Old Fresno Bee (1922)
1545/1555 Van Ness, Fresno, CA
When we moved to Fresno, this building was
already vacant. Then the wonderful Fresno Metropolitan Museum took
over the space and made it come alive. Four years ago, the met
decided to do a major overhaul to the facilities. Unfortunately before
the Met could complete its renovations, the recession hit, funds
dried up and the Met closed down. Since that time, the Bee Building
has been empty.
Remember before lunch we visited the site of The Fresno Morning
Republican? This was original headquarters of its challenger, The Fresno Bee. It was
established in 1922
The Fresno Bee Building was one of Leonard
Starks' first major designs working on his own. It reflects the
influences of both his Beaux-Arts training and his theater work
adapting the flamboyant idiom popularized by Thomas W. Lamb. The Bee
Building blatantly broke with the conservative and sedate
architectural styles that characterized most of the town, and became
something of a "painted lady" with its classic details
rendered in shades of yellow, venetian red and cerulean blue.
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