Fulton Clock Tower

Fulton Clock Tower (1964)
Fulton Mall and Mariposa Mall

This is not really a historical part of the walk. But it is a good place to stop and consider the Fulton Mall. It is in the middle of controversary and change. When we go to Peeves, just down the Mall from here, Craig Scharton will be talking to us a bit about why Fulton needs to be returned to a street. I personally do not have a strong opinion either way. The sentimental in me says to figure out a way to make this work; the pragmatist says the city has been trying to do this for 50 years.

Fulton Mall is a six-block pedestrian mall located in the central business district of Fresno, California. The mall runs along historic Fulton Street between Inyo and Tuolumne Streets and is home to a wide variety of shopping, restaurants, offices and public art. The Downtown Fresno Partnership (formerly the Downtown Association of Fresno) [1] is the local business improvement district.

Originally called J Street, it was renamed Fulton Street in honor of prominent local financier Fulton G. Berry after his death in 1910. As part of a major urban renewal effort in the 1960s, Fulton Street was transformed into Fulton Mall under the supervision of pioneering Austrian architect Victor Gruen and American landscape architect Garrett Eckbo. The mall was dedicated on September 1, 1964, to much fanfare  (Wikipedia)

Take a look at a video called Fresno: A City Reborn. It shows the vision for the mall.


Clock Tower by Jan de Swart (1908-1987) is located in Mariposa Plaza at Fulton
The clock tower was the only piece of art included within the overall construction budget of the fulton mall, the clock tower is the visual centerpiece of the six block long pedestrian mall system. Constructed of laminated fir, the tower is 60 feet high, and features four clock faces. The clock tower was trucked to the site and tilted up on its precast bronze clad concrete base.


At one time, the tower was illuminated at night. Four plaques at the base honor various dignitaries instrumental in the creation of the mall, and former Mayor Arthur Selland, and Redevelopment Agency Chair Arthur Eckhold, both of whom died before the opening of the mall in September 1964.
Jan De Swart was a prominent Dutch born artist who moved to southern California in the early 1940's.  He is best known for his unique use of wood in both sculptures and furniture. His work was frequently featured in Art and Architecture magazine. De Swart received a gold medal from the American Institute of Architecture, and had one-man shows at the Pasadena Arts Museums and the Los Angeles County Art Institute. The 60-foot tall clock tower has bronze plaques listing the names of the committee that raised money for the art on the mall.