Fulton Mall (Fresno)
Encyclopedia
Fulton Mall is a six-block pedestrian mall
located in the central business district
of downtown Fresno, California
. The mall runs along historic Fulton Street between Inyo and Tuolumne Streets and is home to a wide variety of shopping, restaurants, offices and public art. The PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno (formerly the Downtown Association of Fresno) is the local business improvement district
.
Originally called J Street, it was renamed Fulton Street in honor of prominent local financier Fulton G. Berry after his death in 1910. As part of a major urban renewal
effort in the 1960s, Fulton Street was transformed into Fulton Mall under the supervision of pioneering Austrian architect Victor Gruen
and American landscape architect Garrett Eckbo
. The mall was dedicated on September 1, 1964, to much fanfare.
The Fulton Mall has declined in recent decades and is consistently the subject of revitalization efforts. It was nominated in 2008 to the National Register of Historic Places
, but was not placed on the register due to objections from a majority of property owners. However, because of its eligibility, the mall is now listed on the California Register of Historical Resources
.
Pedestrian mall
Pedestrian malls in the United States are also known as pedestrian streets and are the most common form of pedestrian zone in large cities in the United States. It is a street lined with storefronts and closed off to most automobile traffic...
located in the central business district
Central business district
A central business district is the commercial and often geographic heart of a city. In North America this part of a city is commonly referred to as "downtown" or "city center"...
of downtown Fresno, California
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
. The mall runs along historic Fulton Street between Inyo and Tuolumne Streets and is home to a wide variety of shopping, restaurants, offices and public art. The PBID Partners of Downtown Fresno (formerly the Downtown Association of Fresno) is the local business improvement district
Business improvement district
A business improvement district is a defined area within which businesses pay an additional tax or fee in order to fund improvements within the district's boundaries. Grant funds acquired by the city for special programs and/or incentives such as tax abatements can be made available to assist...
.
Originally called J Street, it was renamed Fulton Street in honor of prominent local financier Fulton G. Berry after his death in 1910. As part of a major urban renewal
Urban renewal
Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...
effort in the 1960s, Fulton Street was transformed into Fulton Mall under the supervision of pioneering Austrian architect Victor Gruen
Victor Gruen
Victor David Gruen, born Viktor David Grünbaum , was an Austrian-born commercial architect best known as a pioneer in the design of shopping malls in the United States.- Biography :...
and American landscape architect Garrett Eckbo
Garrett Eckbo
Garrett Eckbo was an American landscape architect notable for his seminal 1950 book Landscape for Living.-Youth:...
. The mall was dedicated on September 1, 1964, to much fanfare.
The Fulton Mall has declined in recent decades and is consistently the subject of revitalization efforts. It was nominated in 2008 to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
, but was not placed on the register due to objections from a majority of property owners. However, because of its eligibility, the mall is now listed on the California Register of Historical Resources
California Register of Historical Resources
The California Register of Historical Resources is a California state government program for use by state and local agencies, private groups and citizens to identify, evaluate, register and protect California's historical resources...
.