One of Sacramento’s first skyscrapers celebrated a big birthday on Wednesday. Hundreds of people gathered for the 100th anniversary of the Elks Tower in downtown.<\/p>\n
It was once the top of the town. Sacramento’s Elks Tower at 11th and J streets was built back in 1926 and was the city’s tallest building at the time.<\/p>\n
“It’s just a spectacular piece of architecture,” said Peter Dannenfelser, an Elk’s Tower restoration architect.<\/p>\n
Dannenfelser said the Elks fraternal club took a lot of pride in its design.<\/p>\n
“This building was built out of love and as a temple for the Elks,” Dannenfelser said.<\/p>\n
Now, a centennial celebration was held to mark the building’s 100th birthday, including a charity fundraiser and auction that even featured a $1,000 bill.<\/p>\n
“Every time you come in here, you see something new, you find something new,” said Elks Tower employee Penelope Larry. “I love it.”<\/p>\n
Life was a lot different back then when the Elks Tower first opened.<\/p>\n
“This is before television,” Dannenfelser said. “Cars had just started to push horses out of the city centers, and this building had all kinds of entertainment for them.”<\/p>\n
Walking through the front doors of the 14-story tower is a step back in time \u2014 from the spiral staircase to the arched windows, chandeliers, and ornately decorated ceilings.<\/p>\n
Outside, the Italian Renaissance-style building features terra cotta decorations and a copper cupola on top. It even still has a swimming pool in the basement that is now just used for storage.<\/p>\n
“I know of no place like this, and I’ve been in hundreds of hundreds of buildings,” Elks Tower owner Steve Ayers said.<\/p>\n
The Elks Club sold the building in the 1970s, and today, it’s owned by Ayers, who has spent years restoring the historic structure.<\/p>\n
“I fell in love with the building, and it was never about the money,” he said. “It was about bringing it back to its old grandeur.”<\/p>\n
Even as Sacramento’s skyline continues to change, the Elks Tower remains a reminder of the capital city’s historic past.<\/p>\n
The Elk’s Tower currently has a restaurant and bar on the ground floor and office space on the upper floors.<\/p>\n
It also features a ballroom and a penthouse that can be rented out for special events.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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