Gladding McBean in Sacramento & Beyond

Join the Sacramento Historical Society on Tuesday, November 25th, for a fascinating evening with Bruce Marwick, President of the Sacramento Art Deco Society, as he explores the extraordinary story of Gladding McBean, one of California’s most enduring and influential companies.

Founded in 1875 in Lincoln, California, Gladding McBean has spent 150 years shaping the architectural landscape of Sacramento, San Francisco, Chicago, New York, and beyond. Known for its mastery of terra cotta, the company’s artisans—many of them skilled immigrants from Italy, Germany, and Bolivia—brought artistry and industry together to create the elegant façades, sculptures, and bas-reliefs that still define the city’s skyline today.

Bruce will share the company’s artistic and historical legacy through vivid examples of its work across California and the West. You’ll meet the remarkable sculptors and modelers behind some of these creations—Pio Tognelli, Carlo Taliabue, Antonio Sotomayor, and Helen Bruton—and see how Gladding McBean continues…