A jeweler’s vault, a Capitol view: Historic K Street building set for renovation
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- CSAC will invest $25M to gut and modernize its 115-year-old K Street building.
- Contractors will preserve facade and marble staircase while adding a sixth floor.
- CSAC will fund the $25M project from reserves and financing; dues will not rise.
Demolition crews will begin gutting a 115-year-old K Street building downtown, in the coming weeks, making way for a $25 million renovation of the California State Association of Counties headquarters.
Beyond leaks and cosmetic problems, the building has enclosed offices and few spaces for the association’s members and 52 employees to meet, said Chief Operating Officer Chastity Benson.
It also needs upgrades to meet contemporary safety, accessibility and earthquake standards. The building’s manager, Benson said, “has done all he could,” but it became clear in recent years that it was time for substantial upgrades.
“The building is, quite frankly, out of code,” Benson said.
Will keep historic facade
.jpg "Rendering-of-1100-K-Stre (1).jpg")
The building faces the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, and is one block from the Capitol grounds. K Street and the light rail line extend east toward the convention center, and west toward the Crest Theatre.
Plaques on the northwest corner of the building reference the trade group’s original name, the County Supervisors Association of California. Along K Street, the Downtown Sacramento Partnership recently installed marquee-style lights on transit poles from 7th to 12th Street, in an attempt to make the corridor more visible and safe, and mimic the style of the classic signs along the corridor, like those of the association and the Crest Theatre.
Contractors plan to preserve a winding marble staircase that ascends to the building’s rooftop, and maintain the historic facade. The exterior sign and clock will remain.
But plans include new, open-office floor plans, conference rooms on every floor and a media room to shoot videos. The building’s entrance — which sits on the left side of the building’s exterior — will be centered.
Contractors will add a new sixth floor, with panoramic views of downtown and the Capitol dome, the Renaissance Tower and the Crest Theatre, eye-level with the rooftop of the cathedral.
The finishes, the walls and the ceilings will be removed, said Kelley Cowan, executive vice president with S+B James, the contractor for the project. The firm plans to make structural improvements, and the central air and electrical systems will be replaced.
Once home for PG&E
The structure was built in 1911 for PG&E, which occupied it for more than a half-century. In 1940, to promote the sale of gas ranges, local merchants held cooking demonstrations at the utility’s office there, and The Bee ran a photo of a 280-pound cake on display as a promotional gimmick by the Gas Appliance Society of California.
After PG&E moved out, for 15 years 1100 K Street was occupied by a jeweler, Grebitus & Sons. The jeweler’s vault, about the size of a walk-in closet, remains on the second floor.
“We’re looking at potentially, maybe, using the door. If we can make it pencil,” said Beth Young, principal with HGA, the architect for the project.
The $25 million estimate includes demolition and construction, Benson said, and the association has budgeted an additional 10% for contingency costs. Benson said the association is funding the build with its reserves and other financing, and will not raise its membership dues in connection to the project.
Demolition is expected to begin within a few weeks, and construction is set to begin mid-year. CSAC staff expect to move back from their temporary offices in the Park Tower in the fall of 2027.
Rather than renovating 1100 K Street, a move to another office building “was on the table,” Benson said. But the association’s board voted unanimously to remain in part because of its history at the site, and for its proximity to the Capitol.
“This is our home. We’ve been here for about 45 years,” Benson said. “We want to support the revitalization that’s happening on K Street.”
This story was originally published January 16, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
