REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
April 25, 2022
FROM: JENNIFER CLARK, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: ALICIA GONZALES, Historic Preservation Specialist
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
HEARING TO CONSIDER Application B22-02948 for the façade renovations to HP# 292 the Fresno Daily Expositor building located at 1031 Fulton St. (APN 46621304).
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) take the following actions:
1. ADOPT a finding of Categorical Exemption pursuant to Section 15331 (Historical Resource Restoration/Rehabilitation) of the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines.
2. APPROVE: Application B22-02948 for the façade renovations to HP# 292 the Fresno Daily Expositor building located at 1031 Fulton St. (APN 46621304) subject to the following conditions of approval.
a. Staff will be allowed to photograph before, during and upon completion of the project; and
b. Any changes to the approved project will be submitted to the Historic Preservation Specialist prior to the commencement of any related work
Body
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owner and Paul Halajian Architects filed application B22-02948 for the façade renovation at the Historic Daily Expositor Building on March 7, 2022 and distributed to staff for review on March 9, 2022. This project was most recently presented on June 28, 2021, with a preliminary workshop. The project scope of work proposes the overall rehabilitation of a historic building which includes reconstruction of the parapet, restoration of existing historic facade and new construction of the first-story store front. Primary concerns for Staff are that the rehabilitation efforts balance the preservation of a historic resource without creating a false history. Pursuant to FMC 12-1617 staff requests that the Commission consider and make findings on application B22-02948.
BACKGROUND
The Fresno Daily Expositor Building [c. 1881/1888] located at 1029-1031 Fulton St., Fresno CA 93721 (APN 46621304) in Downtown Fresno. The Fresno Daily Expositor Building is a rectangular plan complex which primary elevation faces northeast toward Fulton St. and is an example of early commercial settlement of Fresno downtown as well as mid-century redevelopment adapted to postwar tastes and functions. The building is a 2-story masonry brick building with a capped flat unelaborated roof, which primary façade was once was concealed beneath a tenant improvement of a stucco-wrapped modern storefront from the 1970s. However, in 2020 the stucco was removed, and the brick masonry which has a haphazard whitewash is now visible on the second story. The first story store front has been entirely removed and is currently boarded up for safety. The second story is an example of a commercial vernacular building which employs traditional brick masonry construction. With the removal of the modern store front the centerline of the building displays a sawtooth course detail. Additionally, four of the original brick vertically arched windows are now visible on the primary façade. The building is approximately 6,500 square foot building and on 0.09-acre lot. The period of significance identified for this property is 1881-1888. The building was formally evaluated in 2012 and updated 2014 as a part of the Downtown Fresno (Fulton Corridor) Survey and is noted as the oldest building still standing within the City of Fresno. The property was placed on the Local Register of Historic Resources on April 2, 2015, when City Council approved Resolution 2015-047. The building was also found ineligible to the National Register of Historic Places and under California Historical Resource code was given the status of 5B for being locally significant at the time of the survey. However, with the recent removal of the mid-century modern stucco finish, the buildings original brick-masonry on the second story demonstrates distinctive characteristics of a type, period, and or method of construction and is an example of adaptive reuse of a historic resource throughout multiple periods of significance. The Fresno Daily Expositor building is associated with the first newspaper in Fresno, the Fresno Weekly Expositor. J.W. Ferguson was editor and owner of the Fresno Daily & Weekly Expositor, Fresno’s oldest newspaper. On April 27, 1970, J.W. Ferguson attempting to meeting the demand for a good newspaper in Millerton (original County seat of Fresno) and issued the first copies of the Fresno Weekly Expositor. In 1881 Ferguson moved the editorial and printing office of the paper to a new one-story brick building located on J street between Mariposa and Tulare which is currently addressed as 1029-1031. It was around this time that the original weekly newspaper began distribution also as a daily. In 1888 with the growing expansion of the publication the office structure expanded to a two-story 7,500 square foot brick building which included an artistic wrought iron balustrade, French plate glass and galvanized iron with terra cotta trimmings on the first story front, and a thirty-foot flagstaff.
Project Proposal
The Owner and Paul Halajian Architects filed application B22-02948 for the façade renovation at the Historic Daily Expositor Building on March 7, 2022. This project was brought to the Commission as a preliminary workshop at the regular scheduled meeting on May 24, 2021.
This project proposes the overall rehabilitation of a historic building which acknowledges the need to alter or add to a historic property to meet continuing or changing uses while retaining the properties historic character. The scope of work includes reconstruction of the parapet, restoration of existing historic facade and new construction of the first-story store front. The project proposes construction of new single-story wood frame construction office pavilion building. Exterior materials to be primarily wood board & batten exterior sheathing, aluminum frame glazing and standing seam metal roof over flu-laminated beams and rafters. The parapet is an original feature of the historic structure, the reconstruction will remove top course of non-historic brick and rebuild the original roof line with complementary construction and materials to match the original feature (i.e., brick masonry); approximate maximum height between 6’-10’. The applicant has taken detailed survey of the brickwork for the restoration of existing historic façade, proposed work includes removal of paint from brick, repoint deteriorated, unsound brick and mortar joints, installation of terra cotta panel to match original feature, reconstruct decorative sawtooth course on the centerline, remove of non-historic infill brick and windows, restore masonry opening and provide window to the four-brick arched window and replace and patch damaged or missing brick to match original historic details. The proposed new construction on the first story is a store front which is purposefully differentiated from the original character of the building. Features include two new suite entry doors, terra cotta trim and butt-glazed curtain walls. This project from will be documented as record of the activities.
The Commission should consider the size, scale, location, design, and the overall style of the proposed project. FMC Section 12-1617 provides guidance in relation to Historic Resource Permit Review and the Commission should also consider the project in relation to historical and architectural values of Historic Resource and any applicable design standards.
Duties and Powers of the Commission
The City’s Historic Preservation Ordinance is located at Chapter 12, Article 16 of the Fresno Municipal Code.
Section 1606 outlines the duties and powers of the Commission. Section 1606 (a) (2) specifically refers to the duties entailing review of alterations to historic resources:
The regulation of exterior alterations visible from a public right-of-way including demolition, relocation and new construction, and interior alterations which would affect the significance of Historic Resources or Historic Districts
Section 1617 outlines the Historic Permit review process.
(a)It shall be unlawful for any person, corporation, association, partnership, or other legal entity to directly or indirectly alter, remodel, demolish, grade, remove, construct, reconstruct or restore any Historic Resource without first obtaining a city permit and the written approval of the Historic Preservation Commission.
Section 12-1617 (c) provides that:
Any application or proposal which proposes the substantial alteration of an Historic Resource shall also be referred to the Director of the Development Department for environmental review. No hearing shall be held by the Commission for applications or proposals to demolish, grade, remove or substantially alter the Historic Resource until such application or proposal has undergone environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
Section 12-1617 (g) provides that:
After consideration of the final environmental document, all evidence and testimony, the Commission shall have the authority to approve, deny or approve with modifications, any application or proposal.
Section 12-1617 (h) provides that:
No application or proposal shall be approved or approved with modifications unless the Commission makes the following findings:
(1)The proposed work is found to be consistent with the purposes of this article and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards, not detrimental to the special historical, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value of the Historic Resource; or
(2)The action proposed is necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the property; or
(3)Denial of the application will result in unreasonable economic hardship to the owner. In order to approve the application, the Commission must find facts and circumstances, not of the applicant's own making, which establish that there are no feasible measures that can be taken that will enable the property owner to make a reasonable economic beneficial use of the property or derive a reasonable economic return from the property in its current form; or
(4)The site is required for a public use which will directly benefit the public health, safety and welfare and will be of more benefit to the public than the Historic Resource.
(5)For applications for relocation of an Historic Resource, the Commission shall find that one or more of the above conditions exist, that relocation will not destroy the historical, architectural, or aesthetic value of the Resource and that the relocation is part of a definitive series of actions which will assure the preservation of the Resource.
Fresno Municipal Code Findings
Based upon analysis of the application, staff concludes that the required findings of FMC Section 12-1617 (h) to approve application permit #P22-01285 can be made because:
No application or proposal shall be approved or approved with modifications unless the Commission makes the following findings:
(1)The proposed work is found to be consistent with the purposes of this article and the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, not detrimental to the special historical, architectural, or aesthetic interest or value of the Historic Resource; or
Finding 1. Can be made because the application for the proposed project meets the Secretary of the Interior Standards for Preservation 1,2,5, 6 and 9. Additionally the proposed work will highlight specific historical architectural or aesthetic Interest or value of the Historic Resource.
(2) The action proposed is necessary to correct an unsafe or dangerous condition on the property; or
Finding 2. Can be made as the Fresno Daily Expositor currently does not meet current compliance standards for occupation. The new use as business offices for Terranova Ranch Farms rehabilitates the historic character of the building and distinguishes new construction clear as to not distract from the historic materials that characterize the property.
(3) Denial of the application will result in unreasonable economic hardship to the owner. In order to approve the applicant, the Commission must find facts and circumstances, not the applicant’s own making, which establish that there are no feasible measures that can be taken that will enable the property owner to make a reasonable economic beneficial use of the property or derive a reasonable economic return from the property in its current form; or
Finding 3. Cannot be made as there has been no evidence brought by the owner or applicant of economic hardship.
(4) The site is required for a public use which will directly benefit the public health, safety and welfare and will be of more benefit that the Historic Resource.
Finding 4. Cannot be made because this property is a privately owned building and is not directly used to benefit the public health, safety, or welfare of the public.
(5) For applications for relocation of an Historic Resource, the Commission shall find that one or more of the above conditions exist, that relocation will not destroy the historical, architectural, or aesthetic value of the Resource and that the relocation is part of a definitive series of actions which will assure the preservation of the Resource.
Finding 5. Cannot be made because this property does not propose relocation of a Historic Resource.
FMC Section 11-1736 Historical Building Provisions
Qualified Historical Buildings may use the State Historical Building Code.
California Historical Building Code (CHBC) (Title 24, Part 8)
8-2 Definitions
Character Defining Feature. Those visual aspects and physical elements that comprise the appearance of a historical building or property, and that are significant to its historical, architectural, and cultural values, including the overall shape of the historical building or property, its materials, craftsmanship, decorative details, interior spaces, and features, as well as the various aspects of its site and environment.
Historical Fabric or Materials. Original and later-added historically significant construction materials, architectural finishes or elements in a particular pattern or configuration which form a qualified historical property, as determined by the authority having jurisdiction
Rehabilitation. The act or process of making possible a compatible use for qualified historical building or property through repair, alterations and additions while preserving those portions or features which convey its qualified historical cultural or architectural values.
The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation:
Standard 1
A property shall be used for its historic purpose or be placed in a new use that requires minimal change to the defining characteristics of the building and its site and environment.
Standard 2
The historic character of a property shall be retained and preserved. The removal of historic materials or alteration of features and spaces that characterize a property shall be avoided.
Standard 5
Distinctive features, finishes, and construction techniques or examples of craftsmanship that characterize a property shall be preserved.
Standard 6
Deteriorated historic features shall be repaired rather than replaced. Where the severity of deterioration requires replacement of a distinctive feature, the new feature shall match the old in design, color, texture, and other visual qualities and, where possible, materials. Replacement of missing features shall be substantiated by documentary, physical, or pictorial evidence.
Standard 9
New additions, exterior alterations, or related new construction shall not destroy historic materials that characterize the property. The new work shall be differentiated from the old and shall be compatible with the massing, size, scale, and architectural features to protect the historic integrity of the property and its environment.
The Secretary of the Interior’s Guidelines for the Treatment of Historic Properties:
The guidance for the treatment Preservation begins with recommendations to identify the form and detailing of those architectural materials and features that are important in defining the building’s historic character and which must be retained to preserve that character. Therefore, guidance on identifying, retaining, and preserving character-defining features is always given first
After identifying those materials and features that are important and must be retained in the process of Preservation work, then protecting and maintaining them are addressed. Protection generally involves the least degree of intervention and is preparatory to other work. Protection includes the maintenance of historic materials and features as well as ensuring that the property is protected before and during preservation work.
Public Notice
In accordance with Section 12-1617 of the FMC, the Planning and Development Department mailed notices of this Commission hearing to surrounding property owners within 2,000 feet.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Environmental review is required by Fresno Municipal Code Section 12-1617(c):
…No hearing shall be held by the Commission for applications or proposals to demolish, grade, remove or substantially alter a property within any Historic District until such application or proposal has undergone environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act
If the Commission find that the proposed plans for the building appear to be consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards, then the project can use a Categorical Exemption Class 31 which includes:
“Class 31 consists of projects limited to maintenance, repair, stabilization, rehabilitation, restoration, preservation, conservation, or reconstruction of historical resources in a manner consistent with the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties….” (CEQA Guidelines, CELSOC 2006).
Further, none of the exceptions in CEQA Guidelines 15300.2 apply to this project.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission (HPC) Approve application B22-02948 for the façade renovations to HP# 292 the Fresno Daily Expositor building located at 1031 Fulton St. (APN 46621304) pursuant to FMC Section 12-1617.
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit A: Resolution 2015-047 (3-26-2015)
Exhibit B: Proposed Site Plans and Drawings (2022)
Exhibit C: Proposed Graphics
Exhibit D: Location Map
Exhibit E: HPC Minutes (06-28-2021)
Exhibit F: DPR Forms (2014)
Exhibit G: Checklist Historic Resource Permit Review Submission
Exhibit H: Categorical Exemption (B22-02948)