Leonard F. Starks was the original founder of Nacht & Lewis in 1922. Here’s a brief spotlight on our founder and his love for watercolor painting.
As one of the leading architects in Sacramento throughout the 1920’s, up until his retirement in 1965, Leonard F. Starks’ work on Sacramento’s historical skyline is well-known and celebrated across the Capitol Region. Mr. Starks’ name is synonymous with thoughtfully designed, functional structures that are timeless in beauty and in detail. Some of Starks’ more well-known Sacramento designs include the Elks Tower, McClatchy High School and the Alhambra Theatre.
Much less has been written about the man himself though. One of the more interesting facts about Mr. Starks is that he was an avid water color artist. After his retirement, Mr. Starks painted full time and was a member of an artist group called “The Rocky Rollers”. The group would drive around the Central Valley looking for scenes to paint using water colors; some of their landscapes included country barns, rural roads and scenes of the delta. Another well-known member of The Rollers was fellow Sacramento architect Alfred Eichler, designer of the iconic Tower Bridge.
