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.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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 private citizens to provide “an outdoor Museum of Art.” The sculpture, mosaics, and Jan De Swart clock tower cost over $200,000 in 1964. A 2011 appraisal estimated the total value of this art collection to be $2 million.
That seems like a low ball estimate to me. That's only $100,000 each.
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Along with the Fresno economy as a whole, downtown Fresno has been in a state of decline for decades.
The City of Fresno recently went through a planning process to look at ways to revitalize the Fulton Corridor.
At this point the plan has three preferred options:
1. Reconnect the Grid on Traditional Streets.Completely remove the existing Mall and introduce a narrow, two-lane, two-way enhanced street with oversize sidewalks, stately trees, and onstreet parking, throughout the Fulton Mall and its cross streets.
2. Reconnect the Grid with Vignettes. Introduce a two-way street through the Fulton Mall, keeping selected original features in their original Mall contexts (“vignettes”), in a manner that provides improved retail visibility and some on-street parking. Transform Kern, Mariposa and Merced into enhanced streets with narrow traffic ways, ample sidewalks, stately trees, and onstreet parking.
3. Restoration and Completion.Keep Fulton Street, Merced Street, Mariposa Street, and Kern Street Malls pedestrian-only. Renovate and repair them in their entirety, including their landscape and hardscape, and restore the artwork.
