Call him an an interior designer, a home designer, a furniture maker, a graphic artist, a chef or a classic car collector—or all of the above. Whether he’s crafting the look and feel for a hot new restaurant, a neighborhood taproom, a high-end chocolaterie or someone’s home, Curtis Popp has carved out an eclectic career as one of the city’s most sought-after visual thinkers. Sacramento, meet the modernist Renaissance man.
The difference is in the décor details for the de Vere White brothers, who weaved tales of travels and family history into the design of their cozy new R Street cocktail bar, The Snug.
In 1959, two ambitious young architects and one soon-to-be-world-famous artist finished work on a building that caught the eye of the design world and introduced this city to the “International Style” that was sweeping America at the time. Today, that mid-century modern edifice, the original headquarters for the Sacramento Municipal Utility District, is about to be born anew after an $86 million face-lift. Turning 60 has never looked so sexy.
They’re some of our most iconic landmarks, but look deeper and you’ll see that they’re also filled with fascinating stories that shed light on Sacramento’s rich history. Check out these five architectural tours for a behind-the-façade peek into a few of the stunning structures that have helped build this city.
As the editorial director of the San Francisco-based urban planning and policy think tank SPUR, Allison Arieff spends her days assessing the impact of civic design on everyday life. But it’s her past two decades of work—first as editor-in-chief of “Dwell” magazine and currently as a contributing op-ed writer for “The New York Times”—that have cemented her reputation as one of America’s foremost thinkers on design. The UC Davis alum speaks about building cities for people instead of cars, getting lost in Sacramento riding light rail, and her 2020s vision.
Charles and Ray Eames are considered two of the most acclaimed designers in American history. Now it’s time for Sacramento to make history by building the first museum dedicated to the pair in Ray’s hometown.
