Have you noticed all the construction happening in the Cultural Arts District these days?

Another cool project under construction to add to the list is the Mayflower Hotel on Broadway just North of Tuolumne. The Building owners are Jake Kojikian and Romi Baghgegian. They also are the owners of the renovated Hotel Virginia on Kern and the Hotel Fresno that is still deteriorating and been the subject of lawsuits between the city and previous owner.

The three-story brick building is a simple form and once used as a hotel. The proposed design shows a modern exoskeleton and living wall that wrap the midsection of the building. This form contains the function as exterior walk ways on the side and new penthouse on the roof.

No word yet on the floor plans and what the interiors will looks like. Check back here for updates.

Shown here is the existing building with scaffolding around it. Also below is an rendered images of the facade, courtesy of the Redevelopment Agency of Fresno.

From the Redevelopment Agency’s Facebook:

In August, 2009 the Agency entered an agreement with the owners of the Mayflower Lofts project at 1417 Broadway in the Uptown area. The Mayflower Building is a three story brick structure, former residential hotel, that has long been vacant. The proposed project consists of 15 rental units with 8 affordable units in consideration for Agency financial assistance in the project. Below are conceptual designs of the project, still in the design and entitlement process. The project is expected to commence later in 2010

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I wonder if this post will be stumbled upon by elementary school students doing a report on the Pilgrims. There are no Pilgrims in Fresno.
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Have you seen these buildings?

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Many of the buildings along Belmont, the southern edge of the Tower District have remained unchanged for 20 plus years unlike the changes Olive has seen. Though I remember the stories of the bustling dive-ins that dotted the strip, a popular drag for teens to cruise from Reoding to Blackstone. Some of the relics like Triangle Drive-in remain operational.

With the formation of the Belmont Merchants Association, the Downtown Neighborhood Community Plans and the focus of the Swearengin Administration on the Lowell Neighborhood. I can’t help but imagine the potential of the old buildings that line this strip.

One of those buildings I frequently daydream about is the Central Valley Cheese building complex. It is located on the South side of Belmont between Broadway and Palm. The features that catch my eye are the creative brickwork, interesting urban form, and different phases of construction are legible from the street.

In perparing this post, I asked Karana Hattersley-Drayton, the Historic Preservation Project Manager with the City of Fresno, if she had any information.

Karana did a little digging and came up with the info below.

“There is no original building permit for the commercial buildings on this [Belmont] site, which is curious. Perhaps there was a different address early on [or on Roosevelt].

There is nothing on this parcel in 1919.

The 1948 Sanborn includes two separate buildings with numerous rooms. Labeled as the “Golde [sic] State Co. LTD Milk Depot.” The one story building on the south end of the parcel included an ice cream factory.

The corner shot that you sent was a store presumably for the milk.

I would estimate the construction date as 1930, based in part on the architectural style (although this is really late for a modified Mission Revival). American Title Company also says 1930.

In the bird’s eye below, you can really notice the phases of construction on the main building. Currently, the yard is used for the storage of Producers Milk trailers.

Isn’t this building ripe with potential?

So what could this complex be? What could infill the empty lots that surround it?

One goofy thought that I’ve had is it make a good place for a comedy club. It could even keep the name: Central Valley Cheese.

Too much?

But seriously, the bones of this building are great and it certainly could help bring the Tower vibrancy a little further South.

Any other ideas for an adaptive reuse? Lets hear them. Also feel free to share any info or stories you have about the buildings.
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Update 10/7/2010

The project is progressing. Here are some photos snapped from on top of the Tower Theater by Bill Kuebler, the Tower District Marketing Director. Bill says the businesses are hurting but the end is in sight.

Also, you may have heard/read about the trolley rails that were pulled up from under the road. Well the update there is that the City of Fresno has been so kind as to let us Tower citizens have the rails to re-purpose into street furniture. They were under the street, now they will be above the street. Some of the collaborators on the street furniture include: Scott Miller of Gazebo Gardens, Floridia Cheung, Chris Sorensen, Tim Schulz of Revive Industries, Bob Borro and myself. Some of the elements include: an information kiosk, benches, planters and bike racks. Stay tuned for updates and preliminary designs.

Update 9/24/2010

At the request of some citizens, here is the draft Tower District Streetscape Master Plan (PDF) and fold-out plan (PDF). These are considered drafts because they were never taken to the Planning Commission and City Council for adoption prior to budget cuts.

Original Post 9/20/2010

You may have noticed that Olive and Wishon were blocked off starting today. The City of Fresno is scheduled to start work today on a pilot project of the Tower District Streetscape Master Plan.

The work is scheduled to be completed by the end of October. In addition to the streetscape improvements, they have determined that they need to replace the water main from in front of the Chicken Pie Shop all the way down through Broadway. Because of the magnitude of the water main project, they will be closing Olive along this stretch for 3 to 4 weeks (Sept.20-Oct.13 tentatively).

Also, the intersection at Wishon and Olive will be closed entirely for a week or so at the beginning of the project. The city has posted lots of signage to let customers know that our businesses are still open and accessible, and there will be a press conference today to kick things off and encourage the media to get a similar message out to everyone.

The widened sidewalk work that the City of Fresno will complete includes:
1) NE Corner: From the Roger Rocka’s driveway on Wishon all the way around through the Dollar Tree/Pie Shop Driveway on Olive
2) SE Corner: From Fulton around the Wishon corner (not sure exactly how far south)
3) SW Corner: From Yosemite around the Wishon corner (not sure exactly how far south)
4) NW Corner: Across from the RR driveway around the corner to across from Yosemite

In addition there is community work being organized by the Tower District Marketing Committee that will supplement the city investment:
1) Trash cans
2) Bike racks
3) Information kiosk
4) Benches
5) Raised planters

Below are some sections from the Streetscape Master Plan showing the proposed work. This will have a positive impact on making the Tower District’s main core more pedestrian friendly and address some current problem areas.

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There is a point of comparison to consider as we go into the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan charrette this Saturday and all next week.

February will mark the 20 year anniversary of the adoption of the Tower District Specific Plan. Many of us consider Tower a vibrant place, though still a work in progress. In those 20 years, the controversial proposals like returning Van Ness and Wishon/Fulton to two way traffic have not been acted on. In fact, structurally the City of Fresno’s domain in Tower has changed relatively little (some median islands, trees, and maintenance), until this the recent road diets and streetscape pilot project.

The majority of investment has been private, building owners, small businesses, and Marketing Committee all improving one piece at a time. Those investments were amplified and protected by quality planning, higher development standards, and strong community support. I bring this up because the Fulton Mall has been a contentious argument which I am part of. But perhaps we can’t see the forest through the trees. Will we waste so much time and energy on this divisive issue?

Are we missing something else much more pertinent and achievable? Certainly, let your voice be heard about the Fulton Mall, but poke your head around the corner and give input on the form based codes, design standards, revised zoning standards. Ask about wayfinding signage. Ask questions if something doesn’t make sense or you’re being talked over. Who knows, maybe the Fulton Mall question won’t be resolved and funded by 2031. Let’s not let that waste 20 years of important revitalizing.

PS: make sure you support Tower businesses while this construction is in progress. Get a drink at Palamino’s, a late night snack at Tower Dogs, a hearty breakfast at the Chicken Pie Shop, gifts at Dragon’s Treasure, Valentino’s, Game Preserve or Karen’s Keepsakes, get your dress altered, clock cleaned, do done, etc. etc.

From a ground breaking in late May of 2010, Granville Urban’s latest project Fulton Village is making strides forward. You will see the foundations popping up like rafts in a sea of dirt on the Fulton and Amador site anchored to the south by long time downtown standby, Tokyo Gardens.

Building on a strong foundation is key, a cliche that warrants repeating. The work being done now is crucial for the longevity of the buildings. Poking up from the concrete is the plumbing, electrical, and anchor bolts. In no time, you will begin seeing the construction crews erecting the framing, creating the form of these three story triplexes.

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The design of this project, much like Granville Urban is searching for an identity. Many alternative for this project have been designed and drafted. Granville had even built a full scale model of the unit layout to test the plan. This type of investigation and curiosity before a project is built is interesting and admirable. I had consulted on the tail end of this project regarding some of the facade treatments. I’m curious how the final look and function of the complex will turn out.

PARK(ing) Day is an annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good.

This is being organized by a new design club and CSUF student magazine called Verge. To find out more about them check out their twitter, facebook and blog. After Park(ing) Day we’ll give them and their new issue some more coverage.

A streetview of the M Street and Inyo Street site is below. The plan is the transform the metered parking stall into a grassy park with seating plants and amenities like a Seed Bomb Vending Machine. Stop by between 6am-6pm Friday September 17th. Say hi, hang out, buy a Seed Bomb, play a game of soccer in the empty lot, etc.

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You can see the Facebook event listing here

Update 9/29/2010

Our call for a press conference for he opening of the Kress Building and the Blue Bird clothing store came true. Today, Fresno’s mayor Ashley Swearengin, District 3 Councilwoman Cynthia Sterling, and Redevelopment Agency staff joined Kress Building owner Robert Gurfield to celebrate the building’s opening with a press conference. The RDA Facade Improvement program provided the maximum $25,000 assistance to the owner for this project.

You can read some more here.

Also, you may seen Mr. Gurfield at many of the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan charrette meetings this week. I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that he is one of the few if not only out of town building owners that has been so actively involved in this planning process. For that we applaud him.

Orignial Post 9/7/2010

Last week the was much chatter in the Fresno Bee and on Facebook regarding the Fulton Mall. Discussions heated up about ripping out the mall for a road, what to save and how to revitalize it as the core of the city.

Though, silently with no coverage in the media and no press conference with city leaders, a new retail store opened on the Fulton Mall. I find this story interesting for 3 reasons. First, the Blue Bird retail store is the first to occupy the Kress Building after is was renovated revealing the buildings original facade. Second, its always excited to see new businesses opening in downtown. And third, much of the debate around the Fulton Mall starts with the assumption that it is economically dead and not attractive to businesses. Is the renovation of the Kress Building and new retail store an exception to that assumption? Or is that assumption fundamentally wrong, showing that there is some businesses desire to be on the mall and that there is a customer base?
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I encourage you to check out Blue Bird. They have lots of women’s and children’s clothes as well as shoes and accessories for men and women. They are mid block between Fresno and Mariposa.

Design wise, I’m not too thrilled by the color scheme chosen for the Kress Building. Also, the storfront and signage could have used more design attention. Though the renovation and new tenant are an overall positive thing.

On June 30th the owner of the building, Robert Gurfield, gave me a tour of the building. He hope to get tenant on the other floors as well. There is a basement which he thinks would make and excellent bowling alley or night club. On the third floor and second floor mezzanine he wishes to get office or trade school tenants.

Have you ever noticed a horse hitching post at a home or business in Fresno?

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Well the City of Fresno Historic Preservation Commission would like your help. They would like to identify the location of these hitching posts and explore developing a “thematic district” of the existing Hitching posts.

Don Simmons, the chair of the commission asked for my help. I guess I was a good starting point, because my family’s home in the Tower District has one of these distinct features of an earlier era. Included is a photo of my family’s home and hitch. And below is a Google Map we started to begin cataloging the hitch locations and descriptions. If you want to help out, you can add info to the map.

View Fresno Hitching Posts in a larger map

In an effort to foster more architectural knowledge and appreciation in the San Joaquin Valley, we at the AIASJ are organizing a lecture series. We will feature visiting professionals, and academicians and well individuals who practice locally.
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For our first lecture we have Brian Lane AIA,Principal of Koning Eizenberg Architecture. Brian is a Fresnan by origin. He was a classmate of Craig Scharton and will be in town for the Bullard High School reunion.

2010 AIASJ Lecture Series: Brian Lane
August 12, 2010 from 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Starline (map)
$5 cover

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Brian has overseen many of the firm’s award-winning community buildings and housing projects. His experience spans a range of project types for governmental, commercial, non-profit and private clients. Mr. Lane has led much of Koning Eizenberg’s recent affordable housing work and contributes technical knowledge and design experience in the production of multi-unit affordable and market-rate housing – family, lofts, special needs and mixed-use. His visualization and graphics skills, combined with his planning knowledge, have enabled numerous cities and agencies to evaluate planning and urban design strategies. Recently, he has contributed to the dialogue on emerging ordinances that will aid housing production in Los Angeles and is frequently called upon to share his expertise in community forums and public programs.

Recent Projects

28th Street Community Center and Affordable Housing
Trio of Gymnasiums, Pecan, Van Ness & Green Meadows, Los Angeles, CA
Children’s Institute, Inc., Los Angeles, CA
Kings Road Mixed-Use, West Hollywood, CA
Hollywood Hills Hotel, Los Angeles, CA
Abbey Apartments, Los Angeles CA
Hollywood & Garfield Mixed-Use, Los Angeles, CA
Waterloo Housing, Los Angeles, CA
Harold Way Apartments, Los Angeles, CA
Abbot Kinney Mixed-Use, Venice, CA
Santa Monica/LaBrea Mixed-Use, West Hollywood, CA
Plummer Park Community Center, West Hollywood, CA
Farmers Market Expansion, Los Angeles, CA
Avalon Hotel, Beverly Hills, CA

Modernism was a movement. It encompassed art, architecture, culture, music. It substantially changed the world specifically the built environment.

There is a subset of modernism that should be of interest to Fresnans. That is mid-century modernism.

Interest in Fresno’s mid-century modern architecture has been growing slowly for a few years. On individual that has been an imputous for this is realtor, Eldon Daetweiler. When he moved to Fresno, he realized our mid-century modern building stock rivaled southern California and Palm Springs but did not have the same levels of community appreciation and tourism. He hoped to change that by focusing on the niche with www.fresnomodern.com

In 2008 the City of Fresno commissioned the Mid-Century Modernism Historic Context that was prepared by Lauren MacDonald, PRA, Inc. The overview includes information and interviews with leading architects and designers who worked in Fresno from 1940-1970. (Download PDF, 6.5mb)

I think National Architecture Week of 2010 was a tipping point for Fresno’s growing interest in mid-century modern. We hosted two events with a distinct mid-century focus. The first was a showing of Visual Acoustic: The Modernism of Julius Shulman. The second was a walking tour of downtown Fresno mid-century modern architecture. I’m calling this the tipping point because for the first time the leaders of what is becoming a mid-century modern movement in Fresno were in the same place at the same time.

At that same time the Fulton Mall was being reviewed by the California State Historic Resources Commission. The Fulton Mall is perhaps the most iconic yet controversial pieces of mid-century modern design in Fresno. This groups formation in many ways catalyzed by strong opinions against the Mall’s nomination including Mayor Ashley Swearengin’s strong opinion letter to the State Historic Preservation Office regarding the Fulton Mall’s nomination for Historic Designation (PDF). Swearengin wrote “Beyond the procedural defects, the nomination itself is a fundamentally flawed attempt to preserve what amounts to a failed urban renewal experiment that has bankrupted every effort to revitalize Downtown Fresno for decades.”

Building from this common interest in mid-century modern and the conflict of the Fulton Mall a modern movement began. There was a push by 8 individuals including myself to educate, protect and preserve Fresno’s mid-century modern architecture and landscape. This manifested as two Facebook groups “Save the Fulton Mall!!!” and “Mid-Century Modern Fresno” As of now the two groups have 1,059 and 433 fan respectively and are growing every day.

It is exciting to be a part of this movement. I feel it really has the potential impacting the shape Fresno’s built environment. This movement goes from virtual to physical this Saturday. We will be gathering for the Grand Party on the Fulton Mall. There will be some great acoustic music, great people and the shops, restaurants, and merchants of Mall will be at your service. See the flyer below and join the modern movement.

Cameron Sinclair of Architecture for Humanity can often be found half way across the world doing some good. Most recently he was in Cambodia. He posted the video below that I thought was interesting. It actually reminded me of what happened recently with the Kress Building.
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When architectural progress goes bad from Architecture for_Humanity on Vimeo.

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Creative Fresno has been a great mainstay organization in Fresno for several years now. When I boomeranged back to Fresno in 2006, the organization and members helped me find the right connections and places to be with lots of cool creative events.

One of those events is the Bartender Challenge.

It’s been a while but the Bartender Challenge is BACK! This round we have two men that are passionate about creativity, architecture, food and a well made cocktail. Communications Strategist and Foodie James Collier will be pitting his mixing skills against Urban Designer and ArcHop Curator Kiel Famellos-Schmidt. These men are rising stars in their fields but who makes the best drink? You decide!

How this works: You vote for your favorite bartender with your tips. Bartender with the most tips in his jar (CASH or CHECKS made payable to Creative Fresno) at the end of the evening is the winner.

All proceeds from the evening go to Creative Fresno’s mural fund so you’re having fun for a good cause! But wait it gets better! Creative Fresno is a 501c3 non-profit so all your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowed by law.

Bartender Challenge is Creative Fresno’s funding vehicle allowing us to bring together the resources necessary to create artistic murals in downtown Fresno and the community at large.

If you have been downtown you will see that many murals Creative Fresno has commissioned. It is your donations that help make that happen. So join me on my side of the bar for a cold beverage. I will have a few drink specials including local Fresno ingredients including the Jalapeño Martini. But I will also serve up any drink you desire as long as you give to the arts!

Fireworks help create an environment of celebration with light and sound.

Sound and light elements can have great impacts in shaping our experiences though they are often not giving the attention they deserve in design of buildings and landscapes.

Enjoy creating environments of celebration this 4th of July weekend. Pay attention to how light and sound influences your experience.

Photo courtesy of: Dominator Fireworks

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This peaceful canal flowing in the Tower District of Fresno, CA. Conserve water.
Don’t water your grass. Our farmers need it to grow our food.

Here, along with CSUF anthropology professor Hank Delcore, we offer our take on the results of the Downtown Community Charrette held on May 10-15, 2010, by Moule & Polyzoides and the City of Fresno. Over at TheAnthroGuys we assess the charrette process. Please read both and leave your comment.

There has been talk about revitalization of downtown Fresno. There has been money thrown at the revitalization. Now we are getting what is long overdo, a comprehensive community and specific plan. To understand this, look at the Tower District. Tower has had a specific plan since the early 90’s. Not everything happens over night but the plan ensures that everything that does happen is consistent with the community’s long range vision for the area.

Just recently the week long design workshops, called a Charrette, was held at the Radison regarding the Downtown Neighborhood Community Plan. What we see in the preliminary maps and renderings from Moule & Polyziodes team leading the community planning effort is no surprise. They have a long track record of new urbanist planning and architecture. The plan focuses on creating pedestrian friendly streets that encourage foot traffic. They stressed that foot traffic is key for the economic viability of downtown businesses, being attractive to new businesses and promoting a sense of security with “eyes on the street”.

In the vein of “eyes on the street” they have also have rendered views of infill, renovated and replacement building that have a traditional urban form. These buildings face the street, have large window also oriented to the street and often feature porches, stoops or balconies. All of these forms together create an urban environment that both fells vibrant and feels safer.

Regarding transportation, Stefanon Polyzoides stressed that the City of Fresno Traffic Engineering department is the most progressive and innovative they have dealt with. One of the key things in this planning effort is introducing a new word into the Fresno lexicon. That is “road diet”. This means narrowing many of our roads that are too wide for the amount of traffic they have. They space then gets gained for the pedestrian, bicycle lane, businesses can have sidewalk dinning. There is also room for health street trees and landscaping.

We also hear that we should protect the downtown grid, open previously vacated streets, and return two way traffic to one way streets. This is all in order to improve downtown connectivity and way-finding.

Below are photos from the charrette as well as the final presentation products from the process. You can find the full version at www.fresnodowntownplans.com And also check out our review of the process.
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Through the grape vine, I heard new design talent moved to the Fresno area. Honestly, I can’t even remember who told me about Eve, and how I got her email. But none the less, in keeping with the FRESH feature, below are Eve Yi Liu’s words about herself, adventures in architecture, and how she got to Fresno.

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It’s an honor to be invited to be part of your ‘Fresh” publication joined by other excellent individuals.

Growing Up

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I grew up in Southwest China, in a city called Chengdu in Sichuan Province. Chengdu is a high density and urbanized environment. Even though it’s different from California, there are some similarities to Fresno in certain ways. Chengdu remains the 4th largest city in China with the population of more than 10 million people, however, it is surrounded by farm land, orchards and mountains on the further outskirts. I enjoyed growing up in the area 10 miles away from the downtown, which was the edge of the city when I was a child, and I was able to spend some fun time in the country at my grandparents’ houses. Drastic change in last 20 years uniformed the city with an international style, middle to high-rise buildings, city plazas, freeways, overpasses, and so on. It’s also interesting to see how the urbanization of a city can change people’s life style.

Education

In the same city, I went to Southwest Jiaotong University, School of Architecture. After 5 years of training, I graduated with a Bachelor Degree of Arhictecture and worked in the same city for another 4 years. 7 years ago, I was awarded the coveted “John Parkinson Scholarship” to attend the Masters Program at USC. There I did several studio projects, such as the USC Multi-faith Center, 8th Street Urban Infill Project at Downtown LA, and also was honored the “Annual Design of the Year Award” from the School of Architecture at the graduation ceremony for the thesis design: Memorial Museum of WWII in Chongqing. My thesis professor was Robert S. Harris, former Dean of School of Architecture, an expert in urban architecture, historic preservation, and architecture education.

Notable Experiences

My first 4 years work in China was intensely involved in design competition, similar to RFP here in the US. As the lead designer, I won the design competition for master planning and building design of Panzhihua University, which was constructed in 2005. In 2002, I won International design competition for Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine new campus master planning. In 2004, I worked at WWCOT in Santa Monica as an intern designer and designed Jewish Homes for the Aging. We were awarded the RFP. From 2006-2009, I worked with BOE Architects on several urban infill projects in Los Angeles area, including Crown Medical Plaza on Colorado Blvd in Pasadena, currently registered with USGBC to pursue LEED Silver.

Travel

I enjoyed traveling on a train with my mother in China when I was a child. She was a math teacher so she had same summer vacation schedule as I did. As a teenager and later a young adult, I traveled with my friends or sometimes alone through other parts of China, including Jiuzhaigou among Tibetan area. I had chance to visit Bangkok, Thailand for New Years, and visited a small city in Japan during a flight stopover. In the US, I traveled through many places along the beautiful West Coast and visited Yellow Stone, Grand Canyon, Bryce, Zion, Hawaii, etc. As a result, I have developed an affinity for both nature and different cultures.

Architectural Interest

On my first field trip to Salk Institute, I fell in love with Louis Kahn’s design. It’s the extreme simplicity corresponding to the nature that creates serenity and eternity. Similar to his style is Tadao Ando. Living close to Gamble house in Pasadena for 5 years, I also like the Greene and Greene and the historical Old Town. With the opportunity to visit Frank Lloyd Right’s studio in Chicago, I further understood his design.

The Fresno Move

Currently I am working at Integrated Designs by SOMAM Inc. on some school projects and a 700Acre mixed-use commercial project with Motor Speedway and Dragstrip in Tulare. Being able to drive through thousands acres of farm land and orchards around Fresno always brought back great memories when I was child. I like the smell of orange flower in the air at spring evening and also enjoy meeting more friends. I am looking forward to working on projects in Fresno with other talented peers. Hopefully, we can keep re-vitalizing downtown Fresno and creating more sustainable urban cores for our communities. Thank you for having me here.

Eve Yi Liu, LEED AP
Chief Designer, Associate
Integrated Designs by SOMAM, Inc.

UPDATE: 4:30 4/30/2010

Patrick Kolasinski has posted his review of the SHRC meeting.

The nomination is an interesting one, because (unlike most historic resources), the mall is a) less than 50 years old, b) subject to an unusual ownership situation, and c) incredibly controversial. The mall was built in 1964 as part of an attempt to revitalize Fresno’s then-declining downtown. It was apparently the first project of its kind in California, and served as a guide for later projects such as Santa Monica’s 3rd Street Promenade, Sacramento’s K Street, and Modesto’s 10th Street Place.
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This is a good spot for a quick note here about the role of the SHRC in the nomination process. The SHRC does not actually list things on the National Register. That job falls to the Keeper of the National Register (usually called just “the Keeper”), who works for the National Parks Service. Instead, the SHRC reviews nominations to determine whether the nominated resources meet the criteria for listing on the National Register. If the SHRC determines that the resource does meet the criteria, it makes a finding of eligibility and passes the whole thing on to the Keeper. Usually, the SHRC also sends along a recommendation that the property be listed, but not always: the SHRC’s primary job in the process is to serve as a “gatekeeper” so that the Keeper isn’t flooded with tons of unworthy nominations.
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The objections raised were clear, succinct, and almost entirely procedural.
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Time for another side note: owner opposition is an important consideration because a property cannot be listed on the National Register over the opposition of a majority of the owners. If a property is found to be eligible but the majority of the owners object to the listing, the Keeper will state that the property has been “formally determined to be eligible,” but will not include the property on the National Register. The property will, however, be automatically included in the California Register, as any property “formally determined to be eligible” for the National Register gets automatically listed on the California Register, regardless of whether it is actually listed nationally. Listing on the California Register triggers nearly all of the same environmental protections under state law (the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA), but there are some differences.
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Commissioner Rick Moss caught everyone’s attention with a single, clear observation. He noted that there had not been a single bit of opposition to the determination that [Fulton] Mall is actually eligible for listing on the National Register. Commissioner Moss noted the importance of procedure, but he focused the Commission on the fact that the SHRC’s core goal here was to determine whether or not the property was eligible, and that this was a separate determination from the procedural one that everyone was focusing on.
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Commission Chair Polanco called for a motion, which was made by Commissioner Moss, seconded by Commissioner Bryan K. Brandes, and voted on unanimously by the whole commission. There were no dissenting votes and no abstentions, and the final decision was clear: the SHRC voted to find [Fulton] Mall eligible for listing on the National Register. Because the Commission could not determine that the Mall should in fact be listed (as there was no way to tell whether enough owners had object to block the listing), the Commission did not issue a recommendation on that front.

The next step will be for the nomination to be forwarded to the Keeper, who will make a determination of eligibility. It appears most likely that the Keeper will formally determine that the Mall is eligible for the National Register, and so it will almost certainly be listed on at least the California Register (and possibly in both places).

And at 2pm the Fresno Bee posted their article on the subject. Their editorial board had already came out in opposition to historic listing on the Mall. This article is consistent with that opinion.

Breaking News: 11:40 pm 4/30/2010

From historic preservation attorney, Patrick Kolasinski, today we learned that the California State Historic Resources Commission voted unanimously to determine the Fulton Mall eligible for the National Register of Historic Places listing. The announcement of this news came via Patrick’s twitter feed: @patkickinlaw

See the updates below. Patrick will be blogging about it, so check back here for updates and more details. The Law Offices of Patrick Kolasinski provide focused and individual legal assistance in the areas of Business Formation and General Business Law, Historic Preservation, and Personal and Business Bankruptcy.

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If you have been following the developments, you would know that the City of Fresno Historic Preservation voted 4 to 1 that the Fulton Mall was eligible for historic designation. However, it voted unanimously, not to recommend the Mall to the National Register. Also, the Mayor’s office and Fresno City Council opposed the historic designation. Here is a PDF ot the mayor Ashley Swearengin’s letter to SHPC.

I believe the next step will be a national level meeting, I’m sure the experts will elaborate below.

What are your thoughts?

Make sure you check out the Cinco de Mayo celebration on the Fulton Mall this weekend. It is going to tens of thousands of people, good food and good music. Here is more info.

Further digging into Fresno buildings that have untapped potential we bring you ACME Machine Company. I ride by this one everyday on my way to the office. It is on H Street just North of the 180 overpass.

This is a structure that Craig Scharton has told me he admires and would like to see an adaptive reuse. Check out the photos below. I think it has a pretty cool context of in an industrial neighborhood and being right off the canal. It also has an interesting form with a saw tooth roof.
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What do you think would be a good adaptive reuse?

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.

UPLOAD UPDATE 4/18/2010

Here are a series of videos and stills captured by my ANDROID. Follow our YouTube archop channel.

The tour began at the clock tower of Fulton Mall and Mariposa Mall in Downtown Fresno designed by landscape architects Victor Gruen & Garret Eckbo. Tour led by architecture historian Lauren MacDonald, historian Joe Moore, Fresno Modern realtor Eldon Daetweiler, & archop curator Kiel Famellos-Schmidt during Architecture Week 2010 Mid-Century Modern walking tour. 50 individuals joined the engaging experience. Looking at buildings we’ve “never seen that way.”
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Sorry the wind was really strong and messed up the sound on this one.
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4/17 Saturday

Walking Tour – Mid-century Downtown
Location – Starts on Fulton Mall at the Clock Tower
Time – 2pm
Details – Highlight prominent and/or well design mid-century modern architecture in Fresno’s downtown.
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Downtown Midcentury:

On tour:
1) Fulton Mall
2) Park Towers
3) Fink and Skopp
4) 830 Van Ness
5) Spiral Parking Garage
6) Fresno Convention Center / Saroyan Theatre
7) Del Webb Townehouse (Fresno County Plaza)
8 ) Sawl & Netzler – (Midland Savings)
8 ) Fresno County Hall of Records
9) Fresno Post Office & Federal Building (FUSD Administration Building) & WPA Sidewalks
10) Hugh M Burn State Building
11) BF Sisk Building
12) Eaton Plaza
13) Fresno County Public Library Central Branch
14) Fresno Memorial Auditorium
15) Fresno City Hall (Annex)
16) Fresno Police Department
17) Fresno Unified School District Office (1936)
18) Fresno County Office of Education (County Unemployment Office)
19) Fresno County Courthouse
20) Crocker Building (Holland Building)
21) Wells Fargo
22) City of Fresno Parking Garage
23) Bank of the West (First Western Bank and Trust Company)
24) Proctors Jewelers
25) Guarantee Savings (Mattei Building)

Off tour sites:
26) Bank of American Agricenter Branch
27) Walter Wagner Offices
28) United California Bank
29) Luau
30) Gottschalks
31) Crest
32) Masten Towers
33) Circle Building
34) Fresno Community Hospital
35) S Street Medical Building
36) S Street Apartments

This website, since it’s inception, has been aimed at informing the public about architecture and spurring informative and critical discussion about the San Joaquin Valley’s built environment. That was the driver behind writing Decade in Review: Top 10 in Fresno Architecture. To date the article is our top read piece with nearly 1,500 page-views and 41 public comments.

Since that article was so popular, we are following up. Now is your chance to hear directly from the architects that designed the buildings. This will be a moderated panel discussion with public Q&A.

Location

Unitarian Universalist Church
2672 E. Alluvial Ave. @ Willow Ave. Clovis, CA

Time

Friday 4/16/10 6:30 wine social, 7-8 panel

Panelists:

Chris Johnson AIA – Sante Fe Depot

Matt Kennedy – Coyle Federal Courthouse

Don Dommer AIA- Clovis Fire Station No. 5

Paul Halajian AIA – H Street Lofts

Anthony Pings AIA – New Harvest Church

Marty Dietz AIA – Clovis North High School Performing Arts Center

Introduction

Shaunt Yemenjian & Joe Moore

Moderator

Kiel Famellos-Schmidt