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Fresno Met’s Closing Could Hold a Lesson for Detroit

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This museum was established in 1984 and was located in the historic Fresno Bee Building prior to its closing in 2010 after it could not meet loan payments after an extensive and expensive restoration project that was completed two years prior. The museum remains closed as a result of its financial difficulties. 

Fresno Metropolitan Museum (Closed)

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This walking tour includes stops at historic mansions, downtown landmarks, historical markers, and museums. 

The building originally held a 1500-seat auditorium. After the completion of other buildings and a convention center in 1966, the city renovated the auditorium to make it comfortably hold five hundred attendees and converted some of the public spaces into offices. In 1992, local residents and veterans successfully&nbsp;lobbied the city for the creation of a small military history museum in the former auditorium. &nbsp; The museum includes memorabilia from all branches of the military. Exhibits include a display of Japanese and American equipment from the Pacific Theater of WWI, various flying suit, a Civil War cannon, an Air Medal of Honor, and many&nbsp;local exhibits donated and interpreted by volunteer staff.&nbsp;

This historic auditorium was part of the Great Depression-era construction projects and opened to the public following a dedication ceremony on December 31, 1936. The Art Deco structure holds many works of art in addition to an auditorium and the Veterans Memorial Museum. Staffed by volunteers, the museum offers a variety of exhibits drawn from its collection of artifacts and memorabilia. The museum's purpose is to display uniforms, equipment, and preserve the history of American military conflicts from the perspective of veterans.  The museum can be visited free of charge and is funded in part by the city of Fresno.  

Fresno Memorial Auditorium and Veterans Memorial Museum 

The Old Fresno Water Tower was designed by Chicago architect George Washington Maher and completed in 1894. Maher lived through the great Chicago fire and recalled that the fire destroyed the city's library but not its water tower. Accordingly, Maher designed the Fresno tower with second and third floors, which were to be used as a library, but this plan never came to fruition and while the building does have a second floor the third floor was never completed. The tower was designed in a Romanesque style and stands 100 feet tall and has a capacity of 250,000 gallons. The tower has an inner wall that is over two feet thick and an outer wall that is fourteen inches thick. There is a passage between the two walls that is about three feet wide. The water tower was in operation from 1894 to 1963, when the pumping machinery was no longer adequate. In 2001, the second floor was removed and the interior of the tower remodeled so that it could serve as a visitor's center for the city of Fresno. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

This historic water tower was in operation from 1894 to 1963 and now serves as the home of the city's visitor center. The history of the structure dates back to 1891, when the city commissioned Chicago architect George Washington Maher to design a new water tower for the city of Fresno. His design was influenced by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, a famous and destructive event that destroyed the Chicago Public Library but not the Chicago Water Tower. Recalling that the water tower in Chicago acted as a temporary library, Maher's original design called for a library and a third floor to be built within the tower. Construction finished in November 1894 but Maher's vision of housing a library in the tower was never realized. The water tower remained in use until 1963 when its pumping equipment had become inadequate. 

The Old Fresno Water Tower

Frederick E. Twining came to Fresno in 1898 and established Cutter Laboratories. For a number of years following the lab's establishment, Twining served as State Sanitary Inspector as well as the City Bacteriologist for Fresno. In 1913, he established Twining Laboratories, which quickly earned a reputation throughout the state for its scientific work. With its slogan "We Test Anything," Twining Laboratories became a leader in scientific investigations. The laboratory was involved in vaccine testing for cattle, sobriety testing, and food and drug testing. Following Twining's death in 1945, his son, Frederick W. Twining, himself a respected chemist, assumed leadership of the company. The building was designed by Charles E. Butner, a well-known architect in the area. Butner designed the building with Mediterranean elements. The style was relatively common during the Depression era for schools and residences, but less common for businesses. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

Twining Laboratories was founded in 1898 by Frederick Twining. The building itself was designed by Charles E. Butner in a style with Mediterranean influences. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Twining Laboratories 

Herman Brix was a German immigrant who came to California in the early 1880s. &nbsp;He and his wife Helena were among the earliest settlers to the Coalinga area, where they attempted to make a living as grain farmers but failed. Following his failure at farming, Herman Bix went to Alaska during the gold rush and was moderately successful.&nbsp; Brix returned to the Caolinga area as it was experiencing an oil boom and began to invest in oil properties. The Brixes moved to Fresno in 1903 and began investing in properties there. By this point, Herman Brix was a very successful man in both oil and real estate. He commissioned his home in 1909, and it was built by Edward T. Foulkes.&nbsp; The mansion is three stories and has 12 rooms. &nbsp;It was, at that time, the most lavish home in Fresno, with 4,500 square feet of living space. Remarkably, it even included an attempt at a solar water heating system. The Brixes divorced in 1915, and after that time, Herman no longer lived in the mansion. The home was sold in 1945, and after changing owners several times over the years, it is now the home of law offices. The mansion is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

The Brix mansion was built for Herman and Helena Brix in 1910-1911. It is the only pure Italian villa in Fresno and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Brix Mansion 

The Meux home was built in 1889 by Dr. Thomas Richard Meux, a native Tennesseean and Civil War veteran. Meux, who was in poor health, came to the area on the advice of his brother, who already lived there. The family arrived in Fresno in 1887. Dr. Meux operated his medical practice in the city until his retirement. He was also very active in Democratic politics. Meux and his brother owned vineyards in the area and also engaged in other agricultural pursuits. The Meux home was continuously occupied by members of the Meux family for 80 years, and now contains belongings of Dr. Meux himself, including his rocking chair. Dr. Meux's daughter, Anne Prenetta Meux, lived in the home from the time that she was four years old until her death in 1970. Following the death of the last of the Meuxs, the home was purchased by the city of Fresno and now functions as the Muex House Museum. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

The grand Victorian home on R Street was built in 1889 by Tennessee transplant Dr. Thomas Richard Meux. In addition to operating a medical practice, Meux and his brother also owned vineyards in the area and were involved in various agricultural pursuits. The home is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Meux Home

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a number of Basque immigrants arrived in California, drawn largely by the promise of work as sheepherders. The Basque homeland lies in the north-central portion of Spain and the southwestern corner of France; their native language is Euskara. By the early 1900s, Fresno had the state's fourth-largest Basque population. Several boarding houses and hotels in the town were popular with the Basque people. One was the "Fresno Hotel" owned by Martin Dologaray; the two-story, wood frame building was condemned and torn down in the 1920s to make room for the Santa Fe building.The Santa Fe Hotel was built in 1926 for Dologaray, making it one of the later hotels to be built in the Basque community. The hotel overlooked the Santa Fe Railroad Depot. It served numerous purposes: not merely a hotel, it served as a restaurant, a community center, a clinic, and a place for nomadic Basque sheepherders to collect mail and store belongings. It even functioned as a retirement home of sorts for elderly sheepherders. The first floor of the Renaissance Revival style building featured dining rooms, a bar, a kitchen, and a private apartment. Twenty-three sleeping rooms made up the second floor. The building faced east, toward the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad Depot. The brick walls were at least a foot thick; the front was faced in multiple tan shades of brick, while the other sides were plain red brick. A recessed. off-center front entrance flanked by tile walls was accessed through an archway between two store fronts; the store fronts have been modified over the years, beginning in the 1950s. The large, plate glass front windows were broken a number of times and were eventually replaced with concrete block above a stone veneer base, and smaller windows. The second floor featured an arched design in brick above the front windows, with a single blue tile placed for decoration, centered below the arch. Handmade rows of metal cornice topped the facade.The hotel and restaurant were in continuous use since construction, except for two months in 1988 when plumbing was repaired. In 1991, the Santa Fe Hotel was added to the National Register of Historic Places, including the 1926 hotel building and a one-story, brick storage shed built in the rear of the property in 1928; traveling sheepherders could store belongings in the shed. The hotel was significant for its relation to the ethnic heritage of Fresno's Basque community; there were still retired Basque sheepherders living in the hotel in 1989, when the property was studied, although the hotel and restaurant became increasingly popular with tourists. The original wooden bar remained in place in the lounge; a handmade wooden bench in the kitchen for preparing cuts of meat survived. The original, octagonal white tile flooring in the main dining room was covered in linoleum after some of it was damaged when it became necessary to tunnel beneath for utility repairs; a brass bell was rung to announce when meals were ready. The lodging rooms were furnished with wash bowls; a separate area near the stairs provided showers.

In the early 1900s, Fresno was one of several California cities with a thriving Basque community. The Santa Fe Hotel was built in 1926 to serve the Basque community. A two-story, wood-frame hotel stood at this spot before this two-story, brick hotel was built; the wooden hotel was named the "Fresno Hotel" and was condemned and torn down in the 1920s. The building housed a bar, kitchen, and dining rooms on the first floor, with twenty-three lodging rooms above. In 1991, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its relation to the ethnic heritage of Fresno's Basque community. In recent years, the Shepherd's Inn was located here, serving Basque and American cuisine combined with a boutique inn. Due to new restrictions on traditional communal style dining, the renovated inn reopened in October 2020 as a deli/ farmer's market/ coffee shop with twenty-four hotel rooms upstairs. Rebranded as "Shep's Club at Shepherd's Inn," the restaurant now serves American cuisine.

Santa Fe Hotel (Basque Hotel)

The late 1800s and early 1900s were boom years for Fresno. The advent of irrigation led to Fresno County becoming one of the most prosperous agricultural counties in the United States. At roughly the same time, the Santa Fe railroad came to Fresno, which made even more growth possible, and the city's population nearly doubled in the first ten years of the twentieth century. The buildings of Warehouse Row were constructed during these years of Fresno's tremendous growth. They were designed by T. J. Hammond and W. W. Williamson and were built in the Queen Anne Style. The Wormser Warehouse was built in 1903-1904 for the Wormser Furniture Company, the Western Meat Company packing plant was built in 1910, and the Fresno Consumers Ice Company building was built in 1903. The Fresno Consumers Ice Company was originally known as the San Joaquin Ice Company, but the name was changed in 1904. Given the heat of Fresno's summers, ice was a vitally important commodity in the years before modern refrigeration and cooling systems. At the time of its construction, it was the largest such plant on the West Coast, and at the peak of its operation, the plant produced thirty tons of ice per day. &nbsp; In 2008, the brick portion of the Fresno Consumers Ice Company was deemed to be a safety hazard and was demolished, leaving only the three-story concrete structure that was built in 1928. All three buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

Fresno's Warehouse Row consists of three Queen Anne style buildings that were built in the first decade of the twentieth century: the Wormser Furniture Company Warehouse, the Western Meat Company packing plant, and the Fresno Consumers Ice Company. Each of these buildings were built in the early 1900s and they are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Wormser Furniture Company Warehouse and Fresno's Warehouse Row 

The Maubridge Apartments were built in 1911 by Dr. J. L Maupin and Dr. D. H. Trowbridge, Sr., each of whom was a prominent physician in Fresno. The doctors' names were combined to form the name of the building, Maubridge. At the time, the Maubridge Building was considered a high-end and prestigious address. The building was slated to be ready for move-in by August 1st, 1911, but was delayed a few weeks. The building included 24 apartments, as shown on the 1918 Sanborn insurance map, on the south corner of Tulare and N streets.The brick-walled building on a concrete foundation was four stories tall plus a full basement. It was built in a combination of English and Italian Renaissance Revival styles. Designed by Benjamin G. McDougall, who designed a number of buildings in the area, the main entrance faced Tulare Street. An interesting feature of the building was its Otis elevator, which was installed in 1911 and was the oldest operating elevator west of the Mississippi, when the building was documented for the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. One of the first tenants in the new apartments were auto dealer A. C. Wheelock of Pioneer garage and his wife, Cora E.; and Mr. and Mrs. J. B. Rogers. Newlyweds Charles Rexford and his bride, Lillian St. Clare of Chicago, moved into the apartments "sumptuous bridal suite" in October 1911. A local newspaper predicted in late 1911 that more apartment buildings like the Maubridge would soon be built in Fresno as good investments due to the city's growth and people's desire for living "close-in."The penthouse was a later addition in 1947 by contractor Trewitt and Shields. When Dr. Trowbridge passed away, shared ownership of the building was inherited by his children, D. H. Trowbridge, Jr. and Elizabeth Trowbridge Kent. By the early 1980s, the building was under renovation and owned by the Maubridge Office Complex Group. The building currently contains office spaces, several of which are leased by attorneys.

Built in 1912, the Maubridge Building is the oldest remaining substantial apartment building in Fresno. At the time it was built, the building, with 24 apartments, was considered one of the city's most prestigious addresses. The rectangular, modified palazzo building was a combination of English and Italian Renaissance Revival styles. The original owners, local physicians J. L Maupin and D. H. Trowbridge, Sr., combined their surnames. The building's Otis elevator, installed in 1911, was the oldest operating elevator west of the Mississippi and was still in operation by the early 1980s. A modern penthouse was added in 1947. The Maubridge Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 for its architectural significance. The building was renovated into office spaces in the 1980s.

Maubridge Building

The Fresno County Hall of Records was built in 1936 by the Public Works Administration (PWA) under the auspices of the New Deal. The building is one of several Depression-era structures in Fresno, the most remarkable of which was the Municipal Auditorium.&nbsp; The building was designed by famed architect Henry P. Villalon and was built in the Deco Moderne style. The building is considered one of the best examples of Art Deco architecture in the city, and a later addition in the mid-1950s was true to the original architecture. A large number of expert craftsmen were employed in the building's construction and their attention to detail is evident; decorative metalwork, terrazo tile, marble, and sculpted water fountains can be found throughout the hall. The building underwent a massive restoration in the early 2000s. The restoration maintained the architectural integrity of the building and as a result, the Hall of Records is considered to be in excellent condition. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

The Fresno County Hall of Records was built in 1936 by the Public Works Administration, a New Deal program. The building is considered a fine example of Deco Moderne architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Fresno County Hall of Records 

The Fresno Morning Republican newspaper was founded in 1876.An announcement in a printing trade journal in early November 1919 stated that plans were complete for building a "fireproof printing plant" in Fresno for the Republican Printery. The estimated cost of the 80 by 140-foot building was $40,000. Several weeks later, the journal mentioned that contracts for the project had been awarded. Glass &amp; Butner, architects with offices in San Francisco and Fresno (in the Cory Building), were chosen. Architect Edward Glass was the son of the business manager of the newspaper, William Glass; Edward and Charles Butner studied architecture together at the University of Pennsylvania. The brickwork for the all-brick building was awarded to the R. Pederson Co. of Fresno by November 1919.The newspaper was sold in the early 1920s to two Osborn brothers and was split into separate parts. The newspaper printing division continued at Tulare St. and Van Ness Ave. as the Fresno Republican Publishing Company, under president George A. Osborn and vice-president Chase S. Osborn; the publishers and printers also included a photo engraving department by 1923. The job printing division, under William Glass as president, operated as the Fresno Republican Printery Company at 2130 Kern St.; they were the printers, binders, stationers, and publishers of the Cooperative Californian. L. H. Camy worked as the printery company's secretary in 1923, and G. E. Wenzel served as the buyer. Leon Camy was the son-in-law of William Glass and took over the printery after Glass became a city official in 1925.The Fresno Republican Printery Company was located in the midst of a region full of producers of raisins and peaches. They advertised in a California fruit growers' trade journal in 1924 that they carried "a complete line of fruit tickets for cutting shed use," with large supplies always on hand. The company billed themselves as the largest job printing plant in California, apart from San Francisco and Los Angeles; they specialized in printing, bookbinding, filing equipment, and loose-leaf binders.Job printing for commercial clients continued in this annex on Kern St. into the 1970s, under Leon Camy, using vintage equipment that became obsolete. The Klein Group announced plans in the late 1970s to adapt the historical printery building to new uses. About half of the 16,000-square-foot building was planned to house a restaurant; the rest was to become office space or art galleries, using the tall windows and skylights that let in so much light for the printing operations. The new design was drawn up by San Francisco architect Joseph Esherick, taking care to respect the historical nature of the building during restoration and renovation.In recent years, the property has been offered for lease as three separate suites. The restaurant space (2120 Kern), formerly occupied by the Downtown Club (a nightclub and restaurant) and The Republican (a restaurant), featured a commercial kitchen and a bar. The Downtown Club was originally private but later opened to the public, including events rentals; they displayed some of the vintage printing equipment in the dining room. The middle section included the mezzanine and windows overlooking Kern St. The third section included cafe space and a private office. The Fresno City &amp; County Historical Society was established in 1915. In 2023, the group purchased the former printery building for $1.05 million. By spring 2024, the group had set up "The Archive on Kern" in the restaurant space. A reception was held there in early May to kick off Historic Preservation Month. The "AoK" will display historical artifacts in its galleries and will sometimes serve patrons from the preserved bar. The society's archives are not yet open to the public, as of May 2024.

The building at 2120-2134 Kern St. dates to late 1919 and housed extra space for The Fresno Morning Republican newspaper's job printing division. In early 1920, some of the printing equipment that the newspaper had used since its founding in 1876 was moved into this job printing annex. The front of the building contained offices and additional workspace in a mezzanine level. Commercial printing jobs continued to be produced here into the 1970s. The Fresno Republican Printery building became a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1979. New owners, The Klein Group, undertook restorations in the late 1970s to convert part of the building into a restaurant and the rest into office spaces or art galleries. The Downtown Club, a nightclub and restaurant, was housed in the west end of the building (2120 Kern) until a few years ago. The Fresno City &amp; County Historical Society purchased the vacant building in 2023 and moved into part of the building in 2024; "The Archive on Kern" will showcase local historical artifacts in the new gallery spaces, but the archives are not yet open to the public.

Fresno Republican Printery building (The Archive on Kern)

The oldest theater in Fresno, the Liberty Theatre opened in 1917. The building was designed by local architects W. D. Coates and H. B. Traver, who were responsible for a number of landmarks in California. The theater was built in the Second Empire Revival style.&nbsp; The theater changed names three times over the years. It was renamed Hardy's Theatre in 1931 and a sign bearing that name still features prominently on the building's facade. In 1978, it was renamed the Mexico Theatre. The theater once bore a large vertical sign bearing that name, but the sign was removed in 2005. Since 2005, the building has functioned as the Spanish Evangelical Church.&nbsp;

The Liberty Theatre is one of the oldest theaters in Fresno. The theater was built in 1917, and has changed names and owners several times over the twentieth century. In recent years, the building has been home to the Spanish Evangelical Church.

Liberty Theatre Fresno (Hardy's Theatre)

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Located in Fresno California, the Hotel California ,was built to be a fancy hotel for tourists and a common location for residents of the community to meet and socialize. The hotel&nbsp;represented the potential of Fresno. &nbsp;The building was constructed by R.F Felchlin with a design by H. Rafael Lake. At the time the hotel was built, it was easily the largest hotel in Fresno. The hotel is located between Los Angeles and San Francisco , making it very convenient for tourists.&nbsp;<div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;The hotel was built in the 1920s and easily became one of the most famous hotels to exist.It's grand opening occurred in December of 1923.&nbsp;The hotel was known for having celebrities stay and visit, which increased the popularity of the hotel.The 1920s made the hotel&nbsp;a hot spot for the wealthy and famous. The hotel symbolized fun, class, and a growing economy to Fresno.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The hotel's&nbsp;design reflected Italian Renaissance and Beaux-Arts tradition. The building itself&nbsp;is&nbsp;stone with many windows. &nbsp;The hotel had nine floors. Some of these floors belonged to commercial and retail businesses whom used the space for offices. The building is split into different sections, the Northeast Elevation and the Northwest Elevation, Southwest Elevation, and Southeast Elevation. All of these sections&nbsp;are on specific parts of the street where Hotel California is located. &nbsp;Northeast is&nbsp; located on Van Ness Avenue and is nicknamed the hotel's "capitol." &nbsp;Northwest can best be seen from Kern Street, because symmetrically speaking, it is not located on a street.&nbsp; The penthouse is located on this part of the building.&nbsp; The Southwest and Southeast is actually where the hotel's courtyard is located.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Today, the hotel is remembered as a famous landmark to Fresno.It is known to the rich and famous and the average person.&nbsp;The Hotel California has even &nbsp;influenced&nbsp;songs. &nbsp;For example, almost everyone can recall &nbsp;the Eagle's song, "Hotel California."&nbsp;Today, the Hotel California has become a place of housing for low income seniors. &nbsp;The ground floors have been converted to retail shops. It is a good place for tourists to find, when looking for a fun time&nbsp;and popular landmarks. The hotel has forever changed Fresno and the community. The Hotel California was glamour and adventure which heavily influenced the 1920s.&nbsp;&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div><div>&nbsp;</div>

This luxury hotel opened in December, 1923. The Hotel Californian was renowned for providing the finest accommodations in central California. In fact, the hotel itself became a symbol for the potential of the booming city of Fresno with its symmetrical towers, open courtyard, and grand interior. Guests were particularly impressed by modern features such as central air conditioning. The hotel's opulent ballrooms hosted the premiere social and political events of Fresno in the booming 1920s.

Hotel Californian

The Bank of Italy began expanding from San Francisco into other California towns in 1909 with a branch in San Jose; they were located in a dozen towns by 1917. They established a branch in Fresno by 1916 and had the massive eight-story, steel-frame building constructed from 1917 to 1918 at the corner of Tulare and J (now Fulton) streets. The design was by Charles Franklin, a member of a local architectural firm, R. F. Felchlin Company. Excavations for the foundation began in August 1917; the nineteen-foot-deep concrete foundation's bottom three feet were within groundwater. Nearly 300 tons of steel went into the Italian Renaissance Revival style building's construction.The ground floor was faced in terra cotta, with arched doorways and window openings. The main entrance was on the longer side of the tower, facing J (Fulton) street. Decorative panels separated the row of rectangular windows on the portion of the base above the ground floor. The five floors above the base were faced in brick with decorative terra cotta panels above the windows. The top floor of the building featured a series of Florentine arches with cartouches above each pier, below a heavy, terra cotta cornice. Work wasn't complete until fall of 1918; tenants began to move into the office floors that October. The building and its bank fixtures cost a quarter of a million dollars. A local history in 1919 deemed the building the finest edifice in Fresno, from an artistic standpoint.The Bank of Italy acquired many smaller banks in towns across the state, including several in Fresno: the Fresno National Bank (in 1915); People's Savings Bank (1917); and First National Bank of Fresno (1919). By late 1918, the Bank of Italy was the fourth largest bank in California in terms of assets. It advertised in a Fresno newspaper that Bank of Italy savings accounts would make great Christmas gifts, with only a dollar needed to start a new account (see the image above). The bank had 33 branches in California by 1921 with assets of $157 million. O. J. Woodward served as vice-president of the Bank of Italy in 1921; assistant manager of the Fresno branch was M. S. Hays.The building was expanded in 1928 by a two-story rear wing along Tulare St. The architectural details of the Tulare St. facade of the original tower were duplicated in the addition; the wing was topped by the same type of balustrade that topped the tower. Bank of Italy later reorganized as Bank of America. The building later came to be called Bank of America on Fulton Mall; the mall was a six-block section of Fulton St. between Tuolumne and Inyo streets that was closed to vehicular traffic in the 1960s. The building was vacant and under renovation in the early 1980s when it was documented for listing in the National Register. The pedestrian mall was obliterated in the mid-2010s and Fulton St. was re-established for vehicles. The former Bank of America building features nearly 70,000 square feet in downtown Fresno, currently with thousands of square feet of office space available for lease.

Built in 1918, this seven-story Italian Renaissance Revival style building is renowned for its ornate terra cotta and brick. It was originally home to the Bank of Italy, the same bank that later became the Bank of America. The interior lobby reflected California's booming economy during the early 20th century. Visitors would have been awed by the grand entrance and its marble floors and staircases as well as the twenty-five-foot-tall ceiling finished with decorative plaster. The elevator doors were finished with etched brass and the stairs were made of solid mahogany. A two-story rear addition was completed in 1928 in a similar style. The Bank of Italy building became a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1982. The building now houses office space.

Bank of Italy Building 

Among the numerous unions that were founded in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) were unique in that it welcomed all workers, irrespective of their race, nationality, or trade. Because they welcomed groups that were frequently marginalized even within the organized labor movement and because they advocated the overthrow of the wage system, the Wobblies, as members of the IWW were known, were considered one of the most radical unions. In 1910, Frank Little, one of the IWW's representatives, arrived in Fresno to organize the city's workers and to invigorate the IWW Local 66. Little encouraged all of the city's wage earners to join the IWW--seasonal agricultural workers, miners, Chinese immigrants, Latin Americans, and African Americans. Little's activism, combined with the Wobblies' notoriety, made him persona non grata among city officials. Little found that one effective method of getting the IWW message to workers was by giving soapbox speeches on street corners and parks, and one of the frequent gathering places for Little and workers was the corner of Mariposa and I Streets. And it was there that Little and other Wobblies were often arrested for "vagrancy," an effort by Police Chief William Shaw to get the organizer and other troublemakers out of Fresno. In October of 1910, Little and several other Wobblies were arrested on the corner. Far from stopping the work of the IWW, however, the arrest of Little and other organizers galvanized Wobbly membership in the West. Because Chief Shaw issued permits for Little's speeches, then revoked them whenever he disagreed with the message, the treatment of Little and other Wobblies triggered the Fresno Free Speech Fight. As the fall of 1910 progressed, Wobblies from throughout the West descended on Fresno, and many of them were arrested. A resolution was passed by the City Council which banned outdoor meetings, effectively prohibiting the Wobblies' street corner gatherings. Little and others chose solitary rather than work in the jail. When numbers of Wobblies loudly sang IWW songs in jail, authorities had the fire department turn fire hoses on them in the winter cold.&nbsp; In spite of the treatment of Little and the other IWW members, Wobblies continued to arrive in Fresno throughout the winter. They set up encampments at several points in the city, and with both the jail and the city filled with Wobblies, the city finally gave in and rescinded the prohibition of outdoor meetings.&nbsp; The Wobblies' campaign in Fresno marked the first free speech fight in California. Though the event is little remembered now, the work of Frank Little and other Wobblies in 1910 and 1911 can be seen as a precursor of later movements for social justice, such as the civil rights movement, or the Occupy movement of recent years.

For five months in 1910 and 1911, the Industrial Workers of the World, or Wobblies as they were often known, were a presence in Fresno as they tried to recruit Fresno workers for the union. Led by Frank Little, the Wobblies often gathered on the corner of I and Mariposa. Today, a California Historic Landmarks plaque marks the location.

IWW Free Speech Fight Historic Marker 

The building now known as Warnor's Theatre was built in 1928 as Pantages Theatre by Alexander Pantages, a Greek immigrant and theatre magnate. Pantages was also one of the area's most prominent Vaudeville entertainment promoters. The theatre was built in a distinctive style that combined Moorish, Italian and Spanish Renaissance elements. One of the theatre's most unique features is its organ, which was manufactured by the Robert Morton Organ Company. It's an elaborate organ with 1,035 pipes, and was designed to replicate the sound of a full orchestra, and is the only one with its exact specifications still in existence.&nbsp; The theatre was purchased by Warner Brothers in 1929, and in the 1960s, the spelling was changed to Warnor's to avoid trademark disputes. For most of its existence, Warnor's functioned as a movie theatre, but it was purchased by the current owners in 1973 and since that time, it has been used largely to host concerts. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Warnors Theatre is an historic theater in downtown Fresno, California. The two thousand seat venue opened in 1928 as the Pantages Theater, after the name of its then owner, Alexander Pantages, and later, the Warner Theater in 1929 after it was purchased by Warner Brothers. The name was changed again in the 1960s to &quot;Warnors&quot; to avoid trademark issues.


The theater was designed by B. Marcus Priteca, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Warnors Theatre

The Einstein House was built in 1912 and was the home of Louis Einstein, a merchant, banker and civic leader. Einstein was born in Germany in 1847 and emigrated to America at age 18 in 1865. He first was part of a dry goods business in Tennessee before moving to San Francisco in 1866, where relatives hired him as a bookkeeper. He next worked for several years in Oregon before moving to the San Joachin Valley. He became a partner in the Visalia general store known as Jacob and Einstein. The firm had a branch store in Fresno County at Centreville, run by H. D. Silverman. After the new railroad town of Fresno was chosen as the new county seat, the firm purchased Otto Froelich's business in Fresno in 1874. The business became the Silverman and Einstein Company, and, after Silverman's death, Louis Einstein &amp; Company. In the 1870s, Einstein served as a firefighter with the Fresno Hook and Ladder Company. The Einstein &amp; Company store in Fresno was located at 100-110 N. Front St. by 1887. A "J. Einstein" worked as a salesman at L. Einstein &amp; Co. in Fresno in 1887; he and Louis resided on K St. between Tulare and Kern streets.Louis Einstein helped found the Bank of Central California in 1887; he served as bank president for the rest of his life. The Einstein Company also formed a stock corporation in 1888. Einstein was active in local affairs and infrastructure improvements; he served on the town's library board and helped to organize the local Unitarian Church. In 1900, Louis and Eda Einstein lived in a house at 1048 K St. that the 52-year-old bank president owned. Eda was born in California in 1862 to German-born parents and married Louis in 1882. Eda was 38 years old, and all four of their children were still at home in 1900: Berton (age 17), Elsie B. (15), Linley (13), and Edwin M. (9); also in the residence were two female, Russian-born teenage servants. By the time the new family home was built in 1912, son, Berton had graduated from the University of California, become a banker in San Francisco, and a married man.Louis died in his new, two-story brick house on M St. in 1914. His widow, Eda and other family members continued to live in the home. In 1930, Eda (age 67) shared the house with her single daughter, Elsie B. (45); Eda's brother, Alphonse Newhouse (65); and a servant, Elizabeth Sperling (21). Newhouse worked as a real estate agent; the Einstein ladies were not employed. The house later held offices and an activity unit of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), after the organization purchased the house from the Einsteins in 1950. By April 1950, Elsie (65) and her maid were living elsewhere in Fresno. Elsie's older brother, Berton, who died young in 1919, had been involved in the campaign to build a YWCA in Fresno.The Einstein House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its distinctive architecture and its association with a Fresno pioneer settler. The house reflected the influence of the English Arts and Crafts Movement on American architecture in the era, resembling elements of an English cottage in its unusual rooflines and porches, with Prairie School-style windows and overall shape. The house, which was still owned by the YWCA in 1978, had not been modified from its original condition. Most of the walls were covered in wallpaper or wood paneling. The second-floor bedrooms were attached to sleeping porches. The attic was originally used for storage, but the cleared space later was called the "ballroom." The YWCA established the Marjaree Mason Center to serve victims of domestic violence in 1979. The center and its shelter, which is located in the Einstein House, became an independent non-profit in 1996.

The Einstein House was built in 1912 and was the home of Louis Einstein, a merchant, banker and civic leader. Einstein, a German immigrant, died in the house in 1914. His widow and other family members continued to live in the home. It later housed an activity unit of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA), after the organization purchased the house from the Einsteins in 1950. The Einstein House was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its distinctive architecture and its association with a Fresno pioneer settler. The house reflects the influence of the English Arts and Crafts Movement on American architecture in the era, resembling elements of an English cottage in its unusual rooflines and porches, with Prairie School-style windows and overall shape. The YWCA later established the Marjaree Mason Center to serve victims of domestic violence; the center and its shelter, which is located in the Einstein House, became an independent non-profit in 1996.

Einstein House (Marjoree Mason Center)

Fresno's YWCA building was built in 1922. The building was designed by Julia Morgan, the first licensed female architect in California and the architect behind the Hearst Castle and several of the buildings on UC Berkeley's campus. Morgan was the official YWCA architect for the West Coast and designed two other buildings for the organization in Fresno. A number of the YWCA projects that Morgan built had Phoebe Hearst as a benefactor. It was Hearst who gave Morgan her first commission on the Berkeley campus. The YWCA provided young women with housing, job training, and opportunities for recreation; as a woman in field overwhelmingly dominated by men and who lived for a number of years in a dormitory, it was an organization which had obvious appeal for Morgan.&nbsp; In addition to the building in Fresno, Morgan also built YWCA buildings in Hollywood, San Francisco, Pasadena, Salt Lake City, and Honolulu. The building on M Street is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

The YWCA residence hall was built in 1922. It was built by famed architect Julia Morgan, the first woman to become a licensed architect in California and the official architect for the YWCA in the West. The building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

YWCA Building 

Frank Romain, a Canadian by birth, arrived in Fresno in 1887 and established the Griffen-Skelly packing plant. It began as a small operation, but grew rapidly, soon employing 500 employees. By some accounts, Griffen-Skelly was the first or one of the first packing plants in the area. In 1916, the company merged with others to become the California Packing Corporation. The Romain home was built in 1905, an indication of how quickly Frank Romain became successful. &nbsp;The home combines elements of the Prairie style with Greek Revival. Though the style was once quite common in the area, there are few remaining homes of a similar style.&nbsp; Following Frank Romain's death, the home was purchased by Michael Sullivan, Earl Blair, and Hugh Burns, who operated a funeral home there. All three men were heavily involved in Fresno's business community, and Hugh Burns served in the California legislature from 1939 to 1970. Sullivan, Burns, and Blair Funeral Home operated from 1929 to 1959. William Whitehurst, another prominent member of Fresno's business community, began leasing the property in 1959 and using it as a funeral home.&nbsp; The home is currently being used for office space. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.&nbsp;

The Romain House has long been associated with some of the most prominent members of Fresno's business community. It was built in 1905 for Frank Romain, the founder of the Griffen-Skelly packing plant. Since that time, the home has been in almost constant use by some of the city's most important businesses. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

Downtown Fresno Walking Tour

Fresno Metropolitan Museum (Closed)

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