Famed Capital Athletic Club in Sacramento closing. ‘Another big downtown loss’

The Capital Athletic Club — where five decades of downtown workers, Capitol insiders and Sacramento’s political elite exercised and networked — is closing at the end of the year.

The club’s management posted over the weekend on social media that “over the last few years, several factors have created significant challenges to our operation.”

While no specific challenges were mentioned, the club at Eighth and O streets likely suffered as thousands of state workers began working from home when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

“It has been our pleasure and privilege to serve you over the last 38 years,” the Facebook post read. “Over these years, the sense of community between our members and staff has become more like an extended family and you will be dearly missed. You have all had a positive impact on our lives and we hope that the same can be said for us.”

The Spanish colonial revival-style building that houses the club had been a funeral home before the Capital Area Development Association lured Hofmann Co. to open the fitness facility in 1985. The club had an outdoor pool, weight room and, in a nod to its old-school clientele, a shoe shine service and barber.

Political operative Steve Maviglio noted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger worked out there, as did “lots of lobbyists and legislators too.”

“Another big downtown loss,” Maviglio wrote.

This story was originally published December 18, 2023 at 8:48 AM.