{"nrhp_refnum":"82002237","name":"Ruhstaller Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"900 J St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sacramento","county":"Sacramento County","state":"CA","lat":38.58036518100005,"lon":-121.49484253199995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-01-21","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial and office building with a basement at 900 J Street, on the southeast corner of 9th and J Streets in Sacramento, California. It was built in 1898 for Frank J. Ruhstaller.","why_significant":"The nomination argues its primary value is architectural: an eclectic design combining a rounded Queen Anne tower and bays, Classical features, Romanesque Revival massing and later Moderne ground-floor work. It is also noted as the meeting hall of the Elks, the work of a prominent local businessman, and for one of the first air cooling systems in California.","narrative":"Built in 1898 at the corner of 9th and J Streets in downtown Sacramento, this three-story brick building was commissioned by Frank J. Ruhstaller, a prominent local businessman who managed the Buffalo Brewing Company and later the Forum Investment Company. It originally housed a brewery tap room, offices for doctors, dentists and other businesses, and a third-floor hall for the Elks with a twenty-six-foot ceiling and spring dance floor. The Elks left in 1907. The exterior mixes styles: a rounded Queen Anne corner tower and slanted bays, rock-faced sandstone walls suggesting Romanesque Revival, Classical details, and a black tile and vitrolite ground floor added in a Moderne remodeling around 1930. It also had one of the first air cooling systems in California, which circulated river water through the building. Its architectural variety and prominent site near the civic core are the main reasons it was listed.","period_of_significance":"1898","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Eclectic: Queen Anne, Romanesque Revival, Classical and Moderne elements","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered by remodelings around 1920 and 1930; the new owner planned to rehabilitate it close to the original for office use. Earlier uses included offices, retail shops and artist studios.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:32.181246-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/82002237.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002237/ae74068de6-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82002237/ae74068de6-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Toyz1988","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruhstaller_Building.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Toyz1988</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ruhstaller_Building.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123860648","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhstaller_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7378680"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/sacramento-county/ruhstaller-building-82002237/"}