ticket Kiosk, 2012

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B2010 Sutter's Fort Museum Store, 2012

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Christian Brothers High School, La Salle Hall Theater

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Cultural

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CLARA, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts

Museum of Science and Curiosity

Sacramento Waterfront Idea Makers Competition

UC Santa Cruz Upper Quarry Amphitheater Restoration

Art Consulting at Golden 1 Center, “Multitudes Converge”

The Bookery, Portable Reading Room Competition

River Lookout Towers