ASK AN ARCHITECT
Q & A
Jack Paddon, AIA,
LEED AP Peter Saucerman, AIA,
Emeritus Williams + Paddon Architects +
Planners Retired How does architecture
inspire us? What is your favorite new
architectural project in
Sacramento, and why? Why is it important for
a community to have a
regional identity?
For my money, the proposed
renovation of the Mansion Inn to a
mid-century modern boutique hotel
by Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture
is one of the most exciting moves
in town. We’ve not seen a great
deal of mid-century modern love in
Sacramento, beyond the extremely
loyal and creative owners of private
homes from the Eichler era. It’s
really exciting to see a simple and
elegant hotel from the late 1950s
returned to its former crisp and clean
stance. San Francisco, Los Angeles,
Chicago and other cities have shown
their love for this era of design by
refurbishing similar buildings. I think
the timing is right and appropriate
to see the lovely gardens and clean
lines of the Mansion returned to their
original, award-winning splendor.
Plus, the Tearing Walls Apart (www.
tearingwallsapart.com) art project will
be great fun to see. Architecture is a means to knit togeth-
er a fragmented world. A vital region-
al Central Valley architecture creates
community, by making places and
programs that bring people togeth-
er, interconnecting diverse histories
and traditions, and weaving together
natural and agricultural landscapes.
This new kind of regionalism is neither
sentimental nor historicist, but one
that comes from an acceptance of the
modern world and seeks to integrate
a unique landscape and its history
and diverse ways of life, with con-
temporary motivations. The idea of a
regional architecture is expanded by
advancing the means of construction,
interpreting historic building tradi-
tions to embrace contemporary life,
marrying age-old cultural traditions
with contemporary and emerging
building methods to make econom-
ical structures that ground diverse
communities.
Inspiration often involves a ‘wow’
factor and there are certainly many
individual buildings in our region
that inspire our minds and hearts.
The Barn, Crocker Art Museum,
Memorial Auditorium, Golden 1
Center, Terminal B [at Sacramento
International Airport] and the [Robert
T. Matsui] Federal Courthouse are a
few notable examples. But inspiration
defined by the more personal sense
of well-being and power of place
is arguably more rewarding. The
singular sound of a violin solo can
be moving, but complex harmony
of the full orchestra is rich and
memorable. Places and spaces that
have a well-designed fabric of form,
light, color and texture move us in
subtle but profound ways. Framed
views, the soft wash of north light
through a clerestory window or the
sparkle of daylight through a canopy
of trees; thoughtfully designed and
crafted building finish materials, and
ergonomically correct furnishings
are the realm of architectural design,
which individually and collectively
inspire our everyday existence.
Maria Ogrydziak, AIA
Ogrydziak Architecture
Go to aiacv.org/exparch to register
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