Credit: David Wakely

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

BBB's work at the Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament preserves its historic character while stabilizing the exterior envelope and restoring the interior.

The Cathedral of The Blessed Sacrament is a late Italian Renaissance-style cathedral, and at the time of its consecration in 1908, it was regarded as one of the richest and most imposing church edifices on the Pacific Coast. Over time, the building deteriorated and a series of "modernizations" left the interior lacking a unified aesthetic. In 2001, the Roman Catholic Diocese commissioned BBB to lead a team in restoring the landmark and preparing it for its next century of service. BBB's charge was to repair and stabilize the exterior envelope, reinforce the structure for seismic loads, and restore the interior. The original inner dome, dismantled and concealed in the 1930s, was re-opened and rebuilt; a new liturgical setting with baptismal font, altar, ambo, cathedra, tabernacle, crucifix, and chapels were created to harmonize with the original architecture; and all interior walls and ceilings were decoratively painted in their original style.

 

Client

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament

Location

Sacramento, CA

Size

45,000 SF

Completed

2005