REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
December 2011 (Revised April 2014)
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
December 2011 (Revised April 2014)
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
PREPARED FOR
Moule & Polyzoides
Architects and Urbanists
180 E. California Boulevard
Pasadena, California
2 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3 Overview
5 Federal and State Regulatory Framework
10 City of Fresno Regulatory Framework
16 Downtown Fresno Historic Context
67 Themes and Associated Property Types
84 Architectural Character
93 Survey Methodology
100 Survey Results
111 Glossary of Terms
114 Bibliography
Appendices
Appendix A: Properties that Appear Eligible for Individual Historic Landmark Designation
Appendix B: Contributors to the Civic Center Historic District Appendix C: Fulton Mall Potential Historic District Evaluations Appendix D: California Office of Historic Preservation Historical Resource Status Codes
List of Figures
Figure 1: Intensive Survey Area
Figure 2: Properties Eligible for Individual Designation Figure 3: Potential Civic Center Historic District
Figure 4: Potential Fulton Street-Fulton Mall Historic District 3 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
OVERVIEW
Downtown Fresno and its immediately
surrounding neighborhoods contain
some of the City’s oldest and most
historically significant areas, and has
been the subject of numerous previous
surveys and studies. These earlier efforts
have identified both individual historic
resources and several historic districts,
and include resources found eligible for
the National Register of Historic Places
and the California Register of Historical
Resources. Many resources have also
been designated as local historic
resources by the City of Fresno.
The 2011 survey was designed to
accomplish three key objectives
regarding historic resources within the
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor):
1. Identification of individual
properties significant to the history
of the City of Fresno, California,
and the nation that had not been
previously identified through
survey.
2. Identification of any geographic or
thematic groupings of properties
that would comprise a potential
historic district.
3. Evaluation and documentation for
up to 300 properties located within
the Fulton Corridor that had not
been previously evaluated and
documented.
With these objectives in mind, the
scope of the survey was defined in
consultation with City staff to comprise
five main components:
1. A reconnaissance-level survey of
properties within the central
portions of the City as well as
selected outlying areas.
2. Intensive survey of the all properties
located on the Fulton Mall.
3. Intensive survey of up to 300
properties located within the Fulton
Corridor that had not been
previously surveyed or otherwise
evaluated as a historic resource.
4. An historic context statement for
Downtown Fresno.
5. Documentation of all surveyed
properties on DPR Forms 523A
and 523B.
The survey was conducted between
April 2010 and March 2011.
Participants included Christy McAvoy,
Managing Principal; Paul Travis, Senior
Preservation Planner; and Christine
Lazzaretto, Senior Architectural
Historian; all of whom meet the
Secretary of the Interior's qualifications
for professionals in historic
4 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
preservation.1 Additional assistance was
provided by Robbie Arangun, assistant
researcher.
Project coordination on behalf of the
City of Fresno was managed by Karana
Hattersley-Drayton, Historic
Preservation Project Manager.
As this survey report indicates,
Downtown Fresno boasts a substantial
number of historically significant
properties. With the information
compiled in this report and associated
appendices, the City is prepared to
pursue its ongoing efforts to protect and
preserve its vibrant past.
Purpose
The purpose of this historic property
survey report is to inform the City of
Fresno Development and Resource
Management Department, as well as
other municipal agencies and
community organizations associated
with the preparation of the Fulton
Corridor Specific Plan and the
Downtown Neighborhoods
Community Plan, of the history of the
area, and to identify those properties
1 Federal Register, Vol. 48, No. 190, pp. 44738-44739,
September 29, 1983.
within the survey boundaries that are
considered potentially
historically/architecturally significant
and potentially eligible for inclusion on
the City of Fresno Historical Resources
Register, the California Register of
Historical Resources, or the National
Register of Historic Places.
This survey is intended to help create
an inventory of potential historic
resources in the survey area. This
survey is not intended to constitute a
final determination as to the actual
historic or cultural value of the
properties listed herein. Consistent with
the holding in
Citizens for Responsible
Development in West Hollywood v.
City of West Hollywood (1995) 39 Cal.
App. 4th 490, 504, this survey, in and of
itself, is not intended to be used to
identify “historical resources” for
purposes of CEQA without further
action by the City’s Historic
Preservation Commission and the
Council of the City of Fresno. Only the
Fresno City Council has authority under
the City of Fresno Historic Preservation
Ordinance (Fresno Municipal Code
Chapter 12, Article 16), pursuant to
procedures found therein, to declare
historic contributors to a Local Historic
District, to designate historic resources
to the Local Register of Historic
Resources, or to officially adopt
historical resource surveys, a
prerequisite for their submittal to the
State Office of Historic Preservation for
5 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
integration into the Historic Property
Data File for Fresno County.
Acknowledgements
City of Fresno
Elliott Balch
Downtown Revitalization Manager
Craig Scharton
Director, Downtown and
Community Revitalization
Department
Wilma Quan
Project Director and Urban Planning
Specialist
Fresno Historic Preservation
Commission
Molly LM Smith (Chair)
Don Simmons, Ph.D. (Vice Chair)
Joe Moore
Patrick Boyd
Sally Caglia
Teresa España
Christopher Johnson AIA
Community Members
Eldon Daetweiler
Lauren MacDonald
Bruce A. Owdom
Miguel Santos
6 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATORY
FRAMEWORK
The identification and protection of
historic resources is supported by
Federal and state regulations. The
following discussion provides an
overview.
National Historic Preservation Act
The National Historic Preservation Act
(NHPA), which was most recently
amended in 1992, created the
framework for preservation activity in
the United States. The NHPA redefined
and expanded the National Register of
Historic Places which had been
established by the Historic Sites Act of
1935; created the position of State
Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) to
administer state preservation programs;
established the Certified Local
Government Program; and set up the
Historic Preservation Fund to fund the
provisions of the Act.
Section 106 of the National Historic
Preservation Act, through a consultation
process with the Advisory Council on
Historic Preservation, mandates that the
effects of all federal undertakings on
properties listed in or eligible for listing
in the National Register be taken into
account.
National Environmental Policy Act
The intent of the National
Environmental Policy Act is to protect
the natural and built environment,
including historic properties, from
adverse effects resulting from federal
actions. Before a federal agency may
proceed with a proposed action, it must
first perform an environmental
assessment to determine whether the
action could have any significant effect
on the environment. If it is determined
that the action may have an effect on
the environment, the agency must then
prepare an Environmental Impact
Statement (EIS) which identifies all
environmental impacts resulting from
the action and lists mitigation measures
and project alternatives which avoid or
minimize adverse impacts.
Impacts involving historic properties are
usually assessed in coordination with
the process established under the
National Historic Preservation Act of
1966. Normally, the Section 106
process must be completed before the
Environmental Assessment or EIS can
be finalized.
California Environmental Quality Act
The California Environmental Quality
Act (CEQA) was enacted in 1970 and
most recently modified in 1998. The
basic purpose of CEQA is to inform
governmental decision makers and the
public about the potential significant
adverse effects, if any, of proposed
activities and projects.
It also provides opportunities for the
public and for other agencies to review
and comment on draft environmental
documents. As environmental policy,
7 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
CEQA requires that environmental
protection be given significant
consideration in the decision making
process. Historic resources are included
under environmental protection. Thus,
any project or action which constitutes
a substantial adverse change on a
historic resource also has a significant
effect on the environment and shall
comply with the State CEQA
Guidelines.
When the California Register of
Historical Resources was established in
1992, the Legislature amended CEQA
to clarify which cultural resources are
significant, as well as which project
impacts are considered to be
significantly adverse. A “substantial
adverse change” means “demolition,
destruction, relocation, or alteration
such that the significance of a historical
resource would be impaired.”
CEQA defines a historical resource as a
resource listed in, or determined eligible
for listing, in the California Register of
Historical Resources. All properties on
the California Register are to be
considered under CEQA. However,
because a property does not appear on
the California Register does not mean it
is not significant and therefore exempt
from CEQA consideration. Similar to
Section 106 and the National Register,
all resources determined eligible for the
California Register are also to be
considered under CEQA.
Public agencies must treat some
resources as significant under CEQA
unless the “preponderance of evidence
demonstrates” that the resource is not
historically or culturally significant.
These resources include locally
designated properties and properties
evaluated as significant in cultural
resources surveys which meet California
Register of Historical Resources criteria
and California Office of Historic
Preservation Survey Methodology.
Substantial adverse change in the
significance of a historical resource is
viewed as a significant effect on the
environment. CEQA prohibits the use
of a categorical exemption for projects
which may cause a substantial adverse
change.
Historic Designations
A property may be designated as
historic by National, State, and local
authorities. In order for a building to
qualify for listing in the National
Register or the California Register, it
must meet one or more identified
criteria of significance. The property
must also retain sufficient architectural
integrity to continue to evoke the sense
of place and time with which it is
historically associated.
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places
is an authoritative guide to be used by
Federal, State, and local governments,
private groups and citizens to identify
8 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
the Nation's cultural resources and to
indicate what properties should be
considered for protection from
destruction or impairment.2 The
National Park Service administers the
National Register program. Listing in the
National Register assists in preservation
of historic properties in several ways
including: recognition that a property is
of significance to the nation, the state,
or the community; consideration in the
planning for federal or federally assisted
projects; eligibility for federal tax
benefits; and qualification for Federal
assistance for historic preservation,
when funds are available.
To be eligible for listing and/or listed in
the National Register, a resource must
possess significance in American history
and culture, architecture, or
archaeology. Listing in the National
Register is primarily honorary and does
not in and of itself provide protection of
an historic resource. The primary effect
of listing in the National Register on
private owners of historic buildings is
the availability of financial and tax
incentives. In addition, for projects that
receive Federal funding, a clearance
2 36CFR60, Section 60.2.
process must be completed in
accordance with Section 106 of the
National Historic Preservation Act.
Furthermore, state and local regulations
may apply to properties listed in the
National Register.
The criteria for listing in the National
Register follow established guidelines
for determining the significance of
properties. The quality of significance in
American history, architecture,
archeology, engineering, and culture is
present in districts, sites, buildings,
structures, and objects:
A. That are associated with events
that have made a significant
contribution to the broad patterns
of our history; or
B. That are associated with the lives
of persons significant in our past;
or
C. That embody the distinctive
characteristics of a type, period, or
method of construction, or that
represent the work of a master, or
that possess high artistic values, or
that represent a significant and
distinguishable entity whose
9 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
components may lack individual
distinction; or
D. That have yielded, or may be
likely to yield, information
important in prehistory or
history.
3 In addition to meeting any or all of the
criteria listed above, properties
nominated must also possess integrity of
location, design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association.
California Register of Historical
Resources
The California Register is an
authoritative guide in California used by
State and local agencies, private groups,
and citizens to identify the State's
historical resources and to indicate what
properties are to be protected, to the
extent prudent and feasible, from
substantial adverse change.
4 The criteria for eligibility for listing in
the California Register are based upon
National Register criteria. These criteria
are:
1. Associated with events that have
made a significant contribution to
3 36CFR60, Section 60.3.
4 California PRC, Section 5023.1(a).
the broad patterns of local or
regional history or the cultural
heritage of California or the
United States.
2. Associated with the lives of
persons important to local,
California or national history.
3. Embodies the distinctive
characteristics of a type, period,
region or method of construction
or represents the work of a
master or possesses high artistic
values.
4. Has yielded, or has the potential
to yield, information important to
the prehistory or history of the
local area, California or the
nation.
The California Register consists of
resources that are listed automatically
and those that must be nominated
through an application and public
hearing process. The California Register
includes the following:
California properties formally
determined eligible for (Category
2 in the State Inventory of
Historical Resources), or listed in
(Category 1 in the State
Inventory), the National Register
of Historic Places.
State Historical Landmarks No.
770 and all consecutively
numbered state historical
landmarks following No. 770.
10 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
For state historical landmarks
preceding No. 770, the Office of
Historic Preservation (OHP) shall
review their eligibility for the
California Register in accordance
with procedures to be adopted by
the State Historical Resources
Commission (commission).
Points of historical interest which
have been reviewed by the OHP
and recommended for listing by
the commission for inclusion in
the California Register in
accordance with criteria adopted
by the commission.
5 Other resources which may be
nominated for listing in the California
Register include:
Individual historical resources.
Historical resources contributing
to the significance of an historic
district.
Historical resources identified as
significant in historical resources
surveys, if the survey meets the
criteria listed in subdivision (g) of
Section 5023.1” of the Public
Resources Code.
5 California PRC, Section 5023.1(d).
Historical resources and historic
districts designated or listed as city
or county landmarks or historic
properties or districts pursuant to
any city or county ordinance, if
the criteria for designation or
listing under the ordinance have
been determined by the office to
be consistent with California
Register criteria.
Local landmarks or historic
properties designated under any
municipal or county ordinance.
6 6 California PRC, Section 5023.1(e).
11 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
CITY OF FRESNO REGULATORY FRAMEWORK
2025 General Plan
Fresno’s responsibilities regarding
Historic Preservation are addressed in
Section G of the Resource Conservation
Element (Chapter 4) of the City of
Fresno’s 2025 General Plan. The
objectives and policy provided in
Section G reiterate the City of Fresno’s
commitment to historic preservation,
advocating for the “identification,
appropriate recognition, and promotion
of historic and cultural resources.”
7 Fresno’s heritage will be safeguarded
“by preserving resources which reflect
important cultural, social, economic,
and architectural features so that
community residents will have a
foundation upon which to measure and
direct physical change.”
8 Some key policy directives include:
Continued historic surveys
throughout the City;
Maintaining a computerized
database of information;
Developing resources to assist and
encourage citizen participation in
7 2025 Fresno General Plan Chapter 4, G-10
8 2025 Fresno General Plan Chapter 4, G-11
implementing preservation policy
and programs;
Enlarge the role of the Historic
Preservation Commission in
advising the City Council, other
legislative bodies, and the general
public on preservation issues;
Liberal interpretation and possible
amendment of existing codes to be
more supportive of historic
preservation objectives;
Encouraging adaptive re-use of
historic resources and the use of the
State Historic Building Code.
Required review of potential for
local listing by historic preservation
staff and, if necessary, the Historic
Preservation Commission, of any
building over fifty years old prior to
a formal demolition order by the
City.
9 Historic Preservation Ordinance
The City of Fresno Historic Preservation
Ordinance was adopted in 1979 and
amended in 1999. It provides for the
designation, preservation, promotion,
9 The General Plan language qualifies that review is
subject to staffing levels and amendment of the
Historic Preservation Ordinance.
12 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
and improvement of historic resources
and districts for the educational,
cultural, economic, and general welfare
of the public and the City of Fresno.10
The Historic Preservation Ordinance
establishes a Historic Preservation
Commission to oversee the City’s
historic preservation program, assigns
city staff to assist the Commission
including a historic preservation
specialist, establishes a local register of
historic resources, and criteria for
historic designation and the listing of
properties on a Local Register of
Historic Resources. Designated
properties are subject to a permit
review process that includes review by
the Historic Preservation Commission.
Historic Resource Designation
The Historic Preservation Ordinance
defines three categories of designation
for properties in Fresno: Historic
Resource, Heritage Property, and Local
Historic District.
The City of Fresno Historic Preservation
Commission and City Council may
designate any building, structure, object,
or site as a Historic Resource if it is
found to meet the following criteria:
10 Fresno Municipal Code 12-16.
It has been in existence for more than
fifty years and possesses integrity of
location, design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association,
and:
i. It is associated with events that
have made a significant
contribution to the broad
patterns of our history; or
ii. It is associated with the lives of
persons significant in our past;
or
iii. It embodies the distinctive
characteristics of a type, period,
or method of construction, or
represents the work of a master,
or possesses high artistic values;
or
iv. It has yielded or may be likely
to yield, information important
in prehistory or history.
11 Additionally, a property may be eligible
for designation as a Historic Resource if
it is less than fifty years old and meets
the above-listed criteria, and is found to
have exceptional importance within the
11 Fresno Municipal Code 12-1607(a)(1)
13 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
appropriate historical context at the
local, state, or national level.12
Designation of a Historic Resource may
be initiated by the City Council, the
Historic Resources Commission, the
Secretary, the property owner, or an
authorized representative of the
owner.
13 Heritage Property Designation
The Historic Preservation Ordinance
defines a Heritage Property as “ a
resource which is worthy of
preservation because of its historical,
architectural or aesthetic merit but
which is not proposed for and is not
designated as an Historic Resource…”
Any building, structure, object, or site
may be eligible for designation as a
Heritage Property by the City of Fresno
Historic Preservation Commission if it is
found by the Commission to be worthy
of preservation because of its historical,
architectural, or aesthetic merit.
14 There
is no specific age requirement for
Heritage Property designation, and no
criteria for significance and integrity has
been established.
12 Fresno Municipal Code 12-1607(a)(2)
13 Fresno Municipal Code 12-1609(a)
14 Fresno Municipal Code 12-1607(d)
Heritage Property designation “may
only be initiated by the property owner
or an authorized representative of the
owner”15 and consideration of the
property by the Historic Preservation
Commission does not require advance
public notice. In addition, Heritage
Property designation is not reviewed by
the City Council.
Local Historic District
A Local Historic District is defined as
“any finite group of resources related to
one another in a clearly distinguishable
way or any geographically definable
area which possesses a significant
concentration, linkage or continuity of
sites, buildings, structures or objects
united historically or aesthetically by
plan or physical development.”
16 In
addition, a proposed Local Historic
District must meet one or more of the
following criteria:
1) It exemplifies or reflects special
elements of the city’s cultural, social,
economic, political, aesthetic,
engineering, or architectural
heritage; or
15 City of Fresno Municipal Code Section 12-1612(a)
16 City of Fresno Municipal Code Section 12-1603(s)
14 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
2) It is identified with a person or
group that contributed significantly
to the culture or development of
the city; or
3) It embodies the distinctive
characteristics of a style, type,
period, or method of construction,
or is a valuable example of the use
of indigenous materials or
craftsmanship; or
4) Structures within the area exemplify
a particular architectural style or
way of life to the city; or
5) The area is related to a designated
historic resource or district in such a
way that its preservation is essential
to the integrity of the designated
resource or LHD; or
6) The area has the potential for
yielding information of
archaeological interest.
17 Fresno Heritage Sign Permit Program
The City of Fresno has established a
heritage sign permit program that
provides code compliance relief for
property owners of historic-era signs if
the signs are designated as historic
17 City of Fresno Municipal Code Section 12-1607(b)
objects under the City of Fresno
municipal code. In order to qualify for
heritage sign status and receive relief
from compliance to existing building
codes, the historic sign must meet the
following criteria:
Be at least 45 years old at the time of
application
Maintain appearance and materials as
originally designed
Meet (or will meet) all safety and
health codes,
And
Contribute to the history and social
history of the City, or
Contribute to a “sense of place” of a
City neighborhood, or
Maintain an association with a person
important in local history, or
Exemplify a style, design, or type of
sign.
Certified Local Government Status
Fresno is a Certified Local Government
(CLG) through an agreement with the
State Office of Historic Preservation.
This agreement allows the City to
15 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
review and approve projects funded by
the Department of Housing and Urban
Development (HUD) which may
impact Fresno’s historic resources. 18
The 1980 amendments to the National
Historic Preservation Act of 1966
provided for the establishment of a
Certified Local Government program
(CLG). The CLG program is a national
program designed to promote the direct
participation of a local government in
the preservation of historic properties
located within its jurisdiction. The CLG
program further encourages the
preservation of cultural resources by
establishing a relationship between the
local government, the State of
California, and the National Park
Service. In order to be a CLG, cities
must comply with the following five
criteria:
Adopt an historic preservation
ordinance.
Establish a qualified preservation
commission.
18 City of Fresno Planning Department, Historic
Preservation web page. Accessed October 2010.
http://www.fresno.gov/Government/DepartmentDir
ectory/PlanningandDevelopment/Planning/HistoricP
reservation/default.htm
Provide for adequate public
participation in the local historic
preservation program.
Conduct and maintain a
comprehensive historic and
architectural survey.
Complete other responsibilities
assigned by the state.
Certified Local Governments directly
participate in the nomination of historic
properties to the National Register of
Historic Places and perform other
preservation functions delegated by the
SHPO under the National Historic
Preservation Act. These may include the
responsibility to review and comment
on development projects for
compliance with federal and state
environmental regulations, including
such activities as Section 106 reviews,
review of National Register
nominations, and review of
rehabilitation plans for projects seeking
the Federal Rehabilitation Tax Credit.
Local governments that participate in
the CLG program are also eligible to
apply to the SHPO for funding. Each
state is required to allocate ten percent
of their annual Federal appropriation to
CLG activities. Types of activities that
can be funded through a CLG grant
include: architectural, historical,
archeological surveys; nominations to
the National Register of Historic Places;
staff work for historic preservation
commissions; design guidelines and
16 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
preservation plans; public outreach
materials such as publications, videos,
exhibits, and brochures; training for
commission members and staff; and
rehabilitation or restoration of National
Register listed properties.
Fulton/Lowell Specific Plan (1996)
The Fulton/Lowell Specific Plan
(adopted in 1996 and amended in
2002) guides development in an area
that includes the Lowell plan area,
much of the Cultural Arts District and
portions of the Central Business District
within the Fulton Corridor plan area.
The Fulton/Lowell Specific Plan
“supports and recommends an
increased emphasis on historic
preservation” stating that “high priority
should be given to the rehabilitation
and restoration of historic structures,
neighborhoods, and districts…” Fifty-
seven (57) designated historic structures
within the neighborhood (in 1996) are
acknowledged and preservation is a
stated goal supported by policy and
implementation actions.
19 The development of the Fulton/Lowell
plan included the formation of the
Fulton-Lowell Plan Advisory
19 Fulton-Lowell Specific Plan (45.-46)
Committee to monitor and oversee the
implementation of the Specific Plan.
Key among the Committee’s
responsibilities is to “review and make
recommendations on plan
amendments, development entitlements
(including building, demolition, and sign
permits), and site plan review
applications in the Fulton/Lowell
Specific Plan Area.”
20 20 Ibid. (61)
17 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
DOWNTOWN FRESNO HISTORIC CONTEXT
Overview
A historic context statement for
Downtown Fresno is contained in the
following pages. This historic context
statement is a critical component of the
2011 survey.
In order to understand the significance
of the historic and architectural
resources in Downtown Fresno, it is
necessary to examine those resources
within a series of contexts. By placing
built resources in the appropriate
historic, social, and architectural context,
the relationship between an area’s
physical environment and its broader
history can be established. For this
reason, historic properties must be
considered in relation to important
historic events and periods of
development in the City of Fresno as
a whole.
A historic context statement analyzes
the historical development of a
community according to guidelines
written by the National Park Service
and specified in National Register
Bulletin 16A. The Bulletin describes an
historic context as follows:
Historic context is information about
historic trends and properties grouped
by an important theme in pre-history or
history of a community, state, or the
nation during a particular period of
time. Because historic contexts are
organized by theme, place, and time,
they link historic properties to
important historic trends. In this way,
they provide a framework for
determining the significance of a
property.
An historic context statement is linked
with tangible built resources through
the concept of “property type,” a
grouping of individual properties based
on shared physical or associative
characteristics. It should identify the
various historical factors that shaped the
development of the area. It may
include, but need not be limited to:
Historical activities or events
Historic personages
Building types, architectural
styles, and materials
Patterns of physical
development
An historic context statement is not a
comprehensive history of an area.
Rather, it is intended to highlight trends
and patterns critical to the
understanding of the built environment.
It provides a framework for the
continuing process of identifying
historic, architectural, and cultural
resources. It may also serve as a guide
to enable citizens, planners, and
decision-makers to evaluate the relative
significance and integrity of individual
properties. Specific examples referred to
in this context statement are included
solely to illustrate physical and
18 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
associative characteristics of each
resource type. Exclusion from this
context statement does not diminish the
significance of any individual resource.
Numerous sources were used to
compile the historic context statement
for Fresno’s Downtown. These include
local newspapers; historic photographs;
Sanborn fire insurance maps; and
published histories.
In addition, material included here has
been developed in part by previous
survey efforts. These surveys are
reviewed in the Regulatory Framework
section of the Downtown (Fulton
Corridor) Survey Report. Elements of
these documents and other studies have
been incorporated here to provide
continuity of scholarship and approach.
Objectives
Specific objectives of this historic
context report include:
Establishment of significant themes
and events in the development of
Downtown Fresno;
Identification of property types
associated with this development;
Description of architectural styles
found in Downtown Fresno;
Identification of significant people
who were influential in the
development of Downtown Fresno;
Identification of architects, builders,
developers and landscape architects
known to have influenced the
physical character of Downtown
Fresno.
Important Themes
The historic context provides a general
history of the built environment of
Downtown Fresno, its associated
themes and property types. It addresses
the broad historical themes that
contributed to the development of
Fresno, outlines the chronological
development of the built environment,
and identifies key historic resources
from each period. Themes that have
had the most significant impact on the
extant built environment of Downtown
Fresno include:
The Railroad and Town
Establishment
Early 20
th Century Commercial
Development
Early 20th Century Residential
Development
Immigration and Fresno’s Ethnic
Communities
Industrial Development
New Deal Civic Development
Mid-Century Downtown
Commercial Revitalization
Mid-Century Downtown Civic
Revitalization
19 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Pre-European History
Humans have lived in the dry, arid
regions of central California for
thousands of years. The area’s earliest
known human inhabitants are generally
referred to as the “Yokuts” a native
term meaning “people” that refers to
over sixty tribes linked through
language, culture, and kinship. These
tribes populated a large swath of central
California, ranging from the Sacramento
River Delta in the north to present-day
Bakersfield to the south as well as the
Sierra Nevada foothills to the east.
Evidence suggests the Yokut tribes
developed a robust trading culture with
other native California peoples
including California coastal tribes.
21 European Exploration and Settlement
1805-1848
Europeans did not arrive in central
California until the 19th Century.
Spanish missionaries first explored the
region in 1805 and 1806, followed by
the Ashley Expedition which arrived
from St. Louis in 1823 to hunt and trap
along the Merced, Stanislaus, and
21 Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians
website. accessed March 26, 2011.
http://www.chukchansi.net/history.html
Tuolumne rivers.22 While the Spanish
expeditions would name the valley “San
Joaquin”, the dry, desert-like region was
not considered suitable for permanent
settlement. Scattered settlements were
eventually established after Mexican
Independence in 1834. It was during
the Spanish and Mexican eras that the
name “Fresno,” (a Spanish word
meaning “ash tree”) was first applied in
the region to identify the Fresno River,
a tributary of the larger San Joaquin
River.
23 In 1848, Mexico’s northern territories,
including California, were ceded to the
United States following the Mexican-
American War. The discovery of gold at
Sutter’s Mill north of Sacramento that
same year attracted thousands of
people to California in the Gold Rush.
Miners were drawn to the southern
Sierra Nevada in search of riches, and
soon cattle ranchers occupied the San
Joaquin’s arid lands. The new arrivals
quickly organized their own settlements,
including the mining town of Rootville
22 Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Properties Survey
Report South Stadium Project Area, August 2008.
23 Hattersley-Drayton, Karana. Historic Architecture
Survey Report for Renaissance at Santa Clara
Residential Development Project, City of Fresno,
February 2011. (16)
20 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
in 1851. Located on the San Joaquin
River, Rootville was renamed Millerton
in 1854 and in 1856 became the
county seat of the newly created Fresno
County, a new county carved out from
portions of existing Mariposa, Merced,
and Tulare counties. Millerton remained
the county seat until 1874, when the
recently established town of Fresno,
located fifteen miles to the south,
assumed the title. By that time, the
majority of Millerton’s population had
largely decamped to Fresno as well.
24 Town Establishment 1872-1900
The town of Fresno’s establishment and
its subsequent growth into the San
Joaquin Valley’s most important urban
center was made possible by three
roughly concurrent developments: (1)
the development of regional irrigation
systems that unleashed the valley’s
fertile soils and abundant sunshine for
agricultural use; (2) the construction of
the Central Pacific Railroad through
central California which provided a vital
connection to the country’s urban
24 Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Properties Survey
Report South Stadium Project Area, August 2008.
(5)
The Millerton town site is today the site of Lake
Millerton, an artificial lake created by the 1942
construction of the Friant Dam.
centers to the east; and (3) the
formation of agricultural colonies which
brought thousands of farmer-settlers to
the region and maximized the valley’s
agricultural potential. These three
factors would place Fresno at the center
of what would become the most
productive agricultural regions in the
United States.
25 Water, Agriculture and the Railroad
Irrigation of farmland in Fresno County
begins with the storied partnership of
ranch owners Anthony Y. Easterby and
Moses J. Church. Believing that the land
in Fresno County held significant
agricultural possibilities, Easterby
purchased a large tract of land north
and east of present-day Downtown
Fresno in 1867. He hired Church,
another believer in the county’s
agricultural potential, to design and
build a canal and irrigation system that
would divert water from the Sierra
Nevada and provide a reliable water
source. The resulting system provided
Easterby with enough water to
successfully cultivate a substantial wheat
25 Hattersley-Drayton, Karana. Historic Architecture
Survey Report for Plan Amendment A-08-007 and
Rezone A-08-034, City of Fresno, July 2009 (5)
21 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
crop by 1871.26 Church would then
form the Fresno Canal and Irrigation
Company and go on to build hundreds
of miles of canals -- referred to
colloquially as “Church Ditches” --
throughout the region.
27 Easterby’s lush wheat fields were
noticed by officials from the Central
Pacific Railroad as they passed through
Fresno County looking for a location
for a train station to service newly laid
tracks running north-south through the
San Joaquin Valley. They purchased
over 4000 acres of land located to the
west of Easterby’s ranch and established
the Fresno Station site.
The new town of Fresno Station was
surveyed by Edward H. Mix in a
gridiron plan that paralleled the railroad
tracks. The standardized pattern of
streets, blocks, lots and alleys varied
only to set aside land for a county
courthouse and a broad corridor
through the center of town for rail
yards, and track right-of-way. The
26 Page & Turnbull, Inc. (6)
27 Panter, John “Central California Colony: Marvel of
the Desert”, Fresno Past & Present, the Journal of
the Fresno City and County Historical Society, Vol.
35 No. 2, Summer 1994.
Central Pacific train depot was located
at Tulare and “H” streets.
By 1874, the County Courthouse was
constructed, and a cluster of
commercial establishments had formed
along “H” Street that included stores,
hotels, restaurants, and saloons.
Fresno County Courthouse (demolished)
Fresno Historical Society Archives
22 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Fresno Map 1873
23 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
One year later, 600 people were
resident in Fresno including
approximately 200 Chinese living on
the west side of the railroad tracks.28
By 1880 the population was over 1000.
Widespread prosperity would ultimately
come to Fresno County with the
introduction of agricultural colonies.
These colonies secured water rights for
large tracts of land. The land was
subdivided into smaller land plots, and
the individual plots sold as family farms
with the individual farmers sharing
water rights on a cooperative basis. The
first of these to be successful was the
Central California Colony established in
1875 just three miles south of the town
of Fresno.
29 It would serve as a model
for the region and by 1903 Fresno
County boasted 48 separate colonies
on over 70,000 acres.30 Through the
colony system, the large tracts of land
surrounding Fresno were cultivated by
thousands of settlers who relocated to
the region.
28 Clough, Charles W. and Secrest, William B., Jr.
Fresno County: The Pioneer Years from the
Beginnings to 1900. Fresno, CA: Panorama West
Books, 1984. (122)
29 Panter 1994 (2)
30 Ibid. (9)
Fresno County’s most famous and
lucrative cash crop was the raisin. Local
legend has it that California’s first raisin
crop was the result of a massive heat
wave in 1873 which dried grapes on
the vine before farmers could pick
them. Whether apocryphal or not, the
intensive sun of the San Joaquin proved
perfect for drying raisins and raisin
grapes became a primary crop in Fresno
County. Cotton and figs also became
important crops. As agricultural
production grew and diversified, Fresno
became the primary market town for
the San Joaquin Valley.
31 City Incorporation and Development
In 1885, with a population of over
3000, Fresno was incorporated as a city.
The January 1885 Sanborn map shows
a typical American frontier town with
scattered development across a roughly
six-block area radiating north-east from
the Central Pacific depot. The town
includes a densely constructed
commercial corridor running three
blocks up Mariposa Avenue between H
Street and the courthouse at Mariposa
and K Streets (present-day Van Ness
Avenue) replete with commercial
shops, lodging houses, banks, offices,
31 Hattersley-Drayton, Plan Amendment 2009 (7)
24 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
restaurants and saloons. Residential
dwellings are less densely distributed
north and northwest of Mariposa
Avenue along Fresno and Merced
Streets, and H, I, J, and K streets.
By 1887 all of the originally platted
railroad lots had been sold and
expansion subdivisions outside the
original town site were underway. The
May 1888 Sanborn Map shows
residential development expanding
north and west of Merced Street along
Tuolumne, Stanislaus, Calaveras, H, I, J
and K streets, and east of Mariposa
Avenue along Tulare, Kern, Inyo,
Mono, and Ventura Streets, and H, I J,
K, L, M, and N streets.
In 1889 the City’s streets were paved
and a new Central Pacific Depot was
constructed at H and Tulare streets,
replacing the earlier depot at the same
site. By 1890 Fresno’s population had
reached over 10,000 people. In 1896,
the San Francisco and San Joaquin
Valley Railroad (later the Santa Fe
Railroad) came to Fresno, located
northeast of and parallel to the Central
Pacific. The Mission Revival style depot
at Tulare and “O” streets was
completed in 1899.
Although never a manufacturing center,
Fresno developed a robust industrial
sector needed to support its growing
status as a transport and distribution
center for an increasingly important
agricultural region. Industrial activity in
Fresno developed largely in support of
agricultural activities -- primarily raisin
and dried fruit packing – with facilities
tending to cluster in close proximity to
the railroad. By 1898 eleven large fruit
packing houses could be found on H
and G streets, forming an industrial
corridor between Fresno Street to the
north and Santa Clara Street to the
south. Other industrial properties along
the same corridor include grain
warehouses, produce warehouses, and
lumber yards.
32 Industrial development
continued south and east along the rail
lines and also clustered near the Santa
Fe depot to the north.
32 Fresno Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 1898
Southern Pacific (originally Central Pacific)
Depot
25 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Mariposa Street in 1888
May 1888 Sanborn Insurance Map
26 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Immigration and Ethnic Settlement
Fresno’s late 19th Century population
was an ethnic mix of people with
origins from many points around the
globe. The earliest settlers were former
miners drawn to California by the Gold
Rush and Scandinavian farmers who
were some of the first to take advantage
of the cooperative opportunities of the
agricultural colonies. Ethnic groups
whose settlement patterns were
important to the development of
Downtown Fresno include the Chinese,
present in Fresno from the very
beginning. Restricted from other areas,
the Chinese settled south of the railroad
between G Street, Mariposa Avenue, F
Street and Kern Street which
immediately became known as
“Chinatown.”
33 The racial restrictions produced a
density and intensity of land use in
Chinatown found nowhere else in
Fresno. The 1898 Sanborn Map reveals
lodging houses, saloons, gambling
parlors, “female boarding” houses
34, and
a Chinese theater all packed into a
couple of blocks. Towards the end of
the 19
th Century, Japanese immigrants
33 Hattersley-Drayton, Plan Amendment 2009 (5-6)
34 Understood to be a euphemism for brothels.
also began arriving in Fresno. Facing
similar anti-Asian racial prejudice, many
would settle in the Chinatown area.
The first Armenian settlers, the Seropian
Brothers, arrived in Fresno in 1881.
Successive waves of Armenian
immigration would create one of the
strongest and most successful ethnic
communities in Fresno. Many of the
first Armenian immigrants were farmers
whose expertise with vineyards and
grape cultivation would become
instrumental in the development of the
raisin industry. Armenians would
eventually colonize an area located
between the Santa Fe and Southern
Pacific tracks known locally as
“Armenian Town”
35 which was roughly
bounded by Kern Street, Los Angeles
35 Hattersley-Drayton, Plan Amendment 2009 (6)
Wing Chee Family circa 1900
Fresno Historical Society Archives
27 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Street, Broadway and O Street. Fresno’s
Armenian population would reach its
peak in the aftermath of the1915
Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman
Empire which forced emigration of
many Armenians.
36 Ethnic Germans from Russia or “Volga
Germans” first arrived in Fresno in
1887.37 Their numbers continued to
grow and the community coalesced in
“German Town” located directly south
of Downtown in an area of land
bounded by Church Street, Mono
Street, G Street, and Fruit Street.
38 A smaller community of African-
Americans was also present very early,
evidenced by the 1892 establishment of
an African Methodist Church in 1882.
The African-American community
largely settled south and west of
Downtown Fresno.
39 36 Armenian National Institute website
http://www.armenian-genocide.org
37 Architectural Resources Group. Germantown,
Fresno Historical Context, April 2006. ( 8)
38 Ibid. (12)
39 Clough, 1984. (137)
Urban Form and Pattern
By the turn of the century Fresno had a
population of over 12,000 people and
the city had established its fundamental
urban form. Key characteristics of this
form include the two parallel rail lines
bordering the central city to the
southwest and northeast; the original
street grid oriented northwest-southeast
in concert with the rail lines; mid-block
alleys as part of the street grid; the
centrally located County Courthouse
within a large grassy square; a growing
central business and commercial district
radiating from the intersection of
Mariposa Street and J Street just south
of the Courthouse; industrial uses
clustered along both rail lines (H and G
streets to southwest, R and Q streets to
the northeast); and surrounding
residential neighborhoods with the
more prosperous citizens locating to the
north and east, and citizens of more
modest means located to the south
and west.
Mariposa Street 1889
A.W. Peters Collection of Fresno County, Fresno
Historical Society Archives
28 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1898
Overview map showing Fresno’s urban pattern at the end of the 19th century. 29 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The expansion of the city outside the
original town site was also well-
established with street alignments
shifting from the original northwest-
southeast direction within the original
town site to an alignment with the
cardinal directions within the expansion
areas.
40 This general pattern would carry
forward into the mid-20th Century.
The Valley’s Metropolis (1901-1930)
The first three decades of the 20th
Century were a period of steady growth
and increasing prosperity for Fresno
during which the city established itself
as the primary city of the San Joaquin
Valley.
Growth and Prosperity
The City’s first electric streetcar was in
use in 1902. By 1909 the first double-
track streetcar line was installed along J
Street. By the early 1920s, streetcar
lines would radiate out from the central
business district to the north, east,
south, and west where farmland was
being subdivided for suburban
development. The expanding transit
infrastructure, along with exponentially
increasing private automobile
ownership, made living further from the
40 Page & Turnbull, Inc. (8)
city center possible. Land within the
central city increasingly became used
for commercial and civic purposes.
Fresno Streetcar
Fresno Historical Society Archives
30 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Fresno Transit Map 1923
Taken from Trolleys of the San Joaquin-When Fresno Rode the Rails by Edward Hamm Jr. 1979 31 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Three important civic buildings were
constructed Downtown in the decade
just after the turn of the century. The
first, the Fresno Public Library, was built
on the east side of I Street between
Merced and Tuolumne with a $30,000
Carnegie grant. Completed in 1904, the
Fresno Carnegie Library was one of the
earliest and costliest in the Carnegie
system. Architects Copeland and Dole
of New York designed the building in
the Classical Revival style.
41 41 Carnegie Libraries of California website
http://www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/fresno.html
The Carnegie Library was demolished in 1959.
In 1907, the first purpose-built City Hall
was constructed just down the street
from the library at the southeast corner
of I Street and Merced. A new Post
Office was constructed at the northwest
corner of Tulare and Van Ness. These
substantial and architecturally
distinguished buildings signaled that
Fresno had moved beyond its early
nascent stage.
Concurrently, Fresno’s central business
district experienced a building boom
during the early part of the 20
th
century. The 1906 Sanborn Maps show
the central commercial corridor
expanded along I and J streets both
north and south of Mariposa between
Tulare and Fresno streets. By 1919, the
concentration of buildings on both
streets reaches north to Tuolumne and
south to Inyo with stores, restaurants,
offices, banks, hotels, and theaters all
represented.
42 That same year, I Street
was renamed Broadway and K Street
was renamed Van Ness Avenue. In
commemoration of Fresno business
man Fulton G. Berry, J Street was
renamed Fulton Street in 1923.
43 42 Fresno Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1919.
43 Urbana Preservation and Planning. City of Fresno
Arts-Culture District Historic Property Survey, July
2006. (17)
Fresno Carnegie Library (demolished)
Fresno County Public Library Collection
32 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1918-1919
Map showing the density of central Fresno in the early-20th century. 33 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The newly named Fulton Street had
been Fresno’s established “Main Street”
for years, the preferred location for the
Valley’s major consumer retailers.
Downtown’s skyline was transformed in
1913 when the ten-story Griffith-
MacKenzie building was constructed on
J and Mariposa streets, beginning a
series of high-rise and significant
building construction that would last
until 1929.
Major commercial buildings constructed
in the central business district during
this period include the Hotel Fresno
(1912); Gottschalk’s Department
Store(1914); the Bank of Italy Building
(1918); the Hotel Virginia (1920); the
Mattei Building (1921); the T.W.
Patterson building (1922); the San
Joaquin Light & Power Company
building and Hotel Californian (both
1923); the Radin-Kamp Department
Store (1924); the Wilson
Theater(1926); and the Pantages
Theater(1928).
Bank of Italy Building shown in 1926
Downtown Fresno circa 1920
San Joaquin Light & Power Building 1923
34 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Many of the significant buildings were
designed and constructed by the local
firm of R.F. Felchlin which was formed
in 1912 by Richard F. Felchlin and
architect Charles Franklin. In 1917,
architect Raymond Shaw joined the
firm and the firm became Felchin, Shaw
& Franklin in 1925.
44 Their work would
define the Fresno skyline to the present
day.
Fruit Packing and Industrial Growth
Led by the fruit packing industry, the
City’s industrial areas continued to
expand in the 20
th century. Large
parcels south of the Central Pacific
tracks were developed with packing
houses, storage warehouses, and drying
sheds. Fruit and produce wholesalers
Hobbs-Parsons Company operated
several warehouse and packing facilities.
Their 1903 produce warehouse at the
corner of H Street and Tulare remains
in place today and has been designated
a historic resource by the City. The
44 A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno,
California Accessed April 15, 2011.
http://historicfresno.org/bio/bio.htm
Among the firm's major projects in Downtown
Fresno were the Bank of Italy Building (1918), the
Patterson Building (1922), the San Joaquin Light &
Power Building (1923), the Pacific Southwest
Building (1923), and the Radin & Kamp
Department Store (1925).
Pacific Coast Seeded Raisin Co Plant
No. 6 first appears on the 1906
Sanborn Map at the northeast corner of
G and Mariposa. Later operated by
other concerns, the facility would
continue to grow, taking over the block
between Mariposa and Fresno. The
plant still remains today.
45 Many of the businesses identified on
the early Sanborn Maps indicate branch
operations of statewide, national and
international companies. The California
Fruit Canners Association Fresno
Branch Cannery No. 16 was located on
H Street between Ventura and San
Benito streets.
46 The Association was
the result of a merger of California’s
major fruit canners. In 1916, they
became the California Packing
Corporation or CALPAK, marketing
products under the Del Monte brand.
47 45 Fresno Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps 1906, 1919,
1948, 1963, 1970.
46 Fresno Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1906.
47 "California Fruit Canners Association." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 2011. Web. 17 Jun. 2011.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/895
84/California-Fruit-Canners-Association
35 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1918-1919
Industrial development along the railroad between Tulare Street and Inyo Street.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1918-1919
Industrial development along the railroad between Inyo Street and Ventura Street. 36 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The Rosenberg Brothers Company
operated a large raisin and dried fruits
packing house (previously operated by
the H.L. Hobbs Company) at the
northwest corner of G Street and
Mono.
48 The Rosenberg Brothers were
the founders of the Bear Creek
Corporation of Medford, Oregon,
marketing fruits and nuts as gifts under
the “Harry & David” brand.
49 Another organization whose name
appears on early 20th Century Sanborn
maps is the California Associated Raisin
Company (CARC) whose success
would bring the San Joaquin Valley and
Fresno international recognition. CARC
was a cooperative organization formed
in 1912 by a group of San Joaquin
Valley raisin growers to gain greater
market share and combat fluctuating
prices and demand. Growers sold their
raisins to CARC for a guaranteed price
and then shared in any net profit, less a
fee to run the organization and pay a
dividend to shareholders.
48 Fresno Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1919.
49 http://www.oregonencyclopedia.org/entry/
view/harry_david/
CARC would be responsible for
packaging the raisins and promoting
their use throughout the country.
50 In 1915, CARC began marketing their
raisins under the “Sun-Maid” brand
name. A painted image of a young girl
wearing a red sun bonnet and holding a
tray of freshly picked grapes became
the company’s trademark, reproduced
on raisin boxes and all manner of
promotional materials. The model for
the image was a local Fresno girl named
50 Sun-Maid Corporate website. Accessed April 24,
2011. http://www.sun-
maid.com/en/about/our_history.html
1916 Sun Maid logo
Image courtesy of Sun Maid Corporation.
37 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Lorraine Collett Peterson who worked
part time for a packing company.
Along with a group of other "Sun
Maids" employed by the firm, Miss
Peterson made personal appearances to
promote the raisins, while magazine and
newspaper ads emphasized the benefits
of raisins dried naturally by the sun
versus mechanical or chemical drying.
Recipe booklets and other materials
helped increase Americans'
consumption of raisins significantly.
CARC also employed a national team
of agents to sell raisins directly to
grocers, reducing the need for an
outside distribution network. This
sophisticated integration of advertising,
public relations and sales efforts was
enormously successful.
51 In 1918, CARC opened a huge
processing and packing plant at the
corner of Hamilton and Pearl streets
just south of the Fulton Corridor.
CARC's name was officially changed to
Sun-Maid Raisin Growers of California
in 1922, reflecting the success of its
national branding efforts. Sun Maid
51 Ibid.
would continue operating the Fresno
plant until 1964. 52
In addition to fruit packing, other
industrial activities during this period
included grain storage, general
merchandise warehousing, lumber
yards, beer and soda bottling, soap
manufacturing, and a machine foundry.
The Danish Creamery Association
began operating a dairy products
processing facility at the corner of E
Street and Inyo sometime before
1918.
53 Dairy products are still
52 Ibid.
53 Fresno Sanborn Fire Insurance Map 1918.
Fresno Sun Maid Packing Plant 1918
Image courtesy of Sun-Maid Corporation.
38 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
processed today at the site by California
Dairies, Inc. including butter under the
Danish Creamery brand name.54
54 http://www.californiadairies.com/products
39 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The area north of the railroad tracks
and northwest of the central business
district also began to change
dramatically during the second decade
of the 20
th Century where commercial
and light industrial uses, including a
large number of automobile service
businesses, began to replace the
residential properties originally
constructed there.
By the end of the 1920s, Fresno had
transformed into a thriving city at the
center of the United State’s most
productive agricultural region. The
downtown was fully established as the
San Joaquin Valley’s primary
marketplace offering office, retail,
lodging, dining, and entertainment
facilities. Adjacent industrial activity
enabled agricultural goods to be
processed and shipped to distant
consumers. The central city’s residential
areas had largely been developed.
Residential properties were increasingly
redeveloped for commercial uses as the
City’s wide-ranging streetcar system and
increased private automobile ownership
allowed more of Fresno’s citizens to live
outside of the city center. Fresno, along
with the nation, appeared increasingly
prosperous. Then on November 24,
1929, the New York Stock Exchange
crashed and millions of dollars in stock
value vanished. The stock market crash
exposed structural weaknesses in the
banking and finance systems, key
industries, and the economy as a whole,
ushering in the Great Depression.
The Great Depression and World War II
(1930-1945)
The Great Depression had a profound
effect on the San Joaquin Valley.
Farmers were forced to cut costs in the
face of reduced demand for their
products; many were forced into
foreclosure. Along with the rest of the
country, unemployment skyrocketed.
The Valley’s problems were
exacerbated by the influx of migrant
Fulton Street 1924
Image courtesy of Pop Laval Collection.
40 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
refugees or “Dust Bowl” migrants. It is
believed that 2.5 million people
migrated from the Midwestern Plains
states between 1930 and 1940, with
over 300,000 relocating to California
just between 1930 and 1934.
55 Thousands more would continue to
arrive throughout the 1930s and many
ended up in the Central Valley as
migrant farm workers earning very low
wages.
Fresno’s downtown development boom
came to an end. While the economy
did reach a tenuous equilibrium by the
mid-1930s and Downtown Fresno’s
streets continued to bustle with
commercial activity, no new major
downtown construction project was
initiated by private enterprise until after
World War II. Instead, major projects
were the result of government
spending.
55 Starr, Kevin, Endangered Dreams, The Great
Depression in California, Oxford University Press
1996. (224)
Civic Improvements and
the “New Deal”
The domestic policies of the
administration of U.S. President Franklin
Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s –
popularly called the “New Deal” --
marshaled direct government
investment to alleviate the problems of
poverty, unemployment and the
disintegration of the American
economy associated with the Great
Depression.
56 The Public Works
Administration (PWA), which began in
56 “New Deal”, Encyclopaedia Britannica online,
accessed April 7, 2011. http://www.britannica.com/
EBchecked/topic/411331/New-Deal
Intersection of Fulton Street and Tulare Street 1936
Image courtesy of the Pop Laval Collection
41 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1933 and the Works Progress (later
Work Projects) Administration (WPA),
which began in 1935, funneled
significant financial resources to
communities across the United States
for the construction of roads, bridges,
parks, and civic and institutional
buildings.
57 In 1933 the City of Fresno
implemented a street improvement
program along Broadway between
Divisadero and Tulare streets. The
width of Broadway was increased by
ten feet and buildings affected by the
street widening were given façade
remodels in a Spanish Revival style.
Two extant properties Downtown that
reflect the 1933 Spanish architectural
controls are the warehouse at 1416
Broadway and the Parker Nash building
at 1462 Broadway.
58 A group of local architects including W.
D. Coates, Charles H. Franklin, H.
Rafael Lake, Ernest J. Kump, Sr., Fred
Swartz, and Edward W. Peterson
formed a partnership in order to
57 Ibid. “Works Progress Administration”,
http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/64817
8/Works-Progress-Administration-
WPA?anchor=ref17478
58 Urbana Preservation and Planning., Arts-Culture
2006. (17)
compete with larger firms for
commissions funded by New Deal
programs. This group – Allied
Architects of Fresno – would go on to
design the majority of New Deal
funded buildings constructed in
Fresno.
59 The New Deal would transform the
City’s Civic Center with the
construction of five new civic buildings
constructed between 1936 and 1941
near the County Courthouse. These
projects include the Fresno Memorial
Auditorium, the U.S. Post Office, the
Fresno County Hall of Records, the
Fresno Unified School District
Administration Building, and the Fresno
City Hall.
59 Planning Resource Associates, Inc. Mid-Century
Modernism Historic Context, September 2008. (22)
Fresno Memorial Auditorium
Postcard image circa 1940
42 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
In addition to monumental civic
projects the New Deal benefited Fresno
through park improvements, street
improvements, and fire stations.
In 1939, following a national trend
away from fixed-rail transit, Fresno’s
streetcars were removed from service
and replaced with buses. Despite the
severe economic downturn, the
decentralizing forces of increased
automobile ownership and readily
available land were apparent.
World War II
On December 7th, 1941 the Japanese
attacked Pearl Harbor and the United
States officially entered World War II.
The United States entrance into the
War effectively ended the Depression in
California as all aspects of the national
economy mobilized to serve the war
effort. California received almost 12%
of the government war contracts and
produced 17% of all war supplies.
60 California also acquired more military
installations than any other state by a
wide margin, and military bases were
opened throughout the state. Aircraft,
shipbuilding, and numerous other
industries were booming due to the war
effort, and unemployment was virtually
eliminated.
60 California Military History Online, website
(http://www.militarymuseum.org/HistoryWWII.
html). Accessed June 2011.
Fresno Hall of Records
Postcard image circa 1940.
Streetcars on Fulton Street at Mariposa 1938
Image courtesy of the Fresno Bee archives.
43 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Approximately 60,000 servicemen
were stationed in and around Fresno
during the War. Military activity was
concentrated at two locations. One, the
Hammer Field bomber base, was
constructed in 1941 just beyond what
was then the eastern boundary of the
City. Today it is the site of Fresno
Yosemite International Airport. The
second, Camp Pinedale, was located six
miles north of Downtown Fresno in the
(then) unincorporated community of
Pinedale on the site of the defunct
Sugar Pine Lumber Company.
61 The
Army had acquired the site in March of
1942 for use as an Army Signal
Training School.
62 Fresno County was also the site of two
of the temporary detention camps (also
known as “assembly centers”) that
facilitated the first phase of the mass
incarceration of Californians of Japanese
ancestry. One detention camp operated
at Camp Pinedale between May and
July of 1942. The second was at the Big
Fresno Fairgrounds located east of
61 Planning Resource Associates, Inc. Mid-Century
Modern (27)
62 Planning Resource Associates, Inc. Pinedale Historic Resource Survey, October 2007. (8)
Downtown at the intersection of Kings
Canyon Road and Maple Avenue.63
63 Planning Resource Associates, Inc. Mid-Century
Modern (28)
Soldiers parade down Fulton Street 1943
Image courtesy of The Fresno Bee.
44 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Renewal and Revitalization (1946-1979)
In the years following World War II
California experienced a period of
unprecedented population growth and
economic expansion. California’s
population increased by sixty-seven
percent between 1950 and 1960. By
1970, California would have almost 20
million residents.
64 The population explosion coupled with
ever increasing automobile ownership
spurred the development of the
automobile-oriented suburb. As the
California’s cities expanded outward to
accommodate new residential
subdivisions, business and industry
followed. The traditional role of
Downtowns as the primary location for
economic and cultural activity was
eroded.
65 Downtown Stagnation
The post-war era marked the decline of
downtowns throughout the United
States due to suburban development,
the demise of urban mass transportation
64 Starr, Kevin, Golden Dreams, California in an Age of Abundance 1950-1960, Oxford University Press
2009.(x-xi)
65 Fogelson, Robert F. Downtown: Its Rise and Fall,
1880-1950, Yale University Press, 2003.
and disinvestment in City centers.66 The
City of Fresno was no exception
although these changes were not
immediate. In 1948, Gottschalk’s
flagship store on Fulton Street was
expanded and its façade was renovated
in a late-Moderne style. This investment
appeared to signal the retailer’s belief in
the continued viability of Downtown
Fresno as an important retail center.
Other smaller retailers also revamped
their street-facing facades. The pending
construction of Highway 99 just west of
Downtown promised greater
accessibility from outlying areas.
66 Ibid.
Fulton Street
Postcard image circa 1955.
45 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
By the mid-1950s, however, the results
of rapid suburbanization were
becoming evident in Downtown Fresno
as major retailers such as Sears &
Roebuck relocated to newly developed
suburban shopping centers such as
Manchester Center (1955) and Fig
Garden Village (1956).
67 The
downtown core was continually being
bypassed as a place to locate new
businesses. With Downtown unable to
compete with burgeoning suburban
development, construction of new
buildings in Downtown Fresno came to
a virtual halt.
The Gruen Plan and Urban Renewal
Official planning for the renewal and
revitalization of Downtown Fresno
began under the leadership of Mayor
Arthur Selland (1958-1963). In 1958,
the Fresno Redevelopment Agency and
the Downtown Association
68 hired
Victor Gruen Associates to create a
General Plan for the redevelopment of
the downtown area. The revitalization
67 PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno website, The
Fulton Mall: A Brief History , accessed March 9,
2011 http://www.downtownfresno.org/fulton-
mall.html
68 The Downtown Association of Fresno is a private,
nonprofit membership organization founded in
1955 to support the revitalization of Fresno’s
Central Business District.
of Fulton Street, development of a
government and public service civic
center, and the construction of a
regional conference center were all
considered essential for restoring
Downtown Fresno as an important
urban center.
69 Victor Gruen was considered one of the
most innovative and influential figures
in the design of commercial and retail
architecture. After immigrating to the
United States from his native Austria in
1938, Gruen quickly found success
with his imaginative designs for urban
retail stores. His 1954 design of the
Northland Center shopping mall in
suburban Detroit, is considered
America’s first outdoor suburban
shopping mall, and brought Gruen
national attention. In 1956 he designed
the nation's first indoor shopping mall --
Southdale Center -- in Edina,
Minnesota, southwest of Minneapolis.
70 69 PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno website.
70 Loomis, Allen A. Locating Victor Gruen, 2000.
Accessed on Delirious LA website April 22, 2011.
http://www.deliriousla.net/essays/2000-gruen.htm
46 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Original Comprehensive Plan for Core Superblock
Victor Gruen Associates, 1960
47 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Gruen believed that the lessons learned
with his shopping mall designs would
have a transformative effect when
applied to urban settings. In 1955,
Gruen Associates designed a conceptual
plan for the revitalization of downtown
Fort Worth. The Fort Worth plan
surrounded the downtown’s central
business district with a ring road that
fed automobile traffic from freeways
and major boulevards into large parking
structures. Inside the traffic ring was a
landscaped pedestrian zone defined by
the former street grid, forming a
massive “superblock” unmolested by
automobile traffic.
71 Although the Fort Worth plan was
never built, it generated a considerable
amount of attention, particularly among
the architects, planners and engineers
engaged in combating urban decay in
the United States. Gruen and Associates
soon developed a similar plan for
Kalamazoo, Michigan where the
nation’s first downtown pedestrian mall
was constructed in 1959.
Similar to his plans for Fort Worth and
Kalamazoo, Gruen’s plan for Fresno
envisioned new downtown freeways,
high-rise office and residential
71 Ibid.
developments and a new downtown
traffic pattern looping around a traffic-
free commercial core. A six-block
pedestrian mall along Fulton Street
would be the centerpiece of the
commercial core.
72 Commercial Revitalization and the
Fulton Mall
The focused attention on Downtown
immediately spurred new commercial
development in fulfillment of the plan’s
vision. In 1961, Guarantee Savings and
Loan moved in to the 1921 Mattei
Building after remodeling the first three
floors. The iconic revolving “G” at the
top of the building signaled resurgence
in Downtown business activity.
73 That
same year, Berkeley’s, a women’s
clothing retailer, 74 and Walter Smith a
men’s and boy’s clothing retailer,
opened new stores on opposite corners
of Fulton and Kern streets.75
72 Ibid.
73 “Savings Firm Will Open New Quarters”, Fresno
Bee, July 2, 1961
74 “Berkley’s Will Open In New Quarters”, Fresno Bee,
April 9, 1961
75 “Walter Smith Moves To Fulton-Kern Area”, Fresno
Bee, November 5, 1961
48 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Fulton Street looking northwest 1962
Image courtesy of Lance & Cromwell.
49 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
In 1962, the Fink & Skopp furniture
store moved into a new building at 933
Van Ness Avenue. Constructed on the
site of the 1920s-era Sequoia Hotel, the
new building, designed by local
architect Robert W. Stevens, featured a
dramatic arched façade.
Even more impressive was the
development of the Del Webb Center
at M Street and Tulare which opened to
the public in 1964.
76 The Center was
developed by Delbert Eugene “Del”
Webb, (1899-1974), a Fresno native
who had made a fortune in real estate
development.
76 Grimes, Ward W., “Del Webb Center Will Be
Dedicated Tomorrow”, Fresno Bee, March 6, 1964
A larger-than-life personality, Del Webb
was friend and confidant to many
prominent politicians and entertainers. 77
Perhaps best known for founding and
developing the model retirement
community of Sun City, Arizona in
1960, the Del Webb Company
developed numerous residential
subdivisions, shopping centers, hotels
and retirement communities throughout
the nation.
78 The full city block Del Webb Center
included a high-rise office and hotel
tower, street level shops and a parking
garage. Designed in a Corporate
Modern style, the Del Webb tower was
the first high-rise building to be
constructed in Downtown Fresno since
the 1920s.
77 Sisson, H.L., “Webb Opening Points To Big Fresno
Future”, Fresno Bee, March 7, 1964
78 Del Webb was also a part owner of the New York
Yankees baseball team from 1945 to 1964.
Present-day view of the former Fink & Skopp
store building.
Del Webb Center
Postcard image circa 1965.
50 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The centerpiece of the Gruen Plan was
the development of a six-block outdoor
pedestrian mall along Fulton Street,
intended to revitalize the City’s historic
“Main Street” as a retail destination and
spur further development of
Downtown’s commercial core.
79 Fulton Mall was created by excluding
vehicular traffic from six blocks of
Fulton Street between Inyo and
Tuolumne streets. Mariposa, Kern, and
79 Victor Gruen Associates, Central Area Fresno,
California, vol. 1, Research and Basic Planning,
March 16, 1959
Merced streets were also vacated one
block in each direction from the point
of where they transect Fulton Street.
The Mall was designed by the
celebrated landscape architect Garrett
Eckbo, a pioneer in modernist
landscape design. Eckbo’s design was
inspired by the natural environment
and agricultural roots of the San Joaquin
Valley. The Mall right-of ways were
paved in stained concrete inlaid with
sweeping curvilinear ribbons of
concrete aggregate.
Fulton Mall circa 1965
51 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The Mall features planted areas with
shade trees and shrubs, numerous
fountains and water features, shade
pavilions, and seating areas. The mall
also contains a diverse and celebrated
collection of sculpture and tile work by
local, national, and international artists.
80 The Fulton Mall was opened to the
public on September, 1 1964.
Thousands attended the opening
ceremonies, officiated by local
dignitaries and California Governor
80 McKnight, H. Ray and Harold Tokmakian, At Risk:
Fulton Mall, Fresno CA, August 6, 2008, Cultural
Landscape Foundation website, Accessed May 18,
2011. http://tclf.org/content/fulton-mall-fresno-ca
Edmund G. Brown. It was initially
viewed as a great success, celebrated as
a bold innovation in urban renewal and
revitalization.
81 Drawing world-wide
attention, the mall received several
national design awards, including
honors for "Excellence in Community
Architecture" from the American
Institute of Architects in 1965, and the
"National Design Excellence" award
from the US Department of Housing
and Urban Development in1968.
81 “Fresno: A City Reborn” . Short film produced by
Victor Gruen & Associates, 1968.
Fulton Mall circa 1965
Image courtesy of The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
52 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Representatives from cities around the
country traveled to Fresno to tour the
mall and apply similar ideas to their
communities, and downtown pedestrian
malls became an urban design trend
throughout the 1960s and 70s.
Locally, merchants on the Fulton Mall
reaped the benefits of increased foot
traffic and improved sales.
82 The Mall
would remain popular with shoppers
through the end of the 1960s.
Critical to Gruen's plan was the strategic
placement of structured parking
facilities to accommodate downtown
shoppers. Two examples of architect
designed parking garages in Fresno are
located on opposite ends of the Fulton
Mall. A municipal parking garage (ca.
1964) at Merced Street and Van Ness
Boulevard designed by Alastair Simpson
was located on the north end of the
Fulton Mall. This garage was integrated
with commercial storefronts facing Van
Ness Avenue.
A second garage was constructed at the
south end of the Fulton Mall in 1968.
Designed by Martin Temple of Walter
Wagner and J. Martin Temple
Architects, this uniquely designed
82 Planning Resources Associates Inc. 2008 (37)
structure features twin spiral ramps on
the Van Ness façade.83
The cost of structured parking,
however, proved to be prohibitively
expensive. As an interim solution, the
majority of buildings on the Broadway
Avenue business district were leveled to
make room for surface lots.
The Gruen plan identified the parcels
fronting Van Ness Avenue between
Fresno and Tulare as an important
development site. Conceptual drawings
showed mid- and high-rise buildings set
back on a two-story podium. The entire
block was envisioned as a unified
complex.
84 83 Ibid. (50)
84 Victor Gruen Associates, Central Area
Present-day view of the Spiral Garage.
53 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Actual construction on this block was
initiated in conjunction with the
construction of an underground parking
garage at the site. Completed in phases
between 1968 and 1979, the project as
built included a bank building, Hilton
Hotel and commercial offices.
The Fresno Convention Center
The development of a modern
convention and cultural arts facility was
considered a key component of
Downtown’s revitalization. As early as
1961 plans for the development of a
convention and cultural center were
underway. An $8 million bond proposal
failed to receive approval by the
necessary two-thirds of voters in April
1963 elections. Undaunted, Fresno’s
City Council and Fresno County
formed the City and County
Convention Center Authority under the
state Joint Exercise of Powers Act.
85 This act gave the new authority the
ability to issue $8.5 million in revenue
bonds to finance the project.
85 Planning Resources Associates Inc. 2008 ( 51)
Intersection of Van Ness Ave. and Mariposa Street
1964 Conceptual drawing by Victor Gruen & Associates.
54 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Located between Inyo, Ventura, M and
O streets, construction of the Fresno
Convention Center began in 1965 and
was completed in 1966 for a total cost
of $10 million. Designed by Robert
Stevens and Associates in a late-Modern
style, the complex contains a 2356 seat
theater, a 32,000 square foot exhibit
hall, and a 7000 seat arena connected
by an interior landscaped courtyard.
The asymmetrical buildings are
accented with steeply pitched roofs of
oxidized Alloy steel.
86 Civic Revitalization
Fresno’s Downtown revitalization efforts
extended beyond the central business
district and the Fulton Mall to include
public sector buildings and the creation
of a bona fide civic center. Government
buildings had been clustered near the
County Courthouse since the 1930s,
but they were generally constructed as
stand-alone buildings without much
relationship with each other. After
World War II, the City of Fresno passed
a bond issue to reserve the entire block
occupied by the historic Fresno Water
Tower – two blocks north of
Courthouse Square -- for a future public
plaza. $375,000 was acquired to clear
86 Ibid.
the property and construct the plaza.87
But by the early 1960s, the now cleared
block was being used for parking. In
1950, a new building for the Fresno
County Office of Education was
constructed at the corner of M and
Mariposa streets just east of Courthouse
Plaza. A new Fresno County Library
was constructed in 1959 just across
Mariposa from the Water Tower block.
In 1960, a new Police Headquarters
was constructed in one block south on
Mariposa, sharing the block with the
1941 City Hall building.
A Master Development Plan for
Fresno’s Civic Center adopted in
87 Planning Resources Associates Inc. 2008
Fresno Convention Center
Painting by Rik Roberts
55 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
196688 envisioned a centralized civic
and governmental district
communicating with the adjacent
cultural and convention facilities. To
integrate the existing buildings, recently
built buildings, and proposed future
construction, the plan proposed several
street closures to favor pedestrian
circulation, landscaped public areas and
underground parking facilities. Older
buildings would be unified with newer,
modern buildings to create a
contemporary civic campus with
Mariposa Street as its central axis. The
plan also included language preventing
commercial development on the Water
Tower Block.
Containing the County Courthouse,
Hall of Records, and the County Jail,
Court House Square anchored the civic
center’s western end. In the early
1960s, the City announced that plans
to demolish the 1874 County
Courthouse and construct a modern,
eight story office and courthouse
building in its place.
88 Ibid. The Civic Center study was the work of James
Oakes, AIA, Gay McCline, AIA, landscape architect
Burr Garman, ASLA, and planning consultant,
Robert E. Dyer.
County Courthouse and Courthouse Square 1962
Image courtesy of Lance & Cromwell.
New County Courthouse artist rendering 1966
56 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
The announcement galvanized
community opposition and an effort
was made to save the old courthouse
which was finally torn down in 1966.89
The new Fresno County Courthouse,
designed by Walter Wagner and
Associates, opened in 1966. The eight-
story steel and glass slab on pilotis with
ornamental metal grillwork was a stark
contrast to its predecessor, an imposing
symbol of Downtown’s modernist
reawakening.
Industrial Consolidation and Relocation
Fruit drying and packing uses would
continue to dominate Fresno’s industrial
corridors after World War II. Other uses
included lumber yards, farming
implement and supply warehouses, and
grain storage. Paper products and home
furnishings were also warehoused along
the railroad. The Kerr Rug Company
began operations at the corner of G
Street and Ventura as early as 1912.
90 The company continues today at the
same site in a building that first appears
on the 1948 Sanborn Map.
89 Clough and Secrest (29)
90 The 1919 Sanborn map indicates a “rug weaving”
concern operating at the Kerr Rug site. Anecdotal
evidence suggests that the 1912 building was
incorporated into the current building although
corroborating documentation was not located for
this report.
The building’s subtle Streamline
Moderne stylistic details suggest it was
built sometime prior to World War II.
In 1964, the Sun Maid Company
vacated their giant Fresno packing plant
and moved to a new facility in
neighboring Kingsburg.
91 Consolidation
and technological innovations within
the packing industry conspired to
relocate the majority of packing
activities away from Downtown as
continued suburban expansion made
Downtown locations less convenient.
While fruit packing facilities continued
to operate along H and G streets
through the 1960s, the 1963 and 1970
91 Sun Maid website. http://www.sun-
maid.com/en/about/our_history
Vacant Sun-Maid packing plant circa 1985.
Image courtesy of Lance & Cromwell.
57 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Sanborn Maps show that large blocks
previously built with warehouses and
processing plants in earlier decades had
been cleared of any development.
By the end of the 20th Century, most of
Fresno’s large-scale industrial buildings
constructed prior to World War II were
no longer extant. Many were
demolished to make room for freeway
expansion and other redevelopment
projects. Other buildings – deemed
seismically unstable due to their
unreinforced masonry construction –
were demolished for safety concerns.
Smaller industrial buildings located in
the blocks east of the railroad were
more likely to be reused, often for
automotive service uses. The adaptive
reuse of early industrial buildings often
radically altered their original form.
Central Business District Decline
Although retailers along the Fulton Mall
enjoyed increased revenues in the first
few years after the Mall opened,
projections for future growth proved to
be overly optimistic. Initial plans for the
construction of a new department store
at Mariposa failed to happen.
Meanwhile, a development deal put
together by the City’s Redevelopment
Agency in 1969 proposed ambitious
plans for a high-rise, mixed-use
development at the Mall’s northern
end. After purchasing and clearing a
two block site, the deal fell through.
With the exception of a new Longs
Drugs store much of the site would
remain vacant through the 1980s.
92 In 1970 a new 58-acre regional indoor
shopping mall – Fashion Fair -- opened
in north Fresno. Located close to
Fresno's rapidly growing northern
suburbs, the arrival of Fashion Fair
resulted in an immediate decline in
downtown retail business. Led by
Montgomery Ward in 1970, the Mall’s
major retailers began relocating to more
profitable locations in the suburbs and
the Mall became increasingly unpopular
with middle-class shoppers.
92 Downtown Association of Fresno website.
North End of Fulton Mall circa 1970.
58 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
In 1973, Del Webb’s Townehouse
Hotel, the anchor of the high-rise Del
Webb Center, closed just six years after
its grand opening. That same year a
headline in the Fresno Bee asked “Is the
Gruen Plan Dead?” Evidently it was. By
1974, the City had adopted a new
General Plan that embraced a
decentralized, suburban model for
growth.
93 Late 20th and Early 21st Century Civic
and Institutional Development
(1980-Present)
By the early 1980's most of the original
Mall specialty retailers had relocated. JC
Penney's closed in 1986. Two years
later Gottschalks, after operating their
flagship store in the same location since
1914, finally called it quits as well.
The Gruen Plan had incorporated a
freeway loop surrounding Downtown
that was codified in the California
Department of Highways planning of
the late 1950s. While CA Route 99 was
upgraded to freeway standards in the
early 1960s, Route 41, which
completed the eastern side of the loop,
was not upgraded until the 1980s.
Construction of Route 180 through
central Fresno (the northern portion of
93 Ibid.
the loop) was not completed until the
late 1990s and required considerable
demolition in the neighborhoods north
of Downtown.
As private sector business continued to
locate elsewhere, Downtown Fresno
became the preferred location for
public sector institutions. Whole city
blocks were cleared as Federal, State,
County and City agencies expanded
their downtown facilities beyond the
civic center clustered around Mariposa
Street.
The County constructed new jail
facilities in 1989 and 1993, occupying a
full city block at the corner of Fresno
and M streets. Connected via
underground tunnels to the 1947 jail
Fresno City Hall
Image courtesy of Allen Lew & William Patnaud
Architects, Inc.
59 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
facility adjacent to the County
Courthouse, the jail expansion provided
capacity for over 2000 inmates.94
Other major public sector projects
include the new Fresno City Hall which
was dedicated in 1999. The five-story,
210,000 square foot building was
designed by Canadian architect Arthur
Erikson.
95 It features a pyramidal metal-
clad roof and dramatic circular entry.
Located on two full blocks between
Tulare, Fresno, P and Q streets, City
Hall provides a northeastern terminus
on the Mariposa Mall axis.
The Robert E. Coyle Federal
Courthouse at 2500 Tulare Street was
constructed in 2005. The nine-story
building was designed by Moore Ruble
Yudell Architects with Gruen
Associates.
96 The turn of the 21st century also
brought significant growth of
Downtown medical facilities with the
expansion of Fresno Community
Hospital.
94 Fresno County Jail factsheet.
95 Archhop website, accessed May 13, 2011.
http://archop.org/2009/05/arthur-erickson/
96 Emporis.com , accessed June 23, 2011
http://www.emporis.com/building/fresnounitedstate
scourthouse-fresno-ca-usa
The hospital began at its current
location when the then Burnett
Sanitarium constructed a new facility at
the corner of Fresno and S streets in
1905. Named Fresno Community
Hospital in 1945, the hospital would
see steady growth through mergers with
other institutions. In 1995, the City
approved the development of a regional
medical center at the downtown
hospital site. Re-named the Community
Regional Medical Center in 2003, the
58-acre campus is a state-of-the-art
medical facility that includes a 626-bed
Fresno Community Medical Center
60 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
hospital and University of California
research and training center.97
While the government agencies and the
medical center bring thousands of
workers, this has so far not led to a
larger reinvigoration of Downtown
Fresno. Many of the new buildings have
been designed as stand-alone facilities
with self-contained amenities and
expanses of parking which have done
little to activate neighboring streets.
Plans for a Downtown baseball stadium
-- part of the 1992 Ratkovitch Plan for
Downtown revitalization – gained
traction toward the end of the 1990s.
Occupying almost four city blocks,
Grizzlies Stadium (now Chukchansi
Park) opened to great fanfare in April of
2002.
98 Located just south of the Fulton
Mall between Inyo, H, and Tulare
streets, the stadium proved to be a
popular entertainment and recreation
destination. That popularity, however,
has so far not been a successful catalyst
for larger revitalization.
97 Community Medical Centers Healthcare website
http://www.communitymedical.org/about-us/our-
vital-numbers
98 PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno website.
Recent efforts to bring new residents to
Downtown Fresno have been more
successful with the development of live-
work lofts in the Arts and Culture
District. Revitalization efforts continue
as the City contemplates a new Specific
Plan for the area.
Chukchansi Park
Image courtesy of Open Buildings (openbuildings.com).
61 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Selected Chronology
The following chronology is intended to highlight activities and events important to the understanding of the built environment within and immediately surrounding Downtown Fresno from the earliest settlement through the present day. The events listed here highlight key points in the growth and development of Downtown Fresno and reference important historical associations.
1805 First exploration of the San Joaquin Valley by Spanish missionaries. 1823 Ashley expedition arrives from St. Louis to hunt and trap along the Merced, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne rivers.
1834 All California missions are secularized. Spain’s vast land holdings are granted to Mexican and “Californio” rancheros.
1848 Mexico’s northern territories, including California, are ceded to the United States following the Mexican-American War.
1848 Gold is discovered at Sutter’s Mill in Northern California. 1850 California becomes the forty-eighth state.
1851 Settlement of Rootville founded.
1856 County of Fresno formed.
1871 Fresno Canal and Irrigation Company founded.
Central Pacific Railroad purchases 4, 480 acres of land, mostly west of the Easterby Ranch.
1872 A railroad station is established called Fresno Station.
A 3 square mile area near the rail station is platted for the new town of Fresno.
Commercial district forms along “H” Street adjacent to railroad tracks. 1874 Fresno is named the county seat.
County Courthouse is constructed on Mariposa Street.
1881 The first Armenian settlers, the Seropian Brothers, arrive in Fresno. 62 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1885 Fresno incorporated as a city.
1887 The first Volga Germans arrive in Fresno.
1889 The Southern Pacific Train Station is constructed at Tulare and “H” streets, replacing an earlier depot structure at the same location. 1894 The Fresno Water Tower is constructed at Fresno and “O” streets. 1896 The Santa Fe Railroad Depot begins construction.
1900 Fresno population at 12,470.
Bing Kong Tong Association Building is constructed.
1902 Fresno’s first electric streetcar line begins operation. 1903 Hobbs-Parsons Produce warehouse is constructed.
1904 Public Library constructed with a $30,000 Carnegie grant. 1905 First Armenian Presbyterian Church is constructed at 515 Fulton Street.
1907 First (purpose-built) City Hall constructed.
1909 Fresno’s first double-track streetcar line in installed along “J” Street. (Present-day Fulton Street).
1912 The Hotel Fresno is constructed.
1913 Fresno’s first “skyscraper”, the Griffith-McKenzie Building, is constructed at Fulton and Mariposa streets.
1914 World War I begins in Europe.
Gottschalk’s department store opens at the corner of Fulton and Kern streets.
Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church is constructed at 2226 Ventura Street.
1915 Fresno’s Armenian population reaches its peak after the Ottoman Armenian Genocide.
63 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1916 Fresno’s first City Planning Commission is established. 1917 The United States enters World War I.
The Bank of Italy Building is constructed on “J” Street (present-day Fulton Street).
Liberty Theater is constructed at present-day 944 Van Ness Avenue. 1918 World War I ends.
San Francisco architect and planner Charles Henry Chaney submits Fresno’s first city planning document entitled “General Report on the Progress of City Plan for Fresno.”
Fresno Natatorium is constructed at present-day 1725 Broadway. 1919 “I” and “K” streets are renamed “Broadway Street” and “Van Ness Avenue respectively.
1920 Rustigian Building is constructed at 701-723 Fulton Street.
A new Buddhist Temple is constructed at the corner of “E” and Kern streets after a fire destroys the previous temple building at the same site.
The Bow On Tong Association Building is constructed.
The Hotel Virginia begins construction at the corner of “L” and Kern streets.
1921 The Mattei Building is constructed on Fulton Street.
A YWCA residence hall, designed by Julia Morgan, is constructed at 1600 M Street.
1922 The T.W. Patterson building is constructed at 2014 Tulare Street.
Fresno Bee Building is constructed at 1545 Van Ness Avenue.
The YMCA Administration and Recreation building, designed by Julia Morgan, is constructed at 2141 Tuolumne Street.
64 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1923 Fresno’s first zoning ordinance is approved.
San Joaquin Light & Power Company building is constructed at 1401 Fulton Street.
Hotel Californian is constructed at 851 Van Ness Avenue. 1924 The Radin-Kamp Department Store opens on Fulton Street.
The First Mexican Baptist Church is constructed at 1061 “E” Street; the first church in Fresno constructed specifically to serve the Mexican-American community.
1925 Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Building is constructed at 1455 Van Ness Avenue.
1926 The Wilson Theater is constructed at 1445 Fulton Street.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company Building is constructed at 1544 Fulton Street.
1928 The Pantages Theater (now Warnor’s Center for the Performing Arts) is constructed at 1400 Fulton Street.
1929 The stock market crashes in October, ushering in the Great Depression.
1932 Franklin Delano Roosevelt is sworn in as President of the United States.
1933 A major street improvement project along Broadway between Divisadero and Tulare streets includes widening the street by ten feet and implementing Spanish Revival facades on buildings affected by the project.
1935 Memorial Auditorium is constructed at Fresno and “M” streets.
The Fresno County Hall of Records is constructed on Tulare Street. 1936 Fresno Unified School District office is constructed on “N” Street. 1939 Post Office and Federal Building are constructed on Tulare Street.
Fresno’s streetcars are removed from service.
65 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1940 Fresno’s population reaches 60,685.
1941 A new City Hall is constructed at 2326 Fresno Street in the International Style.
On December 7th, the United States is bombed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and the United States enters World War II.
1945 World War II ends in victory for the United States and the troops return home.
1947 The Fresno Water Tower is preserved and the entire block to the east is cleared for redevelopment as an open plaza.
The Mayfair residential subdivision is constructed north of central Fresno. Development includes the area’s first suburban shopping center.
1948 The Gottschalk’s store at Fulton and Kern is enlarged and redeveloped. The original Beaux-Arts facades are revamped in a late Moderne style.
Highway 99 is constructed just west of downtown Fresno. 1950 The Korean War begins.
Fresno Office of Education Building is constructed on Mariposa Street.
The Census reports Fresno’s population at 91,669.
1953 The Korean War ends.
1954 Northland Center in Detroit, the nation's first regional suburban shopping center opens, designed by architect and planner Victor Gruen.
1955 Construction begins on Manchester Center at Shields and Blackstone, Fresno's first major suburban shopping center, anchored by a Sears and Roebuck department store.
Victor Gruen unveils a "superblock" plan of pedestrian malls for downtown Fort Worth.
66 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1956 Fresno business leaders discuss the possibility of creating a pedestrian mall on Mariposa Street from the courthouse park, west to the Southern Pacific railroad tracks.
1957 Downtown Association of Fresno pushes for expansion of the Mariposa Street concept to Fulton Street.
1958 Victor Gruen & Associates submit a formal proposal to work on a plan for the Central Business District of Fresno, which is accepted by the City.
Fresno State begins to relocate from University Avenue near the Tower District, to a site at Cedar and Shaw in north Fresno. 1959 Fresno County Library is constructed on Mariposa Street.
Kalamazoo Mall, a Victor Gruen project, opens on Burdick Street in Downtown Kalamazoo Michigan, the nation's first downtown pedestrian mall.
1960 A new headquarters building for the Fresno Police is constructed on “N” Street.
The City of Fresno adopts in principle Victor Gruen's plan for the Central Business District, including a downtown pedestrian mall. 1961 Guarantee Savings and Loan occupies the 1920s Mattei Building at Fulton and Fresno streets after remodeling the first three floors.
Berkeley’s, a women’s clothing retailer, opens a two-story store at Fulton and Kern streets.
Walter Smith men’s and boy’s clothing opens a new store at Fulton and Kern streets.
1962 A new building for the Fink & Skopp store is constructed at 933 Van Ness Avenue.
1963 The high-rise Del Webb Center is constructed on “M” Street. The full city block complex includes a hotel, offices, shops, and parking. 67 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1964 Construction of Fresno's Fulton Mall begins on March 30.
Fresno's Fulton Mall opens to the public on September 1.
The Fresno Clovis Metropolitan Area General Plan incorporates a retail emphasis for the Downtown Fresno Central Business District.
Fourteen-story high-rise for Midland Savings and Loan is constructed at Tulare and “L” streets.
1965 National Dollar Stores opens on the Fulton Mall.
The YMCA Administration and Recreation building at 2141 Tuolumne Street is completely remodeled as the “Garden Court Building.”
A new Fresno County Courthouse is constructed in Courthouse Park directly in front of the original courthouse.
The Park Towers complex begins construction on Van Ness between Fresno and Tulare streets.
The American Institute of Architects awards Fresno with its national award for "Excellence in Community Architecture"
1966 The original 1874 Fresno County Courthouse is demolished.
The Fresno Convention Center opens.
1968 The Fulton Mall is honored with a "National Design Excellence" award from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.
1970 Montgomery Ward's closes their Fulton Mall location, and plans to relocate to north Fresno.
Fashion Fair, an indoor, regional shopping mall opens in north Fresno near Fresno State College.
68 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
1973 The city council votes 7-0 to amend the Central Area Plan to permit Fresno and Tulare Streets to remain open through the downtown "superblock" - a major deviation from the original plans of Victor Gruen.
The Del Webb Townehouse Hotel closes and is later converted to county government offices.
1974 Fresno General Plan calls for "multiple centers" - leading to the decentralization of retail services throughout the community.
1986 J.C. Penney's closes its downtown location.
1988 Gottschalks closes their flagship store on the Fulton Mall.
1999 Fresno City Hall, designed by Canadian architect Arthur Erikson, is completed and dedicated.
2002 A multi-purpose stadium (now Chukchansi Park) opens just south of the Fulton Mall between Inyo, H, and Tulare streets.
2005 Design for a portion of Eaton Plaza is completed.
69 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
THEMES AND ASSOCIATED PROPERTY TYPES
Through research HRG has identified
several important themes that have
influenced the physical development of
Downtown Fresno since 1872. Each is
defined by a particular period of
significance. Overlapping periods
illustrate the influence of multiple
trends during Downtown Fresno’s
development. A single property may be
associated with multiple themes.
Themes and their associated property
types are reviewed in the following
pages.
70 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Railroad Development and Expansion
(1872-1945)
The location of rail lines established
Fresno as a major transportation
crossroads and distribution center for
the Central Valley’s agricultural bounty.
Early development patterns favored
proximity to the railroad, solidifying the
centrality of Fresno’s downtown. The
railroad’s impact is immediately
understood in the northwest-southeast
orientation of the downtown street grid,
which paralleled the orientation of the
Central Pacific Railroad line.
Early railroad properties are rare in
Downtown Fresno and most important
remaining properties have been
designated by the City.
Associated Property Types
Property types associated with railroad
development include rail stations and
their ancillary buildings, rail yards, rail
lines, and rail spurs. Some early
industrial buildings that were
constructed in immediate proximity to
rail lines and designed to take
advantage of rail technology, may also
be significant within this context.
A railroad property in Downtown
Fresno may be significant:
As a rare, intact example of railroad
development from the late 19th to
early-20th Century
As an industrial property directly
associated with the railroad (e.g.
railroad warehouse)
Railroad properties that have been
designated by the City as historic
resources include the Southern Pacific
Depot (1889) at 1713 Tulare St., and
the Santa Fe Depot (1899) at 2650
Tulare St. Other extant railroad
properties include an early railroad
warehouse (circa 1910) at 735 H St.,
and the Pullman Shed (1917) located
adjacent to the Southern Pacific Depot
at 1713 Tulare St.
Santa Fe Depot (1899)
Pullman Shed (1917)
71 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Residential Development (1872-1942)
The Downtown Fresno area included
vibrant residential neighborhoods
throughout the late 19th century. By the
early 20th century, some of these
neighborhoods were significantly
eroded by expanding commercial and
industrial sectors as well as
transportation infrastructure that made
it possible for people to live further
from the city center. Large-scale
redevelopment projects of the mid- and
late-20th century continued to erode
Fresno’s earliest neighborhoods. Today,
intact early residential properties within
the Downtown area are comparatively
rare. For this reason, integrity thresholds
are lower than they might be for other
resource types.
Outstanding examples of Fresno’s early
residential properties can be found
within the proposed St. John’s
Cathedral District and the northern
portions of the Cultural-Arts District.
The majority of these have either been
designated by the City as local historic
resources or previously identified as
potential individual resources or as
contributors to a potential historic
district. Modest residential properties
exist in and around Chinatown; many
of these have poor integrity due to
alteration or extreme disrepair. Outside
of these areas, only isolated examples of
Fresno’s early residential architecture
remain.
Architectural styles associated with
residential development during this
period include Folk/Vernacular, Queen
Anne, Neo-Classical, American
Foursquare, Craftsman, Colonial
Revival, Mission Revival, and Spanish
Revival.
Associated Property Types
Property Type: Single-Family
Residence
Single-family properties representing
late-19th and early-20th century
residential development include large
homes for the City’s upper and middle
classes, and modest houses for working
families. Carriage houses and other
ancillary buildings are also
representative.
Helm Home (1901)
72 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
A residential property from this period
may be significant:
As an increasingly rare example of
late-19th or early-20th century
residential development
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with the period, and/or
the work of a significant architect or
designer
As a rare example of brick
residential construction
For its association with an important
early resident or event
Over thirty single-family residential
properties located in the Downtown
area have been designated by the City
as historic resources. Examples include
the Vartanian Home (1891) at 362 F
Street; the Helm Home (1901) at 1749
L Street; and the Van Valkenburg
Home (1903) at 1125 T Street.
Other extant single-family residential
properties include the Joseph Giardina
House (circa1900) at 517 Van Ness
Avenue; a single-story Craftsman
Cottage (1920) at 555 F Street; and a
Neo-Classical Cottage (1913) at 1320 P
Street.
Property Type: Multiple Family
Residence
Multiple family residences representing
late-19th and early-20th century
residential development include
duplexes, fourplexes, apartment houses,
and bungalow courts.
1230 P Street (1913)
Maubridge Apartments (1911)
Image courtesy of HistoricFresno.org.
73 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
A multiple family residential property
from this period may be significant:
As a rare example of early-20th
century multiple family residential
development
As a rare example of a residential
bungalow court
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with the period, and/or
the work of a significant architect or
designer
For its association with an important
early resident or event
Multiple-family residential properties
that have been designated by the City
as historic resources include the
Maubridge Apartment Building (1911)
at 2344 Tulare Street.
Other extant multiple-family residential
properties include a Neo-Classical
duplex at 636 Van Ness (c. 1915) and
the Brix Apartments bungalow court
(1940) at 1325 M Street.
636 Van Ness (c. 1915)
74 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Ethnic Communities (1872-1960)
Successive waves of immigrant groups
have settled in and around Fresno’s
downtown throughout the City’s
history. Areas west of the railroad have
been settled by Italian, Russian-German,
Chinese, and Japanese populations from
the mid-19th Century through World
War II. These communities were largely
replaced by Hispanic and African-
American populations in a process that
began after World War II.
Historic ethnic neighborhoods within or
overlapping the Downtown area
include Chinatown, located between
Highway 99 and the railroad along F
Street; Fresno’s historic Germantown
roughly bounded by California Street,
Ventura Street, and G Street; the
historic Armenian Town located in the
southeastern portion of the Fulton
Corridor plan area, adjacent to the
Central Business District; and the
historic Italian community, located
southwest of Downtown, spanning the
Fulton Corridor area and further
Southwest beyond Highway 99.
Outside of Chinatown, where a small
commercial historic district has been
identified, only fragments of these
historic neighborhoods remain.
Properties associated with Fresno’s
ethnic neighborhoods are not typically
associated with particular architectural
styles. Properties can be residential,
commercial or institutional, and
significance is frequently derived from
historic association rather than from
aesthetic qualities.
Associated Property Types
Property types include single-family
homes, ancillary buildings such as the
summer kitchens of the Volga Germans,
boarding houses, churches, meeting
halls, and small neighborhood
commercial buildings. Many of these
properties are also associated with other
development themes.
A property associated with one of
Fresno’s important ethnic groups may
be significant:
As a recognizable remnant of a
historic ethnic neighborhood.
As the gathering place of an
important ethnic social or religious
institution.
Bing Kong Association Building (1900)
75 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
As a good or rare example of a
particular building type associated
with an important ethnic group
For its association with a person or
event important to the history of a
particular ethnic group.
Properties with important ethnic
community associations that have been
designated by the City as historic
resources include the Bing Kong Tong
Association Building (1900) at 921
China Alley; the Holy Trinity Armenian
Apostolic Church (1914) at 2226
Ventura Street; and the First Mexican
Baptist Church (1924) at 1061 Kern St.
Other extant properties with important
ethnic community associations include
the Holly Department Store (1948) at
1027 F Street; and Komoto K. Books
(circa 1900) at 922 F Street.
76 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Late-19th and early-20th Century
Commercial Development (1872-1945)
Commercial enterprise in Fresno
expanded dramatically following the
arrival of the railroad in 1872 and
continued throughout the 19th century.
The 20th century saw increased
commercial development particularly in
the years between World War I and the
arrival of the Great Depression.
Architectural styles represented include
Mission Revival, Beaux Arts,
Renaissance Revival, Spanish Revival,
Art Deco, and Streamline Moderne.
Modest masonry vernacular commercial
buildings may have minimal stylistic
detailing or not represent any particular
style. The majority of the large and
architecturally distinguished buildings
have been designated by the City as
historic resources, and several are listed
on the National Register.
Associated Property Types
While very few 19th century
commercial buildings remain, Fresno’s
early 20th Century prosperity can be
seen in the masonry buildings that were
constructed between 1900 and 1930.
These include high-and mid-rise office
buildings, hotels, department stores, and
low-rise storefront buildings. A handful
of downtown’s elegant and impressive
theaters also remain intact.
A commercial property from this period
may be significant:
As a rare intact example of late 19
th
or early-20th century commercial
development
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with the period, and/or
the work of a significant architect or
designer
As a rare intact example of an early
commercial property type
For its association with the city's
original commercial core
Rustigian Building (1919)
L.C. Wesley Super Garage (1931)
77 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
For its association with an important
resident or event
Early commercial properties that have
been designated by the City as historic
resources include the Bank of Italy
(1917) at 1001 Fulton Mall; the
Rustigian Building (1919) at 701 Fulton
Street; and the Radin-Kamp
Department Store (1924) at 959 Fulton
Mall.
Other extant early commercial
properties include the Brix Building
(1928) at 1221 Fulton Mall; the L.C.
Wesley Super Garage (1931) at 862
Van Ness Avenue; and Lefty’s Mexican
Restaurant (circa 1930) at 915 Van
Ness Avenue.
78 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Late-19th and Early-20th Century Civic
and Institutional Development (1872-
1930)
A considerable portion of Downtown
Fresno’s development is associated with
the public sector and non-commercial
interests such as religious and social
groups. With the construction of the
first County Courthouse in 1874, a
Civic Center was established and
government buildings have generally
clustered northeast of Van Ness Avenue
around Mariposa Street ever since.
Religious and social organizations
located their facilities in various parts of
the Fulton Corridor area. The oldest of
these were often associated with early
residential neighborhoods.
Important early civic buildings such as
the first County Courthouse (1874), the
first City Hall (1907), and the Carnegie
Library (1904) are no longer extant.
Several churches, temples, and buildings
related to social organizations, however,
can still be found within the Fulton
Corridor area.
Associated Property Types
Civic property types include city halls,
courthouses, post offices, libraries,
schools, and buildings associated with
public infrastructure agencies such as
those providing power and water. Non-
governmental institutional buildings
include churches, meeting halls, and
other buildings associated with social
organizations such as the YMCA.
A civic or institutional property may be
significant:
As a rare example (first, last
remaining, only) of civic or
institutional development
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with its period, and/or
St. Johns Cathedral (1902)
G Street Substation (c. 1920)
79 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
the work of a significant architect or
designer
For its association with an important
resident or event
For its association with an important
religious, social, cultural, or civic
institution
Architectural styles associated with late-
19th and early-20th century civic or
institutional development in Downtown
Fresno include Mission Revival, Spanish
Colonial Revival, Renaissance Revival,
and Classical Revival.
Early civic and institutional properties
that have been designated by the City
as historic resources include the Old
Fresno Water Tower (1894) at 2444
Fresno Street; the Old Post Office Sub-
Station (1921) at 2422 Kern Street; and
St. John’s Cathedral (1902) at 2814
Mariposa Street.
Another extant early civic and
institutional property from the period is
the G Street Zone Substation (circa
1920) at 1159 G Street.
80 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Industrial Fresno (1890-1960)
Fresno’s status as a major transportation
and distribution center for the Central
Valley’s agricultural bounty gave rise to
a robust industrial sector. Industrial
activity in Fresno developed largely in
support of agricultural activities --
primarily raisin and dried fruit packing –
with industrial facilities tending to
cluster in close proximity to the railroad.
Intact early industrial properties within
the Downtown area are comparatively
rare. For this reason, integrity thresholds
are lower than they might be for other
resource types.
Associated Property Types
Extant industrial buildings important to
Downtown Fresno’s development
history date from the late-19th century
through the mid-20th century.
Properties include warehouses,
processing plants, factories, associated
offices, and ancillary buildings and
structures. These properties are typically
clustered along rail lines in areas where
adjacent blocks developed into defined
industrial zones.
An industrial property in Fresno may be
significant:
As a rare, intact example of a
particular type of industrial
development
For its association with an important
local industry (e.g. fruit packing,
food processing, etc.)
For its direct association with the
railroad
In general, industrial development in
Fresno is not associated with particular
architectural styles. Vernacular industrial
buildings of brick and reinforced
concrete are the predominate form, and
significance is frequently derived from
historic association rather than from
aesthetic qualities.
Industrial properties that have been
designated by the City as historic
resources include the Hobbs Parsons
Produce Company Warehouse(1903)
at 903 H Street; the Berven Rug Mills
building (1917) at 616 P Street; and the
State Center Warehouse (1918) at 747
R Street.
State Center Warehouse (1918)
Kerr Rug Company (c. 1940)
81 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Other extant industrial properties
include the Baz Brothers warehouse
(circa 1905) at 840 G Street; and Kerr
Rug Company (circa 1940) at 539 G
Street.
82 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Depression-Era Civic and Institutional
Development (1933-1942)
In Fresno, projects funded through the
Roosevelt Administration’s “New Deal”
programs transformed Fresno’s Civic
Center where five new government
buildings were constructed between
1936 and 1941. In addition to
monumental civic projects the New
Deal benefited Fresno through park
improvements, street improvements,
and fire stations.
Associated Property Types
Civic and institutional property types
include city halls, post offices, fire
stations, auditoriums, and office
buildings for public agencies. Non-
governmental institutional buildings
include churches, meeting halls, and
buildings associated with social
organizations.
A civic or institutional property may be
significant:
For its direct association with New
Deal funding programs.
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with its period, and/or
the work of a significant architect or
designer
For its association with an important
resident or event
For its association with an important
religious, social, cultural, or civic
institution
Architectural styles represented include
Art Deco, Streamline Moderne, and
International Style.
Depression-era civic and institutional
properties that have been designated by
the City as historic resources include
the Fresno Memorial Auditorium
(1936) at 1235 O Street; Fresno Fire
Station No. 3 (1939) at 1406 Fresno
Street; and Fresno City Hall (Annex)
(1941) at 1406 Fresno Street.
Other extant civic and institutional
properties include the Blue Cross
Veterinary Hospital (1936) at 1821
Van Ness Avenue.
Fresno Memorial Auditorium (1936)
83 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Mid-20th Century Commercial
Redevelopment (1945-1970)
Unprecedented suburban growth aided
by the ascendance of the automobile as
the preferred transportation mode and
a greatly expanded highway
infrastructure, threatened the health and
vitality of Fresno’s downtown in the
years after World War II. To combat the
effects of suburbanization, city officials
and downtown business and property
owners embraced some of the most
advanced ideas in architecture, urban
design and planning to revitalize
downtown and stay competitive with
the burgeoning suburbs.
Property developers constructed new
buildings in a wide range of modernist
styles while many older buildings were
revamped with new facades. The
embrace of modernist ideals to
transform downtown Fresno culminated
in the adoption of the Victor Gruen
plan for the Central Business District
and construction of the Fulton Mall.
Associated Property Types
Downtown Fresno contains an
impressive collection of mid- 20th
century commercial buildings that
reflect Fresno’s extensive revitalization
efforts of the late 1950s and 1960s.
Associated property types include office
buildings, department stores, hotels,
commercial retail and/or office
buildings, and parking facilities.
Architectural styles include Late
Moderne, International Style, Mid-
Century Modern, Corporate Modern,
Googie, and New Formalism.
A commercial property from this period
may be significant:
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with the period, and/or
the work of a significant architect or
designer
For its association with the
Downtown's mid-20th century
revitalization
Alastair Simpson Offices/Fresno Photo Engraving
(1946)
Equitable Life Insurance Building (1966)
84 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
For its association with an important
resident or event
Only one mid-20th century commercial
property has been designated by the
City as a historic resource, the Alastair
Simpson Offices/Fresno Photo
Engraving (1946) at 748 Fulton Street.
Other extant mid-20
th century
commercial properties include the
Gottschalk’s Department Store
(remodeled in1948) at 802 Fulton Mall;
the former Fink & Skopp Home
Furnishings Store (1962) at 933 Van
Ness; the Equitable Life Insurance
building (1966) at 1350 O Street; Bank
of the West (1966) at 1221 Van Ness
Avenue; and Wells Fargo Bank (1966)
at 1206 Van Ness Avenue.
Bank of the West (1966)
85 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Mid-20th Century Civic and Institutional
Development (1945-1970)
The expansion of government during
the second half of the 20th century
dramatically increased the presence of
the public-sector in downtown Fresno.
Continuing the expansion of the Civic
Center that began in the 1930s, several
new buildings were erected and several
blocks of Mariposa Street were closed
to traffic and converted into a
landscaped pedestrian mall. The
Convention Center complex was also
constructed.
Associated Property Types
Civic and institutional property types
include libraries, auditoriums, office
buildings for public agencies, theaters,
and conference centers. Non-
governmental institutional buildings
include churches, and meeting halls.
A civic or institutional property may be
significant:
For its direct association with Post
World War II urban revitalization
programs.
As a good or rare example of a
particular architectural style
associated with its period, and/or
the work of a significant architect or
designer
For its association with an important
religious, social, cultural, or civic
institution
Civic and institutional buildings in
downtown Fresno reflect the City’s
adoption of modernist architecture and
planning in the mid- 20
th century.
Architectural styles include the
Corporate Modern, Mid-Century
Modern and New Formalism.
No mid-20th century civic and
institutional properties have been
designated by the City as historic
resources.
Extant civic and institutional properties
from the period include the Fresno
County Office of Education (1950) at
2314 Mariposa; the Fresno County
Free Library (1959) at 2420 Mariposa;
the Fresno Convention Center (1966)
at 700 M Street; and the Fresno
County Courthouse (1965) at 1100
Van Ness Avenue.
Fresno County Office of Education (1950)
86 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
Introduction
This section describes the predominant
architectural styles currently represented
in Downtown Fresno, from the late 19th
Century through the mid-20th Century.
The typology presented here is not
intended to establish historic
significance. Rather, it describes the
existing population of buildings
constructed Downtown during this
period. The information below briefly
describes the origin of each style, and its
presence in the local landscape. Date
ranges refer to the time the style was
most prevalent in Fresno. A list of
character-defining features is also
provided. A property that is eligible for
designation as a good example of its
architectural style retains most - though
not necessarily all - of the character-
defining features of the style, and
continues to exhibit its historic
appearance.
Queen Anne (c. 1880 – 1910)
The Queen Anne style was one of the
most popular Victorian-era styles for
residential buildings in California. Like
the Stick style that it quickly replaced,
Queen Anne uses exterior wall surfaces
as a primary decorative element.
Elements Features used to avoid plain
flat wall surface include bays, towers,
overhangs, wall projects, and wall
materials with differing textures.
Extant examples of Queen Anne
architecture in Downtown Fresno
include the Thomas R. Meux Home
(1889) at 1007 R Street, the McVey
homes (1903) at 1322 and 1326 N
Street, and the Schmidt Home (1908)
at 460 N Street.
Character-defining features include:
Asymmetrical façade
Steeply-pitched roof of irregular
shape, usually with a dominate
front-facing gable
Wooden exterior wall cladding with
decorative patterned shingles
Projecting partial-, full-width or
wrap-around front porch, usually
one story in height
Cut-away bay windows
Wood double-hung sash windows
Towers topped by turrets, domes or
cupolas
Tall decorative brick chimneys
Ornamentation may include
decorative brackets, bargeboards
and pendants, as well as Eastlake
details, such as spindle work
Neo-Classical Cottage (c.1875 – 1920)
The term “Neo-Classical Cottage” is
used to describe simple house forms or
cottages with fewer decorative features
than other styles from the period. While
vernacular residences may display
certain characteristics of recognizable
styles, decorative detailing is typically
confined to the porch or cornice line.
Downtown Fresno retains a small
population of such residential buildings
from the late 19
th and early 20th
Centuries.
87 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Character-defining features include:
Symmetrical façade
Simple square or rectangular form
Gabled or hipped roof with boxed
or open eaves
Wood exterior cladding
Simple window and door surrounds
Details may include cornice line
brackets
Porch support with turned spindles
or square posts
Residential Vernacular (c.1875 – 1920)
The term “Residential Vernacular” is
used to describe simple houses or
cottages with little or no distinguishing
decorative features. These buildings are
characterized by their simplicity and
lack of any characteristics of
recognizable styles.
Downtown Fresno retains a small
population of such residential buildings
from the late 19th and early 20th
Centuries.
Character-defining features include:
Simple square or rectangular form
Gabled or hipped roof with boxed
or open eaves
Wood exterior cladding
Simple window and door surrounds
Mission Revival (c. 1890 – 1920)
The Mission Revival style is indigenous
to California. Drawing upon its own
colonial past, Mission Revival was the
Californian counterpart to the Colonial
Revival of the Northeastern states.
Never common beyond the Southwest,
its regional popularity was spurred by its
adoption by the Santa Fe and Southern
Pacific Railways as the preferred style
for train stations and resort hotels.
Features of the California Missions were
borrowed and freely adapted, often in
combination with elements of other
revival styles.
The Helm Home (1901) at 1749 L
Street and the Santa Fe Depot (1899)
at 2650 Tulare Street are examples of
the Mission Revival style in Downtown
Fresno.
Character-defining features include:
Red clay tile roofs with overhanging
eaves and open rafters
Shaped parapets, including
espandañas, with coping
Stucco exterior wall cladding
Arched window and door openings
Details may include bell towers,
quatrefoil openings or patterned
tiles
Craftsman (c. 1900 – 1930)
Craftsman architecture in America grew
out of the late-19th century English Arts
and Crafts movement. It stressed
simplicity of design, hand-craftsmanship,
and the relationship to the climate and
landscape. Craftsman architecture was
widely published in architectural
journals and pattern books, popularizing
the style throughout the country.
Affordable and easily constructed from
local materials, the mostly one- or one-
and-a-half-story homes were often
88 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
referred to as “bungalows” and
dominated middle-class residential
design during the first quarter of the
20th century.
As use here, “Craftsman” encompasses
a range of stylistic variations including
larger, two-story homes (more narrowly
referred to as Arts & Crafts homes) and
single-story bungalows.
Examples of the Craftsman style in
Downtown Fresno include the Martin
Home (1912) at 1002 T Street and the
Aten Home (1914) at 1133 S Street.
Character-defining features include:
Horizontal massing
Low-pitched gabled roof
Widely overhanging eaves with
exposed rafters, beams, or braces
Wood exterior wall cladding
(shingle, shake, or clapboard)
Projecting partial-, full-width or
wrap-around front porch
Heavy porch piers, often of river
stone or masonry
Wood-frame casement or double-
hung sash windows, often grouped
in multiples
Widely-proportioned front doors,
often with a beveled light
Wide window and door surrounds,
often with extended lintels
Extensive use of natural materials
(wood, brick or river stone)
Colonial Revival (c. 1900 – 1955)
The Colonial Revival style proliferated
during the first half of the 20th century.
This style incorporates traditions from
the Georgian, Adam and early Classical
Revival styles that were prevalent
during the English colonial period.
Dutch colonial influences were also
incorporated. Earlier examples were
rarely accurate recreations but were
instead free interpretations with details
inspired by colonial precedents, while
later examples shifted to more
historically correct proportions and
details.
Examples of Colonial Revival
architecture in Downtown Fresno
include the Long/Black Home (1907) at
1727 L Street, and the Goodman
Home (1906) at 1060 T Street.
Character-defining features include:
Side gable or hipped roofs
Wood exterior wall cladding,
typically horizontal
Accentuated front entry or portico,
featuring decorative pediments
supported by pilasters or slender
columns
Wood double-hung sash windows
with multi-pane glazing
Front doors flanked by sidelights
with fanlights above
Fixed wooden shutters
89 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Classical Revival (c. 1900 –1920)
The Classical Revival style did not
achieve the broad popularity of its
closely-related Colonial Revival
contemporary. The style is best
identified by its symmetrical façade,
which is typically dominated by a full-
height porch with the roof supported
by classical columns. Like the
Renaissance Revival, this style was
widely used for imposing civic buildings,
institutional buildings, and banks.
Examples of Classical Revival buildings
in Downtown Fresno include the Swift
Home (1905) at 1605 L Street and the
First Church of Christ Scientist (1916)
at 1615 N Street.
Character-defining features include:
Symmetrical façade
Front- or side-gabled roof
Wood or masonry exterior wall
cladding
Full-height gabled or pedimented
front porch
Porch roof supported by slender
fluted columns with Ionic or
Corinthian capitals
Wood double-hung sash windows
with multi-pane glazing
Details may include dentils, a wide
frieze beneath the cornice, and
roofline balustrades
Renaissance Revival (c. 1905 – 1930)
Renaissance Revival buildings were
often fairly literal interpretations of the
Italian originals, unlike the free
interpretations of the preceding
Italianate style. Its formal, symmetrical
facades and Classical or Beaux Arts
details including quoins, roofline
balustrades, pedimented windows,
molded cornices and belt courses were
often used for imposing civic buildings,
institutional buildings, and banks.
Examples of Renaissance Revival style
architecture in Downtown Fresno
include the Bank of Italy Building
(1917) at 1001 Fulton Mall, and the
Hotel California (1923) at 851 Van
Ness Avenue.
Character-defining features include:
Symmetrical facade
Tiled low-pitched hip roof,
sometimes flat roof
Boxed eaves with decorative
brackets
Stucco or masonry exterior wall
cladding
Arched window and door openings
on the first story
Wood divided-light casement or
double-hung sash windows in the
upper stories
Front entry accentuated with
slender classical columns or pilasters
90 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Spanish Colonial Revival
(c. 1915 – 1940)
Enormously popular in Southern
California from the late 1910s through
the late 1930s, the Spanish Colonial
Revival style emerged from a conscious
effort by architects to emulate older
Spanish architectural traditions, and
break with Eastern colonial influences.
At the peak of its popularity, design
features of other regions of the
Mediterranean were often creatively
incorporated, including those of Italy,
France, and North Africa. The result
was a pan-Mediterranean mélange of
eclectic variations on Spanish Revival
styles.
Examples of Spanish Colonial Revival
architecture in Downtown Fresno
include the Physician’s Building (1926)
at 2607 Fresno Street,
Character-defining features include:
Asymmetrical facade
Red clay tile hip or side-gable roof,
or flat roof with a tile-clad parapet
Stucco exterior cladding, forming
uninterrupted wall planes
Wood-frame casement or double-
hung windows, typically with
divided lights
Arched colonnades, window or
door openings
Decorative grilles of wood, wrought
iron, or plaster
Balconies, patios or towers
Decorative terra cotta or tile work
Commercial Vernacular (c. 1915-1950)
Although not an officially recognized
style, “commercial vernacular” describes
simple commercial structures with little
decorative ornamentation, common in
American cities and towns of the late
19th and early 20th centuries. Fresno’s
original commercial core was largely
composed of such buildings, typically
for retail and offices uses. They are
typically brick in construction, with
minimal decorative detailing.
Examples of Commercial Vernacular
architecture in Downtown Fresno
include the Sun Stereo Warehouse
(1916) at 736 Fulton Street, the Basque
Hotel (1922) at 1102 F Street, and the
Liberty Laundry building (1928) at
1830 Inyo Street.
Character-defining features include:
Simple square or rectangular form
Flat roof with a flat or stepped
parapet
Brick exterior wall surfaces, with
face brick on the primary facade
First-story storefronts, typically with
a continuous transom window
above
Wood double-hung sash upper-
story windows, often in pairs
Segmental arch window and door
openings on side and rear
elevations
Decorative detailing, if any, may
include cornices, friezes, quoins, or
stringcourses
91 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Art Deco Style (c. 1910 – 1935)
Art Deco was the first popular style in
the United States that consciously
rejected historical precedents. Most
commonly used in public and
commercial buildings, Art Deco was
rarely used in domestic architecture.
The highly decorative style employed
stylized floral, figurative and geometric
motifs s as decorative elements on the
façade. Towers, piers and setbacks were
employed to give the buildings a
vertical emphasis.
Examples of Art Deco buildings in
Fresno include the L.C. Wesley Super
Garage (1931) located at the corner of
Kern Street and Van Ness Avenue, and
the Fresno County Hall of Records
(1935) designed by Allied Architects
and Coates and Metz with a grant from
the PWA.
Character-defining features include:
Smooth wall surfaces, usually of
stucco
Stylized decorative floral and
figurative elements
Geometric decorative motifs
such as zigzags and chevrons
Towers, piers and other vertical
elements
Setbacks as design elements
International Style (c. 1920 – 1945)
The International style emerged in the
1920s and 1930s during the formative
decades of Modernist architecture. The
style originated in Western Europe but
quickly influenced architectural design
throughout the world. Radical
simplification of form, rejection of
applied ornament, and the adoption of
glass, steel and concrete as preferred
materials are hallmarks of the
International Style. The embrace of
industrial mass-production techniques
and emphasis on function were
conscious efforts to break free of
historic and cultural design precedents.
Character-defining features include:
Flat roofs (cantilevered slabs or
parapets)
Steel sash windows
Corner windows
Horizontal bands of windows
Lack of applied ornament
Asymmetrical facades
Exterior wall materials include
concrete, brick and stucco
92 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Streamline Moderne (c. 1934-1945)
Characterized by smooth surfaces,
curved corners, and sweeping
horizontal lines, Streamline Moderne is
considered to be the first thoroughly
Modern architectural style to achieve
wide acceptance among the American
public. Inspired by the industrial designs
of the period, the style was popular
throughout the United States in the late
1930s, particularly with the Federally-
funded projects of the Works Progress
Administration. Unlike the equally
modern but highly-ornamental Art
Deco style of the late 1920s, Streamline
Moderne was perceived as expressing
an austerity more appropriate for
Depression-era architecture.
Examples of Streamline Moderne
architecture in Downtown Fresno
include the Fresno Unified School
District Office (1936) at 2348 Mariposa
Mall, and the Fire Station No. 3, (1939)
located at1406-1430 Fresno Street.
Character-defining features include:
Horizontal massing
Asymmetrical façade
Flat roof with coping
Smooth wall surfaces, typically
clad in stucco
Curved end walls and corners
Glass block and porthole
windows
Flat canopy over entrances
Horizontal grooves or
stringcourses
Pipe railings along exterior
staircases and balconies
Late Moderne (c. 1945-1960)
The Late Moderne style incorporates
elements of both the Streamline
Moderne and the International styles.
While the earliest examples appeared in
the late 1930s, the style achieved its
greatest popularity in large-scale
commercial and civic buildings of the
late 1940s and 1950s. The Late
Moderne style is most easily identified
by the use of the “shadow-box”
window, where horizontal groupings of
windows are outlined in a protruding
flange, often in a material and color that
contrasts with the exterior wall.
Examples of Late-Moderne architecture
in Downtown Fresno include the
former Alistair Simpson Offices (1946)
at 748 Fulton Street and the Gottchalk’s
Department Store (remodeled 1947) at
802 Fulton Mall.
Character-defining features include:
Horizontal emphasis
Concrete construction
Exposed concrete or stucco
cladding
Flat rooflines
Horizontal bands of “shadow-
box” windows, often with
aluminum fin sunshades
Operable steel-sash windows
(casement, awning, hopper)
Projecting window frames
93 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Mid-Century Modern (c. 1945-1970)
Mid-Century Modern is a term used to
describe a post- World War II iteration
of the International Style in both
residential and commercial design. The
International Style was characterized by
geometric forms, smooth wall surfaces,
and an absence of exterior decoration.
Mid-Century Modern represents the
adaptation of these elements to the
local climate and topography, as well as
to the postwar need for efficiently-built,
moderately-priced homes and buildings.
The Mid-Century Modern building is
characterized by its clear expression of
structure and materials, large expanses
of glass, and open interior plan.
Examples in Downtown Fresno include
the former Walter Smith store (now
Luftenburg’s) at 901 Fulton Mall, the
Wells Fargo building at 1206 Van Ness
Avenue and the two-story office
building at 830 Van Ness Avenue.
Character-defining Features
One or two-story configuration
Simple geometric forms
Expressed post-and-beam
construction, in wood or steel
Flat roof with wide overhanging
eaves and cantilevered canopies
Unadorned wall surfaces
Exterior panels of wood, stucco,
brick or stone
Flush-mounted metal frame full-
height and clerestory windows
Exterior staircases, decks, patios
and balconies
Little or no exterior decorative
detailing
Expressionistic/Organic subtype:
sculptural forms and geometric
shapes, including butterfly, A-
frame, folded plate or barrel
vault roofs
Googie (c. 1955 – 1970)
Googie has been described as
Modernism for the masses. With its
swooping lines and organic shapes, the
style attempted to capture the playful
exuberance of postwar America.
Named for the John Lautner-designed
Googie’s Restaurant in Los Angeles, the
style was widely employed in roadside
commercial architecture of the 1950s,
including coffee shops, bowling alleys,
and car washes.
While several Googie-style motels,
restaurants, and commercial buildings
could once be found in Downtown
Fresno, few examples remain today.
One example is the car wash at 2615
Tuolumne Street.
Character-defining features include:
Expressive rooflines, including
butterfly, folded-plate, and
cantilevers
Organic, abstract, and parabolic
shapes
Clear expression of materials,
including concrete, steel, asbestos,
cement, glass block, plastic, and
plywood
Large expanses of plate glass
94 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Thematic ornamentation, including
tiki and space age motifs
Primacy of signage, including the
pervasive use of neon
Corporate Modern (c. 1946-1976)
Corporate Modern was the
predominant style of large-scale
commercial designs of the late 1950s
and 1960s. A direct descendant of the
International Style, this corporate
version was concerned with simple
geometric forms and expressing the
building’s structure.
The Corporate Modern-style building
typically takes one of two forms. The
first features a single or central
windowless shaft, flanked by one or
more radiating wings banded with
windows. Structural supports may be
accentuated with protruding steel piers.
Exterior decoration is often limited to
the use of vertical or horizontal
sunscreens. An alternate form is
characterized by soaring rectangular
volumes and the generous use of glass.
This version of the style borrows heavily
from the minimalist designs of architect
Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, whose
highly-modular steel and glass structures
first appeared in the early 1950s.
Buildings that adhere most closely to
this aesthetic are often referred to as
Miesian.
Examples of the Corporate Modern
style in Downtown Fresno include the
former Del Webb complex (now Fresno
Equity Plaza) located at 2200 Tulare
Street.
Character-defining features include:
Rectangular volumes
Materials of concrete, steel, and
glass
Horizontal bands of windows or
glass curtain walls
Steel frame accentuated with
protruding steel piers or I-beam
mullions
Projecting aluminum
sunscreens, vertical fins or
louvers
Tower over a parking podium,
often screened
Articulate ground story, often
set back behind slender
columns or
pilotis
Exterior staircases with no risers
Building set back on a plaza or
formal garden
New Formalism (1955-1975)
Popular in large-scale commercial and
civic designs from the late 1950s
through the 1970s, the New Formalism
was widely seen as a rejection of the
sparse steel and glass aesthetic of the
period. Largely shaped by the work of
Edward Durell Stone, the style is
characterized by pronounced columnar
supports and large expanses of
patterned screens. In opposition to the
minimalist approach of the International
Style, the New Formalists eagerly
referenced and abstracted the classical
95 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
forms and applied ornamentation of
historical styles.
The Fresno County Courthouse,
designed by Walter Wagner and
Associates and the Crocker Citizens
Bank on Fresno Street are examples of
the New Formalism style found in
Downtown Fresno.
Character-defining features include:
Symmetrical plan
Heavy projecting roof slab
Smooth wall surfaces
Colonnade of stylized full-
height columnar supports
Repeating arches or rounded
openings
Large screens of perforated cast
stone or concrete or metal
grilles
Building set behind a plaza or
fountain
96 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
SURVEY METHODOLOGY
This survey project is comprehensive in
approach and designed to be inclusive
of potentially significant properties from
Fresno’s important development
periods. It uses contemporary survey
methods and established evaluation
criteria as outlined by the National Park
Service and the California Office of
Historic Preservation.
99 Survey Area
This survey was focused on the Fulton
Corridor planning area as defined by
the City. The survey area is generally
bounded by Highway 99 and the
Central Pacific Railroad tracks to the
south and west; Highway 41 to south
and east; and Divisadero Street to the
north. Portions of the area between the
Fulton Corridor and the Atchison,
Topeka and Santa Fe railway, as well as
parcels located near the convergence of
Highways 99 and 41 were also
included. A map of the primary survey
area is provided in Figure 1.
99 National Park Service, U.S. Department of the
Interior. National Register Bulletin 24: Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning.
Washington, D.C.: 1985.
The Fulton Corridor100 plan area
encompasses what is generally
considered Downtown Fresno. It is the
oldest portion of the City, containing
the area originally platted in 1872. The
plan area includes the City’s traditional
central business district, the Civic
Center, the “Cultural Arts District”, the
“South Stadium” area, and Fresno’s
Chinatown neighborhood.
Like many downtowns in the United
States, the Fulton Corridor area
declined substantially in the latter
decades of the 20
th Century as residents
and private enterprise largely
abandoned Downtown for
opportunities in suburban areas. The
area has been subject to extensive
redevelopment efforts since the 1960s.
Despite these challenges, a wide range
of civic, institutional, and commercial
uses are still concentrated within
Fresno’s Downtown. These include
several government agencies, a large
hospital complex, a sports stadium, a
convention center, theaters, hotels, a
casino, and numerous small businesses.
100 The survey area expanded beyond the Fulton
Corridor to include all parcels located in a triangle
formed by Highway 99 to southwest, Highway 41
to east, and Divisadero Street to the north.
97 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Figure 1: Survey Area Map
98 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Previous Studies and Evaluations
Portions of the Fulton Corridor area
have been subject to numerous historic
surveys, studies, and historic-cultural
environmental reviews. The area
contains over one-hundred and ten
(110) of the City’s designated historic
resources, representing a wide range of
property types and periods of
development.
One potential historic district is
identified within the Fulton Corridor
plan area on the City’s Historic
Resources map:
L Street District
This collection of residential
properties is located in the northern
portion of the Fulton Corridor plan
area, overlapping the Cultural Arts
District. It is bordered by
Divisadero, N, M, Stanislaus, and
Amador streets.
Two additional potential historic
districts located just northeast of the
Fulton Corridor plan area are identified
on the City’s historic resources map:
Santa Fe Warehouse District
This small collection of brick
warehouses is located near the
Santa Fe Rail depot bounded by R,
Tulare, P and Mono streets. It was
identified in 1994.
St. John’s Cathedral District
This district was identified in 1994.
It is located in the northeast corner
of downtown Fresno, and is
composed of approximately seven
city blocks, bounded on the
northwest by Fresno Street, on the
north by Divisadero Street, on the
northeast by U Street, on the
southeast by Tulare Street and on
the southwest by the Santa Fe
Railroad tracks.
Prior historic evaluation work in the
Fulton Corridor area includes a1977
historic resources survey which was
completed as a result of the adoption of
the Fresno-Clovis Metropolitan Area
General Plan (1977 Survey), and the
Supplementary Historic Building Survey
of the Ratkovich Plan Area (Ratkovich
Study), completed in 1994 by John
Edward Powell and Michael J. McGuire
under the auspices of the California
State University, Fresno Foundation.
More recent historic surveys containing
analysis which impacts future planning
within the Downtown-Fulton Corridor
include:
Broadway Row Historic Resource
Survey
Architectural Resources Group,
2004
Survey of a two-block area
99 REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
bounded by Stanislaus, Fulton,
Tuolumne, and H streets. Sixteen
(16) properties were documented
and a potential Automotive
Warehouse District was identified.
101
Historic Architecture Survey
Report for the Bungalow Court
Project
Karana Hattersley-Drayton
2004
Survey and identification of one
hundred twenty-eight (128)
examples of “bungalow” courts
within Fresno city limits.
Chinatown Historic Resource
Survey
Architectural Resources Group,
2006
Survey of buildings within the six-
block heart of Fresno’s historic
Chinatown. This survey identified
ten properties as individually eligible
for national, state, or local
designation. It also identified a small
historic district along F Street.
City of Fresno Arts-Culture
District Historic Property Survey
Urbana Preservation and Planning,
101 The boundaries of the potential district extended
outside the Broadway Row survey area. Further
investigation is needed to verify the district.
2006
Survey of a sixteen-block area
bounded by Tuolumne, “H”,
Amador and “L” streets, and known
as the Uptown Arts-Culture District.
This survey identified nine
properties as individually eligible for
national, state, or local designation.
It also identified a seven-property
potential historic district along
Fulton Street
102, a fourteen-property
potential district of historic
warehouses, a potential thematic
district of six automotive service
buildings, and proposed eight
additional properties for
consideration as part of the
previously identified “L” Street
residential historic district.
City of Fresno Upper Triangle
Areas Historic Property Survey
Urbana Preservation and Planning,
2007
This survey expanded the survey
area of the Arts-Culture District to
include the “Upper Triangle” area
bounded by “H”, Divisadero and
Tuolumne streets. Thirty-two
properties were identified as eligible
102 The Historic Preservation Commission did not
concur with the evaluation of this collection of
buildings as a historic district.
100
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
for national, state, or local
designation.
Historic Properties Survey South
Stadium Project Area
Page & Turnbull, 2008
Survey of an eighteen-block area
bounded by Tulare, Van Ness,
Highway 41, and the Southern
Pacific Railroad tracks including
intensive-level survey of a six-block
area between Inyo, Van Ness,
Ventura, and H streets. Eighty-three
(83) properties were documented
including several properties
associated with an automotive
business context.
In addition to historic surveys, two
historic context statements have been
prepared. These, along with contexts
from prior survey reports, provided the
basis for the current context for
Downtown Fresno.
Germantown Historical Context
Architectural Resources Group,
2006
This Historic Context for Fresno’s
historic Germantown documents
the history of the Volga Germans
who first settled in Fresno in 1887
and identifies property types such as
residences, churches and “summer
kitchen” outbuildings that are
associated with this community.
Mid-Century Modern Historic
Context
Planning Resource Associates, Inc.
2008
This historic context statement
addresses the regional and local
emergence of Modern architecture
in Fresno from the period of 1940-
1970 and defines property types
which characterize Fresno mid-
century Modernism. A large portion
of this context focuses on post-
World War II planning and
development in Downtown
Fresno’s Central Business District
and Civic Center.
Survey Process 2010-2011
This survey was conducted using a five-
step approach. This approach is based
upon current professional methodology
standards and procedures developed by
the National Park Service, the California
Office of Historic Preservation, and
preservation professionals over the past
three decades.
Historical Research
Background research was conducted on
the history of Fresno and the
development of its built environment.
Sources of research included historic
101
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
photographs, newspapers, Sanborn Fire
Insurance maps, publications, previous
historic studies and City documents.103
The City’s map of historic resources, the
City’s historic resource database, and
the State Historic Resources Inventory
(HRI) were consulted to locate
previously identified historic properties.
Previous surveys and historic context
statements were used to establish the
general historic context and
development themes for Downtown
Fresno. They provided an important
foundation for further investigation and
informed observations in the field.
These contexts focused on early
residential neighborhoods; the
settlement patterns of various ethnic
communities; automobile-oriented
development; post-World War II
comprehensive planning; and
architecture from the mid-20
th century.
Reconnaissance Survey
Informed by knowledge of the City’s
historic periods of development and
their associated themes and property
types, a focused investigation of the
Downtown-Fulton Corridor area was
103 A bibliography of sources that contributed to this
investigation is included in this report.
conducted in August and September of
2010. The age of buildings,
concentrations of specific property
types, evidence of past development
patterns, and large-scale planning efforts
were noted during field investigations.
Factors of the analysis included historic
integrity, architectural style,
neighborhood cohesion, and
relationships to larger development
patterns in the area. Groupings of
properties were considered for their
geographic or thematic relationships.
Intensive Survey
Intensive survey fieldwork of
Downtown Fresno was conducted in
March and April 2011. Approximately
200 properties within the Downtown-
Fulton Corridor area were identified for
intensive survey because they were
property types associated with identified
historic themes important to the
development of Downtown Fresno. At
the direction of city staff, an additional
100 properties were surveyed to
provide comprehensive coverage within
the survey area.
Properties subject to intensive survey
were individually observed and
photographed from the public right-of-
way. These images were used to assess
material and architectural integrity as
well as to corroborate other property-
specific data.
102
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Data Management
All property-specific information has
been compiled into an Excel table,
referred to as the property data table.
This includes information gathered
during the course of the survey, as well
as previously existing documentation
for historic resources in the survey area.
Analysis
Analysis of the compiled data was
conducted, informed by the
development of the historic context
statement. Factors of the analysis
included historic integrity; architectural
style; rarity of type; historic association;
and relationships to larger development
patterns in the area. A determination of
significance was made for each
surveyed property based upon all of the
data collected. Groupings of properties
were analyzed for geographic or
thematic relationships.
Evaluations and Recommended
Designations
Informed by all of the previous steps,
each surveyed property was evaluated
for eligibility for listing on the National
Register, the California Register, and for
local designation as an individual
historic resource and/or as part of a
historic district. Finally, each property
has been assigned a California Historical
Resource Status Code (“Status Code”).
These codes are used by the California
Office of Historic Preservation to reflect
designations or eligibility for the
National Register of Historic Places, the
California Register of Historical
Resources, and for local designation.
Maps
The maps contained in this report
visually represent current and
recommended designations for
properties within the survey area. These
maps emphasize extant built resources,
and do not reflect the actual boundaries
of any specific property. Standard
preservation practice defines the
boundaries of an historic property as
the parcel on which an historic structure
is situated. Specific boundaries of an
historic property should be clearly
defined at the time of designation.
103
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
SURVEY RESULTS
Overview
The 2010-2011 survey identified,
surveyed and evaluated over 300
individual properties within Downtown
Fresno. A detailed explanation of the
survey results is contained in this
section. In addition to evaluation for
potential local designation, properties
have been evaluated for eligibility under
the criteria for the National Register of
Historic Places and the California
Register of Historical Resources.
Summary lists of all evaluated
properties that were found eligible for
listing as individual resources or as part
of a district can be found in Appendices
A through D.
Understanding the Survey Results
Identification and Evaluation
The Survey Area includes a range of
property types from various historical
periods. Informed by knowledge of
Fresno’ historic periods of development
and their associated themes and
property types, field reconnaissance of
the entire Survey Area was conducted.
Individual properties that represented
outstanding examples of architectural
style, period, or type or were known to
have important historic associations
were identified for further investigation.
After detailed field survey of the
identified properties and property
groupings, each surveyed property was
evaluated for local designation, as well
as its eligibility for listing in the
California Register of Historical
Resources, and the National Register of
Historic Places.
Each property has been assigned the
appropriate California Historical
Resource Status Codes (“Status Code”).
These codes are used by the California
State Office of Historic Preservation to
reflect designations or eligibility for the
National Register of Historic Places, the
California Register of Historical
Resources, and for local designation.
104
The State Office of Historic
Preservation provides the following
qualifying statement in its guidance for
using the Status Codes:
“the status codes are broad indicators
which, in most cases, serve as a starting
place for further consideration and
evaluations. Because the assigned status
code reflects an opinion or action taken at
a specific point in time, the assigned status
code may not accurately reflect the
resource’s eligibility for the National
Register, California Register, or local listing
or designation at some later time.
Individuals and agencies attempting to
104 Note that effective August 2003, these status codes were revised and adopted by the California Office
of Historic Preservation. For the complete list of
current California Historical Resource Status
Codes, see Appendix G.
104
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
identify and evaluate historical resources
need to consider the basis for evaluation
upon which a particular code was
assigned, i.e., date of evaluation, the reason
and criteria applied for evaluation, the age
of the resource at the time of evaluation,
and any changes that may have been made
to the resource that would impact its
integrity.”
105
A list of all status codes established by
the California Office of Historic
Preservation can be found in Appendix
D. The status codes applied by HRG in
this survey are as follows:
1S
Individual property listed in NR by the
Keeper. Listed in the CR.
3S
Appears eligible for NR as an
individual property through survey
evaluation.
3D
Appears eligible for NR as a
contributor to a NR eligible district
through survey evaluation.
3B
Appears eligible for NR both
individually and as a contributor to a
NR eligible district through survey
evaluation.
105 California State Office of Historic Preservation,
Technical Assistance Bulletin #8 (5-6)
3CS
Appears eligible for CR as an
individual property through survey
evaluation.
3CD
Appears eligible for CR as a contributor
to a CR eligible district through a
survey evaluation.
3CB
Appears eligible for CR both
individually and as a contributor to a
CR eligible district through a survey
evaluation.
5S3
Appears to be individually eligible for
local listing or designation through
survey evaluation.
5D3
Appears to be a contributor to a district
that appears eligible for local listing or
designation through survey
evaluation.
5B
Locally significant both individually
(listed, eligible, or appears eligible) and
as a contributor to a district that is
locally listed, designated, determined
eligible or appears eligible through
survey evaluation.
6Z
Found ineligible for local designation
through survey evaluation.
105
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Evaluation of Historic Significance
The evaluation of a property’s eligibility
for historic designation requires an
assessment of two factors: significance
and integrity. The definition of historic
significance used by the California
Office of Historic Preservation (OHP) in
its administration of the California
Register is based upon the definition
used by the National Park Service for
the National Register:
“Historic significance is the importance of a
property to the history, architecture,
archaeology, engineering, or culture of a
community, state, or the nation. It is
achieved in several ways: (1) Association
with events, activities, or patterns; (2)
Association with important persons; (3)
Distinctive physical characteristics of
design, construction, or form; or (4)
Potential to yield important information.
Significance is defined by the area of
history in which the property made
important contributions and by the period
of time when these contributions were
made.”
106
A number of properties are identified as
notable examples of particular building
types or architectural styles, or for
associations with important
development trends in Fresno.
106 National Register Bulletin 16A. (3)
Evaluation of Historic Integrity
The field of historic preservation uses
the concept of “integrity” when
evaluating the physical character of
individual resources.107 Historic integrity
is defined as the “authenticity of a
property’s historic identity, evidenced
by the survival of physical characteristics
that existed during the property’s
historic period.”
108 Integrity is assessed
by determining the extent to which a
property’s historic materials and
architectural features remain intact.
Integrity is composed of seven aspects:
Location is the place where the historic
property was constructed or the place
where the historic event occurred.
Design is the combination of elements
that create the form, plan, space,
structure and style of a property.
Setting is the physical environment of
a historic property.
Materials are the physical elements
that were combined during a
particular period of time and in
particular pattern or configuration to
form a historic property.
107 It is important to distinguish between the condition of a building and its historic integrity. A building
may exhibit poor maintenance, damage, and/or
decay and still possess historic integrity.
108 National Register Bulletin 16A. (4)
106
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Workmanship is the physical evidence
of the crafts of a particular culture or
people during a given period of history
or prehistory.
Feeling is a property’s expression of the
aesthetic or historic sense of a
particular period of time.
Association is the direct link between
an important historic event or person
and a historic property.
To retain historic integrity a property
must possess several, and usually most,
of the seven aspects. The retention of
specific aspects of integrity is paramount
for a property to convey its significance.
Determining which of these aspects are
most important to a particular property
requires knowing why, where and
when the property is significant.
Each evaluated property was assigned
an integrity evaluation of “good,” “fair,”
or “poor.” Properties with good or fair
integrity were then considered as
possible candidates for designation as
individual resources or as contributors
to a potential historic district. Properties
with poor integrity that are rare
surviving examples of an important
property type or period of development
were also considered eligible. Properties
with poor integrity and no known
historic associations were evaluated as
ineligible for designation.
Identification of Historic Districts
Standard preservation practice evaluates
groups of buildings from similar time
periods and historic contexts as districts.
The National Park Service defines an
historic district as “a significant
concentration, linkage, or continuity of
sites, buildings, structures, or objects
united historically or aesthetically by
plan or physical development.”
109
A historic district derives its significance
as a single unified entity. The National
Park Service guidelines continue:
“The identity of a district results from the
interrelationship of its resources, which can
convey a visual sense of the overall historic
environment or be an arrangement of
historically or functionally related
properties.”
110
For the purposes of this survey,
properties that have been found to
contribute to the historic identity of a
district are referred to as district
contributors. These resources are
considered significant as a part of the
district entity, but are not necessarily
significant individually.
111 Properties
located within the district boundaries
109 National Park Service, U. S. Department of the
Interior. National Register Bulletin 15. How to
Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation.
Washington D.C.: 1997. (5)
110 National Register Bulletin 15. (5).
111 Some properties have been recommended for
designation as both individual Landmarks and as
district contributors.
107
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
that do not contribute to its significance
are considered to be non-contributors.
Dates of Construction
Knowledge of a building’s original date
of construction is essential to an
evaluation of historic significance and
integrity. Of the 300 properties
surveyed, HRG was able to locate
approximately 165 building permits
and/or building records. Many of these
did not include an original construction
date. Tax Assessor year dates were
provided for approximately 250
properties by the City. While the
assigned Tax Assessor dates are often
analogous with the original construction
date they are not considered a
consistently reliable source.
In the absence of a comprehensive
listing of reliable construction dates
from a single data source, Historic
Resources Group compiled dates from
multiple sources and selected the date
that appeared most likely to be the
original date of construction.
Evaluations of significance and integrity
have been based upon this
evaluation
date. Where no reliable information was
available, the original construction date
was estimated and a circa date assigned.
Limitations of the Survey Evaluations
As is true with all large-scale historic
resources surveys, in-depth research of
each individual property is not feasible.
Evaluations are based on available
property information and visual
inspection of properties from the public
right-of-way. If additional pertinent
information comes to light, some
evaluations may be revised.
Individually Significant Properties
This survey identifies sixty-five (65)
properties that appear to meet the
criteria for designation as individual
historic landmarks eligible for
designation as City of Fresno Historic
Resources. Seven of these properties
have already been designated by the
City as historic resources.
112
Of the fifty-eight (58) properties that
have not been previously designated by
the City, eighteen (18) appear to be
eligible for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places. Fifty-two
(52) properties appear to be eligible for
listing on the California Register. This
number includes the eighteen
112 Seven of the City’s designated historic resources
were surveyed as part of a survey of all properties
located on the Fulton Mall.
108
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
properties found eligible for the
National Register.
The list of properties evaluated as
individually eligible for historic
landmark designation is representative
of the following:
The Railroad and Town
Establishment
Late 19th and Early 20th Century
Commercial Development
Late 19th and Early 20th Century
Residential Development
Immigration and Fresno’s Ethnic
Communities
Industrial Development
New Deal Civic Development
Mid-Century Downtown
Commercial Revitalization
Mid-Century Downtown Civic
Revitalization
A map of properties evaluated as
potentially eligible for individual historic
landmark designation is shown in Figure
2. A list of eligible properties can be
found in Appendix A.
109
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Figure 2: Map of Individually Eligible Properties
110
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Historic Districts
In addition to properties potentially
individually eligible for historic
designation, this survey identified two
distinct grouping of properties which
warrant consideration for designation as
a historic district. The two potential
historic districts are described below.
Potential Civic Center Historic District
HRG identified a potential “Civic
Center Historic District” that includes
Depression Era government buildings,
and mid-Century government buildings
associated with the New Deal Era and
mid-20
th Century expansions of the
Civic Center, and their associated
landscapes and landscape features.
The potential district is generally
bounded by Van Ness Avenue, Tulare
Street, Fresno Street, P Street and
Merced Street. The potential district
contains fourteen contributing buildings
and one non-contributor. Seven of the
contributors have been designated
individually as historic resources by the
City. This survey identified five
contributing buildings from the mid-20
th
Century that also appear eligible for
listing individually.
A map of the Civic Center Historic
District is shown in Figure 3. A list of
the contributing properties to the Civic
Center Historic District can be found in
Appendix B.
Analysis of a Potential Fulton
Street/Fulton Mall Historic District
The Fulton Mall landscape designed by
celebrated modernist landscape
architect Garrett Eckbo has been
officially determined eligible for listing
in the National Register of Historic
Places. Buildings fronting the Fulton
Mall were surveyed individually and as
contributors to a potential historic
district. Properties constructed between
1914 and 1970 were considered as
potential contributors. This period of
significance includes the establishment
of Fulton Street as a major regional
retail and entertainment corridor in the
first half of the 20
th Century and its
revitalization as the Fulton Mall in the
1960s. The 1970 opening of the
Fashion Fair Mall north of Downtown
precipitated the Fulton Mall’s decline.
Forty-five individual properties were
surveyed on the Fulton Mall. Of these,
seven have been designated individually
as historic resources by the City and
one is listed on the National Register.
This survey identified three additional
properties as eligible for listing
individually. Twelve additional
properties have retained sufficient
integrity to qualify as contributors to a
potential district. The remaining 24
properties were evaluated as non-
contributors due to lack of integrity or
having construction dates outside the
period of significance.
111
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Depending on how a potential district is
configured, roughly 50% of buildings
on the Fulton Mall appeared to meet
criteria as contributors to a potential
historic district. This percentage is less
than what is generally considered
adequate for a historic district
113.
Although they do not appear to meet
criteria for individual listing, the
potential contributing properties are
listed here for review by City staff and
the community. Given the special
importance of Fulton Street to the
history of downtown Fresno, the City
may want to investigate some type of
special planning consideration.
A map showing analysis of the Fulton
Mall as a potential historic district is
shown in Figure 4. A list of the
contributing and non-contributing
properties can be found in Appendix C.
113 Standard preservation practice typically considers a 60% ratio of contributors to be a baseline for a
historic district.
112
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Figure 3: Potential Civic Center Historic District
113
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Figure 4: Potential Fulton Street District Analysis
114
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
GLOSSARY OF TERMS
The following terms are used
throughout this report. They describe
established historic preservation
concepts that are based in cultural
resources law at the Federal, state, and
local levels. These concepts have been
codified in standards and guidelines
developed by the National Park Service,
the Department of the Interior, and
professional practitioners, including
historians, architects, archeologists, and
urban planners.
California Historical Resource Status
Code is the numerical system adopted
by the California Office of Historic
Preservation to classify Historic
Resources that have been identified
through a regulatory process or local
government survey in the Statewide
Historic Resources Inventory database
maintained by the California Office of
Historic Preservation.
Character-defining features are the
essential physical features that enable a
building, structure, or object to convey
why it is significant and when it was
significant. It is not necessary for a
property to retain all of its historic
physical features or characteristics.
However, the property must retain
sufficient physical features to enable it
to convey its historic identity and
without which the property can no
longer be identified.
Contributor is any building, structure,
site, or object located within a
designated Historic District which adds
to the historical integrity or architectural
qualities that make the Historic District
significant. Contributors to designated
Historic Districts are considered Historic
Resources.
Designation is the act of recognizing,
labeling, or listing a property as being
historic. Properties may be designated at
the Federal level as a National Historic
Landmark or listed in the National
Register of Historic Places, at the state
level as a California Historical
Landmark, California Point of Historical
Interest, or listed in the California
Register of Historical Resources, or at
the local level. Designation formally
establishes by law or ordinance that a
building or site has significance.
Historic Context is the area or domain
within which a property has historic
significance. Historic contexts allow for
an understanding of how the property
is a part of an important historic
development or event.
A Historic District is a significant
concentration, linkage or continuity of
sites, buildings, structure or objects
united historically or aesthetically by
plan or physical development.
Historic Integrity is the ability of a
property to convey its significance. It is
the authenticity of a property’s historic
identity as evidenced by the survival of
physical characteristics and materials
115
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
that existed during the property’s
historic period.
Historic Resource is any building,
structure, object, or site that is listed in
or determined eligible for listing in the
National Register of Historic Places or
the California Register of Historical
Resources, either individually or as a
contributor to a Historic District; has
been designated as a historic resource
by the City of Fresno; meets at least
one of the Criteria for Designating a
Historic Landmark; or is identified as a
Contributor to a Historic District.
The Historic Resources Inventory is
the list of buildings, structures, objects,
or sites that are identified as Historic
Resources or potential Historic
Resources through survey or other
evaluation; are included on any list of
historic and cultural resources,
including, but not limited to, the
National Register of Historic Places, the
California Register, and the Statewide
Historic Resources Inventory (with a
California Historic Resource Status
Code of 1-5); or are designated Historic
Landmarks or Contributors to a Historic
District by the City Council.
A Historic Resources Survey is the
process by which a community’s
historic resources are identified and
documented. A reconnaissance-level
survey is a cursory look at an area with
some general background research.
Such a survey is typically used to
broadly characterize the types of
resources that would be found in an
area, in order to guide future survey
efforts. An intensive-level survey is a
close and careful inspection of an area
in order to precisely identify all historic
resources in an area. Such a survey
would include field observation,
detailed background research, thorough
documentation of all surveyed
properties, and is typically accompanied
by a historic context statement.
Historic Significance is the reason a
property is important to the history,
architecture, archaeology, engineering,
or culture of a community, state, or the
nation. Significance is defined by the
area of history in which the property
made an important contribution and by
the period of time when these
contributions were made. Establishing
historic significance is necessary to
demonstrate that a property has been
evaluated within the proper historic
context and according to appropriate,
legally established criteria, such as those
required for listing in the National
Register of Historic Places, the
California Register of Historical
Resources, or a local landmark program.
The National Register of Historic
Places is the official inventory of sites,
buildings, structures objects and districts
significant in American history,
architecture, archeology and culture and
is maintained by the Secretary of the
Interior under the authority of the
Historic Sites Act of 1935 and the
116
REPORT
Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor)
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
National Historic Preservation Act of
1966.
Non-contributor is any building,
structure, or object located within a
designated Historic District which does
not add to the historical integrity or
architectural qualities that make the
Historic District significant. Non-
contributors to designated Historic
Districts are not considered Historic
Resources.
A Period of Significance is the span of
time during which a property was
associated with important events,
activities, or persons, or attained the
characteristics that qualify it as historic.
A resource may have more than one
period of significance.
The Secretary of the Interior’s
Standards and Guidelines are the
standards used in the preservation,
rehabilitation, restoration, or
reconstruction of a historic property.
“The Standards” delineate accepted
treatments for the protection and
rehabilitation of historic materials.
117
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Architectural Resources Group. Chinatown Historic Resources Survey, April 2006.
Architectural Resources Group
. City of Fresno Broadway Row Historical Survey,
April 2004.
Architectural Resources Group. Germantown, Fresno Historical Context, April 2006.
California State Office of Historic Preservation. Historic Resources Inventory, Fresno, CA. February 9, 2010
California State Office of Historic Preservation. Technical Assistance Bulletin No. 8:
User’s Guide to the California Historical Resource Status Codes & Historic Resources Inventory Directory, November 2004
City of Fresno. 2025 Fresno General Plan, Resource Conservation Element February, 2002.
City of Fresno. Central Area Community Plan, July 1989.
City of Fresno. Fulton/Lowell Specific Plan, January, 3 1996.
City of Fresno. Historic Resources Map, December, 2009.
City of Fresno. Fresno Municipal Code; Chapter 12; Article 16 :Historic Preservation Ordinance, February 12, 2009.
http://www.fresno.gov/Government/DepartmentDirectory/PlanningandDevelopment/P lanning/HistoricPreservation/default.htm
Clough, Charles W. and Secrest, William B., Jr. Fresno County: The Pioneer Years from the Beginnings to 1900. Fresno, CA: Panorama West Books, 1984.
Clough, Charles W. et al. Fresno County in the 20th Century, Fresno, CA. Panorama West Books 1986.
Clough, Charles W. Fresno County in the 20th Century from 1900 to the 1980s, Volume Two, an All New History. Ed. Bobbye Sisk Temple. Fresno: Panorama West Books, 1994.
118
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Fogelson, Robert F. Downtown: Its Rise and Fall, 1880-1950, Yale University Press, 2003.
Galvin Preservation Associates, Inc. City of Fresno North Park Survey: Historic Context & Survey Report, November 2008.
Hamm, Edward, Jr. Trolleys of the San Joaquin-When Fresno Rode the Rails. Interurban Publications, Fresno, California 1979
Hardwick, M. Jeffrey, Victor Gruen, Architect of An American Dream, University of Pennsylvania Press 2004.
Hattersley-Drayton, Karana et al, Architecture, Ethnicity, and Historic Landscapes of California’s San Joaquin Valley, City of Fresno, Planning and Development Department, 2008.
Hattersley-Drayton, Karana. Historic Architecture Survey Report for the “Bungalow” Court Project, City of Fresno, 2004
Hattersley-Drayton, Karana. Historic Architecture Survey Report for Plan Amendment A-08-007 and Rezone A-08-034, City of Fresno, July 2009 Hattersley-Drayton, Karana. Historic Architecture Survey Report for the Renaissance at Santa Clara Residential Development Project, City of Fresno, February 2011 Hiigel, Sharon; Maria Ortiz editors. A Portrait of Fresno 1885-1985, Fresno City and County Historical Society 1985.
A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno, California Accessed April 15, 2010. http://historicfresno.org/
Loomis, Allen A. Locating Victor Gruen, essay dated 2000 accessed on Delirious LA website April 22, 201. http://www.deliriousla.net/essays/2000-gruen.htm National Park Service, U. S. Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 15.
How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. Washington D.C.: 1997.
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 16A.
How to Complete the National Register Registration Form. Washington D.C.: 1997.
National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. National Register Bulletin 24:
Guidelines for Local Surveys: A Basis for Preservation Planning. Washington, D.C.:
1985.
119
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Page & Turnbull, Inc. Historic Properties Survey Report South Stadium Project Area, August 2008.
Panter, John “Central California Colony: Marvel of the Desert”, Fresno Past & Present, the Journal of the Fresno City and County Historical Society, Vol. 35 No. 2, Summer 1994.
Planning Resource Associates, Inc. Mid-Century Modernism Historic Context, September 2008.
Planning Resource Associates, Inc. Pinedale Historic Resource Survey, October 2007.
Powell, John Edward and Michael J. McGuire. Supplementary Historic Building Survey, City of Fresno, City of Fresno, September 1994.
Rehart, Catherine Morison; William Secrest Jr.; J. Randall Mc Farland and Elizabeth Laval. Celebrating the Journey, 150 Years of Fresno County and Beyond Fresno County Superintendent of Schools, 2007.
Sanborn Company. Sanborn Maps, Fresno County, California.
Starr, Kevin, Endangered Dreams, The Great Depression in California, Oxford University Press 1996.
Starr, Kevin, Golden Dreams, California in an Age of Abundance 1950-1960, Oxford University Press 2009.
Urbana Preservation and Planning. City of Fresno Arts-Culture District Historic Property Survey, July 2006.
Urbana Preservation and Planning, City of Fresno Upper Triangle Areas Historic Property Survey, February 2007.
Victor Gruen Associates, Central Area Fresno, California, vol. 1, Research and Basic Planning, March 16, 1959
Victor Gruen Associates, Fresno: A City Reborn, (film) 1968 Worster, Donald (1979). Dust Bowl: The Southern Plains in the 1930s. Oxford University Press.
120
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Newspaper Articles
“Architect Begins Design Of New Federal Building”, Fresno Bee, December 27, 1963 “Bank Will Dedicate New Office”, Fresno Bee, September 29, 1968 “Berkley’s Will Open In New Quarters”, Fresno Bee, April 9, 1961 Bier, Jerry; “Board Sets Law Building Timetable”, Fresno Bee, May 7, 1968 “Call is Issued For Bids on $1,000,000 Downtown Store”, Fresno Bee, May 8, 1960 “City Hall Site Is Urged for New Police Building”, Fresno Bee, December 13, 1957 “City OKs Pact For Design of Mariposa Mall”, Fresno Bee, October 30, 1968 Clough, Edwin M., “1962 May Bring Decision On Reshaping Of Downtown Area”, Fresno Bee, January 2, 1962
Cole, Verne; “Fresno’s New Face Is Milestone of Year Past”, Fresno Bee, January 1, 1965
“Creamery Lists Million Dollar Drop In Revenues”, Fresno Bee, March 9, 1948 “Crossing Entry”, Fresno Bee, May 3, 1965
“First Federal Savings Will Start Work On New Building”, Fresno Bee, June 4, 1967 “Former Fresno Hilton Will Be Gutted And Redeveloped ”, Fresno Bee, November 22, 2006
“Four Unit Building Will Replace Hotel”, Fresno Bee, January 28, 1962 Fresno Bee, January 3, 1962, photo of Sequoia Hotel demolition. “Fresno’s Changing Face”, Fresno Bee, October 27, 1960
“Fresno Became a City 75 Years Ago Today”, Fresno Bee, October 27, 1960 “Fresno Council Hears Civic Center Plans”, The Modesto Bee, December 19, 1965 “Good Losers Get No Chapter in Winner Del Webb’s Book”, Fresno Bee, March 8, 1964
Grig, Gene, “1.9 Million Is Approved For Courthouse”, Fresno Bee, July 19, 1963 121
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Grimes, Ward W., “Del Webb Center Will Be Dedicated Tomorrow”, Fresno Bee, March 6, 1964
Grimes, Ward W., “15 Story Downtown Hotel Will Be Built”, Fresno Bee, October 17, 1960
Grimes, Ward W., “Savings Firm Plans Office Tower”, Fresno Bee, August 9, 1964 Grimes, Ward W., “Webb Center Nears Finish”, Fresno Bee, November 3, 1963 “Insurance Company Plans New Building”, Fresno Bee, April 25, 1965 “International Drug Company Will Move”, Fresno Bee, December 2, 1951 “Jewelry Firm Leases Old Coffee’s Store”, Fresno Bee, August 22, 1965 Kidder, Karl M., “Community Hospital Building Drive Starts”, Fresno Bee, October 31, 1963
“Mall Festival Will Display Cultural Life”, Fresno Bee, August 30, 1964 “National Dollar Stores Plans Mall Location”, Fresno Bee, February 14, 1965 “New Building”, Fresno Bee, November 1, 1964
“New Luggage Shop Opens On Fulton Mall”, Fresno Bee, January 30, 1966 “New Restaurant”, Fresno Bee, October 20, 1968
“Planning for Fresno Civic Center Began 35 Years Ago”, The Modesto Bee, June 28, 1956
“Plans for Downtown Motel Gets City Nod”, Fresno Bee, November 19, 1959 “Rising Skyscraper”, Fresno Bee, May 5, 1963
“Savings Firm Will Open New Quarters”, Fresno Bee, July 2, 1961 Sisson, H.L., “Future Metropolis Blossoms In Nation’s Agricultural Center”, Fresno Bee, March 8, 1964
Sisson, H.L., “More Sky In Fresno’s Future?”, Fresno Bee, August 18, 1963 Sisson, H.L., “Savings Firm Plans L Street Office Building”, Fresno Bee, July 19, 1963 Sisson, H.L., “Webb Opening Points To Big Fresno Future”, Fresno Bee, March 7, 1964 122
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
“Tree Lined Mariposa Mall Is Studied”, Fresno Bee, November 25, 1956 “Unique Design”, Fresno Bee, November 28, 1965
“Walter Smith Moves To Fulton-Kern Area”, Fresno Bee, November 5, 1961 “Wells Fargo Bank Plans New Office”, Fresno Bee, March 28, 1965
Websites
Archop website
http://archop.org/
Armenian National Institute website
http://www.armenian-genocide.org
California Raisin Marketing Board website
http://www.calraisins.org/about/the-raisin-industry/history/ California State Military Museum website
http://www.militarymuseum.org
Carnegie Libraries of California website
http://www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/fresno.html Community Medical Centers Healthcare website
http://www.communitymedical.org
The Cultural Landscape Foundation website
http://tclf.org
Del Monte Foods corporate website, “Our History” pages
http://www.delmonte.com/company/default.aspx?page=oc_ourhistory PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno website, The Fulton Mall: A Brief History http://www.downtownfresno.org/fulton-mall.html
Fresno County Public Library (history of page)
http://www.fresnolibrary.org/about/history.html
Fresno Historical Society. http://www.valleyhistory.org 123
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
Fresno Irrigation District website
http://www.fresnoirrigation.com/history.html
A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno, California
http://historicfresno.org/
Lance and Cromwell Old Fresno (California) Flickr Set
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81918828@N00/sets/72157603574663279/with/214 4732995/
Mid-Century Modern Fresno Facebook Page
Picayune Rancheria of the Chukchansi Indians Website History page, http://www.chukchansi.net/history.html
Pop Laval Collection website
http://www.poplavalfoundation.org
Sun-Maid Corporate website
http://www.sun-maid.com/en/about/our_history.html
124
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
APPENDIX A: PROPERTIES THAT APPEAR ELIGIBLE FOR INDIVIDUAL HISTORIC LANDMARK DESIGNATION
INDIVIDUALLY ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or
OTHER IDENTIFIER SIGNIFICANCE STATUS
CODE
46829608 401 BROADWAY 1952 Sheppard Rug
Company sign
Good example of mid‐20th Century
commercial signage. 5S3; 3CS
46708112 646 F 1910 c. cottage Rare intact example of early 20th Century cottage. 5S3; 3CS
46706501 1157 F 1923 Hotel D'Italia
Rare intact example of a mixed‐
use commercial building from the
1920s. Possible association with
old Italian neighborhood.
5S3; 3CS
46615203 2135 FRESNO 1950 Crocker Anglo Bank
Building
Good example of Mid‐Century
Modern commercial building. 5S3; 3CS
46825507 802 FULTON 1913/1948/1
968 Gottschalks
Excellent example of Late
Moderne architecture. Flagship
location of important regional
retailer Gottschalks.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46828105 901 FULTON 1961 Walter Smith Store /
Luftenburg’s
Rare intact example of a mid‐20th
Century department store in
Downtown Fresno.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46828101 959 FULTON 1924
Radin‐Kamp
Department Store;
J.C. Penny's
Rare intact example of an early
20th Department Store building in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of the noted local
architecture firm of Felchlin, Shaw
& Franklin.
3S; 5S1
46621307 1001 FULTON 1917 Bank of Italy
Excellent example of Renaissance
Revival commercial architecture in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of the noted local
architecture firm of Felchlin, Shaw
& Franklin.
1S; 5S1
46627002 1044 FULTON 1918 Mason Building
Excellent example of Renaissance
Revival commercial architecture in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of noted architect
Eugene Mathewson.
5S1; 3CS;
3S
46617212 1060 FULTON 1923 Pacific Southwest
Building
Excellent example of Renaissance
Revival commercial architecture in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of the noted local
architecture firm of Felchlin, Shaw
& Franklin.
5S1; 3CS;
3S
46621204 1101 FULTON 1914 Helm Building
Excellent example of Renaissance
Revival commercial architecture in
Fresno. Representative example of
5S1; 3CS;
3S
125
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
INDIVIDUALLY ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or
OTHER IDENTIFIER SIGNIFICANCE STATUS
CODE
the work of the noted architect
George Kelham.
46621201 1177 FULTON 1921
Mattei
Building/Guarantee
Savings and Loan
Excellent example of Classical
Revival commercial architecture in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of the noted architect
Eugene Mathewson. 1961 remodel
by noted architectural firm of
Robert Stevens Associates.
5S1; 3CS;
3S
46621103T 1221 FULTON 1928 Brix Building
Good example of an early 20th
Century commercial building.
Representative example of the
work of noted local architects
Swartz & Ryland.
5S2
46708201 539 G 1940 c. Kerr Rug Company
Rare example of Streamline
Moderne industrial building in
Fresno.
5S3; 3CS
46708201 539 G 1940 c. Kerr Rug Company
Sign
Good example of pre‐World War II
commercial sign. 5S3; 3CS
46704004 704 G 1936/1945 Feed & Seed
Warehouse
Rare example of intact pre‐WWII
industrial building in Fresno.
5S3; 3CS
46704021U 744 G 1915 c. San Joaquin Materials
Co.
Rare example of pre‐WWII
industrial building.
5S3; 3CS
46704006 840 G 1905 c.
Madary's Brick
Warehouse General
Storage
Rare example of turn‐of‐the‐
century industrial building in
Fresno.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46703004 1068 G 1915c. / 1930 Jensen & Pilegard Rare example of pre‐WWII industrial building.
5S3; 3CS
46706211 1159 G 1920 c. G Street Zone
Substation
Rare example of pre‐WWII public
infrastructure building.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46706113 1235 G 1968 Ridge Electric Motor
Company
Association with celebrated local
artist Stan Bitter. 5S3
46704023ST 735 H 1910 c. Railroad warehouse Rare intact example of a railroad warehouse in Fresno.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46503021U 1603 H 1930 c. warehouse Rare intact example of pre‐WWII industrial building in Fresno. 5S3; 3CS
46707615 1410 INYO various California Dairies,
Inc.
Rare operating industrial facility
portions of which date from the
early 20th Century.
5S3; 3CS
46825318 701 L 1936 California Transit
Company
Rare example of an intact early
20th Century industrial building in
Fresno.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46840001T 700 M 1966
Fresno Convention
Center; William
Soroyan Theater
Good example of late Modern
architecture. Work of important
local architect Robert W. Stevens.
5S3; 3CS
126
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
INDIVIDUALLY ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or
OTHER IDENTIFIER SIGNIFICANCE STATUS
CODE
Associated with mid‐20th Century
Downtown revitalization.
46821410T 901 M 1963 parking structure
Part of the former Del Webb
Center. Good example of a mid‐
century mixed‐use complex.
5S3; 3CS
46611307 1260 M 1960 c. commercial office Example of mid‐century commercial office building. 5S3; 3CS
46611513T 1301 M 1965 c. commercial office Good example of a mid‐century office building 5S3; 3CS
46611503 1325 M 1940 Brix Apartments Good example of pre‐World War II bungalow court. 5S3
46611502 1345 M 1910 c. cottage Excellent example of early 20th Century cottage. 5S3; 3CS
46611215T 1350 M 1953 First Methodist
Church of Fresno
Good example of mid‐century
institutional building. 5S3
46612203 2314 MARIPOSA 1950 Fresno County Office
of Education
Good example of Mid‐Century
Modern civic architecture
5S3; 5D3;
3CB; 3B
46612101T 2323 MARIPOSA 1960 Fresno Police
Headquarters
Good example of Mid‐Century
Modern civic architecture.
5S3; 5D3;
3CB; 3B
46609401T 2420 MARIPOSA 1959 Fresno County Free
Library
Good example of Mid‐Century
Modern civic architecture.
5S3; 5D3;
3CB; 3B
46609201T 2550 MARIPOSA 1959 Hugh M. Burns State
Building
Good example of Mid‐Century
Modern civic architecture.
5D3; 3CD;
3D
46611203 1331 N 1930/1950 Royal Court
Apartments
Good example of pre‐World War II
bungalow court. 5S3
46608311 1334 N 1910 Folk Victorian duplex
Rare intact example of a
residential building from the first
decade of the 20th Century.
5S3; 3CS
46608312 1338 N 1886 c. George H. Walley
Home
Rare intact example of a late 19th
Century cottage in Fresno.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46609114T 1130 O 1966 B.F. Sisk Federal
Building
Good example of late modern
architecture in Fresno.
Representative work of noted local
architect Walter Wagner.
5S3; 5D3;
3CB; 3B
46608119 1350 O 1966 Equitable Life
Assurance
Good example of a mid‐century
modern commercial building in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of noted local architect
Robert W. Stevens.
5S3; 3CS
46608203 1223 P 1940 bungalow court Good example of pre‐World War II bungalow court. 5S3
46608202 1231 P 1941 bungalow court Good example of pre‐World War II bungalow court. 5S3
46605511 1320 P 1913 cottage Rare intact example of early 20th Century cottage. 5S3; 3CS
127
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
INDIVIDUALLY ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or
OTHER IDENTIFIER SIGNIFICANCE STATUS
CODE
46605519 1319 Q 1913 cottage Rare, intact example of an early‐ 20th century residential bungalow. 5S3; 3CS
46829505 1801 SANTA
CLARA 1945 industrial building Rare, intact example of a pre‐ WWII industrial building. 5S3; 3CS
46611124 2320
STANISLAUS 1946 AC Delco Automobile
Service
Good example of Streamline
Moderne architecture in Fresno. 5S3; 3CS
46704012S 1626 TULARE 1946 California Packing
Corporation
Rare example of intact fruit
packing facility portions of which
date to the early 20th Century.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46703032U 1713 TULARE 1917 Pullman Shed Very rare intact example of a Pullman Car shed.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46825410 2014 TULARE 1922 T.W. Patterson
Building
Excellent example of Renaissance
Revival commercial architecture in
Fresno. Representative example of
the work of the noted local
architecture firm of Felchlin, Shaw
& Franklin.
5S1; 3CS;
3S
46825111 2150 TULARE 1965 Midland Savings and
Loan
Good example of a Mid‐Century
modern commercial building.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46821410T 2200 TULARE 1963 Del Webb Center
Good example of mixed‐use
commercial development from the
mid‐20th Century.
5S3; 3CS
46605404 2615
TUOLUMNE 1965 Downtown Car Wash
Rare example of Googie
commercial architecture in
Downtown Fresno.
5S3; 3CS
46826506 517 VAN NESS 1895 c. Joseph Giardina
House
Rare intact example of late 19th
Century residential development.
Rare brick construction Queen
Anne house in Fresno.
5S3/3S
46826505 521 VAN NESS 1895 c. Giardina Property
Rare intact example of late 19th
Century residential development.
Rare brick construction Queen
Anne house in Fresno.
5S3/3S
46826112 636 VAN NESS 1915 Neo‐Classical 2‐flat Rare early 20th Century duplex in Fresno. 5S3; 3CS
46825511T 801 VAN NESS 1968 Spiral Parking Garage
Rare and unique parking structure
featuring spiral ramps.
Representative example of the
work of noted local architects
Walter Wagner & Assoc.
5S3; 3CS
46825208T 830 VAN NESS 1960 c.
Robert N. Klein and
Associates (ESK Land
Company)
Good example of a mid‐Century
Modern commercial building.
Representative work of noted local
architect Robert W. Stevens.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
128
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
INDIVIDUALLY ELIGIBLE PROPERTIES
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or
OTHER IDENTIFIER SIGNIFICANCE STATUS
CODE
46825210 862 VAN NESS 1931 L.C. Wesley Super
Garage
Good example of Art Deco
architecture in Fresno. Rare intact
early 20th Century automobile
service and parking building.
5S3; 3CS;
3S
46825405 915 VAN NESS 1935 c. El Paso Mexican
Restaurant
Good example of an early 20th
store building in Fresno.
5S3; 3CS
46825403 933 VAN NESS 1962 Fink & Skopp
Furnishings
Good example of mid‐Century
Modern commercial architecture.
Representative example of the
work of noted local architect
Robert W. Stevens.
5S3; 3CS
46616001T 1100 VAN NESS 1965 Fresno County
Courthouse
Good example of Mid‐Century
Modern architecture.
5S3; 5D3;
3CB; 3B
46615210 1206 VAN NESS 1966 Wells Fargo
Good example of a Mid‐Century
Modern commercial building.
Representative work of noted local
architect William Hastrup.
5S3; 3CS
46615421 1221 VAN NESS 1966 Bank of the West
Good example of a Mid‐Century
Modern commercial building.
Work of the office of noted
architect Welton Beckett.
5S3; 3CS
46822520 2222 VENTURA 1958 Haron's sign Good example of mid‐20th Century commercial sign. 5S3; 3CS
129
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
APPENDIX B: CIVIC CENTER HISTORIC DISTRICT
POTENTIAL CIVIC CENTER HISTORIC DISTRICT
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE HISTORIC NAME or OTHER IDENTIFIER
CONTRIBUTING BUILDINGS
46616001T 2200 Fresno St. 1969 Fresno Sheriff Office
46612101T 2326 Fresno 1941 Fresno City Hall
46612203 2314 Mariposa 1950 Fresno County Office of Education 46612101T 2323 Mariposa 1960 Fresno Police Headquarters 46612201T 2348 Mariposa 1936 Old Fresno Unified School District Office 46609401T 2420 Mariposa 1959 Fresno County Free Library 46609201T 2550 Mariposa 1959 Hugh M. Burns State Building 46609114T 1130 O Street 1966 B.F. Sisk Federal Building 46608401T 1235 O Street 1935 Fresno Memorial Auditorium 46616001T 2281 Tulare 1935 Fresno County Hall of Records 46612202T 2309 Tulare 1939 U.S. Post Office (Main)
46616001T 1100 Van Ness 1966 Fresno County Courthouse CONTRIBUTING LANDSCAPE AND CIRCULATION ELEMENTS
Courthouse Square
Mariposa Mall
130
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
APPENDIX C: FULTON STREET HISTORIC DISTRICT ANALYSIS
FULTON STREET DISTRICT ANALYSIS
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or OTHER
IDENTIFIER
CONTRIBUTING
STATUS
46828219 845 Fulton Mall 1969 Kinneys Shoes C
46825515T 860 Fulton Mall 1965 c. parking w/retail C 46828221T 887 Fulton Mall 1961 Berkeley's Apparel C 46825407 900 Fulton Mall 1963 Woolworth's C
46828105 901 Fulton Mall 1961 Walter Smith Store C
46825408 926 Fulton Mall 1965 National Dollar Stores C 46621306 1017 Fulton Mall 1966 Sams Luggage C
46621302 1045 Fulton Mall 1969 Rodder's C
46617112 1118 Fulton Mall 1924 Kress Building C
46617114 1136 Fulton Mall 1958 Newberry's C
46621112 1255 Fulton Mall 1940 Bank of America C
46627002 1044 Fulton Mall 1918 Mason Building C
46617212 1060 Fulton Mall 1923 Pacific Southwest
Building C
46621204 1101 Fulton Mall 1914 Helm Building C
46621201 1177 Fulton Mall 1921 Mattei Building C
46621103T 1221 Fulton Mall 1928 Brix Building C
46621105 1199 Fulton Mall 1950 Cover Girl; Proctor's Jewelers C
46825507 802 Fulton Mall 1913/1948/
1968 Gottschalks C
46828101 959 Fulton Mall 1924
Radin‐Kamp
Department Store; J.C.
Penny's
C
46621307 1001 Fulton Mall 1917 Bank of Italy C
46825410 2014 Tulare St. 1922 T.W. Patterson Building C 46828205 829 Fulton Mall 1945 El Caballero NC
46828222T 835 Fulton Mall 1965 c. store NC
131
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
FULTON STREET DISTRICT ANALYSIS
PARCEL ADDRESS EVALUATION
DATE
HISTORIC NAME or OTHER
IDENTIFIER
CONTRIBUTING
STATUS
46828104 917 Fulton Mall 1940 El Patron / Beauty
Town NC
46828103 927 Fulton Mall 1969 Hermanos NC
46825409 930 Fulton Mall 1940 Galeria Mexico NC
46828102 931 Fulton Mall 1922 China Express / El
Bronco NC
46617207 1000 Fulton Mall 1917 Patterson Block NC
46617208 1010‐24 Fulton
Mall 1917 Patterson Block NC
46621305 1025 Fulton Mall 1965 Edmonds Jewelers and
Silversmiths NC
46621304 1029 Fulton Mall 1957 Leslie's / Botanica NC 46617215 1030 Fulton Mall 1967 Optometrist / Priscilla NC 46621303 1035 Fulton Mall 1950 Gensler Lee / Gallen
Kamp's NC
46617111 1108 Fulton Mall 1970 Payless Shoe Source NC 46621203 1127 Fulton Mall 1948 Office NC
46617113 1130 Fulton Mall 1946 B‐Maxx NC
46621216 1141 Fulton Mall 1945 Auto Insurance NC
46626001 1150 Fulton Mall 1981 Valley Dental NC
46621217 1155 Fulton Mall 1965 c Store NC
46615411 1212 Fulton Mall 1970 Roos‐Atkins NC
46621104T 1215 Fulton Mall 1972 County of Fresno
Department of Health NC
46615412 1226 Fulton Mall 1965 c. Best Nails, Mayo,
Fulton Kabab NC
46621120 1243 Fulton Mall
1925 c. /
new façade
1957
Neil‐White & Co. Shoes NC
46615413 1246 Fulton Mall 1970
Court Appointed
Special Associates for
Children
NC
46615414 1260 Fulton Mall 1975 Marderosian, Runyon,
Cercone, & Lehman NC
46620656T 1331 Fulton Mall 1990 c.
Housing Authority of
the City and County of
Fresno
NC
132
REPORT
City of Fresno
Historic Resources Survey
HISTORIC RESOURCES GROUP
APPENDIX D: CALIFORNIA OFFICE OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION HISTORICAL RESOURCE STATUS CODES