Why is there a 10-story pyramid in West Sacramento? Here’s the story behind the Ziggurat

Uniquely is a Sacramento Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Sacramento area so special.

When the sun plunges below the horizon in Sacramento, one of the capital region’s most recognizable landmarks flickers into sight.

The Ziggurat, a 10-story pyramid-shaped building with giant steps that glow at night , neighbors the iconic Tower Bridge and the Sacramento River.

The towering structure in West Sacramento — also known as the Zig or the Minecraft building to some — has captured the attention of locals and visitors for decades.

Reddit user ilinh said she was visiting her boyfriend in the capital city 10 years ago, when she snapped a picture of the brightly illuminated Ziggurat with its beams bouncing off the Sacramento River.

“I never asked but ... what is that pyramid building?” she wrote at the time.

Most recently, a reader reached out to The Sacramento Bee to ask a similar question: “What is the pyramid-looking building in Sacramento near the golden Tower Bridge?”

Bee Curious , a community-driven series where journalists answer readers’ questions, dug into the story behind the Ziggurat.

What is a ziggurat?

Ziggurats can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia , where the stepped structure and its rectangular base served as sacred places.

The buildings were designed to “elevate the priests toward heaven” for the worship of gods, according to the World History Encyclopedia.

The concept of trying to get closer to the higher powers resonates across many cultures.

Indigenous people in the Americas, including the Maya and Aztec civilizations, built structures resembling ziggurats, the encyclopedia said.

What is the Ziggurat building in West Sacramento?

Construction on the Ziggurat building at 707 3rd St. in West Sacramento began in 1997. The building was completed a year later.

The sandstone structure stands 156 feet tall and features about 400,000 square feet of space, according to skyscraper database SKYDB and commercial real estate firm CBRE Group.

The $60 million building was constructed to resemble a Mayan temple and was “viewed by some an architectural eyesore,” according to Calisphere, the University of California’s digital collections database.

“At night, lit up to resemble a burning ember, it is among the skyline’s most visible structures ,” The Sacramento Bee’s Bob Walter wrote on June 27, 2000.

“West Sacramento has made the tower its icon,” Walter said. “Some love it and some hate it.”

Who is the architect behind pyramid-shaped structure?

Architect Ed Kado designed the Ziggurat, as well as several other buildings around the city.

His creations include 500 Capitol Mall, Sutter Hospitals’ Beuhler Building, Oto’s Marketplace on Freeport Boulevard and several buildings for Sacramento State, according to the Asian Community Center Senior Services.

The Ziggurat was born out of a commission by national money lender The Money Store, which planned to establish new headquarters in Sacramento.

“It was such a monumental commission,” Kado said in a 1998 interview with the Sacramento Business Journal , describing the project as an “ultimate success” for him.

Kado told the publication that his original design featured a 12-story building, similar to an upside-down pyramid, with the top floor extending 120 feet toward the Sacramento River.

Marc Turtletaub, then president of The Money Store, thought the cantilevered structure was interesting, but preferred a symmetrical building, Kado said.

“I (then) suggested this shape,” Kado said, referring to the current-day design. “Because that shape connotes stability, and I thought it would be a good image for The Money Store.”

Is the Ziggurat ‘ugly’ or iconic?

Before it was built, the Ziggurat drew a mixture of criticism and awe.

“People say the beige pyramid is ugly, imposing, too big , wrong for the site, overwhelming, reminiscent of Las Vegas or just plain stupid-looking,” Bee reporter Gary Delsohn wrote in a column published Aug. 3, 1997.

“It’s an interesting building, but it shouldn’t have been there,” Maria Lambert, who was attending a California Department of Justice meeting nearby, told The Bee at the time. “It obscures the view of the river.”

Other community members praised the Ziggurat in letters to the editor published in The Bee on Aug. 10, 1997.

Thomas G. Michaelson of Fair Oaks defended the project for not fitting a “cookie-cutter mentality.”

“I wonder what a design-review committee would have done with Sutter’s Fort: out of place, too big and overwhelming?” he asked.

Some expressed hope that the Ziggurat would inspire more innovative architecture.

“I think it is great,” Sacramento resident Robert Wendel wrote. “Hopefully this structure will light the fire for more riverfront development.”

“Our city needs to be more interesting because from a design standpoint, it is boring,” Tom O’Hair, another city resident, wrote.

What happened to The Money Store?

The Ziggurat served as The Money Store’s headquarters starting in 1998. The business previously operated from an office near McKinley Park in East Sacramento , The Bee reported on July 2, 2000.

However, its residency in West Sacramento was short-lived.

The Money Store closed in 2000 after it had been purchased by First Union Corp. for $2.1 billion in 1998.

“Money Store, we hardly knew ye,” Sacramento Bee staff writers wrote in 2000.

Meanwhile, the Ziggurat changed owners again — and again.

In 1998, Bentley Forbes Group Inc. of Los Angeles bought the building from First Union Corp. for about $87 million, The Bee reported in 2000, “the highest price ever paid for a Sacramento office building.”

Bentley Forbes later sold the Ziggurat to Zurich Alternative Asset Management.

In 2021, CBRE Group reported that Nome Ventures, a real estate investment firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, bought the building for $90 million from Zurich.

What is inside the Ziggurat now?

In 2001, the California Department of General Services leased the Ziggurat for $170 million, signing onto a multi-year residency.

“More than 1,200 employees will move from 10 scattered locations around the capital into the Ziggurat, which features a four-story atrium, a two-story entry, a theater, a fitness center and an 11,000-square-foot cafeteria,” The Bee reported in 2001.

In 2008, the Department of General Services posted a YouTube video revealing a “secret room” in the Ziggurat .

Hidden behind a cherry wood panel, the room features curved walls inspired by Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí and a grand view of the riverfront, a department representative said in the video.

In nearly three decades, the Ziggurat has become a local landmark — and a staple on the city’s skyline.

“I love the Ziggurat,” Reddit user Professor_Goddess wrote in September, calling it “a true Sacramento icon .”

What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com .