This is the first of a reoccurring feature we will cal: What The Façade or WTF

Every once in awhile you come across a building that is really well thought out, contextual and pleasing to the eye. This is not the case with the building below. One of our readers sent us the image below with the comment “It makes my eyes water. Really bad.”

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It is as if someone vomited faux architecture all over this building. There is foam molding, weird window pop-outs with fake clay tile above. The whole building got a orange, brown and grey stucco wrap that classes with the fuax stone at the base.

The graphic designers out there are probably clinging at the 3 different typefaces used for the sign and address. Not to mention that the ampersand (&) is backwards.

Below is the Google Streetview as the building sat vacant after a fire between 2003 and 2004. Note the original details of the building. The double wood outriggers are of note. How anyone would take the good mid-century modern bones of the building below and envision this final product, I will never know.

The building at 700 E. Shaw used to be home to Helen Smades Real Estate. Helen Smades was a prominent Fresnan. Helen Smades Trust sold the 5,690 square foot building in 1998.

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I don’t know who is responsible. The Owner/developer, contractor, architect/designer or tenant. Maybe they’re all to blame. But it is obvious that this is an ugly façade.

If you see an ugly building out there in our built environment send it in to curator@archop.org It maybe the next one shown for WTF.

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.

The American Institute of Architects has long set the bar for quality design in the United States. The organization awards buildings and architects that are contributers to a high quality built environment. Awards are given by the national, state and local chapters of the organization. The AIA San Joaquin has a bi-annual awards program.

Projects that are eligible for award are to be built within the San Joaquin region or by an architect from the region. The architect submits their project along with a fee. An independent jury then deliberates on what submissions are deserving of awards.

This years awards ceremony packed the Sky Room of the Holiday Inn of Downtown Fresno with over 160 individuals attending the banquet. The keynote speaker was John Dugan the City of Fresno Director of Planning and Development. Mr. Dugan recounted his first perceptions of Fresno, detailed the departments current efforts and called for architects to get involved in the process.

Also at the banquet, the AIASJ presidency was transfered from Rod Andreasen AIA to Paul Halajian AIA. Mr. Halajian noted in his speech that his effort over the next two years will be to build the relevance of the AIASJ to both the profession and the public.

2009 Award Winners
Honorable Mention:

Coalinga Community Swim Complex – Darden Architects

Merit

Willow-International Center – Darden Architects

Zumwalt Residence – Arthur Dyson Architects

Honor

Clovis Performing Arts Center – Darden Architects

William Jessup University Student Apartments – Taylor Teter Partnership

Ranchos Middle School – Taylor Teter Partnership

H Street Lofts – Taylor Teter Partnership

Excellence

Riverbank High School Gym – Darden Architects

Alex G. Spanos Elementary School – Darden Architects

Below is biographical information about the independent jurors that selected the American Institute of Architects San Joaquin Chapter 2009 Design Awards. A review of the experience was written by Fresno Bee arts writer Donald Munro and can be found here.

Dan Fletcher, AIA

Dan Fletcher is a principal in the firm of Fletcher + Hardoin Architects located in Monterey California. Fletcher + Hardoin was established in 1988 providing architectural services for high end residential and visitor serving commercial. Some of the firm’s most recent projects include the restoration and conversion of the 14th century Borgo Villa Saletta in Tuscany into a Raffles hotel and spa, the renovation of historic Robles del Rio Lodge in Carmel Valley and the recent completion of Wild Bird a residence on the Big Sur coast. Fletcher + Hardoin has been recognized for their design excellence with many awards from AIAMB, Gold Nugget awards for their custom residences, hardbound publications and a feature segment on HGTV’s Homes Across America Dan Fletcher received the Robert Stanton Design Award for significant design contribution to the field of Architecture in the Central Coast of California.

Michael R. Pratt, AIA – Principal Lionakis

Mike Pratt is a “Hands-on Principal” and is the leader of Lionakis’ Modesto Healthcare Team. He has over 25 years of professional experience and brings invaluable leadership skills and agency expertise to any project. Born and raised in the central valley, Mike returned to practice architecture after graduating from Cal Poly State University SLO in 1976. His previous and continued service on numerous community boards and commissions fits well with Mike’s observation that the “citizen architect” brings a uniquely valuable perspective to any discussion. He is also involved with the AIA Sierra Valley Chapter activities and is the current president of the AIACC Architectural Foundation.

Norman Millar, AIA – Dean, School of Architecture – Woodbury University

Norman Millar is an educator and practicing architect. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Design from the University of Washington (1976) and a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Design (1978). He received a Certificate from The Ross Minority Program in Real Estate at the Lusk Center for Real Estate in the Marshall School of Business at the University of Southern California (2006). He has been a registered architect since 1983, licensed to practice architecture in California, Washington and Hawaii. He established his Los Angeles practice, Norman Millar Architects, in 1985.

Norman Millar is the Dean of the School of Architecture at Woodbury University having run the architecture program there since 1999. Prior to that, he taught at several Los Angeles institutions including the SCI-Arc, USC, Pasadena Art Center, and UCLA. He is also a regent for the California Architecture Foundation. He also serves on the a Hollywood Design Review Advisory Board and the advisory boards for the Los Angeles Forum for Architecture and Urban Design, the Los Angeles Chapter of the AIA, and the architecture departments at several Southern California community colleges.

Donald Munro – Fresno Bee

Donald Munro has worked for nearly 20 years covering arts and culture for the Fresno Bee. Prior to that he worked as an entertainment writer and editor at the Anchorage Times. He has an undergraduate degree in journalism from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and a master’s degree from the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. In 2002-03, he was a 10-month fellow with the National Arts Journalism Program sponsored by the Pew Charitable Trusts. He’s twice been selected to participate in National Endowment for the Arts critics institutes: the first in theater, and the most recent, in October, in classical music and opera.

This morning I will be on a jury of a design competition that is organized by the Fresno City College AIAS club. Below is a model of the site in SketchUp that was provided to the student competitors.

Jury will include Michael Fennacy, AIA. He is an architect with Darden Architects. and on the AIASJ board. The 3rd member of the jury will be Shaunt Yemenjian, Assoc. AIA. Shaunt is a LEED Accredited Professional and a principal with spacio|design.

Below is the project brief and user provided to the student competitors. I will post the designs after the jury review.

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 Library’s Facebook page that we found of interest.

The sound issue with the stairs has been a lightning rod for discussion. The metal mesh stairs cantilevering in a large volume. Architects AC Martin Partners in association with RMJM Hillier chose the metal mesh on the stair are part of a reoccurring theme, intended to evoke the qualities of Native American basket weaving. The linear stairway the runs the length of the building and is one of the primary interior features.

In some ways it takes on the qualities of a Native American percussion instrument more than the qualities of a Native American basket. Though we have word that the stairs were heavily value engineered so it was not built the way it was detailed/designed. That said, the expanded lath isn’t adhered to the frame and stringers so each time you take a step, it pushes the extruded metal down against the metal.

Perhaps it is a post justification of a flawed design that the modern library is not the whisper quiet space that it once was. However, the results from the Institute of Public Anthropology’s study of student needs for the library interior showed that students desire “loud areas”. Area that students feel free to socialize and collaborate.

So what are your thoughts? Have you spent time in the new Library? Was the sound of people walking on the stairs distracting from what you were doing? Has the Library’s design balanced aesthetics and function? What are potential solutions?

It was another warm Saturday morning in Fresno. Tower District residents walked, biked, and drove to a 3rd in a string of community meetings. The purpose of these meetings is to craft a Streetscape Master Plan that will guide City of Fresno infrastructure investment in the district.

Meeting #1

Saturday, July 25, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm: Visioning Workshop to develop design alternatives

Video & Critique

Meeting #2

Tuesday, July 28, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m: Workshop to develop the design concepts

Designs, critique, discussions (1, 2)

Meeting #3

Saturday, September 27, 11:00am-1:00pm: Workshop on specific elements and details

When I arrived to The Landmark at 11am, I locked my bike the the patio railing because there was no bike rack nearby. As I walked in the meeting was calling to order. Many of the faces were familiar from previous meetings and daily life in the neighborhood.

I settled into a table near the back, joined by friends Travis, Ed and Adam. We were ready to get to work and start a collaborative design process. All we needed was a brief update about the latest design, outline of the meetings goals, and some instructions of the task at hand. 15-20 minutes would have been a reasonable time for that.

However, was not the case. From 11 until several minutes after 12 the group was talked to. Those that held the mic included: Director of Tower District Marketing Committee, Bill Kuebler; Council member Blong Xiong; consulting architect and planner, Mark Steele; City of Fresno traffic engineer, Brian Jones; and consulting architect and planner, Diego Velasco. Everyone at our table was frustrated by the slow start and several escaped to the Landmark bar for a drink to kill the time.

The most informative of the 5 speakers was Brian Jones, traffic engineer with the City of Fresno. He spoke about the narrowing Wishon to 2 lanes and using narrowed lanes and sidewalk bulb outs to make divers feel less safe driving fast. In other words using design and drivers’ natural reactions in order to create more bicycle and pedestrian friendly traffic patterns. Very cool stuff, but some residents had a hard time believing that bikes and cars could use the same lane.

The important items to know about the updated design is that the much discussed traffic circles have been removed and the pilot project to implement the design has been selected as the strip of Olive between Wishon and Maroa.

design workshop

Our task for the meeting was to select preferences in street furniture. We were given a matrix of furniture to select. This included: paving, bike racks, seating, planters, trash cans, lighting, kiosks, etc.

Our table often circled one option that best fit our preference but wrote out notes that they should be commissioned from local artists and designers. Other than some of the photos of the existing, nothing seemed to call out as authentic to the Tower.

In the few minutes we had left we noted on the plan where we believed this street furniture should be placed. If more than 35-40 minutes had been devoted to the design workshop, we would have been able to make more thorough design decisions.

I had also expected that we as a group would have some part in selecting what the first pilot project would be. It seems that decision was made between the Tower District Market and the city. Work on the pilot project is expected to begin as early as January of 2010.

While I have been frustrated with the process, I see that there has been a lot of hard work going into the Tower District Streetscape Master Pland. And it is comforting to see that the design is improving and that the pilot project will actually get built.

other outcomes

One encouraging outcome from these meeting is that a group of residents has organized to repair the lights strung over olive. They are taking $10 donations for lightbulbs and selling $25 t-shirts with a cool design.

So if you’d like to see Tower shine a little brighter, then pitch in at least $10. I’m sure Flo will comment here and let you know how to donate and where to buy t-shirts.

The time that we are in now is often compared to the Great Depression. Also links are made between the New Deal, WPA and other programs with the Stimulus Package, American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and other associated programs. I’m not in the position or carry any real expertise to compare and contrast the economics and effectiveness of the programs. However, I’ve been having a thought pattern flowing regarding a direct comparison of the design of those.

While, I wasn’t alive during that time, it seems clear the WPA was visible in communities making things happening and getting people to work. It’s evident in Fresno from the concrete stamped with WPA in the Tower District to the Chandler Airport.

There also seemed to be a concentrated effort to leverage design for education and raising moral. I’ve always been a fan of the depression era WPA posters. And frankly there are allot of them. Good design makes a world of difference.

My point here is the current Stimulus and ERRA do not seem as well branded as the New Deal and WPA. To me it seems that there should be more educational graphic content on the street. Perhaps that is why many in this country struggle to understand exactly what the program is doing and how it effects us.

Compare these two signs. The one on the left uses 1 icon, 2 logos and 13 words to convey it’s message. The one on the right clearly conveys is message with only 2 words and 2 acronyms which is also its logo. Please share your thoughts on this topic.

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

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 of Paprika Studios to feature the steadily growing archop exhibits. We also wished to introduce content that can’t be found in any other Fresno media. That is critiques and commentaries about Fresno’s built environment, uniquely focused on design. Other local media report on architecture and the built environment. The focus is often on economics or reported as a current event, rather than exploring the implication for the built environment. The question of ‘why does that building look that way?’ or ‘is that a good or successful design?’ or ‘what does this building say about us and our city?’ rarely get explored. Also the question of ‘who is the architect?’ is left unanswered.

In other cities it is common place for newspapers to employ architectural or urban design critics, much like providing readers with food critics or cultural arts critics. John King who writes for the SF Gate and SF Chronicle come to mind. That is not currently the case in Fresno. We intend to change that paradigm here.

The 1st critique I wrote was of Tower Tattoos. That was a success story of good architectural design. That was a small tenant improvement project that we were able to dig into details of the design. It was also the beginning of what I believe is essential for pushing our Fresno’s and the region’s built environment forward.In that post I wrote:

“We need to offer constructive criticism to buildings, architects, and developers that are not preforming. We also need to highlight and reward those that demonstrate high quality design and positively contribute to a healthy and vibrant built environment.”

On Tuesday I wrote what I hope is constructive criticism on the Granville Homes’ L Street Village project. The post was the main driver for site traffic yesterday. It launched our site traffic through the roof (would our roof be a flat glass roof, maybe a sheet metal butterfly roof, or even a green roof?). The post has drawn 247 visits since Tuesday.

This has got me thinking about the theory behind design critique and a driving theory behind the archop effort.

Architectural education is not a pat you on the back, everyone gets a gold star kind of education. It is rigorous and often merciless. Part of that gauntlet is to prepare us for a professional practice that is highly competitive, low in compensation, and high in liability. A profession where creativity, communication, and cool under pressure are equally essential.

Remembering those critiques, I was forced to completely reevaluate things I had accepted as fact. In that process I discovered so much about myself and the built environment we live in. And when you do something right it shines, like an awakening the world is new and makes sense. To impart that on Fresno would be a dream come true.

This is not an effort to be critical for the sake of being critical. It is not intented to be high brow. It is not out of spite or dislike for any person. We will strive to make these critiques constructive and accessible. Please call us out if that is not the case. This is a learning process for us all.

Let us work together toward architecture, landscape and urban planning that is: a steward to the land, authentically Fresno, offers all the amenities we require with the ease we desire, innovating the whole way through.

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 to be contributors to a potential historic district called Broadway Auto Row. The district included a strip of buildings that where once used as Car showrooms parts suppliers and repair shops.

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The proposed demolition was brought to the Commission by owners Will Dyke and Reza Assemi. Reza developed a building across the street called Broadway Studios which features a restored facade containing 3 commercial spaces in front and 20+ artist work studios in the back.

The discussion by the Commission did get heated and even jumped to the controversial demolition by Will Dyke of the Nationally Registered Ice House Building. (1, 2, 3, 4) At one point architect and commissioner said “Downtown keeps getting it teeth knocked out.” Also as coauthor of Fresno’s Historic Preservation Ordinance, he disagreed with staff abou the intent of the Ordinance.

The only action the committee could talk was to recomend the the buildings are individually eligable for the Local Registry. That is a higher threshold than a building that is a contributor to a historic district. It was a 4 to 2 vote to not rocomend the buildings for the Local Registry. That vote cleared the path for Will and Reza to pull a demolition pemit for the three buildings.

I had written about the demolition of the two buildings next door to these properties. The building on the end was commonly known as the Nightmare Building. On Fresno Famous the post was title Eulogy of the Nightmare.

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.

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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

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 him.

On the City Hall front steps we talked at length. Gay offered 2 water color paintings as a donation for auction at archop’s anniversary exhibit. With childlike glee Gay also talked about his latest design project. The project was three houses for his family in Del Dios, Escondido, CA. The houses where to replace 3 that had burned in a wide fire. He related how the project had brought back a flood of memories as he tackled a new building code and a design that addressed the dangers of earthquake and wildfires. He loved being back at the drafting table.

Three days later Gay passed away. He was honored at the anniversary exhibit were his 2 donated paintings were displayed along with flowers and a memory book. The books cover was pieces of sheet metal from the Snake Wall installation.

In the book 14 architects shared their memories of Gay and condolences to Sue. I delivered the book to Sue during the memorial service that was held at the Fresno Art Museum.

IÂ received a thank you card from Sue. She thanked archop for honoring Gay and for giving the book to the family. They appreciate its design and kind words it contained. Sue said that the book will remain in their family.

Sue also included progress photos of the houses that were the last buildings Gay designed. The same houses we had discussed on the steps of City Hall. It was touching to know that the family is completing these houses and will live in them.

I will not review that designs of these lovely houses at this time. Instead I’d like to let these pictures sink in. But I will say, when I first saw the rear of House #1, I was immediately reminded of the Vanna Venturi House. A postmodern house in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed by Robert Venturi. But not being familiar enough with Gay’s design a can not say if that similarity is only skin deep.

Below is Gay’s biography from the Mid-Century Modernism Historic Context report prepared by Lauren MacDonald.

Robin Gay McCline (1928-2008)
Born: Frenso, CA
Education: University of California Berkeley, Architecture (1951)

Robin Gay McCline was born in Fresno, California on March 1, 1928. McCline served in the U.S. Army Air Force and attended college on the G.I. Bill. After completing studies in architecture at the University of California Berkeley in 1951 McCline went to work for David Horn as a draftsman from 1951-1956. He worked in the firm of Robert Stevens AIA in 1957. Later that same year McCline started his own firm with James A. Oakes, called James A Oakes & Gay McCline, Associate Architects. In addition to his architectural achievements McCline spent approximately 23 years as an instructor at Fresno City College, between the years 1963 and 2002 teaching courses related to the study of architecture in the schools Technical and Industrial Division. He has also acted as a part-time instructor of watercolor in the Humanities Division (2000-2002). Gay McCline is a renowned watercolorist frequently showing works at local galleries and museums, including the Fresno Art Museum, Plum’s Gallery, Door Gallery and Rollf’s Gallery to name a few.

Gay McCline was a member of the Artist League of Fresno, Fresno Art Museum, and American Institute of Architects. He has been the recipient of awards, including the A.I.A. award of merit in 1962 for his work on the McKinley Medical Center, Fresno, CA, located at 410 W. McKinley; Fresno Arts Council Horizon Award.

Principal Works:
Guarantee Savings Bank, under Robert Stevens (1958)
Torburn Davies Medical Offices, 159 North Thesta, Fresno, Ca (1960)
McKinley Medical Center, Fresno (1962)
Mills Residence 1313 W. San Bruno, Fresno (1958)
Houses #1, 2 & 3 Del Dios, Ca (2008)

Prominent Canadian architect Arthur Erickson died Wednesday May 20th at the age of 84. He was living in a Vancouver B.C. suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. This was brought to my attention through an article in Washington Post (requires login), same article without pictures on HeraldNet (no login required).

Erickson was a very accomplished architect and designed several controversial buildings including the Canadian Embassy in Washington and Fresno City Hall.

In Fresno, conversations about architecture often stray to the question “So, what do you think about City Hall?” and they are often delivered in a loaded tone. My response is that I admire the building’s bravery, in breaking from the tradition of NeoClassical and Beaux-Arts styles overused for civic building in the United States. Further I appreciate that it took on an Organic feel the building embraces.

The angular metal roof line references the Sierra Nevada mountain range to the east. A gap at the peak reinforce that reference and reads through to the interior as a skylight in council chambers. The roof juts out over pedestrian walk ways, and becomes landscape. There is strong formality with symmetrical and grand sweeping entries up to the second floor and council chambers.

The council chambers, I find particularly beautiful. Polished metal, soft wood and natural light pouring in the the sky light above make the space uplifting no mater what the topic is on the dais.

The building of course is not with out it’s flaws. And I imagine some might share those thoughts here. But there was a review written about the the Canadian Embassy in Washington that I feel also pertains to Fresno City Hall: “Erickson has given us a powerful building in a place that calls for one, and there is as well a certain entrancing, poetic quality in its forceful contradictions,” Forgey wrote in The Post in 1988. “His building is an edgy, flawed masterpiece … but a masterpiece.”

William Patnaude FAIA was the local project architect and construction administrator of Fresno City Hall. The creation is as much his as Mr. Erickson’s. I will update with Mr. Patnaude’s thoughts on Erickson next week.

I’d like to close with an excerpt from Mr. Erickson’s 1986 AIA Gold Medal Citation

“Global architect, Arthur Charles Erickson is a passionate advocate of cultural awareness, and a fervent explorer of human and natural environments. His buildings, though remarkably diverse, share deep respect for the context, incomparable freshness and grace, and the dramatic use of space and light. He has brought to his work an understanding of the community of man that, when filtered through his insightful mind and fertile imagination, gives birth to a singular architecture that is in dialogue with the world.”

Photos courtesy of www.arthurerickson.com and Mark Darley / Esto www.esto.com

This week in an email from Craig Scharton, Director of Downtown and Community Revitalization of the City of Fresno. He asked: “As some of the area’s leaders in architectural thought, what do you think the role of architectural criticism should be? Is it possible to raise consciousness about our built environment, standards of design and professional aspiration through this activity?”

In short, my response to Craig was that architectural criticism is essential for pushing our Fresno’s and the region’s built environment forward. We need to offer constructive criticism to buildings, architects, and developers that are not preforming. We also need to highlight and reward those that demonstrate high quality design and positively contribute to a healthy and vibrant built environment.

Craig’s question was timely because I was planning to begin writing critiques here. This fits within our mission of improving our built environment through education and discourse about architectural topics.

For this first critique I’ve chosen to review a building that is small in scale but very ambitious in design. I first took notice of Tower Tattoos when graphic designer Jodi Bearden brought an excellent sign design to the Tower District Design Review Committee. The design was to be applied to the building’s original blade sign on the parapet. In neon and art deco font read Tower Tattoos. The committee unanimously approved the sign with great praise. Since then I’ve kept my eye on the shop as they renovated the space at 716 E. Olive Ave.

1st Impressions

I first ventured into the shop in response to a twitter request from Travis Sheridan who needed some liquid pain relief for his new tattoo. As I walked in the door I smiled, because I could immediately read the amount of thought and care that was put in to the renovation.

The furniture seemed carefully chosen and well placed. There is a lounge area up against the storefront. Two men carried on a casual conversation in comfort, the street life carrying on just over their shoulders.

What caught my attention next was the front glass counter and display case in the form of an S curve. The jewelry within was well lit and sparkled like gems and candy. Blue lights made the entire display glow.

The display counter is mirror by a soffit hanging from the ceiling. This is an elaborate space high hanging retro hanging lights and a guilded medallion in the ceiling. This feature obviously had some untold history behind it.

Beyond the counter the space opens up with an expose barrel vaulted ceiling, steel trusses and skylights. The polished concrete floor is reminiscent of terrazzo and leads back to the 10 work stations where the artist puts needle to skin.

Each work station is clean and open, surrounded by a partial height wall with a vintage dentist chair in the center and a stainless steel counter and sink with hands free infrared faucet. Artwork and knickknacks personalizes each tattoo artist’s work station. While watching distracting Travis getting a tattoo of Ferdinand the Bull, I had a good view of the artist at work through the tilted mirror.

Design Process

After this experience I knew I needed to dig into the thought behind each design move and uncover the motivation of Tower Tattoos owner & tattoo artist Kimberly Bearden.

With 18 years of tattooing experience, Kimberly opened her own 1 artist shop at 1140 Van Ness in 2001. A colleague once dubbed her the “Martha Stewart of tattooing.” She took it as a compliment that alluded to her craftiness, attention to detail, do it yourself approach, and enthusiastic spirit leading to success.

The Tower Tattoos staff grew to 8 in the small space leading to the need to expand. When searching for a new building she wanted something authentic, unlike the “strip mall architecture” building that she had leased space in. She loathed the low T Bar ceiling and square spaces.In 2006 she found what she was looking for in the building previously occupied by Lou Gentiles Flower Basket.

Kimberly hired architect Andy Lucas for the initial design work and code consultation. As the project progressed the design team became a family affair. She was helped by her sister, a graphic designer and her father a retired surveyor and city planner who worked for Fresno, Clovis, and Sanger.

Most of the designing happened around her kitchen table. There she cut out scale furniture and moved around on an empty base plan of building. She worked through different scenarios remembering all the inefficiencies she had experienced tattooing in different spaces.

Designed around furniture and efficient work spaces. She strove to unite beauty and function. For example, the sky lights brighten up the space and make the experience more inviting and pleasing for the customers. But the natural light also creates ideal lighting conditions for tattooing. Kimberly said “The artists want an eagle eye view to see through the layers of skin for accurate work and in sunlight the ink shows it natural color.” She continued “That is difficult to achieve with artificial light.” Those conditions have attracted many artist that wish to tattoo in the space.

recycled materials

Also of note are the amount of reused and re-purposed materials used throughout the space. This came from the necessity to be economical and Kimberly’s love of the vintage art deco aesthetic. Wood framing was reused to build the workstations. The existing concrete floor was ground down exposing the rock aggregate, stained and polished. Furniture came from a variety of sources.

The poor economy was even taken advantage of:Â merchandise shelving came from a closed motorcycle shop; storage shelving from a closed Good Guys; work stations cabinets from the closed Travel Department of American Express’s San Francisco office. EBay and Craigslist were important resources that led to metal carts, light fixtures, vintage furniture, the Ceiling Medallion come from a 1920’s Chinese restaurant in LA, and even the S shaped glass display counter was found through EBay from a remodeling Washington Museum.

Opened space up by removing ceiling and exposing the barrel vault and trusses.

Future Goals

The Tower Tattoos plans are so ambitious that Kimberly has more projects planned for the future. She also owns the neighboring building that houses Mr Sushi and H&R Block. She plans to redo the signage above Mr Sushi and the facades of both buildings with strong art deco features. This will further contribute to the Tower District street scape and architectural vibrancy.

Another future product is a rear patio enclosed on 3 side by the building and parking lot accessed from Broadway Ave. Overall Kimberly’s ambition and attention to detail are commendable. Tower Tattoos stands above all other tattoo shops that I’ve seen in Fresno and beyond. If you are like me in that you choose your dentist or optometrist based upon architecture, then I encourage you to get your next tattoo at Tower Tattoos and support quality architecture, rewarding those businesses that invest in a quality built environment.

Opening Party

Now that I’ve told you all about my opinions of the building come and see it for yourself. Tonight they will be holding a grand opening party in conjunction with the Central Valley Tattoo Expo. There will be food catered by Chiminello Catering, live music by The Martyrs and tribal dance by Fallen Orchid.

Saturday May 2nd, 11pm

$10 cover-charge

716 E Olive Ave.

Fresno – Tower District