History
Built on friendship and respect.
Al + Len
1950
Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture began in the 1950s with two visionary friends who championed transformational design in Northern California. Working together and with a group of exceptional people, they produced a legacy of work that the firm continues to build upon.
1950
Sacramento Municipal Utility District Headquarters
1959
In 1952, a defining moment in Northern California architecture was about to happen. Dreyfuss + Blackford were selected to design the headquarters for the newly established Sacramento Municipal Utility District. SMUD Headquarters was the first significant International Style modernist icon in the Sacramento region. The building incorporated forward-thinking technology and sustainability that is still relevant today.
Nut Tree
1959
Of all Dreyfuss + Blackford’s projects, Nut Tree was its most people-oriented success. Millions of travelers stopped at the Nut Tree complex between San Francisco and Sacramento during its seventy years in business. All in one place you could get a bite to eat, visit outdoor attractions, and make fond memories.
Vogel Chevrolet Showroom
1959
The Vogel Chevrolet Showroom (1959) was a Miesian glass box that received an AIA Central Valley Merit Award.
A groundbreaking modern building in downtown Sacramento, the Vogel Chevrolet Showroom was constructed as an addition to an existing warehouse building on a limited site.
IBM Office Building
1963
One of the first precast concrete structures in Northern California the design employed many innovative passive solar features.
Left to right: Albert M. Dreyfuss, Charles S. Olmstead, Walter D. Buehler, Walter A. Buehler, Michael J. Heller Sr., and Leonard D. Blackford review a drawing at the construction site, circa 1960.
The quality and durability of the building’s materials, design, and detailing ensured that it remained a viable, economical office complex for many years.
San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
1964-1981
SFO’s circular roadways, central garage, and curved terminals are the legacy of Len Blackford’s planning vision.
Dreyfuss & Blackford Architects was involved in the expansion of the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) from 1964 to 1981. Blackford's plan was ahead of it's time, the connection to a rapid transit station, arrived more than twenty years after his aspiration.
CalPERS Headquarters Lincoln Plaza North
1987
CalPERS Headquarters was an instant landmark when it opened in 1987.
Where SMUD was designed as a building in a park, CalPERS Headquarters was a building as a park, with lushly terraced grounds and tall interior atrium.
A view of CalPERS Headquarters Lincoln Plaza North from above.
Be a part of our future.
Seventy Years
This book celebrates seventy years of outstanding design by Dreyfuss + Blackford Architecture. Known for its thorough research, thoughtful approach, and modernist aesthetic, the Northern California firm consistently produces exceptional projects. Ranging from office complexes to university buildings to cultural institutions, the work always focuses on people and their interactions with the designed environment. An exploration of the company’s iconic history, an examination of the architects’ well-considered practices and processes, and examples of noteworthy recent projects make this book both a commemoration of seven decades of noteworthy design and a definition of the future of the firm.
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