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.

UPLOAD UPDATE 4/18/2010

Here are a series of videos and stills captured by my ANDROID. Follow our YouTube archop channel.

The tour began at the clock tower of Fulton Mall and Mariposa Mall in Downtown Fresno designed by landscape architects Victor Gruen & Garret Eckbo. Tour led by architecture historian Lauren MacDonald, historian Joe Moore, Fresno Modern realtor Eldon Daetweiler, & archop curator Kiel Famellos-Schmidt during Architecture Week 2010 Mid-Century Modern walking tour. 50 individuals joined the engaging experience. Looking at buildings we’ve “never seen that way.”
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Sorry the wind was really strong and messed up the sound on this one.
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4/17 Saturday

Walking Tour – Mid-century Downtown
Location – Starts on Fulton Mall at the Clock Tower
Time – 2pm
Details – Highlight prominent and/or well design mid-century modern architecture in Fresno’s downtown.
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Downtown Midcentury:

On tour:
1) Fulton Mall
2) Park Towers
3) Fink and Skopp
4) 830 Van Ness
5) Spiral Parking Garage
6) Fresno Convention Center / Saroyan Theatre
7) Del Webb Townehouse (Fresno County Plaza)
8 ) Sawl & Netzler – (Midland Savings)
8 ) Fresno County Hall of Records
9) Fresno Post Office & Federal Building (FUSD Administration Building) & WPA Sidewalks
10) Hugh M Burn State Building
11) BF Sisk Building
12) Eaton Plaza
13) Fresno County Public Library Central Branch
14) Fresno Memorial Auditorium
15) Fresno City Hall (Annex)
16) Fresno Police Department
17) Fresno Unified School District Office (1936)
18) Fresno County Office of Education (County Unemployment Office)
19) Fresno County Courthouse
20) Crocker Building (Holland Building)
21) Wells Fargo
22) City of Fresno Parking Garage
23) Bank of the West (First Western Bank and Trust Company)
24) Proctors Jewelers
25) Guarantee Savings (Mattei Building)

Off tour sites:
26) Bank of American Agricenter Branch
27) Walter Wagner Offices
28) United California Bank
29) Luau
30) Gottschalks
31) Crest
32) Masten Towers
33) Circle Building
34) Fresno Community Hospital
35) S Street Medical Building
36) S Street Apartments

This website, since it’s inception, has been aimed at informing the public about architecture and spurring informative and critical discussion about the San Joaquin Valley’s built environment. That was the driver behind writing Decade in Review: Top 10 in Fresno Architecture. To date the article is our top read piece with nearly 1,500 page-views and 41 public comments.

Since that article was so popular, we are following up. Now is your chance to hear directly from the architects that designed the buildings. This will be a moderated panel discussion with public Q&A.

Location

Unitarian Universalist Church
2672 E. Alluvial Ave. @ Willow Ave. Clovis, CA

Time

Friday 4/16/10 6:30 wine social, 7-8 panel

Panelists:

Chris Johnson AIA – Sante Fe Depot

Matt Kennedy – Coyle Federal Courthouse

Don Dommer AIA- Clovis Fire Station No. 5

Paul Halajian AIA – H Street Lofts

Anthony Pings AIA – New Harvest Church

Marty Dietz AIA – Clovis North High School Performing Arts Center

Introduction

Shaunt Yemenjian & Joe Moore

Moderator

Kiel Famellos-Schmidt

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

7pm Wednesday at Revue Cafe in the Tower District, AIA San Joaquin will be hosting a free showing of Visual Acoustic: The Modernism of Julius Shulman. There is no fee for the film, however, it is required to buy something from the cafe. So arrive around 6:30, get a latte, mingle, and find a good seat to enjoy the film.

This is the 4th day of National Architecture Week, and we’re just getting warmed up.
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Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away this year, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled it with his unforgettable images.

VISUAL ACOUSTICS won the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the Austin Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the Lone Star International Film Festival and Outstanding Achievement in Documentary Filmmaking at the Newport Beach Film Festival.
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ABOUT JULIUS SHULMAN (1910 – 2009)

Photographer of architecture, naturalist, educator, and commentator on urban form. One of the leading architectural photographers of the 20th century, Shulman developed close association with the modernist architects, principally those active in Southern California such as Gregory Ain, John Lautner, Richard Neutra, and R.M. Schindler. Shulman’s images played a major role in crafting the image of the Los Angeles and “Southern California lifestyle” to the rest of the nation and world during the 1950s and 1960s. A prolific author, consultant, lecturer, exhibitor, and editor of his own vast archive, Shulman remained active up until his passing away in July of 2009.
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View Larger Map

Below is an article by Jamie Dronyk, AIA, LEED AP. She is the new Director of Info and PR of the AIA San Joaquin. Her first major undertaking in that office was revamping the chapters quarterly newsletter. The newsletter is meant to keep the chapter members and general public up to date with what is happening in the chapter. The printed copies have been mailed out and will available at local architecture firms. You can also download the PDF. The article below by Jamie was pulled from the newsletter to give you a feel for the content.
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The Belmont Merchant’s Association Steps up to the Plate to Make Their Mark

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There are some new kids in town; they call themselves the Belmont Merchant’s Association (BMA).

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In March of 2009, a group of property owners along the Belmont corridor between Freeway 41 and Chestnut Avenue came together to form the association in an effort to implement a revitalization of the area and take back their community.

“I’ve been on this street for 40 years; I’ve seen the good times and the bad and I plan to stay around until the job is finished and things are set right” commented Roger Hanke, President of the Association.

Last December, the BMA, with the support of Triangle Associates, City Councilman Henry T. Perea, and the Fresno Redevelopment Agency, invited an assortment of community members and leaders to a roundtable discussion in which ideas to transform and improve the corridor were exchanged.

Landscape Architect Terry Broussard presented a conceptual plan envisioning how the corridor might be developed into three themed districts, all of which incorporate mixed use, open space, and pedestrian friendly development.

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I had the fortunate opportunity to be invited by the BMA to speak at one of their monthly meetings. I focused on ways in which they can utilize design and planning principles to eliminate misperceptions that are in and of themselves causing a violent cycle of increased real and perceived crime.

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In a city as large as Fresno has become, it is incumbent upon smaller communities to do their part to maintain their own relevance in our growing metropolis. The key to success is knowing that you don’t have to do it alone. I invite you to call upon local design professionals and together we can make Fresno relevant one community at a time.

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PechaKucha Night was devised in Tokyo in February 2003 as an event for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public.

It has turned into a massive celebration, with events happening in hundreds of cities around the world, inspiring creatives worldwide. Drawing its name from the Japanese term for the sound of “chit chat”, it rests on a presentation format that is based on a simple idea: 20 images x 20 seconds. It’s a format that makes presentations concise, and keeps things moving at a rapid pace. Read more from PechaKucha Global.

PechaKucha Night was brought to you by Creative Fresno in December of 2008. We’ve now on our 7th volume of the event. After this event we will have showcased 74 creative presentations in this concise format to full capacity crowds. This presentations have led to an increased awareness about design in Fresno, has led to collaborations, and even business for local creatives.

For the 2nd day of National Architecture Week, please join us Monday evening at The Starline. Come at 7pm to get a drink and a good seat. Presentations will begin a 7:30. It will be a great creative evening that bridges architecture, photography, education, graphic design and mural art.

List of presenters

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“Design is a tool, a resource, a power for the creation of beautiful, more sustainable, safe, healthy, and livable communities. Not for a privileged few but for everyone.”
George H. Miller, FAIA, AIA President

National Architecture Week has come again. This is a celebration supported by the American Institute of Architects. Last year, we went on a blogging marathon. This year, AIA San Joaquin is hosting a full slate of engaging events related to architecture. Please check out the schedule and map below. And get ready for an architecture overdose. Also AIA National has a facebook page and will host a twitter chat on 4/14

4/11 Sunday
Archi-Brunch meets Designer Breakfast
Location – Iron Bird Cafe
Time – 10:30-noon
Details – Informal discussion between Fresno’s leading graphic designers of the Fresno Design Alliance and architects of AIA San Joaquin.

4/12 Monday
Pecha Kucha Night Fresno Vol 7
Location – Starline
Time – 7:00 door, 7:30 presentations
Details – In conjunction with Creative Fresno
Theme is Fringe.

4/13 Tuesday
Grassroots day
Location – All neighborhoods
Time – All Day
Details – Make a point to talk to your neighbor, friend, or coworker not in the architecture field about the importance of architecture. Maybe just tell everyone to read www.archop.org

4/14 Wednesday
Film – Visual Acoustics
Location – Revue Cafe
Time – 7pm screening
Details: Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.

4/15 Thursday
City Council Proclamation of Architecture Week
Location – Fresno City Hall
Time – 8-9am
Details – A proclamation of Architecture Week will be presented from City Council to AIA San Joaquin

archop exhibits
Locations – 1724 Broadway, Tho Loft Gallery (852 Divisadero St. #102)
Time – 5:30-9pm
Details – curated exhibit to raise awareness about emergency housing, the 2nd exhibit will showcase the recent winners of the AIASJ design awards.

4/16 Friday
Panel Discussion – Decade in Review: Top Ten of Fresno Architecture
Location – Unitarian Church
Time – 6:30 social 7-8 panel
Details – A collection of architects of the Top Ten buildings from last decade, will discuss the design of the buildings, their process and design philosophies.

4/17 Saturday
Walking Tour – Mid-century Downtown
Location – Starts at Fulton Mall & Mariposa Mall, meet at the Clock Tower
Time – 2pm
Details – Highlight prominent and/or well design mid-century modern architecture in Fresno’s downtown.

View National Architecture Week – Fresno 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.

The American Institute of Architects Club of Fresno City College are hosting a showcase of architecture student work at the Spectrum Art Gallery tonight.

This is a benefit showcase being put on by the students to help raise money for the annual Cal Poly Design Village Competition. Donations will be accepted but the is no fee to attend. The students have also pledged 50% of all proceeds as a donation to Architecture for Humanity’s rebuilding efforts in Haiti.

Fresno City College
Architecture Student Showcase
Wednesday, March 24th 5:30-8pm
Spectrum Art Gallery
608 E. Olive Ave.
Fresno, CA

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

This video for a PSA was posted on the Fresno County Bicycle Coalition’s website. As an avid bike rider, I’m sharing it with you. In the video, I also appreciate the snippets of Fresno’s built environement that are the setting for the video.

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.

I posted about a bad façade job yesterday. Then today I saw some news in the Business Journal about Fresno County’s façade improvement program. It seems to be pretty effective. [PDF]

It was a little reminder that the City of Fresno’s façade improvements are getting more and more behind. I mean if Caruthers businesses are getting $50,000 0% loans with 50% forgiven if they don’t sell for 5 years. The the City of Fresno RDA ought to be able to offer more than $2,500 in matching funds. [PDF]

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In doing a little searching, I found this 2006 post by Elliott Balch on Fresno Famous. “Fulton Mall ideas you can touch” lists 12 sound & attainable ideas, I think numbers 2, 5, 8 & 10 have been accomplished. I included this because #6 is about façade improvement program. Elliott if you’re reading feel free to chime in. I’m curious if your perspective has changed in the 3 1/2 years since you wrote that.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

2009 Award Winners
Honorable Mention:

Coalinga Community Swim Complex – Darden Architects

Merit

Willow-International Center – Darden Architects

Zumwalt Residence – Arthur Dyson Architects

Honor

Clovis Performing Arts Center – Darden Architects

William Jessup University Student Apartments – Taylor Teter Partnership

Ranchos Middle School – Taylor Teter Partnership

H Street Lofts – Taylor Teter Partnership

Excellence

Riverbank High School Gym – Darden Architects

Alex G. Spanos Elementary School – Darden Architects

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

Dan Fletcher, AIA

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

Michael R. Pratt, AIA – Principal Lionakis

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

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

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

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

Donald Munro – Fresno Bee

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

A few week back I stumbled upon the first blog post I wrote on Fresno Famous. That was two years ago. I wrote a handful of posts on Famous before eventually branching out and creating this site.

It’s awesome to see that I’ve implemented many of those ideas set back then. We’ve made great progress together. Yet so much work remains to be done. Below is that first post I wrote. Big shout out to Fresno Famous for fostering so many bloggers over the years and to Paprika Studios and for developing and helping maintain this site.

Fresno’s First Architecture and Built Environment Blog

Submitted by kiel on Wed, 01/09/2008 – 22:59.

I’m proud to announce the launch of the first and only blog dedicated to architecture and the built environment of Fresno, California. We are at a critical point for Fresno as a city and as a regional leader. Fresno’s built environment and how we choose to develop it will play a key role in our quality of life, success, healthy growth, and maturation, or our stagnation, and failure to achieve our true potential.

Education and public discourse are essential elements of progress. This blog aims to be a platform for progress toward an improved built environment in Fresno. Everything is interconnected. To truly understand this complex and dynamic topic we will take a holistic view at Architecture, Landscape Architecture, City & Regional Planning, and the Construction Industry.

Content
Content to be included will be: interviews with leading and emerging design professionals, building reviews, comments on City Council agenda items, other governmental actions, and community news from an architectural point of view.

You can also expect blog entries on my experiences as an architect in training. Architecture is a unique career path full of: continuous education, diverse styles and points of view, frustrations, hectic deadlines, creativity, and highly visible impacts. My experiences should make for some interesting reading. If nothing else it will keep me writing and give me an outlet for celebration of architecture.

Your participation is an important part of this effort. I encourage you to contribute to this blogs content. Please comment on and discuss any of the topics I post.

Goals:
Along with many of my activities, the goal of this blog is to educate and inspire interest in an improved built environment. Buildings and landscapes have a strong impact on our happiness and quality of life. Good buildings, good landscapes, good planning equals a high standard of living for all, that is the goal.

This will tie in with the efforts and goals of the successful ArcHop event with a written compliment. I will give periodic updates and opportunities for input on and involvement in this event as it matures and grows. See www.fresnofamous.com/archop_and_we_don%E2%80%99t_stop for a discussion on January’s ArcHop.

Upcoming Posts:
Review of the San Joaquin Valley Housing Symposium www.sjvhousing.com
Review of California Avenue community design workshop

Topics to watch:
Mayoral Race
City and County 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness
Metro Rural Loop
ArcHop
Downtown Housing

Disclaimer:
This is the personal blog of Kiel Famellos-Schmidt and in does not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, or objectives of the American Institute of Architects: San Joaquin, ArcHop sponsors, Fresno Famous, the Tower District Design Review Committee, or my employer the Taylor Teter Partnership.

I’d like to thank Fresno Famous for providing a platform for this important discussion. And thank you for your readership.

Kiel Famellos-Schmidt