REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
August 24, 2026
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: ASHLEY ATKINSON, AICP, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
Hearing to consider eligibility for listing on the Local Register of Historic Resources the property located at 5045 E Butler Ave. (Assessor Parcel Number: 472-021-30)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the Historic Preservation Commission review the available evidence, hold the hearing and determine whether to initiate designation of the property located at 5045 E Butler Ave (Assessor Parcel Number: 472-021-30) as a Historic Resource.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City has received an entitlement application for redevelopment of the property located at 5045 E Butler Ave. The site was previously developed in 1971 to house the West Coast processing center of the US Internal Revenue Service. It is not a designated Historic Resource nor located in a historic district but based upon its date of construction, association with historic events, and architectural characteristics, it may be eligible for listing on the Local Register of Historic Resources under Fresno Municipal Code (FMC) Sec. 12-1607.
BACKGROUND
The complex at 5045 E. Butler Ave. was constructed in 1970 to serve as a processing center for the US Internal Revenue Service's Western Region and was known as the IRS Service Center. It is located on approximately 50 acres on the north side of East Butler Avenue in the Sunnyside area. The property is developed with five interconnected buildings, courtyards, and parking lots. The one-story building rests on raised concrete foundations and has flat roofs with no eaves and metal fascia. The exterior walls are concrete with a repetitive pattern of "rubble"-style cast stone panels. The panels are separated by vertical and horizontal raw concrete strips and narrow grooves. Its narrow rectangular windows are metal-fr...
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