The Silver Dollar, aka Top's Club, was later the "Ron-D-Voo" in the same location, opening in the early 1940s and, as you can see, already featuring drag revues. It was also reopened as "Casablanca" before becoming the "Ron-D-Voo." I kind of wonder if there is a relation to a much later club called "Topper's" that was still around into the 1980s.
This ad features both the Sapphire Club, roughly where the wine bar is on K Street between 12th and 13th, and a place called the Show Boat. I met an Air Force veteran who was a regular at the Sapphire when he was stationed at Mather AFB in the early 1950s--apparently downtown Sacramento was the destination of choice for soldiers on leave or with a pass at the Air Force or Army bases. The "Show Boat" has me curious: it is mentioned in many ads but there is no address, just "Turn right after the I Street bridge and look for the signs," suggesting it was a floating restaurant in the Sacramento River, like the Chart Room, or today's Delta King.
The Zanzibar was possibly the most legendary downtown Sacramento club. Located at 6th and Capitol, it was known for its national acts, its interracial audience, and its larger-than-life manager, "Nitz" Jackson.
The Zanzibar was closed in 1949 among controversy that the owner facilitated prostitution on the property. Others claim it was due to efforts by the Chamber of Commerce to get this sort of business out of downtown Sacramento--a successful nightclub drawing lots of customers made it harder to claim that Capitol Avenue was "blighted" and in need of redevelopment.
The Zanzibar reopened as the Paradise Steak House, retaining some of its traditions like its best known dancer/stripper, "Tondalayo, the Body Beautiful." It was closed by 1954 when demolition of the old West End began--starting with the Governor lighting a stick of dynamite to destroy a building next door to the Zanzibar/Paradise location.
The Trianon Ballroom is another nightclub that still exists, above the lobby of the Senator Theater. The Senator, located on K between 9th and 10th, was built in an old Turn Verein hall. The building facing K was a grand lobby downstairs and a dance club upstairs, with a grand staircase leading to a tunnel OVER the alley between K and L--the main theater, capacity 2000, was on L Street. The theater is gone, but the Trianon's building is still there, today used as an office building. I'm curious as to how much of the Senator and Trianon's grand ballroom decor still exists under drywall and drop ceilings. It was still used as a dance hall into the 1970s, featuring rock bands like Redwing and dances that were mostly aimed at Sacramento's Latino community.
Donovan's was located upstairs from what is now Bud's Buffet on 10th Street between J and K; it was later the Solomon Dubinick art gallery and today is a marketing/media firm. It was operated by Southern California night club manager Frank Sebastian.
This half-page of ads shows a variety of clubs, in and around downtown and the suburbs. One thing I noted is that clubs in the central city tended to be jazz (swing, Latin jazz, bebop, New Orleans jazz, etc.) while clubs out in the suburbs and the county were Western swing clubs like Wills Point (featuring Billy Jack Wills, younger brother of Western swing legend Bob Wills, whose Western Swing Band was a pioneer of rockabilly.) But there were also jazz clubs in the suburbs. Wills Point started out as the Aragon Ballroom, a jazz club advertised next to one of the Zanzibar ads above. Note also the ads for "Fellos Midtown" on Broadway and 23rd.