This is the first of a reoccurring feature we will cal: What The Façade or WTF
Every once in awhile you come across a building that is really well thought out, contextual and pleasing to the eye. This is not the case with the building below. One of our readers sent us the image below with the comment “It makes my eyes water. Really bad.”
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It is as if someone vomited faux architecture all over this building. There is foam molding, weird window pop-outs with fake clay tile above. The whole building got a orange, brown and grey stucco wrap that classes with the fuax stone at the base.
The graphic designers out there are probably clinging at the 3 different typefaces used for the sign and address. Not to mention that the ampersand (&) is backwards.
Below is the Google Streetview as the building sat vacant after a fire between 2003 and 2004. Note the original details of the building. The double wood outriggers are of note. How anyone would take the good mid-century modern bones of the building below and envision this final product, I will never know.
The building at 700 E. Shaw used to be home to Helen Smades Real Estate. Helen Smades was a prominent Fresnan. Helen Smades Trust sold the 5,690 square foot building in 1998.
I don’t know who is responsible. The Owner/developer, contractor, architect/designer or tenant. Maybe they’re all to blame. But it is obvious that this is an ugly façade.
If you see an ugly building out there in our built environment send it in to curator@archop.org It maybe the next one shown for WTF.
This new structure feels like the owner was drawing on “architecture” from Mexico: tile above the windows, the pop-outs all over the facade, orange (seriously?) are common in mexican building. All without any unifying theme other than “the walls and roof have to enclose the interior space.”
Ohhh, will definitely be contributing some photos! Good idea for a series.
Arnie, I think I have to disagree with you here. I don’t see the resemblance to Mexican architecture. Or even the fact that a county with over 1,000 years of architectural history and dozens of styles represented could be all lumped together with the crappy building above.
I knew something was wrong with that ampersand!! I was trying to draw one in midair with my finger.
I’m more annoyed about the ampersand than anything else.
I’d like to hear from those who would defend this design.
At least a handful of people really believe that this design was a great choice because someone was willing to pay over $100k for it.
Boo! Obviously the entire thing is horrible, but the backwards ampersand just takes it to the next level.
They’re trying to play off the BJ’s, and other chains, vibe across the street.
Lose the palms and throw more brick vaneer on and it might work. Other than that at least it’s new (for what that’s worth), at least it’s occupied and at least someone cared to try.
This atrocious butchering “architectural” job pretty much killed one of the beautiful mid-century office buildings on the North side of Shaw Avenue across from the Fashion Fair Mall- the Helen Smeades building.
The original design was in serious disrepair, but completely restorable. The mid-century post & beam structure contained a central open atrium with offices on both sides of the building. This remodel pretty much killed it beyond any possible recovery.
What an architectural stain for Fresno this turned out as…
Another recent example of facade “beautification” happened to another mid-century building just West off the above mentioned Helen Smeades building:
618 Shaw Ave.
The original design of this building (former Wells Fargo Bank) possibly designed by Robert W Stevens AIA, had adobe brick decorative details on its steel columns and T1-11 siding facade. The renovation completely covered the columns and adobe with slate tiles and the plywood siding was removed and the facade stuccoed. Now it looks just like a block of concrete all around; not an improvement in my view.
The building before renovation is illustrated below:
http://tinyurl.com/yef7wfj