Fulton Mall Ideas
Ideas to improve Fulton Mall:
1) convert the Fulton Mall area to Art Deco, Art Noveau, Neo-Federalist &/or Victorian styles only for facades, by using a theme like "Old Town Clovis"
2) improve parking, either free or validated (large signs in validating-member storefronts)
3) better traffic signage, so people don't get lost, especially on one-way streets (have every lane painted with arrows that show the direction of travel allowed for each lane at every stop sign/light or entry point (just like we have at highway off-ramps))
4) have battle of bands on Friday Nights (& record that music to play on the mall public address speakers the next week)
5) have 5 minute commercial ads from only Fulton Mall merchants over the mall public address speakers every 10-15 minutes (charge nominal fee)
6) no muzak on the mall public address speakers, ever
7) try to entice more ethnic merchants to different areas of the Fulton Mall, use Sister City themes, like "Little Karachi", "Little Torreon", etc...
8) invite Sister City countries to open consulates here
9) encourage associations, businesses, or consulates catering to Europeans or Asians downtown
10) use eminent domain to take over empty buildings, sell them to people that will convert them to lofts, studios, galleries & mini-stores
11) paint outlines for areas that can have kiosks, charge vendors fees for every cart or service
12) allow vendor stalls (or put benches) under all the wisteria arbors
13) pay minimum wage for clarinet, horn or guitar players stationed at 2 mid-point locations, that get tips from passersby
14) more museums; we have people here from all over the world, yet only 3 ethnic museums in Fresno (currently only Latino, African American & Volga Germans)
15) encourage someone to turn the old Hilton into an hostel, like they have in Europe
16) encourage Yosemite tour companies specializing in European & Asian tourists
17) coordinate open eateries, tours & FAX trams for conventioneers after hours, after convention
18) have the "Destination Fresno" brochures from the Visitors & Convention Bureau available for tourists in different languages in the Convention lobby & other locations, with what's to do nearby
19) make sure that all the merchants know what programs are available for them or customers
20) make sure that Fresno residents know what's available on the Fulton Mall
21) hire someone to coordinate events, so that there is something happening every weekend from March to October
22) advertise major events in the LA Times; coordinate with area hotels (they pay the fees)
23) invite Arts Council, poets, internet hubs (& blogs), Creative Council, Downtown Association, Fulton Mall merchants, area Chamber of Commerces, City Council & Convention bureau to cross-fertile each other for ideas, coordinated events, meetings, speakers, etc…
24) we've had several studies (including the Urban Land Institute), lets use one & stick to it
any other ideas?
Hello my dear
He is my best friend and this is my frist comment all the best .
Re: Fulton Mall
The builders of the mall ruined downtown with their naive utopian plan. It has proven to be a failure. They did it "for progress". The skeptics in 1964 said it wouldn't work, and they were proven to be right, and the mall backers wrong. I'm not saying the mall should be torn out, but if it were to be modified, or Fulton Street returned to its original state, it would not be for some phony vision of progress, it would be to fix a failed system, and return to one that was successful in the past, and has a greater potential for bringing downtown back to life.
re: homeless
regarding your comments about homeless individuals.
-please list the basic requirements that would be needed to be eligible for assistance in this city.
-please list where those who meet these requirements can go to get this assistance, once they are eligible.
-for those who do not meet these requirements, please state where they can go for assistance.
What you are describing as 'part of their problems,' are often condensed and/or seen in the following ways.
Chemical dependency, (be it 'drugs or alch.') is an addiction problem, and stems from emotional concerns, (people don't just drink to drink, -they are drinking to cope with something, -this leads to dependency upon the substance, (in this case alch,) same to be said for other drugs.
Mental Illness is a very broad term to use. Socilization skills, (vague,) might mean maladaptive behaviors? The same would apply when dealing with 'burning bridges with family and friends.'
Criminality.
This would be an awkward phrase at best.
If you are referring to those who have been incarcerated (beyond the usual county slammer scenario for low level crimes,) there would be a definite concern with 'institutionalization.'
-In some states, a person who has been incarcerated for 5 or more years is considered actually disabled, -as they are now, so dependent upon their surroundings, -as well as have completely adapted to them, that they are considered as not likely to be able to reacclimate into 'regular society.'
There are various programs (Moral Reconnation Therapy,) and the like, to help those who have served their time re-adjust, -but the longer someone has done time, the more they are out of this world, and the more they are used to seeing a rather unhealthy one as 'normal.'
(I had one client, who had done a lot of time, and simply could not sleep in a large room. -This may sound like not such a big deal, but it was very hard for him to maintain focus and a decent disposition, not being able to sleep for weeks, until we figured out how to set up lockers next to his bed, (he had no sense of security without them there, having lived in a cell for so many years.)
Though a person can wind up homeless very quickly,(in some cases radical house fire, etc.) the longer that they are, after initially coming to that point, the less likely they are going to be able to return to having a decent place to live.
-Things tend to very quickly snowball, (involving not just inability to find decent work, but the penchant to address feelings of being defeated with alch. and drugs, -as well as other emotional concerns that will be exascerbated by their (now,) dire conditions.
-A very real diagnosis MICA (mentally ill chemically adicted,) --which includes alch. --is a particularly fierce battle, because you are working with both a chem/emotional dependency ---as well as someonw who is mentally unstable to boot.
'handing out free aid,' to someone like this is a curious comment as well.
-A person who has severe mental illness, or has maladaptive behaviors has to be (first,) stablized to a degree, and then brought through detox/rehab --and then able to live in a program that will help them to cope in a new way with the problems at hand.
-This may be considered as 'free help,' ---but it is required and takes time, otherwise you are setting them up for failure, (which makes the trust and attempt to do better next time even more remote.
Personally, I am shocked at the amount of Veterans who are homeless and on the streets.
If a vet has had an honorable discharge, they are covered and available for care (US Govt. Supplied,) --yet so many of them aren't even aware that this is available to them. (That would be a lot of currently homeless folks off the street, right there.)
One of the key factors in helping out this population comes into play with the person who is observing the situation, and wanting to help them.
If the attitude is: 'They want to be this way, and I'm just going to prod them into living responsibility, I'd suspect that there will not be such good luck. ---there are deep seated issues at play, --and the very definition of mentally ill comprises someone who is unable to negotiate normal life, ---or make good choices, BECAUSE they're mentally ill.
-So helping someone like this is not 'furthering,' their problems and dependency, but providing them with a structured setting them where they can untangle some isues, as well as learn new skillsets to not fall into the same trap a second time.
Fresno is not ideal to work with the homeless for much of the underlying perspective of: 'they want to be that way, they simply are not taking advantages of what is available to them.'
It's a very sticky problem, blaming the victim of the situation does not help, --and surely does not spell out any significant compassion nor the empathetic patience required to help someone change years of accumulated problems.
homeless
as for the homeless, i worked for 3 units in the Welfare dept, the last 1 was called the "Homeless unit",
truth be told, there's tons of help in this city, we gave plenty of referrals because of the wealth of resources here, they just needed to meet the qualifications
part of the homeless problem is
1) drugs
2) alcohol
3) mental probs
4) socialization
5) criminality
6) burning all their bridges w/ friends & family
7) programs that give out things with no strings attached
every tiime you give money to a panhandler or someone with a sign saying "will work for food", you are contributing to their dependance
that is part of the "law of unintended consequences", just like pavlov's dogs, you teach them they don't have to really work for food, they won't, why should they? you're contributing to the delinquency of an adult, by making them "work for their beer" via just asking for your money, thats so easy
why, did you just train them or did they trained you?
we should do an experiment
has any org ever taken them up on their claim, "will work for food"?
that would be a true test
Fulton Mall is special
we have to live in this city, we need to make it livable
Fulton Mall is 1 of a kind, why destroy it, for progress?
Caltrans plowed most of Ferostirre Underground Gardens, people didn't complain then, since it was for an offramp, 40 years of work
we'ld have been smart to build some of this city underground, less heat there, anything underground dug 10 ft or more, its 65 degrees constant, so no cooling or heating costs, we don't learn
Cowboys...
We need more cowboys downtown to keep herding the homeless to different areas. It beats actually solving the problem!
Sorry, I'm a jerk, I know.
Magnificooooo!
-good point!
I don't need anyone to convince me that the homeless downtown are human.
I need someone to convince me that those who are going to go on and on and on about a stupid freakin' shopping center,(who ignore the homeless,) are.
The best defence I ever hear about the place is 'what a great idea it was, and how wonderful it was.'
Maybe it was but it was a long time ago.
(Read the threads, it's all about preservation -not about making best use of space as are needed by the people in the area.)
I'm floored that someone can look at the past, and nostalgia, (and manage to stare right THROUGH a destitue person who is standing there in 3D and say '....how can we bring back the past.'
They're buildings... and sculptures...
Those things were built for people,
not people for the buildings...
the people are STILL there, and worth more than a hunk of 'art,' or structures,
--because they are alive...
(but what are we going on (for months and years about????)
(And don't hand me this horseshit about 'how long it takes to get something done,'
--in a few hours You are going to be hungry,
and You will make sure
You
are fed,,, (same regarding those who you are caring for.)
--Face it and Fix it.
Our own interests are taken care of in record time, when they are our focus.
Why are these people's interests and needs not even a distant second over -CONCRETE?
Amazing, simply Amazing...
Downtown Fresno in general
I have been one of the pioneers in the establishment of Fulton Street's "The Downtown Church" in Fresno, just one short block north of the Fulton Mall. I LIKE suggestion #10 above that the City take over vacant buildings and open up something that serves some human purpose. I'm tired of seeing stray cats getting fed, but homeless individuals, human beings created in the image of God, going hungry!
Reverend Steve Hislop
galileo
galileo
figaro...
money
1. that depends on whether anyone with money reads this blog
on wheter any of these ideas are workable
if any will possibly be profitable
and how much effort these people are willing to make
I'm just a poor worker, barely making it,
so that leaves me out, except for the sharing of ideas
que Queen:
SCARAMUSH SCARAMUSH CAN YOU DO THE FANDANGO? THUNDER BOLTS AND LIGHTINING VERY VERY FRIGHTENING EEEE!
great to get the wheels turning, BUT...
...aren't we putting the cart before the horse. It's fantastic to see these discussions and ideas and passions, but there's not even a baseline plan in place for a revitalization project to commence.
Perhaps, we should all join forces to jump on that bandwagon before we get creative about themes and architectural plans.
To reviatlize takes money and Council approval. Our city Council sucks and there is no money in place. So that is that is the task before us at this moment...
1. Where do we find investors/developers?
2. How do we get enough Fresno folks in front of City Council to actually sway them? Can we sway them at all to gain approval?
curious to know...
... scharton's take on these suggestions.
thanks
"Streetcar Commercial"? funky name, but definitely better looking than some of our new junk
I guess we lack people with money &/or big dreams, that would build things like Barton's Opera House or were going to build Chateaus here
as an aside:
I think someone should buy the new city hall, convert it into a Sci-Fi museum, it even has a circular landing pad just in front by the water channel. how convenient is that?
No, they weren't Art Deco or
No, they weren't Art Deco or Art Nouveau. I agree with you the historic buildings should be preserved, you're just using the wrong terms. Again, most of the buildings downtown today date from 1912-1929. Post Victorian, pre-Art Deco. The ones that do have art deco/moderne touches (Gottschalks, the Bank of America at Merced Street & Fulton, and the Cory Building at Fresno & Fulton) all were remodels of earlier buildings from that 1912 - 1929 era. If you want to know what they looked like before the remodels, a good example would be the Virgina Hotel on Kern Street, which is not Victorian, nor Art Deco. "Period Revival" is what you might call them. Exposed brickwork, some neo-classical touches. A great website with surveys of the remaining historic buildings in Fresno is:
http://historicfresno.org/
Here the author describes many of these buildings a "Streetcar Commercial"
parking lots
so they were Art Deco &/or Art Nouveau then? what a shame!!!
that's even more of a crime, those would have been beautiful buildings
just remembered Joni Mitchell's song about tearing down paradise to put up a parking lot
I know this ain't Hawaii or Yosemite, but when you like old buildings, hey it's the closes you'll come to wow moments, seeing magnificant examples
http://emma.brocknet.net/wordpress/?p=79
Victorian Buildings on the Mall
Name a building on the mall that was originally Victorian in design. There are none left. Most were torn down years ago. The large buildings are almost all Renaissance Revival (neo-classical) or some variant thereof. Of Fresno's commercial Victorian era buildings like the Temple Bar and Hughes Hotel, they're gone. You are correct that many old buildings got updated with facades in the 40's-60's, but the orginal buildings were usually built far after the Victorian era, like in the 1920's (when downtown had its biggest building boom).
Fulton Mall Ideas - Lofts
In the '90s, Los Angeles loosened the restrictions on converting their downtown buildings to lofts, and now they have tons of new, desirable loft space in what used to be abandonded buildings. Get government out of the way and let developers make the old Security Pacific Building into lofts. Increase police protection, and when you reach the right critical population density, the drifters and troublemakers will disappear.
false fronts
check out Eaton's "Vintage Fresno", looks like a Victorian town up to the 40's
not sure what era the weird copulas belong to, but the canvas shades sure mean it's hot in Fresno, even then, some are plain ugly, with CAPITAL letters & an emphasis on "ugh"
I heard that many old buildings got up-dated with modern facades in the 50's & 60's, that block 2nd story windows
remove the false fronts & maybe they can convert them to lofts
This is NOT authentic
This is not authentic. There are 2 art deco buildings on the mall. No art nouveau, victorian or neo-federalist buildings at ALL. When at all feasible, buildings should be restored to their original state and style. When that's not feasible, how about doing something contemporary, like you'll find in any other big city? (and I don't mean River Park stucco). There is NO point in trying to do a disneyland style main street "theme" along Fulton, especially as the mall is a 1960's "modern" design. (wouldn't it look silly enforcing a faux victorian theme on 1920's era buildings along a mid century modern mall)? If anything a diversity of architectural styles makes things interesting.
The meeting Tuesday night
The meeting Tuesday night had the most practical of all the ideas, provide money to do something. The PBID appears to be the most practical idea to get things going.
Some of the things you mention are excellent steps that need to be taken. Cooridination is necessary and keeping this focus on your recommendations needs to be carried and not forgotten about.
What good are ideas that are not put into action? Please keep writing about this and keep it active.
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