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.

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

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.

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).

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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