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Preservation Archives - Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture

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B4006 SMUD Headquarters Renovation, 2014

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SMUD Headquarters Renovation, 2014

The SMUD Headquarters Rehabilitation is a transformative project that honors the legacy of a mid-century modern icon while reshaping it for the needs of today’s workforce. Through thoughtful restoration, preservation, and targeted interventions—including an addition and comprehensive tenant improvements—the building now supports a dynamic workplace rooted in sustainability, resilience, and design excellence. This is more than a rehabilitation—it’s a reinvestment in Sacramento’s architectural heritage and SMUD’s forward-thinking mission.

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After more than 60 years of continuous use, the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Headquarters has undergone a comprehensive rehabilitation. This revitalization of the 146,000-square-foot landmark carefully preserves the spirit of its mid-century modern design while upgrading the building for 21st-century performance. The transformation balances innovation with preservation, addressing the concerns of the historic community while supporting SMUD’s mission as a sustainability leader.

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Originally designed by our firm in 1958 for a growing utility, the SMUD Headquarters has come full circle with a complete interior and exterior renovation. Commissioned again in 2014, we approached the rehabilitation with deep respect for the building’s legacy and spatial logic. A discreet new addition introduces abundant daylight and expanded views, while a formerly enclosed central stair and mechanical shaft was replaced with an open stair to enhance vertical circulation and visual connection between wings. Updated open office areas now support a multi-generational workforce with flexible meeting, collaboration, and break spaces—carefully modernized while honoring the original five-foot planning grid.

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The rehabilitation extended beyond the building envelope to include thoughtful site and landscape improvements that maintain the integrity of the original 13-acre campus. Significant historic features were preserved and enhanced, reinforcing the building’s relationship to its surroundings. As part of this effort, artist Wayne Thiebaud’s iconic mosaic tile mural, Water City, was carefully cleaned and restored. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the SMUD Headquarters stands as both a cultural landmark and a continued symbol of civic pride.

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Architecture +Preservation—Popular Choice Winner

Modernism in America Awards, Special Citation

Preservation Design Awards—Trustee's Award for Excellence

Preservation Design Awards—Rehabilitation

Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards —Award of Excellence, Retrofit/Alteration

Best of Design Awards Honorable Mention—Restoration & Preservation

Best Real Estate Projects—Rehabilitation/Renovation

January Feature, "A 1959 Modernist Office in Sacramento Shines Again"

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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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B6021 CLARA Signage &amp; Wayfinding

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An abandoned 1920s brick and terracotta school in Sacramento is now home to several arts groups in the region. To identify the various organizations within, the client wanted new wayfinding and easily changeable tenant- and donor-specific signage inside, with additional ADA, building address, and etiquette signage outside. The project scope included donor signage, gallery blades, tenant-specific signs, directories, courtesy and code required signage, all consistent with the building’s existing code signage and CLARA’s brand, developed after opening.

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B6009 Blue Diamond Growers, Office Building Renovations, 2016

Blue Diamond Growers (BDG) is the largest almond cooperative, producing over 80 percent of the world’s almond supply. The company has been headquartered in Sacramento since 1910. Construction has finished in three historic buildings on the downtown campus, in effort to provide for staff and changes in working environments. Several amenities are being incorporated into the design to accommodate rapidly changing technology and the need for more versatile spaces. The new renovations also provide improvements to life safety and seismic resistance in each of the buildings.
Diamond ‘G’ Coffee Building 
Two-story brick, Diamond ‘G’ Coffee, is an existing 5,700 SF building on the BDG campus that used to be a coffee roasting plant, and tannery. The design for this quaint little building is clean and simple, as not to detract from the beautiful brick walls and exposed beams inside, with design elements paying homage to almond orchards in the Spring. The renovations will meet the diverse needs of the Campus Operations Department.
Main Office Building 
In this iconic Art Deco-style, 26,600 SF building, we completely reworked the first and second floor plans and room layouts, created much more open office space with adjacent break out/touchdown rooms and created larger conference rooms, with fewer private offices to make space for their new staff in several different departments. Parts of this building had recently been updated with new finishes and glazing systems at the conference and meeting rooms. The finishes selected and applied during the last renovation provided our inspiration for executive-style spaces. Additionally, we added a new café/breakroom and multiple coffee bars and lounge spaces throughout. New finishes include paint, carpet, LVT (luxury vinyl tile), casework, quartz counters, and restroom finishes. Custom art for privacy glass, and other collaborative spaces was also included.
Blue Diamond Building 
At the front entrance to the BDG Headquarters is the historic 11,000 SF brick Blue Diamond Building. It is the largest office building on campus and currently houses the Nut &#038; Gift Shop and several administrative offices where the Information Technology department is making the first floor of this building their new home. The new look for the space is open and bright, with bold colors, and an overall modern, tech design aesthetic. New spaces were created to accommodate the different ways in which people work include hoteling stations, lounges and an open office environment.

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B6009 Blue Diamond Growers Master Plan, 2016

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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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B7005 Mansion Inn Revitalization, 2017

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Concept renderings created for local developer with plans to revitalize the Mansion Inn at 700 16th Street in Sacramento, a project we designed in 1958.
In its heyday (which lasted almost 30 years), the Mansion Inn was the place to stay and be seen. Politicians, celebrities, performing artists, all stayed here while in town. Frequent events, local art, quality food and garden lounges created the perfect place to retreat. Read more about the history of this unique Sacramento gathering spot on our blog post &#8220;Ronald Reagan Slept Here&#8221;.

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Railroad Technology Museum, 2005

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The Bateson Building, designed by former state architect Sim van der Ryn, is an innovative office building owned by the State of California. The building is an exceptional example of environmentally-oriented civic architecture with features including canvas sunshades, skylights with operable louvers; thermal mass; and an energy control system. The office spaces are designed around a large central atrium which has four large stratification tubes. The building has been deemed eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture is developing the criteria documents for a large-scale renovation of the building. These documents define the renovation to make the building last another 50 years. The criteria documents include existing conditions assessment, user space program; development of design criteria for the building’s skin which has significant water intrusion issues; and all new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and telecommunications systems. All renovation work will be done in compliance with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
This project marks the first time the State of California is using the Design-Build method to renovate a historic building.

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The Unruh Building on Capitol Mall is a Classical Greek architectural-style structure with significant historic features and sculptural works adorning both the exterior and interior. The central lobby on each floor is connected by an open marble staircase. Built in 1923, the Unruh Building was designed as the State Treasurer’s Office and has been continuously occupied for 85 years. It is on the National Register of Historic Places as part of the Capital Extension District.
Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture developed the design guidelines to bring another 50 years of life to the building. A large-scale renovation will be done using the Design-Build delivery method and is in compliance with The Secretary of the Interior’s Standard for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
The scope of work includes full existing conditions assessment, user space program, development of design criteria for the building’s skin (which has some alterations inconsistent with the original design of the building), new emergency egress, all new finishes consistent with historic guidelines, all new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and telecommunications systems.

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B8008 Wiin Park Revitalization, 2018

An important node of the City of Sacramento’s urban grid, Albert Winn Park has remained underutilized for decades. At the center of the park, built in 1937 under the WPA, is a two-story former Fire Alarm Station.
With a subtle Art Deco style and a commanding view of the park, the rehabilitation and activation of the space was a priority for the community. D+B teamed with Atlas Lab to develop a complete vision for the park’s future. After completing a visioning plan and City planning and entitlements review, the scope of the project’s first phase would include the rehabilitation and renovation of the existing structure and related site improvements. Updating the building’s mechanical, electrical, plumbing components, hazardous materials abatement, ensuring structural stability, and prepping the interior for the restaurant. The second phase would include the park itself: rehabilitating and replacing the playground structure and a full landscaping overhaul with addition of special gardens; and tenant improvement for the restaurant itself.

Preservation

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SMUD Headquarters Rehabilitation

CLARA, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts

Museum of Science and Curiosity

CLARA, E. Claire Raley Studios for the Performing Arts Signage & Wayfinding

Blue Diamond Growers Interior Office Renovations

UC Santa Cruz Upper Quarry Amphitheater Restoration

Mansion Inn Revitalization

State of California, Gregory Bateson Building Renovation Criteria Documents

State of California, Jesse M. Unruh Building Renovation Criteria Documents

Winn Park Revitalization