Tag Archive | "fresno"

Mayflower Lofts


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.

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Reorganization of Downtown and Community Revitalization Department


Below is an email being circulated from Craig Scharton. Until today he was the Director of the Downtown and Community Revitalization Department. His new position will be Assistant Director of the larger Development and Resource Management Department. That department included the Building and Safety Division, Code Enforcement, Housing Division and Planning Division. The department director is John Dugan. There used to be two assistant directors, Keith Bergthold and Jerry Bishop. Jerry Bishop retired last year and his position was left unfilled.

Dear Colleagues: As many of you may have heard, the City of Fresno is rethinking the way it has done business, in order to find solutions to the current budget crisis. As a way to create better efficiency and communication, the Downtown and Community Revitalization Department is merging with the Development and Resource Management Department. I will become the Assistant Director of this Department and will oversee economic development, downtown management, housing and community revitalization (formerly code enforcement). In addition, the historic preservation program will be under this side of the shop.

The City Manager has asked Karana Hattersley-Drayton, the City’s Historic Preservation Project Manager, to also serve as the Historic Preservation Commission Secretary, as she did for several months in 2010.

Historic Preservation is an ethic. Not only is it a personal ethic of mine, it is an ethic shared by successful revitalization efforts throughout the country. This reorganization will allow us to more completely integrate historic preservation into all of our revitalization activities. I look forward to working with Karana, the Historic Preservation Commission and the greater preservation community!

Craig Scharton

So, any thoughts on this reorganization?

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the best and worst architecture of 2010 – nominations


At the start of this year and double ought teens decade, with the help of Joe Moore, and Shaunt Yemenjian,we put together an op-ed list. Decade in Review: Top 10 in Fresno Architecture.

Kress facade 2Now at the end of the year, at the “end” of the Great Recession, it is time for a new list. Last time we held back the critical worst  architecture list. That is no longer the case. There was good new, bad new, good buildings, bad buildings. Help us put together the list in the comments below. Please limit to San Joaquin Valley built environment current events of 2010 and architecture finished in 2010.
CA Funding_Investments01

And to get your juices flowing, here’s a start.
Best discovery: The Kress Building

Worst Foam Facade: California Funding & Investments

Your turn.

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Digest This


I have done a very poor job of late keeping you updated regarding Fresno’s built environmental in this blog. I’ve gotten busy growing a business and substituted in-depth blogging with micro-blogging through Facebook and Twitter. Please consider this my apology.

Even thought I don’t really have the time. I thought I jot down a few thing and provide some links for you enjoyment and architectural stimulation.

-First off. There is an awards presentation today during Fresno City Council session of the Mayor’s Biannual Historic Preservation Awards. These awards honor the projects and people that are helping to preserve Fresno’s build history. And I am honored to be included among the awardees this year. Here is more info. Come down the City Council Chambers today at 10:30 to show your support for historic preservation and the hard working individuals that are diligently working to preserve our history.

-Heather and the Fresno Beehive did a good jod at expressing her opinion about the new Stanton Optical building at Herndon and Blackstone. While I don’t hate the building like Heather does. I think it is one of the more poorly executed versions of the prototypical design.

-The Lowell neighborhood looks like it will be getting a community garden across Belmont from San Pablo Park. This is thanks to a strong neighborhood association, Fresno Metro Ministries and a commitment of the PARCs Department to the neighborhood. Here is a (pdf) of the report to City Council that need 5 vote tomorrow to get funded.

map1-George Hostetter believes that developers and market forces did a better job on the 14 square mile area bounded by Ashlan on the south, Maple on the east, Nees on the north and Palm on the west, when compared to the 14 square mile long range plan that is being developed by Peter Calthorpe and the city for the South East Growth Area (That’s SEGA for the cool kids). I think he is very, very wrong. See George’s blog and my comment. Well it looks like my comment wasn’t approved yet.

-Speaking of bad planning, the El Paseo development at Herndon and 99 is on the City Council agenda as well. Here is the City staff report PDF, the Fresno Bee article, and again Heather McLane is blogging about planning. I’m so proud. I’m proud of Bill McEwen as well for calling on City Council to not approve the rezone and General Plan amendment needed for the project to proceed.

-And just for an outside perspective, here is a LA Times article about Cities embracing temporary fixes for stalled construction projects. I bet you could think of a few places in Fresno to take this course of action.

That’s all for now. Hopefully, soon I can get back in the blog seat more often.

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Tower Geyser


You may have read or experienced the geyser that erupted Monday at the corner of Olive and Wishon in the Tower District. It was the result of a water main being ruptured during the streetscape work. I didn’t see it myself, but the air did seem unsually misty on my bike ride to the office that morning. Unfortunately, this event may have set back the project completion 3-7 days.

I hadn’t seen any pictures of the flood other than the one on the Bee’s website until today. These small shots landed in my inbox today. If you’ve seen any other pictures, share links in the comments below.

And there’s this piece of video: “I’m getting’ the river first.”

And the geyser itself. I almost expected him to say “Wow… it’s a double geyser all the way…”

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AIASJ Newsletter: Issue No. 10_Q4


Below is an article by Pierluigi Serraino. He is the author of several influential books on Mid-Century modern architecture. The article was pulled from the newsletter to give you a feel for the content. This issue of the newsletter we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the 60’s. It is a real treat to have Pierluigi contribute content to this site and the AIASJ newsletter. Please give it a read and leave a comment.

Download PDF of NewsletterThe newsletter is meant to keep the chapter members and general public up to date with what is happening in the chapter. The printed copies are available at local architecture firms. You can also download the PDF.

Contents
Fresno Architecture @ Mid-Century 1
Message from the President | Extras 2
Feature Article – Mid-Century (cont’d) 3
Feature Article – Poetry in Concrete and Democracy at Work 4
Brian Lane Lecture Recap | Design Education; Then & Now 5
Firm Profile – Darden | Member Profile – Tom Key 6
Project Profile – First Western Bank 7
Feature Article – See Hear: Fresno Arts & Music Circa 1960s 8
Gov’t Affairs: 20 Years of the ADA | Engineering 9
in other words | Feature Article – Poetry (cont’d) 10
Emerging Professionals News 11
Calendar of Events 12

Fresno Architecture @ Mid-Century

By Pierluigi Serraino

To those harboring serious interest in American Mid-Century Modern, it might come as a surprise that to date a comprehensive history of California Modernism is still missing. The Golden State justly boasts many records and its contribution to 20th and 21st century architecture makes those claims largely legitimate. But as vast as California is, from the available records it would appear that Los Angeles is really the center of this revolution of architectural space. Like with all truisms, the distribution of this legacy is a far more complicated affair. In this respect, as a setting of systematic research, Fresno suffers the same neglect as Sacramento, Bakersfield, and San Luis Obispo, for example.

This reawakening can only be welcomed because this inventory of remarkable buildings is in fact an endangered species. Often the parcels where these designs are located have increased so much in value that especially for private homeownerships it makes perfect sense to raze the property and build a brand-new one. The glitch in this logic is that in fact these properties are of great value, culturally and architecturally. Their recognition as significant pieces of the collective memory of the place does increase also their property value.

The single-family house can be viewed as the archetype of California Modernism. Most of the masterpieces typically associated with the era are residential, although all built-forms underwent complete rethinking after World War II. However, houses are private worlds, mostly inaccessible to the general public and therefore more often than not invisible to the world. In this residential crack, so to speak, a large amount of landmarks go forgotten, undetected even by the most committed scholars. Fresno’s absence from the history book can be largely attributed to this phenomenon. Built accomplishments by Ernest Kump, Harwell Hamilton Harris and Cliff May have already been tracked down and appraised by the local community. However the examples discussed here offer a glimpse of their magic as well as their obscurity.

Ames Residence Mid-Century Modern Architecture Fresno

Ames Residence Mid-Century Modern Architecture Fresno

Architect Morgan Shaw of Berkeley, designed a Usonian residence in Fresno built in 1955 for Dr. and Mrs. Sidney S. Ames. Although not listed in the directory of members of the Taliesin Fellowship, Shaw undoubtedly embraced the aesthetic of Frank Lloyd Wright, producing a pinwheel plan whose center is the entry to four functional wings extending into the landscape. Within the organic language of architecture, modern residential design of the post-war period came with its standard architectural moves and Shaw followed suit: modular plan, indoor-outdoor amenities, clerestory windows, custom-designed built-in furniture, and deep overhangs. Walls of concrete masonry units are the counterpoints to striation of redwood siding to implement the horizontality Wright so much strived for. Despite savvy siting in relation to the solar path, air conditioning was necessary to meet the clients’ requirements for comfort. Virtually nothing is known about Morgan Shaw, no address is given about this house, and current information on its state is unavailable. (Shaw, 1955)

Similarly, William Sutherland Beckett, a maverick from Los Angeles completed two designs in Fresno: the Fern Residence of 1957 and the Penn-Wald Residence of 1963. Their respective design expression reflects the changes occurred between the different dates of construction. The former is a single story house with exposed posts and beams, whose ends extend beyond the edges of the quasi-paper thin flat roofs they are supporting. With a grand surrounding garden, the space appears transparent to sightlines penetrating from the exterior to the interior to the exterior again. The latter appears even lighter in the massing. The structural frames travel in space to become landscape elements suggesting virtual bigger enclosures. The common quarters are located in a taller pavilion that the rest of the house, providing sweeping views to the dwellers. Even in this case virtually no information is available on both houses and the archives of the architect are nowhere to be found. (Serraino & Shulman, 2000)

In the August 15, 1949 issue of Time magazine, an article titled “Modern Houses…Across the U.S.” lists a number of well-known residences by famous architects, including a house in Fresno by noted Wurster, Bernardi & Emmons. Its main feature was a 17-ft. ceiling at the lowest cost of all the designs surveyed: $11,402. Pitched roofs, porches, plain treatment of the vertical surfaces make this project a classic within the output of William Wilson Wurster, whose surviving contemporaries claimed to be an architect of very expensive unassuming single-family homes. While neither specifics are given about the location house in the article nor its actual conditions are known, the Hunter Apartments of 1962 is another project in Fresno listed in the Oral History of the architect. Given that Wurster’s office authored over 500 private homes during its long existence, it would be no surprise if other houses are to be found in the same area (TIME, 1949).

Ames Residence Exterior - photo by Michelle Smith

Ames Residence Exterior - photo by Michelle Smith


In the commercial realm, a clothing store by Albert Henry Hill completed in 1947 caught the national attention for the ingenuity of its space planning. The owner of an existing extra long and narrow shop bought the adjacent property of similar proportion doubling its square footage. Hill, a British-born Bay Area based architect graduated from Harvard under Gropius, scripted this linear void with a series of curvaceous screens, starting from the recessed entry from the main street all the way to the back where the administrative team is located. This idea of creating an actual space between the public realm of the city and the private domain of the store was a hallmark of many popular designs by Gruen & Krummeck, widely imitated in the United States. This is the case of a design that although significant at the time of its completion failed to leave a mark because the space itself has undergone further physical change and therefore is no longer visible in its original form (Hill, 1947).

Unquestionably, there is a lot more in Fresno and its surrounding areas than these few examples aforementioned. The acknowledgement, preservation and adaptive reuse of this heritage is at its infancy, since theoretical clarity on how to deal with unique portion of the built environment is far from being reached. Also, Mid-Century Modern is a unique period in that a number of architects that participated in the construction of that mythological era are still with us and can provide critical information that needs to be recorded for later use. Photographic archives are probably the most content-rich sources of information as not all buildings of merit have been published, but certainly all buildings have been photographed. This such wide-ranging effort is the stepping stone to demonstrate the extensive participation of all California to the immensity of its still largely unexplored modernism.

Bibliography
Albert Henry Hill, Architect. “Dress Shop. Experiments with Customer Reaction to Good Modern Design.” The Architectural FORUM, July 1947.
Morgan Shaw, Architect. “California Residence. Dr. & Mrs Sidney S. Ames, Fresno, California.” Architect and Engineer, July 1955: 9-13.
Serraino, Pierluigi, Shulman, Julius. Modernism Rediscovered. 1st Edition. Cologne: Taschen, 2000.
TIME. “Modern Houses …Across the U.S.” August 15, 1949: 60-1.

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thank you for 3 years and counting


September was a good month. This blog was active, reporting and opinionating on various built environment issues. If you missed anything, here is the recap:

BLUE BIRD grand opening in the Kress Bldg
Park(ing) Day finds a spot in Fresno
Fulton Village foundation
Tower District streetscape pilot project
potential: Central Valley Cheese
Mayflower Hotel under construction
what lies beneath: Tower Streetcar Rails
Fulton Corridor charrette begins

With record readership last month we have strong momentum going into October.

This month holds special meaning for us. The 1st archop exhibit was October 4th of 2007. Here we are, 3 years, 9 exhibits, 4 installations, 1 walking tour, 8 lectures/panel discussions, and 133 blog posts later. We’re continuing the dialog. This month you can expect: Canstruction, the 4th issue of the AIASJ Newsletter, another architecture lecture at Starline, some critical thoughts on the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan, the inside scoop on Fulton 55, an update on the Tower District Streetscape and maybe even some crazy installation on the Fulton Mall.

We want to thank the AIA San Joaquin for supporting this project. But most of all thank you for joining us at the table and having these important conversations.

Happy birthday archop!

archop thanks you

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Fulton Corridor charrette begins


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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what lies beneath: Tower Streetcar Rails


It just like nosy Tower District residents to go poking around the piles of rubble that is Olvie and Wishon this week. What did they find? Remnants of Fresno’s old streetcar rails, according to the TowerExchange listserve and Paula Lyod’s article is today’s Bee.
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Ironicly Fast Track Fresno County is studying putting back streetcars that were taken out some 70 years ago.
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Fresno Streetcar Open House
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Check out some awesome photos from the Fresno Bee and historical perspective on Fresno streetcars. Fresno Famous had info about this back in 2006.

302943867_ef440b7ccc_oSo what do you think?

Should they be replaced?

Is Fresno too much of a car town?

Is that technology too old anyway?

Is there some other creative adaptive reuse of the rails rather than just recycling them?

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Mayflower Hotel under construction


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

mayflower axo 1Another 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.

mayflower scafold 1The 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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mayflower elevation
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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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potential: Central Valley Cheese


Have you seen these buildings?

central valley cheese 01sm
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Many of the buildings along Belmont, the southern edge of the Tower District have remained unchanged for 20 plus years unlike the changes Olive has seen. Though I remember the stories of the bustling dive-ins that dotted the strip, a popular drag for teens to cruise from Reoding to Blackstone. Some of the relics like Triangle Drive-in remain operational.

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

central valley cheese 02 One of those buildings I frequently daydream about is the Central Valley Cheese building complex. It is located on the South side of Belmont between Broadway and Palm. The features that catch my eye are the creative brickwork, interesting urban form, and different phases of construction are legible from the street.

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

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

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

There is nothing on this parcel in 1919.

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

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

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

central valley cheese 03In the bird’s eye below, you can really notice the phases of construction on the main building. Currently, the yard is used for the storage of Producers Milk trailers.

Isn’t this building ripe with potential?

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

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

Too much?

central valley cheese 04But seriously, the bones of this building are great and it certainly could help bring the Tower vibrancy a little further South.

Any other ideas for an adaptive reuse? Lets hear them. Also feel free to share any info or stories you have about the buildings.
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cvcheese bing

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Tower District streetscape pilot project


Update 10/7/2010

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

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

Update 9/24/2010

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

Original Post 9/20/2010

tower-streetscape-01You may have noticed that Olive and Wishon were blocked off starting today. The City of Fresno is scheduled to start work today on a pilot project of the Tower District Streetscape Master Plan.

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

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

District 1 City Councilmember Blong Xiong being interviewed while work begins

District 1 City Councilmember Blong Xiong being interviewed while work begins

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

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

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

Tower Streetscape Plan Completed Draft-37
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S:Drawings
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There is a point of comparison to consider as we go into the Fulton Corridor Specific Plan charrette this Saturday and all next week.

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

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

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

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

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Fulton Village foundation


fulton-village-foundation01From 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.

fulton-village-foundation02
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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.

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Park(ing) Day finds a spot in Fresno


ParkingPARK(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.


View Larger Map

You can see the Facebook event listing here

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historic hitching posts


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

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dudley hitching postWell 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

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a modern movement


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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Grand Party Fulton Mall 1170

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summer canal flow



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

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The Downtown Neighborhood Community Plan visioning & design workshops


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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SHRC votes Fulton Mall eligible for the National Register


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.

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.

The objections raised were clear, succinct, and almost entirely procedural.

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.

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.

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.

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Potential: ACME MACHINE CO.


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

This is a structure that Craig Scharton has told me he admires and would like to see 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?

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