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
Hearing to determine eligibility for listing on the Local Register of Historic Resources the property located at 1626 E Street (Assessor Parcel Number: 465-084-30T)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommend that the Historic Preservation Commission review the available evidence, hold the hearing and determine the property located at 1626 E Street (Assessor Parcel Number: 465-084-30T) not eligible as a Historic Resource on the local register.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The property located at 1626 E Street was built in 1968 for the Fresno Bee. It has been owned by the City of Fresno since 2021, and is proposed for demolition due to failed systems and other conditions in the building that render it infeasible for reuse. It was evaluated by a qualified firm in April 2026 and found eligible for listing in the California Register of Historic Resources (CRHR) under Criterion 1 and for the Fresno Local Register under criterion a(1)(i), for the theme of Urban Renewal in Fresno with a period of significance of 1969-1973, and for the theme of Communications in the Central Valley with a period of significance of 1969-1981. No significance was found under other criteria, including architectural merit; as such, staff is recommending that designation not be initiated, and that mitigations be undertaken to preserve the historic events with which the building is associated.
BACKGROUND
1626 E Street is located on a 29-acre site west of Downtown Fresno in the industrial and commercial corridor between California Highway 99 and the Southern Pacific Railroad tracks, and is surrounded by industrial and commercial uses. It was designed for the Fresno Bee as a newspaper printing and distribution facility with construction starting in 1968, and the...
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