City Hall Annex – Fresno CA

Description

Fresno CA gained a new City Hall during the New Deal.  It was undoubtedly paid for by the Public Works Administration (PWA), but this needs to be verified.

A New Deal Fresno walking tour brochure describes the building:

“Fresno’s second City Hall was a radical departure from the previous, classically-inspired building, and is an example of how the New Deal brought new forms of architecture to communities across the country. Kump’s International style building attracted national attention in 1944 when the Museum of Modern Art included it in an exhibition of the most significant buildings constructed in the United States between 1932 and 1942. Innovative features at the city hall include an interior ramp system instead of elevators, movable interior partitions to accommodate changing functions and personnel, and the windowless, sky-lit City Council chamber with cantilevered dais extending outside the building.”

An even newer city hall now stands at 2600 Fresno St., but the old city hall building is still used for various city offices.