Archive | opinion

AIASJ Newsletter: Issue No. 10_Q3

AIASJ Newsletter: Issue No. 10_Q3

Below is an article by Enoch Sears, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP. The article was pulled from the newsletter to give you a feel for the content. The newsletter is meant to keep the chapter members and general public up to date with what is happening in the chapter. The printed copies are available [...]

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Fireworks

Fireworks

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 [...]

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summer canal flow

summer canal flow

- 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.

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Potential: ACME MACHINE CO.

Potential: ACME MACHINE CO.

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 [...]

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Potential: 64 Fulton

Potential: 64 Fulton

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 [...]

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WTF: California Funding & Investments

WTF: California Funding & Investments

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 [...]

Posted in What The Façade11 Comments

Decade in Review: Top 10 in Fresno Architecture

Decade in Review: Top 10 in Fresno Architecture

Inspired by an article that John King wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle, we decided to do a Decade in Review article to identify the 10 best buildings representing Fresno architecture. Our parameters were that the buildings be in Fresno County with construction completed between 2000 and 2009. The reviewers were Joe Moore, president of [...]

Posted in design critiques, featured43 Comments

step loudly – Henry Madden Library design flaw

step loudly – Henry Madden Library design flaw

The Henry Madden Library at CSU Fresno is perhaps the most high profile new building in the San Joaquin Valley. It surely is has become a landmark building and destination of the Fresno State campus. The Madden Library warrants a full detailed review, which my take sometime. However, recently a note was posted to the [...]

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City to draft RFP for former Met properties

City to draft RFP for former Met properties

The topic for today is the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science. he City of Fresno is in escrow for the block containing the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science and a parcel across the street containing a parking lot. By everyone’s account, the city did not want to own this property. You may [...]

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APA California 2009 Conference

APA California 2009 Conference

In May of 2009 the California Planning Roundtable was held in Fresno. The California Planning Roundtable (CPR) is an organization of experienced planning professionals who are members of the American Planning Association (APA). The mission of the Roundtable is to provide a forum for prominent planners to exercise creativity and leadership in promoting understanding of [...]

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open the mall to traffic

open the mall to traffic

It can be hard to realize how entrenched and polarized some arguments have become. Then someone witty comes along & turns the argument on it’s head. That is what happened today when THE FRESNAN (who we’ve highlighted before) wrote a fantastic satire of a post that throws all the much debated changes to the Fulton [...]

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a young architect

a young architect

I get lots of lawn care flyers at my door. These flyers for the most part are copies of hand written originals. Others where created in the computer and include clip art of a lawnmower or other yard care icon. When I got home yesterday, there was a new flyer jutting out of my mail slot. [...]

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the last of the urban pioneers?

the last of the urban pioneers?

The origin of the question “The last of the urban pioneers?” came a few weeks ago as I biked down Fulton to Milano. I noticed a new sign that intrigued me. It was in the empty lot next to Tokyo Gardens. The building that once stood there was demolished by the City of Fresno due [...]

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Critique: Tower District Streetscape Design Charrette

Hank Delcore, Ph.D., and Kiel Famellos-Schmidt also found at http://theanthroguys.com Saturday from 10am to 2pm, about a hundred Tower District residents and business owners gathered for a design charrette put on by the City of Fresno planning department and MW Steele Group. Steele has the contract for planning a redesigned Tower District streetscape as part of [...]

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Historic Preservation Commission

Today on the Fresno City Council agenda is a proposal by Mayor Ashley Swearengin to amending the Fresno Municipal Code relating to the Historic Preservation Commission. That is not as drastic as it may sound and maybe a good modification. In fact, her bid for election as mayor was supported by several prominent local architects. [...]

Posted in local, opinion3 Comments

at the table

The Business Journal has been contacting me allot lately for information about architecture in the San Joaquin Valley. Most of this interaction has happened because of Twitter. I think this is fantastic. One of archop’s goals has been to get architecture more regularly and accurately feature in local media. The Business Journal is setting the [...]

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theory thursday: value of critique

Yesterday, our humble website strode clear over a milestone. For the first time we had over 100 visits to the site in a single day. By midnight, we actually had 184 visits. Our previous high was 79 visits, set on April 14th during National Architecture Week. We built this website back in January with the help [...]

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Broadway Auto Row to be demolished

Broadway Auto Row to be demolished

In addition to the L Street & San Joaquin Avenue proposal, also on Monday’s agenda of the City of Fresno Historic Preservation Commission was the proposed demolition of three properties on Broadway Avenue near Tuolumne. The three building were not on any historic registry. However, in a historic survey of the area they were found [...]

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critique: L St. and San Joaquin Ave.

critique: L St. and San Joaquin Ave.

Today is the City of Fresno Historic Preservation Commission meeting. There are several interesting items on the agenda, but I’d like to focus on one. Darius Assemi of Granville Homes has asked to meet with the Commission to present a conceptual plan for a mixed-use project at the corner of L Street and San Joaquin [...]

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Robin Gay McCline’s last designs

September 22nd, 2008 the City of Fresno Historic Preservation Commission accepted the Mid-Century Modernism Historic Context report prepared by Lauren MacDonald. Robin Gay McCline and his wife Sue were present at the meeting. The report include interviews with Gay, features several of his notable works and a short biography. It was a momentous day for [...]

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The Anthro Guys