Over 100 years ago, the Bel-Vue on 8th was among the very first ‘mixed use’ buildings in downtown Sacramento, with comfortable apartments above American Cash, a ground floor grocery + hardware store. Designed by California’s first state architect, this was a gem honored on the National Historic Register – but it’s better days were a distant memory as it slipped into decay, an abandoned wreck filled with bat, pigeons and rot.
Today it’s glowing again, full of tenants who enjoy the historic restored interior down to the claw foot tubs and rich moldings, and the lobby fitted out like an elegant library. Applied Architecture was proud to have assisted young developer Ali Youssefi on this adventure, completed six months after he was tragically lost to cancer.
The Bel-Vue has regained its spot among Sacramento’s treasures.
Michael F. Malinowski FAIA Architect