Photo by Linda Smolek
Conceptual drawings courtesy of the California Assembly
Tear It Down DECREPIT CAPITOL ANNEX NEEDS TO GO
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few months ago, I saw a flurry of nostalgic photos on social media from longtime friends and former colleagues working or posing in room 1190 of the state Capitol.
GD By Gary Delsohn Building Our Future
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That’s the place in the old Capitol annex where reporters gathered for jousting sessions with governors and other elected officials. Because I spent considerable time there when I covered politics for The Bee and later as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s speechwriter, the photos and social media posts caught my eye. But I have to confess, I feel no warm sense of nostalgia about the place and agree with political columnist Dan Walters, who wrote: “No one who works in and around the Capitol will be sorry to see the annex disappear. It is not only
plug ugly 1950s brutalist architecture at its worst, but dysfunctional to the max.” Walters is spot on, but he’s wrong about one thing. There are some who want to see the annex saved. At least four lawsuits have been filed contesting the state’s plans to tear down the annex and replace it with a modern, more functional building. Most of the opposition targets what litigants argue was an inadequate environmental review and the loss of dozens of old trees in Capitol Park that would be removed or relocated to accommodate the annex replacement.
Although the 70-year-old annex has some historical significance, the building hasn’t aged well. Still, there are some in town who would rather see it saved and renovated. Sacramento needs to get over the habit of grieving anytime a building with some historical currency gets torn down and replaced. Just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s worth saving. Buildings aren’t people. When they outlive their usefulness as this one has, getting rid of them is the right thing to do. The annex has a long list of deficiencies. Aside from being boxy and ugly, it’s not appropriately accessible
