Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) desir­ed a dra­ma­tic, monumental building, hav­ing care­­ful attention given to sun control and considerable flexibility for expected future growth. The 166,000-square-foot building, housing the cen­tral admin­istration and service facilities, was completed in 1961.

A major design feature, a glass mosaic tile mural by artist Wayne Thiebaud, encircles the first level of the build­ing. The south wing encloses three clear-spanned floors of flexible office space over an auditor­ium, demon­­­stration areas, and a lobby. The basement was design­­ed to house the cafeteria, mailroom and general storage area. The north wing houses three levels of garage with a com­puter floor above. Garage space is pro­vided for staff vehicles while tree-lined parking is avail­able for visitors and employees. The build­­ing has matured suc­cessfully over the years and is still used as it was originally design­ed.