In almost 10 years of lunch-time trekking in the neighborhood of this downtown building in the background, I have never known quite how to feel about it. The locals do; they dubbed it "the Darth Vader Building" almost as soon as it opened in 1989 as the biggest focal point in the Sacramento skyline.
Officially, it's named Renaissance Tower. I doubt one in 100 people in town know it by that name. I had a job interview once on the 21st floor. The views were stunning. This building also reflects the sun beautifully and kaleidoscopically in the morning and evening sunlight. Yet it always manages to look a bit shabby and dirty as if the dark windows need perpetual cleaning.
I'll salute the architects for trying something bold in glass, especially in a city that's fairly conservative with its design standards. But one always has the feeling here that if they could take it down, many locals would. One exception is a writer for The Sacramento Press who saluted its 20th anniversary in 2009.
Interestingly, while Googling around for this item I discovered two more city towers nicknamed "The Darth Vader Building, in Seattle and Boston.
UPDATE 4/15/2011
Since writing this post I've been paying more attention to this building, watching at different times of day for light and play of the sun. Here are a couple more shots of the Renaissance Tower known as Darth Vader. The first is around 1 p.m. and the second about 4:45 p.m. Thanks for the chance to revisit:
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