The Sacramento City Council recently designated a Tudor Revival-style home in East Sacramento as a historic landmark. The structure was home to a few prominent people in Sacramento history, one being an accomplished building contractor and another, a former U.S. President.
George and Irma Pollock built the two-story house at 1341 45th Street in 1925. The home features terra cotta roofing, a painted brick exterior, and large chimneys. It has over 8,000 square feet of living area, six bedrooms and four baths. George Pollock was a building contractor and served as the contractor for his own home.
At 34, he formed the George Pollock Company, his own engineering and construction business. Pollock’s company was engaged in many large construction projects. Some of the projects he was involved in were:
- Sacramento’s Tower Bridge;
- Construction of Shasta Dam;
- The All-American Canal for the Boulder Dam project;
- $7 million project for construction of the dry dock project at Pearl Harbor; and
- $70 million naval operations base at Long Beach and Point Hueneme.
After Pollock’s death in 1950, the house was sold to local realtor Dain Domich, who is known for purchasing the Town & Country Village Shopping Center and was engaged in building several other commercial projects and large apartment houses.
In 1960, Domich was elected to the Sacramento City Council, where he served for eight years and spent much of his time as a civic minded individual becoming a prominent leader in many organizations.
Domich leased the house to Ronald and Nancy Reagan in 1967. The Reagans lived there during Ronald’s two terms as Governor of the State of California from 1967-1975. The Reagans eventually bought the house from Domich. After his time as Governor, Reagan became the 40th president of the United States and served two terms from 1981-1989.
Later the home was purchased by Art and Susan Savage. Art was pivotal in building Sutter Health Park, formerly Raley Field, and bringing the River Cats to the city to begin a legacy of successful minor league baseball in Sacramento.
“Listing this property as a landmark ensures this distinctive house will be preserved,” said Associate Planner, Henry Feuss. “This is a notable addition to the register due to the notorious individuals that lived here; it’s not often we have a nationally recognized former owner.”
The home has had very few changes since the period of significance and all distinguishing characteristics have remained intact.
The historic landmark listing is consistent with the goals of the Sacramento 2040 General Plan, which provides for the identification and preservation of historical and cultural resources. Listing the property on the Sacramento register will help ensure its preservation and encourage rehabilitation consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.
Visit Historic Preservation’s web page to learn more about the City’s role in preserving Sacramento’s history and how to nominate a historic landmark.
