Welcome to Sacramento—would you like fries with that?
There’s a battle brewing at the highly prominent corner of Arden Way and Exposition Boulevard on the outskirts of the City of Sacramento that would dramatically alter the triangular site of the Point West neighborhood. At stake is demolition versus preservation of a former and historic Home Savings & Loan bank which is clad in Italian travertine with two large-scale exterior mosaic murals and an interior mural designed by renowned artist and architectural designer Millard Sheets.
More emails are needed (see example letters below) by August 26, 2024 to urge City Council to support landmarking/adaptive reuse of the bank. City Council will make their decision after hearing presentations and public testimony at the meeting scheduled for August 27, 2024 at 5:00PM at City Hall.
Background and Issues: Currently, the highest accepted bid for the site is from Shake Shack, who intends to tear down the historic landmark and replace it with car-centric drive-through restaurants—even though they have a past record of adaptively reusing a historic landmark in Sandy, Utah (see before and after). The corporation is busting out of its home-grown, boutique image and hitting the country with a newly-minted competitive business model that ironically abandons its mission to “Stand for Something Good ®.” If built, the point in Point West will become a fast food drive-through beacon in an area already saturated with other franchises, adding more traffic jams and carbon emissions to an area known for having one of top 20% rates of asthma in California. This would also be completely out of compliance with several goals and policies delineated in the City of Sacramento’s 2040 General Plan relating to drive-throughs, pedestrian and transit orientation on a future high transit corridor, enhanced gateways, sustainability, and community access to healthy food. Point West is a mix of retail, commercial, offices, and multifamily housing, though residents in the area lack many community-friendly services. These neighbors—and residents in adjacent West Arden Arcade, identified as an Environmental Justice Community by Sacramento County—deserve better.
It started when power investors purchased the bank and, after failing to secure a tenant, decided to prepare the site for sale—which included pursuing entitlements for demolition. They consulted with the offices of a politically-connected land use attorney with deep ties to the City Council, and contacted the City of Sacramento’s Community Development Department who, per standard procedure, instructed the group to conduct an historic evaluation. The investors’ architectural historian produced a report that preservation organizations SacMod.org, Preservation Sacramento, and internationally recognized Millard Sheets expert, Adam Arenson disputed—and provided corrected information. The City of Sacramento Preservation Office conducted their own examination, which resulted in a separate report with findings supported by: the City of Sacramento Preservation Commission, who provided critical in-depth analysis of the investors’ report (see transcripts 1 and 2); Adam Arenson; Preservation Sacramento; SacMod.org; and local historians. Meanwhile, the investor-owners have let the property fall into decay and have failed to prevent damage by trespassers—a tactic known as “demolition by neglect,” that helps hasten the property’s demise.
There is an alternative: a local consultant/developer intends to step forward and states he submitted a second back-up offer for the property. If Sacramento’s City Council determines the historic bank is eligible to be listed on the City of Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources, the local developer says Shake Shack will back out and his second bid will be accepted. The local developer expresses the desire to preserve the historic bank and adaptively reuse the site to serve the surrounding community. Which sounds better to you? Adaptive reuse of a stone-clad historic landmark with iconic public art? Or more fast food drive-throughs?
Who decides the fate of this battle? You have the power to speak up. Many thanks to those of you who already have written emails, but more input from people in the community is needed! By August 26, 2024, email City Council and Shake Shack with a copy to preservation organizations and tell them what you think! Use the email addresses and sample text below.
Stand with SacMod.org, Preservation Sacramento, and Vintage Arden Arcade to push back against demolition! If enough people express the desire to landmark the historic bank, Sacramento City Council just might take a stand for something good when they decide its fate on August 27, 2024.
Please write via email by August 26, 2024 (sample letters below) to:
- Mayor Darrell Steinberg; District 1 Councilmember Lisa Kaplan; District 2 Acting Councilmember Shoun Thao; District 3 Councilmember Karina Talamantes; District 4 Councilmember Katie Valenzuela; District 5 Councilmember Caity Maple; District 6 Councilmember Eric Guerra; District 7 Councilmember Rick Jennings; and District 8 Councilmember Mai Vang (emails below). Voice your opposition to demolition of 1950 Arden Way and support for landmarking the building. Encourage them to show their commitment to a healthier and more sustainable city!
- Important — please cc: SacMod.org; Preservation Sacramento; Preservation Director Sean deCourcy
- Shake Shack share@shakeshack.com: Encourage them to adaptively reuse the historic building/site—and create a better community experience like they did at The School Yard. Remind them that the building holds invaluable public art and there is room at the former Home Savings & Loan bank site for adaptive reuse of the historic building PLUS additional room for further growth. Furthermore, there is no need for drive-through as demonstrated elsewhere in Sacramento at the Ice Blocks.
Examples of other current / successful adaptively reused Home Savings & Loan banks in California you can mention in your letter:
Pacific Beach, CA: Family Health Centers of San Diego
La Mesa, CA: JCS Manzanita School
Redlands, CA: Finney’s Crafthouse
Coronado, CA: Walgreen’s
Montebello, CA: Urgent Care Center
Other adaptively reused Sacramento banks in Sacramento:
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Sample letters — cut and paste! Or write your own by 7/29/24:
To: engage@cityofsacramento.org, district1@cityofsacramento.org, snthao@cityofsacramento.org, district3@cityofsacramento.org, kvalenzuela@cityofsacramento.org, district5@cityofsacramento.org, eguerra@cityofsacramento.org, rjennings@cityofsacramento.org, district8@cityofsacramento.org
cc: info@sacmod.org, preservation.sacramento@gmail.com, sdecourcy@cityofsacramento.org
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers,
Based on the facts presented by the City of Sacramento Preservation Office and backed by experts, historians, and the preservation community, I support the landmarking and adaptive reuse of the historic bank located at 1950 Arden Way and am asking you to do the same. The proposed demolition of the existing building and replacement with drive-throughs would have terrible consequences for the neighborhood/adjacent communities—resulting in more traffic problems and carbon emissions. The area is already saturated with other fast food franchises.
If you fail to support landmarking, it means you support a project that is completely out of compliance with the City of Sacramento’s 2040 General Plan—which you overwhelmingly supported in February. Relevant goals and policies in the General Plan specifically address drive-throughs, pedestrian safety, transit orientation, enhanced gateways, sustainability, and underserved communities’ access to healthy food and better air quality. Point West and adjacent West Arden Arcade neighborhood, an Environmental Justice Community, are home to many residents in multifamily housing with limited access to community-friendly services. They deserve better.
A local developer with a back-up offer wishes to preserve and adaptively reuse the historic bank. Other cities, such as Pacific Beach, La Mesa, Redlands, Coronado, and Montebello have successful examples of adaptive reuse of former Home Savings & Loan banks. In Sacramento, examples of adaptively reused banks include Buca di Beppo on Howe and Crawford & Associates on Freeport. Please vote in favor of landmarking 1950 Arden Way and adding it to the City of Sacramento Register of Historic and Cultural Resources. Thank you.
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To: share@shakeshack.com cc: info@sacmod.org, preservation.sacramento@gmail.com, sdecourcy@cityofsacramento.org
Based on the facts presented by the City of Sacramento Preservation Office and backed by experts, historians, and the preservation community, I support the landmarking and adaptive reuse of the historic bank located at 1950 Arden Way in Sacramento, CA—a site that Shake Shack has submitted an offer to purchase in order to demolish and build a drive-through.
As a member of the community, I am calling on Shake Shack to “Stand for Something Good ®” by setting aside your drive-through plans and restoring the existing building and site for a walk-in restaurant—like you did in Sandy, Utah. Adaptive reuse is more sustainable—and saving the only public art in the area would be remembered and appreciated by potential customers.
If you acquire the site, it is large enough to accommodate the company’s objectives without destruction of the historic bank. There is no need for a drive-through—as demonstrated elsewhere in Sacramento by the success of your restaurant at the Ice Blocks. Please reconsider your proposed business model and adaptively reuse 1950 Arden Way. Thank you.
Photos: Justin Wood
If you prefer this information in PDF format, you may download it here.