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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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.

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 at local architecture firms. You can also download the PDF.

New Initiatives Promise a Facelift for Fresno 1
Message from the President | Extras 2
Feature Article – Public Transit 3
Feature Article – Affordable Housing 4
Upcoming: Canstruction | Education 5
Firm and Member Profiles 6
Project Profile 7
Codes | Emerging Professionals and
Government Affairs 9
in other words… | Your Voice 10
2010 AIASJ Student Competition 11
Calendar of Events 12

Project Profile: Tulare Public Library and Council Chambers

by Enoch Sears, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP

In his book Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, marketing guru Seth Godin states that the key to success is to find a way to stand out – to be the purple cow in a field of monochrome Holsteins. If the secret to success is truly being remarkable, or as Godin clarifies, “worth making a remark about,” then the City of Tulare has struck pay dirt. Godin’s metaphor is a great way to introduce a very remarkable building set in the center of the cow capital of the United States; a true “purple cow” among Holsteins.

Designed by Architect and Partner Paul Halajian of Taylor Teter Partnership, the Tulare Library and Council Chambers goes beyond creating a building of purely sculptural quality. The designer has evidently thought deeply about referencing the local context and carrying the design methodology throughout the building. Salient design features include brightly painted steel beams, metal siding, projecting clerestory windows, and two circular towers. By pairing two seemingly contradictory elements, common industrial materials and a building of civic pride, the designer critically challenges commonly accepted paradigms of beauty while also referencing the local agricultural context.

The bold design is playful and intriguing. Some people have kidded Library Director Michael Stowell that the projecting cantilever over the City Council Chambers is a wing or giant skateboard ramp. “Once they enter the building, however, they begin to see the reasons for these elements and how they add to the design”, he comments. He is quick to mention how the aesthetics, day-lighting and design of the space will contribute to a better experience for patrons. “We are especially excited about how the teen area will engage the youth of our community,” he states.

As for the interior, Taylor Teter Architect and project team member Jamie Dronyk counts the unique inverted bowstring trusses among her favorite elements. The trusses create soaring spaces and allow natural day-lighting to bathe the interior while also exposing the beauty of the structure. The trusses themselves are constructed of parallams which have been glue-laminated, curved, and matched to steel pipe webs. Attention to detail is also apparent on the West side of the building where the exterior finishes continue through to the interior space with thoughtful detailing.

The project aims for a LEED Gold certification. The Mayor, City Council, Library Board and Library Director of Tulare are to be commended for their forward-thinking emphasis on sustainability. “Tulare’s goal is be known as a great place live, learn, play, work, worship and prosper,” states Mayor Craig Vejvoda. Halajian is pleased with the effort to gain LEED certification and stated that it was not difficult to sell the client on this goal.

The project was originally submitted under the California Library Bond Act of 2000, but was ultimately not funded under the bond. The City decided to move ahead and raise the funds elsewhere. The building encompasses approximately 31,400 sf at a construction cost of $11.6MM.

Already the building has benefited the community by encouraging dialogue about the built environment, paving the way for future innovative projects. Over the years, the strong post-modern design is sure to spark debate between residents who choose to see a skateboard ramp versus those who see an engaging and inspiring civic space. I see a purple cow.

Enoch Sears works with Christiansen Group in Visalia. He is a recent addition to the AIA San Joaquin Chapter, having relocated from Houston, TX where he was recently licensed as an architect.

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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.

There is much anticipation for the California High-Speed Rail and the transformative properties it may have on Fresno. With state and federal money now allotted to the project, it is hard to curb my enthusiasm about the idea. After all we must be realistic that it will be several years if not a decade or more before it is fully operational.

So why am I posting about it now? Recently there was a public meeting with the CHSRA at the Tower Theater. The most current iteration shows the new track to the West of the Union Pacific right-of-way. And the track is planned to be elevated. The tracks would be 60 feet above the ground for roughly 12 miles. It maybe hard to visualize, but it is an interesting exercise in imagination.

Below is a twitter conversation that I had with the individual who manages that outreach aspect of the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

You have to read it from the bottom up to go in order.

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If these are the types of conversations you’d like to be part of, then follow the California High-Speed Rail Authority on twitter @cahsra and of course, continue reading.

So the implications of the statements above are very interesting. So locals, what do you want our station to looks like? Kinda hard to start from nowhere. So here is some context
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I have discussed the station with Craig Scharton, director of the City of Fresno Downtown & Neighborhood Revitalization Department. Their vission for the station includes the Southern Pacific Depot. The building is a Queen Anne style and on the Local Register of Historic Resources.
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Here is the Google aerial photo of the station
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The struggle then becomes how does this single story building get you to a station platform that is 60 feet above? Do we add on the the building with a similar style? What does a Queen Anne style high-speed rail station look like? I don’t think one exists yet.

Do we add on the the Station with a more contemporary look? These are all question I hope you can help answer below.

While the CHSRA said that they wish the locals to decide on the station aesthetic, there are renderings on their website which do define a look. These may have just been place holders. What do you think?
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The above design also seems to be an earlier iteration when the tracks were on grade. So how does the 60 foot height change that. What does 60 high look like anyway? Here is a SketchUp model I threw together to give you a feeling for the scale.
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Wow that’s tall. But kinda interesting right? Yes that is a 6 foot tall person standing next to the left column. I don’t know how this will actually be engineered, but I heard the concrete columns or piers would be 14 feet in diameter spaced at 120 feet. Of course this will have a strong visual impact and will be seen for miles.

I had a conversation with Fresno City Council Member Blong Xiong recently. We discussed how this would effect the neighborhoods. While one huge concern would be noise. We discussed how this may not further cut off the West side like a ground level or trenched track would. Those other two would require bridges or underpasses. All you have to do is look at how 41 or 99 divide and weaken connections of neighborhoods.

What if the right-of-way under the could be used as park and trails. We need to be sure to advocate for those uses rather than the no mans land that exists along the Union Pacific right-of-way. This is especially pertinent seeing that the course of the high speed rail laps into the East end of Roeding Park.
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So? What do you think? What should the station look like? What kind of materials? What are sustainable/green building strategies that could be used? What about the height? What are uses for underneath the tracks? How could the sound be mitigated? Everything is fair game, let’s just try to keep it constructive.

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 the Downtown Association, Shaunt Yemenjian, principal of spacio|design, and Kiel Famellos-Schmidt, curator of archop.

What we found in making this list, is that Fresno has a collection of high quality, well designed buildings that have significantly improved the built environment of an important metropolitan area. We had no trouble pulling together a shortlist of 20 exceptional buildings. Below you will find our top 10 list organized chronologically.

Building: UCSF – Fresno
Client: University of California Medical Center, San Francsico
Architect: Fong & Chan Architects
Year Built: 2002
Photo: UCSF
Description:

As Northern and Southern California continue to spread energies into the Central Valley, good design has come with the territory. The UCSF Medical Building anchors a prominent corner of the Community Medical Center Campus. The med‐student facility features a rotunda lobby with three‐story tall metal fins that are angled rhythmically as a nod to the notion of pages turning in a book. The rounded exterior walls along the street façade also set a rhythm in motion that gives the building an interesting street presence. The carefully designed sun shades which also embrace the curved streetwall provide shading from the summer sub for the space within. The exterior space created by the inward facing portion of the arc is designed as a pleasant semi‐public gathering space that can accommodate multiple social functions.

Building: Fresno Yosemite International
Airport Terminal
Client: City of Fresno
Architect: AECOM
Year Built: 2002
Photo: Bing.com

Description:

While the decade before brought us the internationally recognized Fresno City Hall – this decade brought about its younger cousin: The Fresno Yosemite International Airport Terminal. Equally progressive in its form and structure, the curved glass facade floods the entire Terminal with natural light. The exposed steel framing transcends the human scale enough to draw your attention and inspire awe yet is detailed and finished in such a way that does not make it feel overbearing. The reverse angle of the curtain wall gives the Terminal’s rounded fascia a form that begins to mimic the profile of an object in flight.

Building: Woodward Park Library
Client: County of Fresno
Architect: DSJ Architects
Year Built: 2004
Photo: DSJ
Description:

Embraced by the sweeping concrete surfaces that seemingly nurture the space within, your imagination is stimulated by the forms and surfaces even before picking up a book. Exceptional natural lighting on the inside with very little direct light make the interiors highly conducive to reading, studying and focusing your attention. With the circulation cleanly arranged around an entry foyer, the flow of circulation is comfortable yet interesting. A ‘Friends of the Library suite that is open after‐hours allows for the building to remain active through the evening as community space.

Building: Sante Fe Depot
Client: City of Fresno
Architect: Johnson Architecture
Year Built: 2005
Photo: Joe Moore
Description:

The historic Santa Fe Depot is a shining example of historic preservation in Fresno. Built in 1899 by the San Joaquin Valley Railroad (later to be acquired by Santa Fe) , the depot is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The building was originally designed by W.B. Story, and the 2004 / 2005 historic preservation project was led by Fresno based firm Johnson Architecture. Before its renovation, the building had suffered from years of neglect. It was last used as a passenger facility in 1966, was converted into a railroad communications center, and eventually sat vacant for decades. The building is typical of the Mission Revival style, with clay roof tiles and beige stucco walls. A small porte-cochere and clock tower, with a large wrought iron clock face, dominate the Santa Fe Avenue elevation of the building. The $7 million renovation removed decades of insensitive patchwork additions to the building, and restored the building’s historic appearance and functionality as a working passenger rail station. It now serves Fresno passengers on Amtrak’s popular San Joaquin line. The project received the prestigious Governor’s Historic Preservation Award, an Award of Excellence from the AIA San Joaquin, and a Preservation Design Award from the California Preservation Foundation.

Building: Coyle Federal Courthouse
Client: US General Services Administration
Architect: Moore Ruble Yudell Architects with Gruen Associates
Year Built: 2005
Photo: Clark Pacific
Description:

The later part of the 1990’s into the beginning of the 2000’s we saw substantial investment from the GSA on well designed federal buildings throughout the country. Fresno received that investment in design with the new Federal Courthouse. The building’s massing and intricate concrete paneled façade draws inspiration from rock formations in Yosemite National Park. The lobby is awe inspiring. The floor combines smooth and rough stones punctuated with granite boulders cut in half to form seating. Beyond the lobby the way finding, courtrooms, law library, and roof terraces all are well thought out, detailed and accentuated by local art.

Building: Unitarian Universalist Church
Client: Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno
Architect: McCamant & Durrett Architects
Year Built: 2007
Photo: McCamant & Durrett Architects
Description:

Unitarian Universalist Church of Fresno is first and foremost distinguished by their commitment to sustainability and community. Those commitments are masterfully combined in a building that pays equal attention to interior and exterior spaces. The roof lines, material choices and color palate give the building a contemporary and earthy feel that sets it apart from other churches. This was Fresno County’s first LEED Certified building. The sustainable strategies range from drought tolerant landscaping, natural lighting and low water plumbing.

Building: Clovis Fire Station No. 5
Client: City of Clovis
Architect: Don Dommer Associates
Year Built: 2007
Photo: Terry O’Rourke
Description:

Clovis Fire Station No 5 opened in 2007 at 790 N. Temperance Avenue, just north of Highway 168, in the Clovis Research and Technology Park. It was designed by the Oakland, CA based firm Don Dommer Associates, The building uses a mix of industrial materials such as corrugated steel and concrete block in a contemporary context. The three bay garage area is highlighted by an open truss roof system supporting a gently arching steel roof. Clerestory windows provide natural light to the garage bays during the day, and at night creative up lighting highlights the exposed roof structure and interior in dramatic fashion.

Building: H Street Lofts
Client: Reza Assemi
Architect: Taylor Teter Partnership
Year Built: 2008
Photo: RSM Studio
Description:

H Street Lofts demonstrates an awareness of its context, and uses the adjacent railroad as inspiration for the façade. It also shows a curiosity and willingness to test new ideas and use materials in untraditional ways. The varying sizes, placement and treatment of the windows creates the feeling of moving boxcar. The building wraps around a courtyard to foster interaction of neighbors and includes a memorial mound landscaped with native plants to commemorate the property’s former life as an army induction center. In the past decade Reza Assemi has become synonymous urban living in Fresno. Of all the multifamily housing built in Fresno County during the decade, H Street Lofts stands out as the most authentic to the region.

Building: Clovis North High School
Performing Arts Center
Client: Clovis Unified School District
Architect: Darden Architects
Year Built: 2008
Photo: Tomas Ovalle
Description:

Home of the Paul Shaghoian Concert Hall and the Dan Pasesano Theatre is one of the finest high school performing arts facilities in the nation, rivaling many collegiate and professional concert venues. The Shaghoian Concert Hall seats 750 on one level, in a traditional box configuration, featuring a stage that sits within the main body of the theatre, with no proscenium arch. The stunning interior of the Concert Hall is known for its superb acoustics, with wood paneled walls, and a 50 foot ceiling. Above the stage sits a a fully automated “acoustic cloud” structure that adapts to change the acoustic properties of the room. Additional adaptive acoustic treatments are designed in the upper levels of the hall, allowing the venue to be customized for performances ranging from choirs to orchestras to jazz ensembles. Adjacent to the Concert Hall sits the Paesano Theatre, a 150 seat “black box” theatre performance space. Both venues are shared by programs from throughout the school district. The exterior of the Performing Arts Center is constructed largely of concrete block and steel. Massive steel columns support the entrance to the lobby, a visual reference to the steel framed agricultural packing houses that still function nearby.

Building: New Harvest Church
Client: New Harvest Church
Architect: Anthony C. Pings & Associates
Year Built: 2008
Photo: Shaunt Yemenjian
Description:

The balance and careful treatment of every surface of the building are enough to have made Christian Dior jealous. Built as an adaptive re-use of a fruit packing plant, the tapered planes spread outward in a way that resembles the opened husk of a fruit. With so many 20th century buildings addressing a single façade (dismissing the notion that buildings have context and multiple vantage points), the New Harvest Church campus captures your attention up front and sustains your interest as you move about. One can also appreciate use of modern technology in the CNC cut signage carved away from the webs of steel I-beams throughout.

Are we on the mark? Do you feel we missed any? Share your comments with us below.

Update 10/26/09

In a dramatic turn of events, the mural on the East wall of Neighborhood Thrift got spared from being painted over. In an outpouring of community support that involved emails, phone calls and a human wall in front of the mural the Neighborhood Thrift Board reconsidered it’s course of action. See The Fresno Beehive for Pastor Tim Goetz’s letter announcing the change of course.

The effort to reconcile the differences the murals immediate neighbors and the vision of the Tower District as a whole was spearheaded by graphic designer, tower resident, and longtime Creative Fresno board member, Suzzane Bertz-Rosa. Moving forward, Neighborhood Thrift manager, AP, and I will discuss any outstanding concerns that the neighbors have with the mural. These concerns will then be brought to the artists and Neighborhood Thrift Board to determine how to address the concerns and move forward as one neighborhood, all the more strong.

Original Post 10/24/09

A controversy brewed this week over the newest and largest mural in the Tower District. While the majority of the neighborhood and Tower District Community supported the mural be prominent local artist. Several neighboring homeowners strongly opposed it.

This story had been covered by Mike Oz for the Fresno Bee and Beehive

The final decision was made by the Neighborhood Thrift board of directors to paint over the mural or “buff” as the artist say. Neighborhood Thrift was setup as a independent 501c3 organization but began as a youth project of the Well Community Church.

Below is a response to a plea to keep the mural that I sent executive pastor of Well Community Church, Tim Goetz.

Kiel,

I appreciate your concern, however, you must first understand why we are in that location before you can understand our position. Also, when I say ‘our’ position, I mean Neighborhood Thrifts position. Neighborhood Thrift is its own 501c3, and is independent from The Well.

We have a simple business and a simple mission. We want to grow a successful business by selling mostly used goods at an affordable price so we can 1) promote an atmosphere of community and 2) help the community succeed economically.

We started Neighborhood Thrift just last year, and as of today, we employ 20 people from the community. We care about people, we care about the community, and we care about our neighbors. We hoped the mural would tie us into the Tower District and help promote the store, which would mean we could hire more people. We want to be tied in to the Tower District, but not bad enough to jeopardize relationship with our neighbors. We hope that people will understand why we need to paint over the mural, and we hope that we haven’t ruined potential relationships with our neighbors.

Ultimately, we just already have enough on our plate pursuing this thing they call economic development, the last thing we need is controversy, distraction, or another mission. We want everyone to know of Neighborhood Thrift as the store in the community for the community, not the place where the controversial mural is located. We need to be spending our time on growing the business to hire more people, or finishing our cafe so the community has another place to hang out this winter.

I know you may not agree with this, but the more this develops into 2 sides (Tower vs. Some neighbors), the more I am certain of what we need to do. I can respect the quote from the Tower District, but you need to understand that is your mission. We have our own mission. I think we can probably both be satisfied, but the current mural is jeopardizing our mission.

Hope this helps clarify things.

Tim Goetz

The muralist including Ramiro Martinez, Dominique Ovalle, Mike Howe & Josh Wigger worked into the night and today to finish the mural before it was buffed.

update 09-29-2009

The owner of the Helm and Newman Homes, One By One Leadership, presented to the Historic Preservation Commission their new plan to move forward with restoration of both homes. They also provided a letter of intent for a $500,000 loan from the Housing Authority to help make it possible.

While the jury is still out on the Newman home, the damage is not as severe as some had feared. Or better put – there is a good possibility it could be saved. The roof collapsed in the fire mentioned below, but the 1st floor, 2nd floor and walls maintained much of their integrity.

Friday night September 18th ABC 30 reported that the fire destroyed historic home at L Street and Divisadero in downtown Fresno.

Fresno Fire Department has not yet discovered the cause of the blaze.

Newman Home at 1743 L Street was built in 1911 in a Colonial Revival style. It is on the Local Register of Historic Resources. Via Historic Fresno website.

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In a new series we are calling fresh archop will feature an individual in architecture or allied industry who has just relocated to the San Joaquin Valley, or returned after an extended absence. For the first edition we introduce a fascinating individual named Enoch Sears.

I first met Enoch via email. He’d responded to a blog post on Fresno Famous. At the time, he was living in Panama designing a Caribbean resort. An evening this August I discovered his return when we encountered each other the Fulton Mall. Below are his words regarding: growing up, education, travel, returning to the San Joaquin Valley, architecture, influences, design process, notable experiences, and what he is currently working on.
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Growing Up
I grew up right here in the Central Valley in Lemoore, forty minutes south of Fresno. My parents are originally from the Bay Area and moved to the Valley when my dad got a teaching job in Kettleman City around 1980. Some of my childhood memories include riding my bike around town and the surrounding farmland during the hot, dusty summers, exploring the canals and eucalyptus groves; and driving up the old two-lane Highway 41 with my parents to visit Fresno.
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Education
I studied architecture at Cornell University from 1998-2002. While at Cornell I participated in a unique design studio: Imagining Cuba in 2004. Interestingly enough, the studio was led by professor Milton Curry, a Fresno native who graduated from Bullard High School. For the studio, I designed a hotel/condo tower situated over a retail space that also housed an embassy for American Democracy. I have been captivated by the story of Cuba- especially how it relates to the concept of trying to choose an alternate form of lifestyle amidst our modern society. One of the most interesting classes I took at school was a class on Cuba (different from the design studio) that examined Cuba’s history and present situation from a sociological, architectural and historical perspective.
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Travel
I have traveled throughout the US, Central and South America (throw in a cruise to Nassau in the Bahamas – great salad bar!)- quite limited really. I spent last year (2008) in the Caribbean on an island of Panamabworking on pie-in-the-sky designs for a resort developer. As for architecture one of the buildings I’ve been most impressed with is the Kimbell Art museum in Dallas, TX. I have yet to delve into the architecture of Fresno. I’m awed each time I drive past those huge silos just north of Hwy 180 by the Tower District.
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Return to San Joaquin Valley
I moved away from the Valley for school and work, and then came back briefly around 2002. I then moved to Houston, Texas. I lived and worked there for five years primarily with Hawthorne Architects until I couldn’t stand the humidity any more. After a year abroad in the Caribbean my wife and I decided to come back to Fresno because of family ties and the fresh grapes. I love the arid air here! 100 degrees without humidity feels like 80 in Houston.
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Admired Architects
I admire the idea of “the architect”, the master builder, the creator. Most architects fall into this category more or less. Specifically, Sam Mockbee (1, 2, 3)and Glen Murcutt (1, 2, 3)for their explorations into the “local” and the vernacular, Frank Lloyd Wright (1, 2, 3) for his sheer power of creation, and I can’t leave out Le Corbusier (1, 2), the giant of modern architecture, + many more.
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Design Process
I design primarily in plan. Sketch, modify, sketch, modify, sketch. I admire boats and cars in that every piece has a function and this function is emphasized by design. I try to bring the same logic and beauty found on a boat to design. Beauty is a charged word. Sometimes a design is beautiful because of its sheer creativity or how it stimulates ones mind. The client is key to finding a proper design solution.
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Notable Experiences
Every meeting with a client is a notable experience. I love the human aspect of the business.
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Working on Now
I’m currently working on an apartment complex for Hanford, CA with architect Chas Rhoads as well as a residential remodel. I just received my architectural registration in Texas. Next step is to apply for reciprocity in CA and take the California Supplemental Examination (CSE). It is amazing the amount of paperwork and steps involved.
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Enoch Sears
Architect
LEED AP, AC

Construction.Consultation.Design
www.enochsears.com

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Please join me in welcoming back Enoch

If you are or know someone in the architecture field new to the area contact us.

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. When I unrolled it, I was pleasantly surprised.

This flyer is obviously drawn by Juan’s son or daughter. It is my favorite and intrigues me because it shows a curiosity about architecture and landscape, it also demonstrates an understanding of how people interact with space and the concept of perspective (the men in the background are drawn smaller than in the foreground). These are concept many architecture students struggle with.

In my experience doing community and participatory design workshops I’ve found that many have the raw talent needed for architecture or design. But often it is not nurtured along.

Any one can be an architect, not to say everyone can be an architect, but an architect can be found anywhere. The hand that drew this is the hand of a future architect.

While searching for a news article from the Fresno Bee, I stumbled upon an amazing resource. It was a webpage called Super Signage Fresno, CA. I’ve had a little obsession about signage for the past couple of months.

Unfortunately, THE FRESNAN stole my thunder and posted this early today. He pulled it from my twitter feed when I discovered the site yesterday. Mike has become an archop groupie giving the site his Bloggiest Moment of the Week for two weeks in a row. With lots of link love, I’ll let this one pass. But Mike, remember, the built environment is the realm of archop, stray too far and we will school you.

Now that that little blog warfare is out of the way… Digging deeper into the site called www.agilitynut.com, we see that Deborah Jane has collected an amazing inventory of Roadside Architecture from across the country. You can search type and even browse signage by place. There are even a sampling some of my favorite architectural styles including Art Deco and Mid-Century. I have not read much about the author yet. So, I’m wondering what is her method is for collecting all of this data. But one thing is sure, we’ll continue to use it at a resource.

In the sampling of Art Deco architecture. I saw this building. While slurping some Pho you may have noticed this architectural gem called the Ivory Tower. “The Ivory Tower stands in the parking lot of the Mayfair Shopping Center. The shopping center was built in 1945 and has since been remodeled. This remaining structure was used as the Administration Building and might also have contained a clothes shop.”

Take some time exploring the site. I’m sure it not comprehensive, so what are your favorites? What was missed?

I’m amazing in how much articulation there used to be in signage. It was part of the architecture not just the lighted boxed with replaceable copy that is so prevalent today. How do we get back to that? Where are the missed opportunities?

For those of you unable to attend, M. W. Steele Group presented the following 1st draft of the Tower District streetscape master plan to the community meeting Tuesday night for feed back. Click on the images to zoom in.

I’ve decided just to post the plans here and not issue an opinion. Feel free to discuss here and I’ll try to answer any questions you have. On a side note, there is an essay I wrote about the Tower District and public space in 2005 that was a finalist for the Berkeley Prize. The full version isn’t online but check out the abstract.

For opinions and discussions focused mainly on the proposed traffic circles see:

The Anthro Guys
Gustav’s Groupie
Fresno Beehive

Related posts:
Tower District Streetscape Plan
Q & A with Diego Velasco
Tower District Streetscape charrette video
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 the Tower District Specific Plan. Saturday’s event was a day of community input, with Steele returning this Tuesday night to present some design alternatives.

We laud City Councilman Blong Xiong, the city, various Tower District advocates, and the Steele Group for putting on this event. Mark Steele and his team listened, took some hard questions, and were willing to engage in some good give and take.

As professionals in participatory design and community design methods, we also noted some things about the program that can inhibit the quality of community input and seriously limit the degree of real community participation in the design process. This critique is intended to increase the quality of design charrettes and community input in Fresno as well as raise awareness about the potential of participatory design.

Expert focus of the event
The organizers stated that the day was all about the participants, but in practice, the more consistent emphasis was on the expert status of the architects/planners vis a vis the participants. After an introductory presentation on the distinctiveness of the Tower by two long-time Tower advocates, Mark Steele took the stage and talked mostly about his firm and their approach to the project. He presented his goals for the project, despite acknowledging that the day was about understanding our goals and aspirations. His associate, Diego Velasco, followed with the firm’s views of the strengths and challenges of the Tower District – again, topics that the charrette was supposed to probe. Expert statements are not the best way to begin an event meant to foster community participation in the planning and design process.

It wasn’t until 11:15am that the twelve tables of participants were unleashed on the first design drill. By that time, some participants had already turned their attention away from the stage and were fingering the maps, stickers and other supplies on the tables. An hour is too long for facilitators to dominate the stage at a four hour event. The long lead-in both cut down the time for participants by a quarter, and set a strong expert-focused – not participant-focused – tone.

Diversity
The tower district is a very diverse place. It is called home by many including: African American, Asian, Caucasian, Latino, young and old, the progressive community, and the GBLTQ community. Economically, there is a mix of home owners and renters, working class through upper class and even homeless. As well, Tower is a destination for those throughout Fresno and beyond in search of unique cultural, entertainment and dining experiences.

The participants at the charrette were overwhelmingly white and weighted toward local property and business owners; the average age looked to be about 50. Conspicuously absent were youths and Latinos, two large and important resident/user groups in the Tower. Tower visitors from other neighborhoods were also missing. Those who attended are important, but they are already the most likely people to have their voices and preferences heard in this process, and they have a partial view of issues at stake in the streetscape. For example, there were probably relatively fewer public transportation users among the participants than some other Tower constituencies, an important point when it comes to redesigning bus stops and associated features like sidewalks and bike racks.

Tight format, short time
For each design drill, the participants had 15 minutes to work through complex issues, like recommending placement of street furniture and other features all across the Tower District business core. Each exercise time was followed by 30 minutes of often repetitive presentations from each table to the entire group. The design charrette had us wrestling with important and potentially highly creative design issues, but the format was too tight.
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Constrained approach to community participation
Finally, with the design alternatives meeting coming up Tuesday, we wonder how much of Saturday’s charrette can really be incorporated into the process. Again, we agree that Mark Steele and his colleagues (and by extension the city) are sincerely trying to listen. But it’s hard to believe that Steele and company didn’t already have some designs in mind or drawn up before the charrette. If not, then they would have to work day and night from Saturday afternoon till Tuesday night to synthesize ideas from a hundred participants and come up with some design alternative to present – and even then, this time frame is probably too tight. Surely they are working with the charrette data right now, but they also probably had some designs already laid on and ready for their return to Fresno Tuesday night. This raises the question: how much community input can really be incorporated when the goals, strengths, challenges and preliminary design work have all already been done before the community is consulted? (In fairness, Mark has said that the design alternatives they will present Tuesday night will not be very detailed; we’re sincerely curious about the firm’s process for analyzing charrette data and incorporating it into their designs.)

What We Would Do
In our experience, facilitating dozens of participatory design charrettes, as well as observation of other charrettes and research of best practices, here’s how a truly participatory design charrette might look:

Participant focus
At one point Saturday, Mark Steele said, “today we’re gonna make you into streetscape designers.” In other words, the experts were ready to teach us how to do something of what they do. But a community design event shouldn’t be about transferring knowledge about design practice from experts to community members. Instead, we start from the principle that everyone is a designer already, without expert help. In other words, we all have design ideas and practices related to our surroundings, including our streetscapes. A community design charrette should be aimed at unlocking the design insights we already have (or could have, in the right context), and making those insights available to professional designers. Professional designers apply their experience and expertise to produce the actual design, inspired by community input.

In practice, a participant focus means that you deemphasize the role of expert or facilitator. No long and potentially intimidating statements of who has what degree or affiliation or expertise; instead, you dive right into the participatory design exercises and maximize the time that the participants have at center stage.

Recruitment means diversity
If you open the event up to “concerned citizens and business owners,” you tend to get a self-selected group of the usual suspects, as we saw on Saturday. Instead, we recommend targeted recruitment among all user groups to ensure a diversity of participants in the design process. This of course takes more work upfront in recruiting and screening. The result is much more useful data that can more accurately influence the design process.

Loosen up the format, take your time
Getting true participation takes time and flexibility. We would have recommended a series of three participatory design charrettes, with smaller yet more diverse participants, and more creative exercises involving, perhaps, larger scale prototyping and methods drawn from theatre and the arts — this is after all the Tower! (Diego said that they considered a skit-making exercise but time constraints precluded it.) Participants could act out common Tower interactions with streetscape props. Examples we bounced around included: the bus stop, the sidewalk café, the tower rat hangout, bar hopping, Rogue, etc. This would give the designers data about our culture and spatial needs. Using audio and visual recording, can capture both the data and the process through which it was produced for later analysis.

Another method we thought would be useful is to have different tables focus on different areas of the project area. With twelve tables of participants at the event all focused on the same design drills never more focused than the entire project area, a lot of redundant results were produced. The area is easily broken into six overlapping parts. Each area is then worked on by two tables. This would get all of the project area equal focus. At Hank’s table and the three tables Kiel facilitated, we noticed input was light at the edges. Also at the 1”=30’ scale aerial photo that was the last of the design drills, it was hard to definitively place streetscape elements and furniture represented by stickers in our tool pallet that included: sidewalk cafes, potted plants, streetlights, handicap ramps, benches, bike racks, etc.

Some of these measures would increase costs at the event level. However, we have Fresno-area expertise to accomplish participatory design and planning work and the savings from keeping the work local would more than pay for the changes we suggest.

True participation
Let’s face it, whenever we create something, we become wedded to it: we want to defend it, sometimes not even consciously. From talking with Mark, and Diego, observing how the community was prompted, and the tight timeline, it seems much of the design is already in place. Community consultation should take place before any designer digs into a project or puts pencil to paper.

While we value and honor the expertise of MW Steele Group and the work done by the City of Fresno and the Tower community, this is our honest assessment of the design charrette process and how it could be improved upon. Please attend the next meeting Tuesday, July 28th 7-9pm at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theatre, where the design alternatives will be presented.

Related posts
Tower District Streetscape Plan
Q & A with Diego Velasco
Tower District Streetscape charrette video
Bored in Fresno? Become an Anthropologist
ArcHop Construction Proceeds

This Saturday 10am – 2pm at Roger Rockas Dinner Theatre there is a community design charrette for the Tower District Streetscape Plan. The architecture and planning firm coordinating the design charrette is M. W. Steele Group along with assistance from members of the Tower District Marketing Committee, Tower District Design Review Committee and City of Fresno Planning Department.

Diego Velasco Assoc. AIA, LEED AP with the M. W. Steele Group will be conducting the process tomorrow. Below he answers our questions regarding the upcoming community design charrette:

KS: What can community members expect at the community meeting? I assume this is a design charrette type setup. What kind of activities will we be doing?

DV: Folks can expect to have a fun time. We have prepared a series of “design drills” to help engage participants and walk them through the steps that we, as designers, often take in the design process. We will start the workshop with a powerpoint presentation that will highlight the fundamentals of streetscape design and key streetscape elements. Our first exercise will be a classic brainstorming session to get the juices flowing and give folks an opportunity to express their ideas, visions, and concerns. The next “drill” will be a mapping of the tower district, where we will ask everyone to identify some of the key existing conditions of the area, and finally, in the last exercise we will roll up our sleeves and get to work, proposing ideas and potential designs for the three streets we have been asked to consider: olive, fern and wishon. To assist stakeholders in this, we have prepared a series of icon stickers that depict streetscape elements (such as benches, trees, waste bins, etc.) and some cutouts of potential streetscape designs (such as bike lanes, sidewalk cafes, pop-outs, etc.). We will also have color markers and trace paper for the more adventurous, and plenty of opportunities for folks to write comments or ideas (if they prefer more anonymity).

KS: What are your goals for the outcome of the meeting? What would make it a success?

DV: We often say that as the urban design consultant we are really only the conductor, and the stakeholders are the orchestra. The quality of the music that results is highly dependent on the energy and efforts of the orchestra. We do not approach a project as an opportunity to impose our ideas, but rather, believe our role is primarily to demonstrate to folks the range of possibilities and common practices, so that they can decide what works best in their neighborhood. Our hope is that people will come out of this feeling energized and enthusiastic about the future potential of the Tower and ready to implement some of the good ideas.

KS: What is the time line after the meeting?

DV: We will take all the information gathered at the first workshop and synthesize it into a set of guiding principles, which we will use to guide our design proposals. We then will return to the community on Tuesday evening for a second workshop, where we will show some design alternatives and get deeper into the specifics of the streetscape elements and design. We hope to get a good direction as to a preferred alternative or a combination of preferred options, and will take that back to our office and develop the design in greater detail. We have tentatively scheduled a third workshop at the end of August, beginning of September, to come back to the public and present a draft streetscape design plan for comment. Beyond that, the schedule is in the hands of the City of Fresno Planning Department.

KS: Being from San Diego, what strategies will you use to ensure the final design is authentic to Fresno?

DV: The most important strategy is always to listen, listen, listen. We have several projects in our portfolio that are outside of San Diego (including the El Dorado Park Plan here in Fresno). We have found that the best way to ensure authenticity and preserve a local flavor is to research as much as possible about the area, engage meaningfully with the community, and be willing to make revisions when we don’t get it right. One idea we have come away with is that we need to engage the local arts community to help incorporate public art in the streetscape design. This may be a good way to highlight the unique “funkiness” of the Tower.

KS: What is the product that you’ll be delivering to the City of Fresno?

DV: We never fully know what the product will be until we have completed the workshops. However, in general we will complete a streetscape plan that will include a summary of the ideas and concerns expressed in the workshops, a design plan for each of the three street segments in our project area, a series of perspective “vignettes” or renderings depicting the key concepts, a palette of streetscape elements appropriate for the area, some discussion about streetscape best practices and references.

KS: What are some projects in your resume that are similar to the Tower District Streetscape Plan?

DV: We have designed some major avenues in the City of National City, we also prepared streetscape designs for the San Diego Naval Training Center Reuse and Precise Plan and for the Yokohl Ranch Town Center Design Guidelines.

Like Diego said , so please attend the workshop Saturday, July 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm at Roger Rockas Dinner Theatre (1226 N. Wishon just North of Olive Ave.) Bring your energy, bring your ideas.

Diego’s bio from http://mwsteele.com:

Diego brings a broad view of architecture to MW Steele Group since joining the firm in 2007. With degrees in city planning and urban planning, he approaches design as an all inclusive process. As an integral part of our urban design and planning practice, he has opportunity to include architecture, urban design, landscape architecture and planning to some degree in each project. This connective way of thinking makes him flexible, and diverse in his skills. Diego’s ability to conceptualize projects, whether detailed and technical or more broad in nature makes him an asset to any project team.

Diego has worked in private practice as well as with municipal planning and development agencies, giving him an understanding of both sides of the planning process. He is technically adept with graphic software programs as well as being an exceptional artist in hand drawing. Diego’s talents have been recognized with several honors and design awards.

Diego Graduated from the University of Washington with a Master’s degree in Urban Design in 2006 and the University of California, Berkeley with a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture in 1999.

Dear Archop Nation,

I was intrigued by the recent ‘Theory Thursday’ post concerning the concept of authenticity. Below is my attempt to further the discussion.

The notion of authenticity has in it the idea of a pure, genuine original, a sort of Platonic ideal – ‘this is an authentic 1952 Tops Mickey Mantle Rookie card, all others are copies, replicas, or fakes’. A thing’s authenticity is a measure of its faithfulness to the original; and its value is measured by the degree to which it approximates the original. The authentic rookie baseball card is a far greater prize than the re-issued anniversary edition.

Applying this model of authenticity to the built environment sheds light on a notion of authenticity that enables us to assess the building’s value. If an exact replica of the Eiffel tower were erected today in Buenos Aires, it is doubtful that it would become the same symbol of national identity and pride for Argentinians that it has for Parisians.

If the London bridge was removed from its original location and reconstructed in Lake Havasu City, Arizona –then it would be an abhorrent grafting that stripped a historic structure of any meaningful contextual significance.

Rootedness

What is clear from the above examples is that the measure of a building’s authenticity is inseparably wed to its time, its place, its people, its cultural milieu. It is not so much the degree of faithfulness to the original that matters, but, rather, the degree to which a building is faithful to the environment in which it exists. It is this notion of “rootedness” that provides us with a meaningful tool for assessing the value of authenticity for a built work.

Perhaps no living architect embodies this notion of “rootedness” better than the Australian architect Glenn Murcutt. When asked what idea he is most concerned with communicating to his students, Mercut replied:

They must think that every project they do is worthy of being. Their work has to speak about place, technology, climate, structure, materials. They must work honestly, with heart and mind, rather than structuring what is a visual delight alone. Their work has to have roots. I think what we admire
most about architecture of all periods is rootedness, authenticity. We recognize authenticity, and we recognize the five-minute flash. The authentic lives on; the flash quickly dies.

Almost all of Mercutt’s work has been done in his native geographic region. He does not have a single high rise, flashy concert hall or show piece museum on his resume, yet he has received the two highest professional honors that can be bestowed upon an architect – the AIA Gold Medal and the Pritzker Prize. What he has left is a trail of thoughtful, progressive, sustainable ‘gifts’ to his clients and fellow Australians. I offer his Marie Short House, built in Kempsey in 1975, as a model of an authentic building rooted in its environment. A May 2007 New York Times article entitled “The Native Builder” features the building.

Our challenge as designers will be two-fold. First, we must study, comprehend and recognize what is unique to our culture, our area, our people. Second, we must share and celebrate these findings in the public forum that is our local built environment. Beauty will have no choice but to follow; and we will all have reason to smile. I will be listening with open eyes and mind.

Humbly,

Michael Pinheiro

Today an announcement was made regarding the future of the Tower District Streetscape and upcoming community design charrette.

The announcement was posted on the Tower Exchange by Will Tackett with the City of Fresno Planning and Development Department. A mailer was also sent to all residences and businesses within the Tower Districts boundaries (Shields to 180, Fruit to Blackstone). The announcement is below:

Community Charrette – Tower District Streetscape Capital Improvement

We’re renovating Olive Avenue and neighboring streets, and we need your input!

The City has allocated funds for the creation of a Streetscape Plan for the commercial area of the Tower District. The plan will include improvements such as
• New Sidewalks
• Bike Racks
• Lighting
• Trees
• Public Art
….and anything else we come up with!

Our plan will be developed by everyone attending the community meetings, and we want to include your opinions and ideas, so please put these dates on your calendar.

Let’s get together and create a great community plan!

Saturday, July 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Visioning Workshop to develop design alternatives
Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m: Workshop to select a preferred alternative and develop the design concepts

Both meetings will take place at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theatre (1226 N. Wishon).

For more information,
call 497-8362

M. W. Steele Group is the architecture and planning firm from San Diego that was selected for the project through an RFP process in September of 2008. They will be coordinating the design charrette along with members of the Tower District Marketing Committee and Tower District Design Review Committee.

All available Tower residents and regulars should attend this meeting and give your input. This post will be updated with experiences at the meeting.

disclaimer: I am a Tower District resident, property owner and membe of the Tower District Design Review Committee.

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 Avenue in downtown.

click for larger image

The report to the Commission states that Assemi is seeking Commission and public input prior to incurring additional research and expense. If you are not familiar with the Assemi family and Granville Homes, they have made substantial investments in Downtown, specifically in the Cultural Arts District.

I believe we are at a point in development in downtown Fresno that the question is no longer “development or no development?” The question now is “How do we measure successful development?”

Last week I posted theory thursday: authenticity alluding to some projects that do not evoke authenticity. I believe that this project falls into that category. Some of the things that triggered this is that the proposal included two styles which remind me much more of tract home models than that historic Art & Crafts and Italianate which they are named for. Below are the renderings included in the proposal.

Arts & Crafts

Italianate

While this neighborhood has many vacant even severely damaged buildings, several are historic. And the common style represented is Colonial Revival of various forms. Beyond missing the mark historically, I’m of the philosophy that building faux historic buildings near real historic buildings is actually detrimental to the built environment.

There are several reasons I believe this: The level of craftsmanship of the historic resources is unmatched by the economics of and process building today; the history a neighborhood should be a patchwork of different eras leading to today’s contemporary buildings. This should be easily read. By building cheap knock offs of yesterdays buildings today with foam details once hand carved out of solid wood history become very muddy for the passerby.

A contemporary building in this location should take cues from its surroundings. What is the scale of its neighboring buildings? Is there a rhythm set by how the land was parceled? What are the materials used? How do the buildings address the street? All of these elements can help a new building fit into the context of its surrounding without trying to mimic the past.

Beyond style, the planning of the project should be such it builds community. Street life is essential as is pedestrian focus. The plan proposed feels much more like a gated apartment complex. That does not fit the downtown context.

In summery, I encourage Granville Home to continue investing Downtown, however this proposed project marks a turn in the wrong direction.

UPDATE 6-23-09

The Historic Preservation Commission meeting was interesting. I was surprised how willing the commission was to accept the fact that the 3 historic buildings on the site of the Granville proposal would most likely be demolished. They were more interested in preserving the buildings on the West side of the street that were outside the bounds of the proposal.

I found some glimmer of hope in a comment made by architect and commissioner, Chris Johnson AIA “This is not the Historic DemolishionCommission.”

To Mr Assemi’s credit he was open to all input about the design. Comments from the public including a member of the Fulton/Lowell Design Review Committee, a former HPC Commissioner Cam Maloy, and even Historic Preservation project manager, Karana Hattersly-Drayton, were in favor of a third alternative not shown above.

The third design broke the long building in two with a pedestrian walkway and each building used detail elements pulled from different styles. Most notably was a center building that quoted the parapet detail from the Helm Home on the west side of the street. Granville is also planning to renovate the Helm Home.

I spoke publicly about some of the design concerns that I had that are listed above. My comments focused around authenticity, trying to preserve at least one of the building as an anchor to the project and some of the urban planning issues that needed to be addressed regarding activating the street with entry porches activating the street.

The Commission formed a subcommittee that will further advise Granville Homes about the design

Authenticity is something we strongly believe in for Fresno’s built environment.

What does Authenticity mean?

Authentic architecture is unique to a place, it seems to fit. The building fits in both it’s geographic place as well as it’s place in time. Olive Avenue in the Tower District is authentic. Our old brick buildings downtown are authentic. Fresno’s version of Mid Century Modern is authentic. I could go on.

What is not authentic?

A new building that poorly mimics historic Fresno architecture is not authentic. It actually does harm to the historic integrity of a neighborhood. Suburban buildings in downtown are inauthentic. Covering up an original facade is inauthentic. Examples will follow in later posts.

I’d like to make an analogy here. I’m sure you’re all familiar with CliffsNotes. These are pamphlets that summarize a book and give a student everything they need to write a shortcut book report for English class. They don’t read the book and they don’t have an original thought. That used to fly. English teachers however, have gotten hip to this and other internet shortcut sources. So if they’re on there game they’ll flunk the student’s shortcut paper.

I feel like development in Fresno, specifically downtown can be linked to this scenario. It seems as if some developers working downtown read the CliffsNotes about historic Fresno architecture and contemporary urban architecture and are trying to pass off some bad buildings on the Fresno public.

Unfortunately, the Fresno public is not yet hip to this. We’re like old teachers that don’t know how to use the internet. We are allowing this inauthentic shortcut architecture in our downtown. These buildings even get praise at times. Perhaps because we don’t know better or are afraid no developer will turn in their paper.

So this sounds serious right? Damage to the authenticity of our built environment is being done. And buildings are pretty permanent.

What do we do?

Well it starts here. We need to first determine what is authentic for us. Then we need to start grading these building designs being proposed. And we can’t be afraid the flunk some designs. Some may get their feelings hurt. But it will be a lesson to start doing their homework.

Specific examples of this idea will follow. In the meantime, what do you imagine authentic contemporary Fresno architecture looks like? What does it pull from the past? How does it respond to our climate? Where do it’s inspiration and concepts come from?

For more about authenticity see the Mayor’s Creative Economy Council report