Esoteric Survey

On February 27 the Fresno City Council voted to tear out Fulton Mall in favor of putting traffic back in this historical landmark of modernist arts and design.  The Mall is listed in the California Register of Historical Resources and designated as eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This means that all efforts to maintain it should be done with respect for its original design. To put a stop to the destruction of the Fulton Mall, The 1000 Friends of Fresno is filing a lawsuit against the City of Fresno. They need help in securing funding for this litigation. For all this to happen, we need to raise $25,000. This would cover all the legal fees and other costs that may arise from this litigation.Show your support for modern architecture and art by donating to this great cause!  There is the added bonus of getting to be part of a lawsuit to punish these small-minded Fresno politicians for making this stupid decision.  Donatehere. More background information c…

Happy 50 year anniversary to the Fulton Mall....on Wednesday, despite impassioned testimony by dozens of citizens to the contrary, the City of Fresno Planning Commission voted 6-0 to rip the heart and soul out of Downtown Fresno. The commission advised the City Council to accept an environmental impact report and recommended turning the historic Fulton Mall back into a street, versus the current open space/pedestrian mall designation. At the meeting, City staff was asked why the mall could not be restored. The response was that there are only grants to hand the mall back to cars, not for restoration  This lie is a testament  to the kind of sham process the City of Fresno is running. The City has received a $16 million TIGER grant from the Federal Department of Transportation to add cars back into the mall.  That grant could have easily been written to support pedestrian improvements to the mall. There are a number of pedestrian oriented grants that were approved in the same grant cycl…

Please sign the change.org petition created by the Downtown Fresno Coalition to show support for Option 3, which would  preserve the Garrett Eckbo and Victor Gruen pedestrian mall in Fresno.  More information on Option 3 here. 
Sign the petition- here
This is the Fulton Mall before.  Cities don't need more of this.
After, and present.
Keep up with the preservation efforts at Save the Fulton Mall Related posts here, here, here and here
All photos are from Arts & Architecture

Like I've mentioned before, the City of Fresno is trying to to convert this amazing pedestrian mall into a generic anywhere USA  street by ripping out art and allowing cars back on Fulton St. Now it looks like they have Federal funds to do it.
The city recently announced a $15.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation for a project that could fund  opening the mall back up to cars.  However, the plans being reviewed by the Fulton Mall Project Steering Committee also  includes two other alternatives, including one that would pave a new street while retaining the mall's exceptional outdoor sculpture  garden and Option 3 would actually improve the existing corridor in its current pedestrian-oriented layout.  Additional information on the plans can be found can here.  
It'spuzzling why the U.S. Department of Transportationwould be willing to fund an anti-smart growth plan that favors the automobile at the expense of public art and public space.  It doesn't seem co…

Duncan Ceramic Products in Fresno, by Stan Bitters, 1969
The large panel is 20' X 7'
This lady must be pretty short.  Source: Stan Bitters Brochure, Undated
Craft Geek





After and Before Source: Stan Bitters Brochure, Undated
Source: Stan Bitters Brochure, Undated
According to the price sheet below these were $8K a pop. That seems like a good deal.  Source: Stan Bitters Brochure, Undated
Source: Stan Bitters Brochure, Undated

Stan Bitters, 1969

Stan Bitters is still cranking out great work. If you need him to make your building the coolest place in town, the nice people at Ten10 can help you out.

Before: Fulton Street
After: Fulton Mall, 1965 Some people in Fresno would like to go back to the before picture. More about that, here.
Guarantee Fountain by Stan Bitters
Waterless fountain today 
Jan de Swart Clock Tower


Claire Falkenstein fountain
Claire Falkenstein fountain today- gone. More about that, here.
Stan Bitters fountain in 1965

The Fulton Mall is still very much in danger.  There is a group of people in Fresno who would rather have the city invest resources  into ripping the pedestrian mall and art out, over investing in proper maintenance and restoration of this important landmark. 
Keep up with the preservation efforts at Save the Fulton Mall
Related posts here, here, here and here
All black and white photos are from Arts & Architecture