The auto industry had to rely on roads built at tax payer expense. Transit industry included cost of fuel in the price of a ticket fare, cars require the owner to pay for fuel. Transit includes the cost of its own insurance, auto industry makes the consumer pay.

Working plan and acquiring investors, it's a big project and honestly can use all the help we can get at this point; from the truly interested.

Poor wording perhaps. There are things that can be done today and in the next year or two to improve downtown. Your project is great but is a long term project (unless you're planning on breaking ground in the next year or so). There is no reason that the community needs to sit around and wait for something like that to happen, when there are things that can be done today, tomorrow, next month and next year to improve the situation downtown.

Your reply is illogical.

That's all great, but it's not necessary to improve the current situation downtown. Your project sounds nice but is years away. Who wants to wait that long?

When the Fulton Mall was finished it included the underground garage. It was just prior to my acquiring my driver's license but, I remember vividly that if you parked your car in the underground garage you could pretty much count on your car getting busted into. The crime Downtown was horrible and that stigma still lingers 40 years later.

The conclusion that the Downtown areas were injured by real estate development out of the commerce hubs due to the proliferation of the automobile culture is certainly key to the demise of all the Western US areas.

Overall and as a general statement; win, win situations work well. The auto industry hasn't shown itself as private sector group that has much concern with anything other than profit. Here is an example: the early transit systems had to supply the track and Right-Of-Way at its own expense. The auto industry had to rely on roads built at tax payer expense. Transit industry included cost of fuel in the price of a ticket fare, cars require the owner to pay for fuel. Transit includes the cost of its own insurance, auto industry makes the consumer pay. Transit was predominantly clean burning electric, cars create a giant problem of air pollution and huge health risks.

This line of reasoning that the auto industry is a profit only motivated industry doesn't even address the petroleum industry where every little market glitch is used as a ploy to raise fuel prices. Early this year the petroleum reported record profits — some as high as a 26% increase — IN JUST THE FIRST QUARTER OF THE YEAR! BTW that would mean 100% profits for the year. Win, win; not for anyone except the petroleum companies. This it the reason that all of the Downtown areas through-out the West have suffered: through the short sightedness of immediate profit windfalls.

Smart growth is the current solution: now that it is common knowledge that significant economic and ecological damage has been sustained by many years of unbridled expansion which carried with it a certain amount of self-serving corruption.

Self promotion means that the budget isn't supported by big business here; whomever is writing these great comments, famous guest, there is a local company working towards an ecological solution to Fresno's transit future: www.centraltransit.com . Currently we are looking for conversion in the discussion of Fresno's future.

Many cities (most in fact) that had municipal rail systems in 1920 didn't have them by 1960. It's a long long story as to why, but Fresno wasn't the only city where this happened. Also, virtually every major city in America experienced a "dowtown decline" post 1950. Most other cities have had their urban cores come back to life, and Fresno is severely lagging in that regard. Why is that? Urban sprawl can be blamed, but other cities have just as much sprawl and don't have a ghost town on main street downtown Friday nights at 6:00pm. Fresno bought in 100 percent to the ideas of the 1960's on how to rebuild urban spaces. It was in the lead nationwide, some would say the "bleeding edge" and with that you either get great success or terrible failure. Some would say that things like the current county courthouse and park, and Fulton Mall are great achivements, but some would also say they are terrible failures, which brought about the demolition of almost half of the central business district, and a betrayal of everything that was good about downtown pre-1960. Maybe the truth is somewhere in between.

I think that whole two block long complex was built in 1971, incluing what is today Club One, the County Office of Education, and the vacant hotel.

I think that article was making reference to the opening of the Tower at the Convention Center, which was the first major multi story office building in that span.

You know, an article in the Bee a year or so ago said Fresno has gone 4 decades with no buildings being built Downtown. From Del Webb and that wasp nest looking court house to the Stadium. Okay, they did build the space ship (my personal favorite) but, that is only temporary - there are engines in the basement to launch it.

The article in the Bee a year or so ago must have meant that there were no private commercial buildings built in 4 decades from Del Webb till Civic Center? Then when was the former Hilton built? Who wrote that article about the 4 decades? What are the facts?

Prior to Caltrans building Freeway 41 through Downtown, the RR tracks connected to the Santa Fe (BNSF)line and ran up the middle of Tulare from 41 just west of Cedar. Late at night, 9pm or after, there would be no traffic, one could sneak up on the track and the car would glide perfectly on the track without haveing to steer the car.

My guess is that Huntington Blvd got its name from Collis Huntington and that it was his money that had something to do with the development of Huntington Blvd.

Great history of old Fresno, back then Fresno was the 4th largest community in the State. Kind of makes one ask the question: what happened?

I love the photos of downtown Fresno at this time... look at the cool electric rail cars ... you know I heard that the rails are burred in some places like the median on Huntington boulevard.