Among others in Fresno such as fresnomodern.com, here at archop, we have a growing appreciation of mid-century modernism. Fresno surely does have some gems and a history of renown architects designing buildings here in that era. We would like to see that appreciation spread though the Fresno community.
UPDATE 4-27-10
The dead tree was removed yesterday exposing more of the facade. Here are some updated photos. These photos also do a good job of demonstrating how the design of the louvers addresses the intense afternoon sun from the West.
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UPDATE 4-26-10
I was informed by Reza Assemi that Pyramid Homes will be doing the 64 Fulton renovation for a client, and Reza is assisting in the feasibility and design phase. He stressed that this was for a client and thought it was an important fact. This is because it shows there is interest and investment outside of the Pyramid, Granville and Reza partnership.
The name of the client is not public. A possible adaptive-reuse they are studying is studio apartments. Reza also noted that they are trying to keep the building as original as possible. That all sounds like good news.
Pyramid Homes’ specialty has been custom residential.
ORIGINAL POST 4-25-10
Pictured below is a building at 64 N. Fulton Street, just North of Divisadero and the Cultural Arts District’s newest landmark the Iron Bird Lofts. Note the asymmetry of the facade, and the use of vertical metal louvers to shade the interior from the hot Fresno sun. These feature are common among mid-century modern buildings in our region.
As far as I know, the building is being renovated by Pyramid Homes. Pyramid has partnered with Reza Assemi and Granville Homes on projects such as Vagabond Lofts, H Street Lofts, and Iron Bird Lofts. I believe this would be Pyramid Homes first solo project in downtown Fresno. I’m curious how this project will develop.
Also note that this categorized under Potential in the Opinion tab. In this new category, we will file buildings that we believe are ripe for renovation, preservation and re-use.
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I don’t know much about this building. If you do know any facts or stories or have an opinion, please post in the comments below.
Hey, that looks familiar!
Yes, we walked by it today. Thanks for waiting while I snapped the photos.
All also just realized it has a very similar form to 830 Van Ness (picture, video). Though the materials are somewhat inverted. I wonder if was also design by Robert Stevens.
Don’t know anything about the building besides seeing it as I drive by, but the facade does seem cool. The Voorman Ave side leaves much to be desired however. See: http://twitpic.com/1ihxxf
Nice idea for a new series of posts, I dig it.
64 North Fulton was built in 1953 to house the Bonner Packing Company, an important local ag firm. I am still looking for info on the architect. You are correct, the northern elevation looks a lot like something by Robert Stevens, but I’m not certain it’s one of his. I don’t know of any other buildings he did with the adjustable louvers like that. It also doesn’t have the post and beam construction, which are often found on his designs. But Stevens was still young in 1953, and this is considerably older than the other buildings Stevens did in this style.
Here’s an example of what that Voorman street side could look like, in this case from a similar Bob Stevens Building (Marlo Towers) at 1295 N. Wishon.
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&q=wishon+ave&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=N+Wishon+Ave,+Fresno,+California&ll=36.759413,-119.801075&spn=0.000853,0.001742&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=36.759533,-119.801077&panoid=JMa8eAjTcMouL2HGCxsJNg&cbp=12,225.1,,0,2.85
It was built in 1960, and has a near twin at 1055 N. Van Ness (Van Ness Tower)
http://maps.google.com/maps?client=safari&q=wishon+ave&oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&hq=&hnear=N+Wishon+Ave,+Fresno,+California&ll=36.756138,-119.79887&spn=0.007006,0.013937&t=h&z=17&layer=c&cbll=36.756234,-119.798871&panoid=-mzqX7HNhGn7UIbBoBoE_Q&cbp=12,253.96,,0,-3.45
64 N Fulton was the office of the architecture firm Alastair Simpson and Associates (1970 reference). Not sure yet if Alastair Simpson actually built the structure.
Excellent topic for posts. I encourage all to get behind the efforts to preserve these buildings & spread the idea that yes, they can be lucritive investments for those in a position to purchase them, but they should be treated in a manner respectful of their historic significance. How it would benefit all, investor & community, if these buildings were generating capitol AND adding to the collective wealth of a Modern district rivaling Palm Springs in our per capita volume of Mid-Century Modern structures. Palm Springs experienced a renaissance of Modernism that once again put it on the map as a destination for it’s Architecture. Fresno has that same potential if we can change the mindset to one of embracing & investing in our future, rather than haphazardly destroying culture due to a lack of education. A neglected Duesenberg is not an old car – it’s a fantastic, unreplaceable piece of machenery & art, and restored is priceless. Our Modern buildings here in Fresno deserve to be saved, “re-used,” restored, & a well deserved part of our City’s history.
Please forgive grammar & spelling – it’s late.
Eldon
Fresno Modern
there are ways to track down the historical uses of this and other buildings in question as the Reference Department of the Fresno County Library maintains collections of old city directories that list occupants of buildings
And sorry, Kiel, for misspelling your name.
According to the Fresno architect Edward Avedisian, the architect of 64 Fulton was Lou Litzi. (Unsure of spelling). Ed recalls that many of the Fresno AIA gave Lou a hard time because the building bore a striking resemblance to a project published that year in Architectural Record. Litzi was the project architect for the Del Webb building and also according to Ed, he represented himself as the architect of record! Avedisian is 85 and practiced architecture in Fresno, in the Modernist style, from 1952 to 2007. His projects include the First Armenian Presbyterian Church, the First Western Bank on Fulton and the no-longer-existing Royal Drive-In, which appeared in Architectural Record. Joe, I think you recently made his aquaintance. He is a goldmine of information regarding the history (and hearsay) of local Modernist architecture, with anecdotes about the architects, the developers and the clients, as well as the contractors and sub-contractors who built these structures. Kiel and Eldon, I think you’d enjoy meeting him. He’s sharp, irreverant, and loves to tell stories.
Jodi:
That’s great that Ed Avedisian confirmed that the architect of 64 Fulton was Lew Litzie.
I was not able to find any record online for that particular address, but I know that Lew Litzie designed other structures in the area, such as a beautiful 1964 car dealership building (Rontell’s) on 2700 Divisadero that is now demolished.
Miguel & Jodi,
Sadly I know nothing about Lew Litzie. Where can we find more information? If it’s not yet aggregated anywhere on the web, would you help me get a post about him up here?
Yes, I talked to Ed (quite randomly) when he called up the radio station on Friday asking about a song. Interesting story about Lou Litzie.
No problem on my side. I can collect as much info on Litzie as I can find in the limited sources that are available.
I’m very glad that this building is being re-used. As you know Kiel, I was working on buying and developing this building myself when I was running the Iron Bird Lofts project. With Pyramid and Reza’s prodding, I worked on spacial use, a concept for mixed-use of the building, proforma, and met with Warren Thompson (the architect who now has added the Iron Bird Lofts to his extensive list of well-designed and successful projects). My greatest challenge was securing the funding to move forward with purchase and getting plans underway. Much to Pyramid’s credit, they have a long-standing track record of both residential and commercial builds which have garnered much confidence in their capabilities, as well as financial ivestment in several endeavors. It is therefore no surprise that they have the confidence of this client to perform the renovations on this building that I have personally come to greatly appreciate. I am looking forward to seeing what they accomplish with this very usable building. Congrats to Pyramid and Reza!
Sorry, Timothy, but I cringe when I hear the word “renovation”. Many of the historic mid-century properties in Fresno have been gutted and transformed beyond recognition under the guise of “renovation”. The lastest one to fall was a Cliff May-designed Better Homes & Gardens 5-Star residence in the NW part of town, where all original materials, redwood heart and stabilized adobe brick walls, were stripped and tossed away (still don’t understand who in their right mind tosses redwood heart wood away into a dumpster…).
I congrat Pyramid and Reza on this project, but I hope they work with what makes this building historic and architecturally unique, and preserve as much as possible the choice of materials and design details chosen by the architect at the time it was built.
In my view, this should be more of a restoration/repurposing project than a renovation project.
Good call, Miguel. I admit that “renovation” was a poor choice of words and echo your sentiment in regards to preservation and accuracy in design and material. Repurpose is a better motivator, and adaptive re-use was my own goal with this particular building. I agree with you as well at being amazed that anyone would throw heartwood in the trash. That would have been a very valuable salvage!
Marvin Armstrong, Architect is the architectural firm that was selected to work on the renovation. We have a few answers to the questions above. The original plans (from the city) show that Alastair Simpson was the Architect. It was an office building built for Charles W Bonner & Doris Davison, dated July 14th, 1963.
As far as the renovation. The exterior will be preserved as it is. The interior will be renovated to house studio apartments. The designs are still underway, but we will keep you posted on the progress.
It’s great to see there is such an interest in restoring historical buildings. Thanks Kiel for all your work!
Thanks for the update, Phillip.
It is very reassuring that the unique mid-century exterior of the building will be preserved/restored. If a similar fate would occur to many of the neglected downtown mid-century buildings, we would have a prime location for Architectural Tourism, with more than enough highlights to rival Palm Springs central district.
Also, thanks for the info on Alastair Simpson. We suspected it was his design, but hadn’t had solid evidence of it before your entry.
Correction, after reviewing the old copy of the plans, it looks like the date is 1953 not 1963.
Does anyone, by chance, have an old color photo of the building? I know it is a long shot, but it would be great take a look at the original color scheme.
If it was published in a trade magazine we might be able to get a hold of a color photograph. The Fresno Bee records are all black and white scans. I’ll try to find a color photograph.
Joe might have something, though.
Another more laborious option to find out the original color scheme is to pick a location at each one of the areas to paint and lift a finishing detail (address number, flashing, a window trim, etc), exposing the original paint color.
Usually, there are multiple layers of paint from multiple painting jobs over the years in other areas, but in most cases painters do not bother to remove finish details ro paint underneath whens buildigs are repainted.
If anyone is interested in checking out the status of this project, you can visit our website at: http://www.ma-architect.com/projects/main.php?g2_itemId=3145
We have interior renderings, floor plans, and a few demolition photos currently posted.