From the moment Chris Lango laid eyes on it, he had to have it. The interior wasn't even built yet — just an empty shell in a rundown old building designed in 1924 to showcase motorcars. But he knew this loft on the alley would be everything he wanted in urban living -- creative, a bit rough, hidden away in the middle of the city. An exterior remodel, part of an adaptive reuse, was well underway. He was captured by the history of the building and the story of its architect. "I was blown away," said Lango, 45. "I've always liked unique living spaces. If you like city living, I guess living in an alley is the most urban. Certainly, the most gritty." Lango was living in an apartment over

As pretty as a wedding cake and a hundred times more colorful, the Crest Theatre regained center stage on K Street Mall Monday night with the relighting of its historic marquee. The "ooos" and "ahhs" of roughly 300 people seemed to float up over the flashing dance of electrified color that now plays from the marquee's reader board to the top of the 90-foot blade. People of all ages turned out to watch as Mayor Kevin Johnson and Sacramento City Councilman Ray Tretheway threw the switch to relight the landmark neon sign following a four-month restoration. The city ponied up $360,000 for interior work and the sign's renovation, which was handled by YESCO sign company. The theater and its s