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*P2. Location: Not for Publication Unrestricted *a. County Fresno (P2c, P2e, and P2b or P2d. Attach a Location Map as necessary.) *b. USGS 7.5' Quad Fresno North Date 2021 T 13S; R 20E; of of Sec 32 ; Mount Diablo B.M. c. Address 1235 N. Arthur Ave City Fresno Zip 93728 d. UTM: Zone , mE/ mN
e. Other Locational Data: (e.g., parcel #, directions to resource, elevation, decimal degrees, etc., as appropriate) Assessor’s Parcel Number:450-162-09
*P3a. Description: (Describe resource and its major elements. Include design, materials, condition, alterations, size, setting, and boundaries)
The property at 1235 N. Arthur Avenue (Assessor Parcel Number: 45 0-162-09), is in the tower district of the city of Fresno. Set on the north side of West Olive Avenue and west of North Arthur Avenue, the property consists of a 0. 22-acre rectangular parcel with a one-story single-family residence and a garage set back in the parcel.
Other than a projected front porch in the east side, the plan of the main house is L - shaped. Built in 1921, the residence exhibits feature of early 20 th century craftsman- style architecture, with elements such as clipped gables with large attic vents ; large gabled front porch with two sets of round columns; deep roof overhangs with exposed beams and rafters; and wood siding and trim. There is a chimney visible from the main façade.
The windows in the front are all double-hung sash windows with mullions and true-divided panes. The door is centered between two sets of sidelights, enhancing the symmetrical look of the entrance. The main house is in visibly good condition and shows no alterations except for the patio in the backyard added in 1987, therefore retaining a good level of integrity.
The one-story garage situated in the west south corner of the lot was constructed in c.1923. The plan is L-shaped. All the windows have been boarded up.
*P3b. Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)
HP2 (Single Family Residence) HP4 (Detached
garage/apartment)
*P4. Resources Present: Building Structure
Object Site District Element of District Other (Isolates, etc.)
P5b. Description of Photo: 7/3/2024,Street
View, Camera pointing to South west
*P6. Date Constructed/Age and Source:
Historic Prehistoric Both
*P7. Owner and Address:
Jose Martinez Fresneda Saborido & Iratze
Diaz Gomara
1235 N. Arthur Ave, Fresno, CA 93728
*P8. Recorded by: (Name, affiliation, and address)
Lisha Chen , Historic Preservation
Specialist, City of Fresno
*P9. Date Recorded: 7/17/2024
*P10. Survey Type: (Describe) Intensive
P5a. Photograph or Drawing (Photograph required for buildings, structures, and objects.)
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*P11. Report Citation : (Cite survey report and other sources, or enter "none.") The Fresno Bee. 1945. “Death Summons M.O. Humphreys, Fresno Planner,” April 9, 1945.
The Fresno Bee. “Building Boom on In West Fresno; Many Structures Going Up”, Jan 22, 1923.
City of Fresno Building Permit Record
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1919.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1929.
United States Federal Census, 1930.
Paul E. Vandor. 1919. History of Fresno and Madera Counties. Vol. 2. Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company.
*Attachments: NONE Location Map Continuation Sheet Building, Structure, and Object Record Archaeological Record District Record Linear Feature Record Milling Station Record Rock Art Record Artifact Record Photograph Record Other (List):
Location Map of the Property located at 1235 N. Arthur Ave
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Main house, front façade, 1962, photo taken by county accessor’s office, camera facing west
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Main house, front façade, 2024, camera facing west
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Main house, front façade, 2024, camera facing northwest
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Main house, rear façade, 2024, camera facing northeast
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Garage, north façade, 2024, camera facing south
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BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
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B1. Historic Name:
B2. Common Name:
B3. Original Use: Single family residence B4. Present Use: Single family residence *B5. Architectural Style: Craftsman
*B6. Construction History: (Construction date, alterations, and date of alterations)
City of Fresno building permit records indicate that a permit for the house and garage was issued on December 8, 1921, followed by a permit for garage construction on January 11, 1923. A 1923 report in the Fresno Bee noted the steady increase in building activity in west Fresno, mentioning a $350 garage under construction by Miles O. Humphreys at 1235 North Arthur Avenue.
*B7. Moved? No Yes Unknown Date: Original Location:
*B8. Related Features: Garage
B9a. Architect: Unknown b. Builder: Unknown *B10. Significance: Theme Urban Development and Architectural Expression in Early 20th Area Fresno
Period of Significance 1920-1974 Property Type Single family residence Applicable Criteria (i), (ii), and (iii) (Discuss importance in terms of historical or architectural context as defined by theme, period, and geographic scope. Also address integrity.)
Background and Neighborhood
By the late 1890s and early 1900s, Fresno's population and economy were rapidly expanding. According to the U.S. Census, the city's population doubled from 12,470 in 1900 to 24,892 in 1910. In response to this growth, the Fresno City Board of Trustees established the city's first planning commission in 1916 to manage and guide further development. Arthur Avenue was constructed during the 1920s, a period marked by economic prosperity and an increased demand for housing near the downtown industrial center. Most of the bungalows in this area date from the 1910s and 1920s, representing the era's most important form of moderate-cost housing. These homes highlight the modest character of the neighborhoods extending west along the Olive Avenue streetcar line, contrasting with the wealthier subdivisions to the north, such as Wilson's North Fresno Tract and the College Addition.
Ownership and Occupancy
Miles O. Humphreys, the first property owner of
the house, was born on April 21, 1885, in
Tollhouse. He was the son of a pioneer Fresno
County family that arrived in California during
the Gold Rush of 1849. Notably, Humphreys served
as the first chairman of the Fresno City
Planning Commission, holding this position for
N
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nearly 20 years. His leadership was instrumental in shaping the city's growth and development. Humphreys was actively involved in community affairs until his retirement in 1938 due to ill health. After Humphreys' death in 1945, his wife, Irma M., continued to reside in the house until her death in 1974. Subsequent city building permit records indicate that the property was owned by Terry Jones and William Siegfried.
Craftsman Bungalow
The most common house type of this period was the Craftsman or California Bungalow. The Craftsman style was a product of the anti-industrial ideals articulated by John Ruskin and William Morris, which resulted in the Arts and Crafts movement in England and the work of the Craftsman style, introduced by the Greene and Greene brothers in Southern California. In 1901 Gustav Stickley began publishing Craftsman Magazine in New York, and the principles of handcraft, connecting with nature, and a return to the simple life spread across the country. The Bungalow was a moderately priced domestic architecture suited to the California climate. Between 1922 and 1929, 883,000 new homes were built each year in the United States. New suburbs developed along the outskirts of every major city. The suburban neighborhoods were filled with the American Bungalow, which cost between $1,500 and $5,000, a price that was affordable for the growing middle class. The house at 1235 N Arthur Ave was but at the cost of $6,000. These homes emphasized the importance of connecting the indoors with the outdoors.
Character-defining features of the house include:
• Low-pitched, gabled roof with wide, unenclosed eave overhang • Exposed roof rafters and beams
• Entry porch with roof supported by columns
• Trellised porch
• Grouped windows
• Wood siding and trim
Integrity and Eligibility
The house has been in existence for more than
fifty years, constructed in the 1921, making it
over 100 years old. It retains its integrity in
terms of location, design, setting, materials,
workmanship, feeling, and association as a
Craftsman Bungalow with its character-defining
features still intact.
Criteria (i) Association with Significant Events
The house is part of the historical growth and
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development period of Fresno, specifically during the city's rapid expansion in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The development of Arthur Avenue during the 1920s is representative of the broader patterns of housing demand near industrial centers and the expansion of suburban neighborhoods.
Criteria (ii) Association with Significant Persons
The house was first owned by Miles O. Humphreys, a significant figure in Fresno's history.
Miles O. Humphreys played a pivotal role in Fresno's urban development history as the first chairman of the Fresno City Planning Commission. His nearly two-decade-long tenure saw the establishment and implementation of foundational planning principles that guided the city's growth during a critical period of expansion. His contributions to the planning and growth of Fresno highlight the house's association with a person significant in the past.
Criteria (iii) Distinctive Characteristics of a Type, Period, or Method of Construction The house embodies the distinctive characteristics of the Craftsman Bungalow style, popular in the early 20th century. Its features, such as the low-pitched gabled roof, exposed rafters, trellised porch, grouped windows, and wood siding, exemplify the architectural style and construction methods of that period.
Criteria (iv) Potential to Yield Important Historical Information Based on current research, the house does not appear to yield important historical information.
Conclusion
Given these points, the house on Arthur Avenue meets the criteria (i), (ii), and (iii)for historic designation under the Fresno Municipal Code Sec. 12-1607. It is associated with significant events and persons, and it embodies distinctive architectural characteristics of its period.
B11. Additional Resource Attributes: (List attributes and codes)
*B12. References:
The Fresno Bee. 1945. “Death Summons M.O.
Humphreys, Fresno Planner,” April 9, 1945.
The Fresno Bee. “Building Boom on In West
Fresno; Many Structures Going Up”, Jan 22, 1923.
City of Fresno Building Permit Record
*Resource Name or # (Assigned by recorder) *NRHP Status Code Page of
DPR 523B (9/2013) *Required information
State of California The Resources Agency Primary #
DEPARTMENT OF PARKS AND RECREATION HRI#
BUILDING, STRUCTURE, AND OBJECT RECORD
(This space reserved for official comments.)
(Sketch Map with north arrow required.)
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1919.
Sanborn Fire Insurance Map, 1929.
United States Federal Census, 1930.
Paul E. Vandor. 1919. History of Fresno and Madera Counties. Vol. 2. Los Angeles, Calif., Historic Record Company.
B13. Remarks:
*B14. Evaluator: Lisha Chen, Historic Preservation Specialist, City of Fresno *Date of Evaluation: 7/17/2024