Rialto Building, 225-230 J Street, Sacramento, Sacramento County, CA

Significance: The city of Sacramento, established by John A. Sutter, Jr., in 1849 includes Sutter's Fort and was incorporated in 1849. A fire on November 2, 1852 destroyed a store on this site which was established on January 1, 1850 by D.O. Mills and his two brothers. In 1853, two adjacent one-story brick structures were erected by John H. Carroll and J.M. Jessup. The corner, Carroll structure measured 20' x 80' and Jessup's building to the west 20' x 70'. Carroll occupied his building as a wholesale grocer until 1857. The Jessup building was occupied by various types of retail shops. Carroll later became one of Sacramento's leading businessmen as a flour miller and president of the Mutual Life Insurance Company of California. Floods necessitated the raising of the level of both the streets and buildings during the years 1864-1870. "J" Street was raised in late 1865 and the original Carroll and Jessup buildings were brought up to the new street level in 1866, at which time the two properties were combined and a second floor added. The second floor served as a hotel, and the ground was utilized for a succession of retail shops, saloons, restaurants, etc. A temporary occupant of the corner premises was the Sacramento Bee newspaper, 1878-79. The existing structure is an excellent example of the combination of the two dominant architectural styles of Old Sacramento-the ornamental cast-iron work of the ground floor denoting the period of the 1850's, and the Italianate details of the second floor reflecting the architectural character of the late 1860's.
Survey number: HABS CA-192