If you have transvered the intersection of Tuolomne and Broadway, you have no doubt noticed the progress on the construction on the Mayflower building. We’ve written before about the interesting design from Pasadena based developers Jake & Romi.

I got a sneak peak tour today with Jake (@JakeKojikian). Below are a sampling of photos. This where just shot with my phone, it looks much better in person.

You’re in luck, there is an open house tomorrow, Saturday July 23rd 11am-2pm. Show up and take a look. It is a great example of taking an historic building and reinventing it for modern use while still respecting its history.

Here are some videos from Saturday’s visioning charrette. Much good discussion came out of this meeting. The highlight was the suggestion that we start dancing and stop whining.

Please, make sure to make it to many of the charrette meetings as possible this week. Spcifically, make it to today’s meeting that focuses on the Fulton Mall. Here is the full schedule.

On a side note, Travis Sheridan did a great job leading the meeting. Though I can’t help but notice he moves a little bit like a robot in the video. It is good for a laugh.

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And now for something completely different.

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

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

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

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

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

From the Redevelopment Agency’s Facebook:

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

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I wonder if this post will be stumbled upon by elementary school students doing a report on the Pilgrims. There are no Pilgrims in Fresno.
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From a ground breaking in late May of 2010, Granville Urban’s latest project Fulton Village is making strides forward. You will see the foundations popping up like rafts in a sea of dirt on the Fulton and Amador site anchored to the south by long time downtown standby, Tokyo Gardens.

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

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

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

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

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

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You can see the Facebook event listing here

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

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

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

View Fresno Hitching Posts in a larger map

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Growing Up

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

Education

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

Notable Experiences

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

Travel

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

Architectural Interest

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

The Fresno Move

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

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

UPDATE: 4:30 4/30/2010

Patrick Kolasinski has posted his review of the SHRC meeting.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

What are your thoughts?

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

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

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

Among others in Fresno such as fresnomodern.com, here at archop, we have a growing appreciation of mid-century modernism. Fresno surely does have some gems and a history of renown architects designing buildings here in that era. We would like to see that appreciation spread though the Fresno community.

UPDATE 4-27-10

The dead tree was removed yesterday exposing more of the facade. Here are some updated photos. These photos also do a good job of demonstrating how the design of the louvers addresses the intense afternoon sun from the West.
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UPDATE 4-26-10

I was informed by Reza Assemi that Pyramid Homes will be doing the 64 Fulton renovation for a client, and Reza is assisting in the feasibility and design phase. He stressed that this was for a client and thought it was an important fact. This is because it shows there is interest and investment outside of the Pyramid, Granville and Reza partnership.

The name of the client is not public. A possible adaptive-reuse they are studying is studio apartments. Reza also noted that they are trying to keep the building as original as possible. That all sounds like good news.

Pyramid Homes’ specialty has been custom residential.

ORIGINAL POST 4-25-10

Pictured below is a building at 64 N. Fulton Street, just North of Divisadero and the Cultural Arts District’s newest landmark the Iron Bird Lofts. Note the asymmetry of the facade, and the use of vertical metal louvers to shade the interior from the hot Fresno sun. These feature are common among mid-century modern buildings in our region.

As far as I know, the building is being renovated by Pyramid Homes. Pyramid has partnered with Reza Assemi and Granville Homes on projects such as Vagabond Lofts, H Street Lofts, and Iron Bird Lofts. I believe this would be Pyramid Homes first solo project in downtown Fresno. I’m curious how this project will develop.

Also note that this categorized under Potential in the Opinion tab. In this new category, we will file buildings that we believe are ripe for renovation, preservation and re-use.

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I don’t know much about this building. If you do know any facts or stories or have an opinion, please post in the comments below.

It has been quite a while since our last archop gallery exhibit which was in Visalia, and even longer since our last gallery exhibit in Fresno. We were tied up for nearly a year in an effort to do a permanent park installation and landscape architecture demonstration. That endeavor was a failure in terms of our mission to improve the built environment through exhibitions and discussion of quality design (more on that later).

Though, now with National Architecture Week in full swing, we are jumping back into the exhibit game. Traditionally, all of our exhibits have been a single venue on an Art Hop night. This will be our 1st solo hop and 1st time with 2 separate exhibits. So, come on out and let us know how we do.

Thursday 4/15 5:30-9pm, we have 2 exhibits planned:

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AIASJ 2009 Design Awards

Location: 1724 Broadway Street, across from the Rainbow Ballroom.

Time: 5:30-9pm

Description: The AIA San Joaquin chapter host bi-annual independently juried design awards. These awards set the bar for quality design happening in the region. Come see these top designs and mingle with the architects.
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Emergency Housing

Location: The Loft Gallery, 852 Divisadero, #102

Time: 5:30-9pm

Description: Exhibit of some of the world’s best designed solutions for emergency housing. This is an important topic due to devastating earthquake in Haiti and is also applicable to Fresno’s homeless. Exhibit is curated by Marvin Armstrong AIA, and FCC student, Noam Saragosti.

Other details: We will have hors d’ oeuvres from Charlotte’s Bakery in the Tower District. Rainbow Ballroom has packed shows on Thursdays. So as the night wears on, parking may be easier near the Loft Gallery or the diagonal parking by Tokyo Garden.
See the map below for the suggested walking path.
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View archop exhibits 4/15/2010 in a larger map

UPDATE: 4/7/10

The Fresno Bee has caught up with coverage of this fascinating building and interesting sequence of events that led to its discovery. Reporter, George Hostetter wrote the article that is feature on the website and on the front page of today’s paper.

Though, you may notice that the story told below starting on March 26th, written about on the 29th and updated since then is different from the story told in the Bee. From reading Mr. Hostetter’s article, you would have no knowledge of the tense series of events that happened moments after the facade was uncovered, including the diligent work of Joe Moore, Karana Hattersly-Drayton and Elliot Balch.

Granted the story is much more from the owner’s perspective. But reading the article I doubted myself, and that perhaps I missed something. However, looking back on corespondance, I had sent an email with link to owner, . He did not contest any of the facts I presented and responded with:

Thank you for your generous and helpful mention of my building. The use of the upper floors depends on the potential users who have an interest in locating their businesses there. My architect Gonzalo Pedroso of GP Architecture and I are open to ideas, and we will work to configure the space to meet the user’s needs. Suggested uses have been commercial or government offices, data center, and a school… – Robert Gurfield

I’d also emailed George Hostetter with a link to the article, leaving it open for him to quote or ask any questions. His response “Thank you very much, Kiel. That’s a great article you wrote. – George” I am sending an email to him to get any clarification about why the story was altered for his article. I will post any response here.

So I’m at a loss. At least the building facade is saved for the future of Fresno. That is what counts. Oh, and please note the owner and architect are “open to ideas” So continue to suggest uses for the Kress Building below.

UPDATE: 4/2/10

I had the owner’s name wrong in my post. The owner is Robert Gurfield. The contractor is William Cummings. I’ve corrected it below.

UPDATE: 3/31/10

We have word from the City of Fresno that the owner of the Kress Building, Robert Gurfield, has reconsidered the design he had approved. The owner, like everyone else didn’t know what was beneath the 1950’s facade. The owner’s new approach will be to keep the original facade intact. He will not be doing much restoration or preservation work. This may be more about cost savings than anything else.

The planned uses seem to be unchanged, with ground floor retail (1-2 tenants) and offices on the third floor (4 suites). There is also a meetingroom, breakroom and restrooms on the 2nd floor mezzanine in the back. There is not yet a use planned for the newly discovered 2nd floor mezzanine in the front.

The owner will likely have to have the architect, GP Architecture, prepare new plans. This maybe an addendum, or major modification to the plans already approved. I doubt the city would make the owner resubmit and go through the entire approval process again.

Lets keep our fingers crossed.

ORIGINAL POST 3-29-10

Fresno is a place where a stroll up the Fulton Mall can spark an effort to save a facade eligible for historic designation.

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That’s what happened to me on Friday. I was at the Downtown Association at the South end of the Fulton Mall after a birthday lunch at El Elegante in Chinatown.

Strolling up the Fulton Mall, between the Marisopa Mall and Fresno Street there was a construction site with several men at work on the awning of a building. There was a young girl of 5 or 6 glued to the temporary chain-link fence watching a worker with a sawzall attacking the awning.

I actually kept walking, then turned around to get a better look. What I saw when I actually looked, was a remarkable well preserved 1920’s facade. The cladding material was aged but still stable. The details were intact, displaying the craftsmanship of the era. Other than some broken windows and the metal channels that were screwed on to hold on the white sheet metal paneling.

I took a picture and sent it out for the world to see via twitter. At that time I thought that the construction work was to restore the original facade. I later found out that was not the case.

Local historic guru and Historic Preservation Commissioner, Joe Moore, saw my tweet and sprung into action. He forward y twitpic to City of Fresno Historic Preservation Officer, Karana Hattersley-Drayton. Soon the email chain involved Elliott Balch of the Downtown and Community Revitalization Department and John Dugan, the Planning Director.

From this back and forth I gathered that plans for a modernized facade had been approved and that was the work underway. Drawing for the project had been produces for owner out of Santa Monica, Robert Gurfield, by Moorpark architectural firm GP Architecture and contractor William Cummings

So what now? Elliott Balch is now in communication with the owner to demonstrate the valuable asset that he has on his hands. The hope is that the owner sees the light and decides to amend the approved plans to preserve this potentially historic facade.

So there you go, the power of a tweet. So keep your eyes open and camera phones at the ready. Oh, and just to be clear, I actually did very little. All the hard work was on the part of Elliott, Joe and Karana. I just take pictures and write about buildings.

Here is some info from Joe Moore’s email:

An October 27 1960 ad in the Fresno Bee (page 7E) makes reference to Kress being in the Fresno market for 36 years (1924). That date sounds about right given the architectural style and construction methods of the building (steel reinforced concrete with brick). Perhaps a Felchlin building? The alley side of the building reveals the concrete and steel construction.

The 1960 ad talks about Kress’ modern store at 1211 Fulton. A later 1973 article about Fresno cinemas mentions that Kress relocated their downtown store to the site of the former Kinema Theatre location (1211 Fulton) in 1957. This is now part of the County Health Dept complex, next to the Brix Building.

A hand painted sign, still evident today on the back of 1118 Fulton advertises the Hartfield Store on Fulton Mall, which is corroborated by vintage newspaper ads of the 1960’s.

In addition a July 5, 1924 Bee article about the construction of the Radin and Kamp Building at Fulton and Tulare makes reference to Kress, suggesting that they had been considering the Radin & Kamp site as a location for the construction of a new store.

At this point, while it’s too early to say for certain, I would presume that Kress built the 1118 Fulton building in 1924, and stayed there until 1957 when they moved to 1211 Fulton. 1118 was then remodeled for Hartfield which occupied the building till at least 1969.

Also of note: the National Building Museum in Washington DC is home to the archives of the Kress corporation, including thousands of original plans and photographs. Kress used architecture to differentiate their store from their competitors, Woolwoorth and Kresgee:

S.H. Kress & Co. (1896–1981) was one of the 20th century’s most prosperous variety-store retailers. Though never the largest chain, Kress maintained the highest per-store sales of any five-and-dime retailer for more than 20 years, beginning in 1927. The creation of an architectural division within the company played a key role in both attracting customers and facilitating sales.

Samuel H. Kress (1863–1955) envisioned his stores as works of public art that would contribute to the cityscape. To distinguish his stores from those of his competitors, namely F.W. Woolworth Co. and S.S. Kresge Co., he hired staff architects. Kress achieved retail branding success not merely through standardized signage and graphics, but through distinctive architecture and efficient design. Regardless of their style, from elaborate Gothic Revival to streamlined Art Deco, Kress stores were designed to be integral parts of their business districts and helped define Main Street America.

In 1989, the Museum secured the company’s building records, including thousands of drawings and photographs relating to the design, construction, and operation of more than 200 stores stretching from New York to Hawaii. The collection strikingly conveys the changing role architecture has played in recent retail history.
Also here’s an interesting write up on the restoration of the Kress building in Savannah, GA.

Following the development of the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan from the inside, Tim Schulz, will be reporting on his experiences on the Community Advisory Committee. Below are his notes from the 1st public meeting.
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Representing Moule & Polyzoides Architects and Urbanists are;
Stefanos Polyzoides, David Sargent, and Juan Gomez-Novy

Most of what the M & P representatives’ presentation covered was an introduction to what they do, how they define their role, and an overview of the process they oversee to reach the end target of establishing new codes and standards by which we will improve/develop/redevelop Downtown Fresno as a whole.

Instead of re-writing everything that was presented, it is much faster to view the Power Point presentation they displayed during the introduction of their overview.

One important point that Stefanos Polyzoides established early on was to answer a question that was yet to be asked, which was that “Downtown is part of the Neighborhoods Plan.” Although we (Fresno) have two separate community advisory committees; the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan, and the Downtown Neighborhoods Plan, the two will be subject to the same codes and standards to be established over the next two years, approximately. An overview of the process, which as they state is the most important and indispensible part they will employ is as follows;

Discovery and Outreach reach out, listen, educate, listen, evaluate- underlying theme being collaboration
Vision and Charrettes learning w/ community, build political support
Unpack charrettes w/ staff, Committees
Implementation connect downtown and neighborhoods, base on current demographics
Sustainability Green Infrastructure/water/storm-water
Code + General Plan Policy adjustments Form-Based Code
Environmental review integrate w/ plan process, EIR streamlines the review process

Success for this process will largely depend on the Committees to, 1. communicate key issues, 2. gauge how MPA is doing, and 3. act as points of interest in order to attract other people

The last portion of the meeting was open for questions from both the Committee and the public. I did not record all of the questions, but tried to get the ones that I thought were more relevant and probably more common questions that the public may have.

Q Alan Allen: Fulton Mall- walk or street solution?
A Stefanos Polyzoides (S.P.): We will decide that through the process
- Side note: the Historic Preservation Commission will have a vote on April 5 to appoint the Fulton Mall a Historic Landmark.
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A S.P.: Fulton Mall may be highly important to people, but it is only one issue. There are and will be many other issues and we want to make sure that the Mall does not drown out other issues. (I personally appreciated this point and his making the statement from the beginning. We need to make sure that we don’t hyper-focus on minute or singular items, as important as they may truly be, and in doing so lose focus on the big picture and the all-encompassing purpose of the whole process.)

A David Sargent (D.S.): We will concentrate on developing standards and guidelines for adaptive re-use, zone level regulation, etc. We can change the current zoning and standards if that is what is found to be necessary.

A John Dugan (J.D.): We are going to build on Form-Based Code; we will establish a whole new foundation. In the meantime, we can adopt interim development standards and interim zoning changes in the interest of forward movement. It will be very much green field based.

Dennis Manning (Downtown Improvement Group) – would like to work with the group, and is very interested in and has background in transportation and the involved systems.

Community member – encourage going back to 2-way streets (Tree Tops), encouraging geo-tourism to celebrate our ag and immigrant history, and concerned about possible adverse affects of bringing the high-speed rail

Q Arthur Sadine – Who makes final decision for Specific Plan?
A Elliot Balch (E.B.): Ultimately the City Council, which will most likely happen in 2012.

Heather ?: What will make us unique, stand out? Worth looking into arts, entertainment, cultural diversity, and avoiding the “mom and pops” and corporations. We need character and personality. We need to make Fresno a cool place to visit.

Orlando Veloria – (from Orange County, Santa Ana) Although a Clovis resident, I own a restaurant at 860 Fulton. I would encourage everyone that while this process is taking place over whatever span of time it requires, that we stay the course and invite/bring/encourage visiting downtown. Things don’t start after this is all done. The energy started long ago, and just as I have lived through and seen downtowns grow and revitalize when growing up, Fresno is more than capable of doing the same thing. Let’s clean up Fulton Mall. Let’s have public displays of renderings. Let’s show people that the wheels are in motion and that it’s not just a bunch of talk.

Q Joe Moore: Explain, 1. new urbanism, 2. economics – how does that fit into the exercise?
A S.P.: 1. Accept traditional urban form and feed a synergy between old and new. 2. Take certain steps, sequencing (Pasadena, Ca.), and patience.
A D.S.: Strategic Economics (from Berkeley). Will be on website (don’t know which site) May 4 and 5.

Don Simmons – 1902 Divisadero, Historical preservation is a large part of the environmental factor. Reiterate the April 5 hearing for Fulton Mall as State Historic Building/Site.

End note: anyone can visit the website [fresnodowntownplans.com] to ask questions or leave comments, or call 621.PLAN.

Timothy Schulz

*photo above from City of Fresno Downtown and Community Revitalization Department’s Facebook page

I’m in Portland for National Charrette Institute training. So , unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend the 1st public meeting for the creation of the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan and Downtown Neighborhood Community Plan. Though some discussion has been picking up on twitter.

So did you attend? What were your thoughts and observations?

I also will have a synopsis for a community member on the community advisory committee. So stay tuned.

As a side note, I went to Moule & Polyzoides website just now and saw this new realease with a pretty cool transformation of a street-scape in Lancaster.
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UPDATE 3/12/2010

We’ve compiled the slides below that Mr. Polyzoides presented at the meeting. Also you can download an mp3 of the audio here. A big thanks to KFSR for the audio and photo, to Socient for helping convert the slides.

The days of vague plans for downtown Fresno are over. It’s time to get specific.

This is the hope of the Swearengin administration, Downtown Revitalization Department, The Planning and Development Department and a diversity of private citizens.

The contract for the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan and the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan were approved by Fresno City Council on January 28, 2010. Now the sleeves get rolled up and the hard work begins. The contract allots $900,000 in Community Block Grant funds (I believe there are some other minor funding sources) this year in a total contract of $2.3 million with Moule & Polyzoides | Architects and Urbanists along with other specialized consultants.

If you read Craig Scharton’s meeting calendar blog then you’ll have seen that preparation meetings for the spacific plan have already been occurring. They have even launched a new website [http://fresnodowntownplans.com] “This website will contain a variety of information pertaining to the development projects, include details about public involvement process and how you can help shape Downtown Fresno.”

The site announces the first of the public meetings:

TUESDAY
March 9th
4:00PM – 6:45PM
Downtown Neighborhoods Community Advisory Committee Meeting #1
Location: The Grand, 1401 Fulton St, Fresno
In this first Community Advisory Committee Meeting, the consultant will outline the planning process that lies ahead, describe some of its initial findings, and give the Committee and the public a chance to share thoughts regarding priorities, issues, and concerns for the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Plan area.

TUESDAY
March 9th
7:00PM – 8:45PM
Fulton Corridor Specific Plan Community Advisory Committee #1
Location: The Grand, 1401 Fulton St, Fresno
In this first Community Advisory Committee Meeting, the consultant will outline the planning process that lies ahead, describe some of its initial findings, and give the Committee and the public a chance to share thoughts regarding priorities, issues, and concerns for the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan area.

This blogger will be out in Portland at the National Charrette Institute training. However, we have arranged for a corespondent that will be covering Fulton Corridor Specific Plan Community Advisory Committee. If you are on the Downtown Neighborhoods Community Advisory Committee or plan on attending most the meetings, then consider being our corespondent as well. If interested please contact us.

What are your hopes and aspiration for the Specific/Community plans? Post them in the comments below.

I’ll start. I ride my bike to my office in the Cultural Arts District from my home in Tower. I would see some of the weird intersections redesigned for better flow and safety from the pedestrian and cyclist perspective. One in particular is the Divisadero, H Street, Weber intersection.

Many the announcements and outreach about the plans are pretty focused on investment. Investment will revitalize downtown, investment will disperse alleviate concentrated poverty. I would like to see equal or more attention on the people. I guess it is a different perspective or approach. I think downtown should be a healthy inviting place for people and people will bring money/investment. Feel free to disagree, I would like to have that discussion.

On the front page of Saturday’s (1/29/10) Fresno Bee there ran another success story of downtown revitalization. However, after I read through the story, there were a few key details that were left out regarding the San Joaquin Light & Power Corporation Building aka International Trade Center.

Both in the article and at the State of the Downtown Breakfast earlier that week, Cliff Tutelian was praised for the investment he’s done over the years in downtown Fresno. Specifically, according the the Fresno Bee, he “invested more than $10 million in the landmark International Trade Center in downtown Fresno, preserving what original 1920s-era architectural features he could and replicating those he couldn’t.”

However, not mentioned in the article is the architect whose specialization in historic preservation made the project a reality, Chis Johnson AIA. It is common for Fresno news to forget to mention the architect, so that is to be expected. But the thing that caught me more off guard is that other key facts of the story were glossed over by the Fresno Bee and mayor Ashley Swearengin in their praise of Cliff Tutilian and the beautiful International Trade Center.

The fact is that Tutilian refused to pay the Johnson Architecture fees for completing the design and construction documents for the renovation. It had even gotten the the point that Johnson Architecture had to fill suit against Tutilian & Company for non payment of fees.

In classic litigation fashion, Tutilain filed a counter suit against Johnson for failing to complete services. If you have been in the building, you’d be hard pressed to argue that it is incomplete or that there were any aspect of the design that the architect didn’t execute with expertise.

So you can see that I was simple baffled hearing all this praise while knowing a little more of the truth. In Fresno, I dream of the day when there is a level of respect for our architects and accountability of our developers.

I’d like to call on Cliff Tutilian to accept the praise that you received for the International Trade Center as a sign that your architect did a fantastic job, drop you lawsuit and pay your fees in full.

*due to ongoing litigation, I did not try to reach either party for comment.

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.

10am-2pm Saturday 12/19/09 – Sunday 12/20/09 Fulton & Divisadero

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As some downtown buildings just begin construction and others get a new lease on life, the Iron Bird Lofts opens its doors.
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I ran into developer, Reza Assemi, Wednesday morning on my way back from the Bank of Italy press conference. He was busy giving direction to the concrete sub-contractor at Broadway Lofts. However, he did take the time to talk to me about Broadway Lofts (more about that later) and the open house of Iron Bird Lofts.
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Some of the units have passed final inspection and others are scheduled to have tenants move in on the 1st of January. The landscaping is also shaping up. Reza said he want’s to welcome prospective renter in to experience and possible move in to their newest creation.

Saturday and Sunday 10pm-2pm the gates will be open and leasing agents will be on hand to get you living downtown. While we chatted, Reza fielded a phone call in which he requested there be lots of signs, banners, and balloons.
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Iron Bird Lofts consists of 16 three-story row houses, 48 lofts and 16 two-bedroom flats, ranging from 900 sq. ft. to 1,600 sq. ft. The architect for the project is Warren Thompson FAIA and the landscape designer is Jennifer Feaster.

Tractors have been rumbling outside my office this week. I decided to walk over and snap some photos. I caught this one of Tommy Yoshioka, owner of Tokyo Garden, and construction worker look on as tractor pushes dirt around Granville Homes latest downtown project Fulton Village

I was also lucky enough to chat with Darius Assemi while he was there. He says they are just doing the underground work for now, until the plans for the buildings are approved by the City of Fresno.