District Office Building History

History of 1171 Fulton Street

The city of Fresno was established in 1872. Fresno was abundant with ash trees, which is the Spanish translation for “Fresno.”
The corner of H and Fresno Streets (adjacent to our parking garage) housed the first commercial district in Fresno due to its proximity to the railroad station.
In 1884, Fulton G. Berry bought the Grand Central Hotel at J & Mariposa Streets which became a social center. After his death in 1910, J Street was renamed Fulton Street in his honor.
The land at Fulton and Fresno Streets was purchased by Andrew Mattei, a Swiss-Italian winemaker & real estate developer, in 1917 for $55,000.
Construction on 1171 Fulton began in 1919 by Fresno architect Eugene Mathewson who was inspired by “Sullivanesque” style named for famed Chicago architect Louis Sullivan. The masonry walls and terra-cotta ornamentation of vines, leaves & geometric figures were completed in 1921.
The ground floor was occupied by stores and upper floors were used as offices. Mattei’s corner office suite was on the 11^th
The building is 12 stories or 151 ft. tall, 164.63 ft. long and 50.7 ft. wide and is still the 7^th tallest building in Fresno.
Between 1913-1925, much of Fresno’s classic revival downtown skyline emerged in the Roaring Twenties “Beaux-Arts” styling.
Post WWII suburban expansion saw a decline in downtown use & popularity.
Guarantee Savings acquired the building in 1961 & installed a 15 ft. weather beacon in 1965. The “G” would change color according to weather changes.
The “G” went dark in 1994 due to costs. Power was restored in 2003 but only with white lights.
The Mattei Building is on the Local Register of Historic Places.

Future of 1171 Fulton Street

The SCCCD Board of Trustees approved purchase of 1171 Fulton in March 2018 for $10.5 million, including a parking structure
District Office staff members are mostly relocated as of June 2019
Revitalization of downtown Fresno continues with regular events such as ArtHop, Fulton Live, FresYes Fest, & Taco Truck Throwdown
25% of a $20 million federal grant went towards restoration & relocation of downtown sculptures & fountains
Approximately $13 million & 382,000 sq. ft. of building space has been sold in the past year & over 40,000 ft. of commercial space leased
Downtown businesses are thriving with the addition of the Brewery District & restaurants such as La Boulangerie who are now investing in downtown Fresno