The Ziggurat
The Ziggurat is a ten-story office building with a five-story parking structure in West Sacramento, California, on the Sacramento River. It was designed by Sacramento architect Edwin Kado to resemble a Mesopotamian ziggurat and built by The Money Store in 1997. Since 2001 it has been leased by the California Department of General Services as its headquarters. The complex sits on more than seven acres near the Tower Bridge and contains about 373,725 square feet of usable office space.
The design reflects a stable, stepped pyramid. The final shape was chosen after an earlier plan for an inverted pyramid. The building uses a steel frame on a pile foundation and is designed to withstand strong earthquakes, up to about magnitude 6.9. Its exterior features Minnesota Gray Buff limestone panels, each weighing about four tons, and the structure can be lit at night for events.
Power and security systems include 75 kW emergency power, a 300 kW UPS, two separate electrical feeds, and centralized video surveillance. The communications center has two fiber connections, and there are dedicated rooms on each floor for telephones and computers, including a 3,600-square-foot raised-floor computer room with climate control on the third floor.
Five traction elevators serve all floors, plus a hydraulic service elevator between the basement parking and first floor. The on-site parking structure holds 1,649 spaces, with secure bicycle parking and card-key access. The first floor is fenced. The structure is cast-in-place concrete with tensioned decks and is designed to withstand a 6.8 earthquake. The building also offers an employee fitness center with showers and lockers.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:43 (CET).