REPORT TO THE HISTORIC PRESERVATION COMMISSION
April 27, 2026
FROM: JENNIFER K. CLARK, AICP, Director
Planning and Development Department
BY: ASHLEY ATKINSON, AICP, Assistant Director
Planning and Development Department
SUBJECT
Title
Consideration of the Property Owner’s Request to Recommend City Council Designation of the following Property to the Local Register of Historic Resources and Adoption of Findings Pursuant to FMC 12-1607 & FMC 12-1609:
• 207 E San Joaquin Street (Assessor Parcel Number: 465-196-10)
1. RECOMMEND to City Council the designation of 207 E San Joaquin Street to the Local Register of Historic Resources
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission recommend to City Council designation of the following property to the Local Register of Historic Resources:
• 207 E San Joaquin Street (Assessor Parcel Number: 465-196-10)
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The owners of the property at 207 E San Joaquin Street (Assessor Parcel Number: 465-196-10) filed an application to designate the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church as a Historic Resource on the Local Register (Exhibit A). The property was evaluated by a qualified professional in March 2026 and found eligible for local registration under Fresno Municipal Code Sec. 12-1607 Criteria a(1)(i), and a(1)(iii). The church as an institution has played a role in Fresno’s African American community for more than 100 years. Since 1955, the church building has been a cornerstone of mixed neighborhood with a unique design that gives integrity to its period of significance of 1955.
BACKGROUND
207 E San Joaquin Street is located on the northeast corner of San Joaquin and Modoc Streets in west Fresno, and consists of a 5,156 square foot, one-story church building with a partial basement. Based on the Primary Record form prepared for the property by Karana Hattersley-Drayton in March 2026, the building has a rectangular plan and is constructed of concrete masonry units (CMUs) with stucco cladding (Exhibit C). The building is an idiosyncratic mix of Mid-Century Modernism with Art Deco Retro details as evident on the principal elevation that faces south on San Joaquin Street. Rectangular entrance towers with decorative inset concrete panels flank both sides of the façade. The façade is largely unaltered from the original, apart from vinyl replacement windows on the side elevations, which also feature CMU pilasters.
The institution of the Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church was founded in 1926 by Reverend WA Watkins and is planning its 100th anniversary. The congregation initially met at the AME Zion Methodist Church at F and Stanislaus, then constructed its own building, designed and built by church members, in 1947. This building was condemned for construction of State Route 99, and the church constructed its current building in 1955. As noted in the Primary Record form, it is evident from both oral history and from the building’s idiosyncratic design that the 1955 church building was also designed and constructed by members of the congregation. In 1966 the church initiated its first annual All Saints Day Carnival, which has become an important community event.
Per the Fresno Municipal Code, any building, structure, object or site may be designated as an Historic Resource if it is found by the Commission and Council to meet the criteria in Section 12-1607 - Designation Criteria:
(1) It has been in existence more than fifty years, and it possesses aspects of integrity to convey its significance based upon location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling or association, and:
(i) It is associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or
(ii)It is associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or
(iii) It embodies the distinctive characteristics of a type, period or method of construction, or represents the work of a master, or possesses high artistic values; or
(iv) It has yielded or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory or history.
The property located at 207 E San Joaquin Street was evaluated as described above and found eligible for local registration under Fresno Municipal Code Sec. 12-1607 Criteria a (1) (i), for its unique design, and a (1) (iii), for its 100-year role in African-American community history.
The designation application was submitted by the property owner and has their support (Exhibit B).
Duties and Powers of the Commission
Relevant duties, powers, and procedures of the commission in making this determination are as follows:
Section 12-1606. - Duties and Powers of the Commission
(a) The primary duties of the Commission shall be:
(1) The identification, designation and preservation of Historic Resources and Historic Districts owned by the city or located within the city limits;
Section 12-1609. - Historic Resources
(c) Commission Hearing:
(1) The Commission shall review all materials prepared and submitted and only members of the Commission who have physically visited and seen the proposed property may vote on the designation recommendation.
(2) At the conclusion of the hearing, the Commission shall recommend to the Council
approval, disapproval or modification of the proposal for designation and make findings in support of that recommendation; or the Commission may continue the hearing.
(3) An affirmative roll call vote of a majority of the authorized membership of the Commission is required for a recommendation to the City Council.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
The designation is not a project for the purposes of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), as it will not result in a direct or indirect change in the environment.
FRESNO MUNICIPAL CODE FINDINGS
The church located at 207 E San Joaquin Street meets the criteria a (1) (i), and a (1) (iii) for historic designation under the Fresno Municipal Code Sec. 12-1607.
CONCLUSION
Staff recommends that the Historic Preservation Commission recommend to City Council designation
of the following property to the Local Register of Historic Resources:
• 207 E San Joaquin Street (Assessor Parcel Number: 465-196-10)
ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit A - Application for Designation of an Historic Resource (207 E San Joaquin)
Exhibit B - Letter of Owner Authorization (207 E San Joaquin)
Exhibit C - DPR Inventory Form (2026)
Exhibit D - Notice of Public Hearing