The Sacramento Bee Building (1857 - 1957)

Constructed in 1857, the building that originally stood at this location was the headquarters for The Sacramento Bee newspaper, until the building was demolished in 1957 to make way for the construction of Interstate-5. Prior to the building's demolition, The Sacramento Bee headquarters was located within the area that became the Old Town Sacramento National Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. Today, an original building fragment is still visible underneath the Interstate-5 overpass. Consisting of a wooden door framed by red brick, this remnant is all that remains of the original building. Now located at 1601 Alhambra Boulevard, The Sacramento Bee is the flagship publication of the McClatchy Company, which owns thirty daily and almost fifty non-daily newspapers.

Founded in 1857, The Sacramento Bee newspaper published its first issue on February 3, 1857. Its original headquarters was a two-story brick building at this location near Third and J Street. James McClatchy, an Irish immigrant, founded the newspaper after arriving on the West Coast amidst the California Gold Rush of 1849. He had previously worked under Horace Greeley, editor and publisher of the highly regarded publication, New-York Tribune. Although McClatchy's search for gold was unsuccessful, he sought to create a reputable newspaper on the West Coast, and he established what ultimately became a media empire. According to an editorial in the newspaper’s first issue, McClatchy hoped that the paper would be known not only for its independence, but also for its permanence, an objective that has been upheld to this day.

After McClatchy’s death, his two sons, C.K. and V.S. took over the newspaper as editor and publisher, respectively. Under their leadership, the paper became known for its progressive approach to journalism. Although the original headquarters building was later demolished in the mid-20th century to make way for the construction of Interstate-5 through Old Town Sacramento, a fragment of the building remains underneath the I-5 overpass. A wooden doorway surrounded by red brick appears to be a portal to nowhere, yet it provides a glimpse into the original appearance of The Sacramento Bee headquarters. Several other buildings in Old Town Sacramento were also demolished during the construction of Interstate-5, including the Overton Building, the Western Hotel, and the Darius Ogden Mills Bank Building.

Prior to its demolition, The Sacramento Bee headquarters building was located in the area that became the Old Town Sacramento National Historic District, added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966. As the flagship publication of the McClatchy Company, The Sacramento Bee is currently the company’s largest newspaper in circulation amongst the dozens of daily and non-daily newspapers that the company publishes. Since winning its first Pulitzer Prize in 1935, The Sacramento Bee has received many major awards, including a total of five Pulitzer Prizes. The newspaper covers the Northern Sacramento Valley and the surrounding region south to Stockton, north to Redding, east to Reno, and west to the San Francisco Bay area.

"About Us: History", Sacramento Bee. Accessed August 26th, 2023. https://www.sacbee.com/customer-service/about-us/article2770826.html.

"California Historical Landmark 611: Sacramento Bee Building", Noe Hill . Accessed August 26th, 2023. https://noehill.com/sacramento/cal0611.asp.

"Image / Demolition of the Sacramento Bee Building", Calisphere. Accessed August 26th, 2023. https://calisphere.org/item/a970a5c8a07980a397b5dcf82362d53d/.

"Original Sacramento Bee Building", California State Parks, Office of Historic Preservation. Accessed August 26th, 2023. https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/611.

Sacramento Archives and Museum Collection Center and the Historic Old Sacramento Foundation. Old Sacramento and Downtown. Images of America. Charleston, SC. Arcadia Publishing, 2006.