Dingley Spice Building
Another project funded for the bicentennial related to the Dingley Spice Mill, an architecturally important and historic building in Sacramento. This two-story brick masonry structure was built in 1854 for Nathan Dingley’s spice and coffee milling business. The building was chosen as part of a nation-wide effort spearheaded by the National Association of Home Builders called the Heritage ’76 Meeting House Program. This program aimed to restore fifty-five historic structures, one in each US state and territory, with the help of NAHB’s 75,000 developers, home builders, attorneys, bankers, real estate brokers and other members. It was intended that each of the fifty-five locations, including historic schoolhouses, bank buildings, firehouses, railroad stations, among other buildings, would serve as a local community center or meeting house. As part of Old Sacramento State Historic Park, the Dingley Spice Mill was owned by the California Department of Parks and Recreation, and the commission awarded the Department a $1,000 grant to prepare a prospectus on the Dingley Spice Mill as a possible meeting house.
