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Radio Activation

Over the next year, the visionaries behind a new downtown headquarters for Capital Public Radio will transform a long-empty mid-century building into a living, breathing physical manifestation of the station’s news-and-music format. Behold the ultimate audiovisual room.

Small Wonders

With the need for homeless housing solutions greater than ever, an aspirational new architecture competition is yielding innovative ways to approach domestic design.

Making It All Popp

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.

Designs Within Reach 2019

Over the next few years, new structures totaling well over a million square feet will rise in the central city. Here's a sneak peek at five potentially transformative projects that will help shape Sacramento for generations to come.

Tours of Beauty

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.

The Ice Blocks Cometh

It is, by all appearances, an urban utopia. Come this spring, more than 500 people will work there, more than 200 will live there, and thousands more will dine and shop there. And this bustling village within a city—elevated by art and cutting-edge architecture—all exists within a two-block span in the coolest district in town. Could the Ice Blocks be the new model for modern living in Sacramento?

Fields of Gold

Every autumn on the Sacramento State campus, bright yellow ginkgo leaves fall from their branches and form vibrant canvases for environmental artist Joanna Hedrick, who patiently shapes them into mesmerizing designs. With a humble rake as her paintbrush, she creates ephemeral works of art that make a lasting impression.

The Scene Setter

If dining out is a theatrical experience, then Sacramento interior designer Whitney Johnson may be the city’s leading set designer, crafting visual feasts to complement the edible art on our plates. And she’s just getting started. With a bevy of savory new projects about to be launched, the 31-year-old Rocklin native is more poised than ever to design and conquer.

Modern Classics

With a new landmark study, Sacramento is officially recognizing the mid-century modern structures that define a critical period in our city’s architectural history. Here are five retro-cool gems—from Gunther’s to Eichlers—that deserve a deeper look into what makes them both time-specific and timeless.

Raising the Barn

On the banks of the mighty Sacramento River, an instant architectural icon has sprouted from the earth, connecting the natural landscape of the riverfront to its modern neighbors ashore, all while making a bold statement about our region’s history and our new civic identity. Here’s how our newest urban landmark was born.

On Sale Now!

Sactown Fall 2025 Issue Cover

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