Historic Old Sacramento building transforms into museum space with exhibit on death

The historic Paperworks building on Front Street in Old Sacramento is being transformed into a new museum exhibition space.

It's the latest tourist hotspot in what the city is calling a "museum mile" along the waterfront, and its first exhibit is all about a topic that could be troubling for some people and fascinating for others.

Troy Carlson, who owns The Paperworks Exhibitions & Specialty Shops, said he's spent more than a year on renovations. The three-story structure is 99 years old and was originally built for a paper supply company.

"This building was perfect up here because you can make it into whatever you want," Carlson said.

The top floor offers a massive open concrete loft.

"This is kind of the size you need to bring in large-scale exhibitions, so here we could house Titanic, or King Tut or any of those big exhibits you see in other cities," Carlson said.

Their first exhibit looks at the history, science and stories behind human death.

"There are amazing facts that you learn here, but not morbid," Carlson said. "It's family-friendly."

It includes a look at lion and hippo attacks to poisonous insects, plants, and the plague.

"The content is so fascinating with this exhibit," Carlson said. "It's all about our natural world and our curiosity with it."

It's the latest addition to what Sacramento is calling its "museum mile,"  a walkable stretch of downtown that features nearly a dozen museums.

Carlson, who also owns the Stage Nine business next door, said exhibits will rotate every three to six months to offer a reason for people to continue returning to the historic waterfront district.

"It's just a beautiful concrete structure, and we're really excited to bring it back to life and give it a new lease on life," he said.

The grand opening of the new Paperworks event space will be on June 27. That's the same day that the popular Evangeline's gift and costume store is scheduled to re-open after being damaged by a fire in June of last year.