Esoteric Survey

Some jackasses have been stealing pieces of copper off theClaire Falkenstein "Three Fires" sculptures at the  Fulton Mall in Fresno. According to Eric at Save the Futlon Mall, the City plans to remove all three sculptures.
This reminds me of what happened in San Francisco, here. 
Source: Save the Fulton Mall
I hope they figure out how to get the sculpture back where it belongs. 

In the mid-1950s Downtown Fresno merchants and city officials were looking for ways to revitalize the central business district. They hired Victor Gruen to create a visionary plan. With the help of legendary landscape architect Garrett Eckbo, they  created a grand pedestrian orientated design that linked the six-block business district to the civic center.  The Fulton Mall opened in 1964 and was a nationally-recognized success, both commercially and in terms of design.
The mall includes a pedestrian-only linear shopping center and a series of great public gathering spaces.   This is a concept that municipalities and private shopping center developers all over the world are currently spending  millions on to accomplish.  Save the Fulton Mall!!! is doing a great job of sharing these sort of developments.
The art at the Fulton Mall includes 20 sculptures by artists  found in major museum collections, like this 
Claire Falkenstein sculpture (1of 3 in the mall).  The art was initially funded by pr…

Fresno County Courthouse. 
There are so many great examples of mid-century modern architecture in the Downtown Fresno area.  The government and business leaders of that era did a commendable job of investing in the infrastructure, art and  architecture of their city.  They were really ahead of the curve back then.
Stan Bitters ceramic mural on the Midland Savings & Loan building by Architect Eugene E. Hougham

Hey, what happened to that fountain?  The building is now a law office, figures.

Bitters '66
I'm not sure what's going on with the construction at the Pilibos Building at 830 Van Ness Ave. Stan Bitters/Hans Sumpf did the facade.  There is an image pre-plywood here.   Thankfully the building is onthe Local Register of Historic Resources so they can't mess with it too much. Here's the paperwork and background data.
Van Ness is the street adjacent to the Fulton Mall, where people are talking about doing some really lame stuff. More on that later.  In the meantime watch th…

Biblioscosmos by Ellamarie and Jackson Woolley, 1959 at the Fresno County Library "Composition symbolizes the diverse but interlocked fields of knowledge within the Dewey Decimal System of book classification."
Source: Ellamarie Woolley: A Retrospective Exhibition, 1977
000 - Information science & general work

Jessica Davies was nice enough to allow me to use the photos she took of Biblioscosmos.
100 -Philosophy and psychology

Photo: Jessica Davies
300 - Social Sciences

Photo: Jessica Davies
400 - Language
Photo: Jessica Davies
800 - Literature
Photo: Jessica Davies
900 - History, geography & biography
Photo: Jessica Davies
Woolley fish in the 200s.
Photo: Jessica Davies
Photo: Jessica Davies

Jan de Swart clock tower
Claire Falkenstein
Stan Bitters
Another dry Bitters fountain
Gordon Newell
Peter Voulkos

Stan Bitters
Claire Falkenstein
Bernard Rosenthal
Peter Voulkos
Stan Bitters
Jan de Swart
Stan Bitters Tiles
Stan Bitters Tiles Detail

Eckbo Design- Via Save the Fulton Mall