History museum coming to Fresno. It’ll be inside this 100-year-old building downtown

Joshua Tehee
·3 min read

There are coincidences in the Fresno County Historical Society’s recent purchase of a building downtown.

To start, the building is historic.

It was constructed in 1919 — the same year the historical society was formally inaugurated.

It is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Local Register of Historic Resources.

And while it’s best known as the former Downtown Club restaurant and had recently been used for church services, it started out as the print shop for The Fresno Morning Republican, the city’s first newspaper.

The press used to print the Fresno Republican newspaper is displayed during a news conference to announce the purchase of the Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club, by the Fresno County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.
The press used to print the Fresno Republican newspaper is displayed during a news conference to announce the purchase of the Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club, by the Fresno County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

The original R. Hoe and Company printing press remains a centerpiece inside the 8,500-square-foot building on Kern Street off Van Ness Avenue downtown.

That paper actually reported on the founding of the historical society in 1919, which we know because of archives the society took stewardship of in a partnership with The Fresno Bee in 2020.

Those archives will eventually be on display as part of the McClatchy Room and part of the historical society’s planned archival repository and museum.

“Just give use a year,” said Elizabeth Laval, the organization’s president, during a press conference at the site on Thursday announcing the purchase.

Elizabeth Laval, president of the Fresno County Historical Society, stands in front of the old Fresno Republican newspaper press while announcing the purchase of the Fresno Republican Printery building on Kern near L Street in downtown Fresno by the historical society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.
Elizabeth Laval, president of the Fresno County Historical Society, stands in front of the old Fresno Republican newspaper press while announcing the purchase of the Fresno Republican Printery building on Kern near L Street in downtown Fresno by the historical society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

Permanent gallery, climate control

The society currently operates out of Kearney Mansion, where it keeps its archived collection historical letters, artifacts and other Fresno ephemera. “It comes out from time to time,” Laval said, but for the most part it’s been inaccessible to the public.

The purchase of the building changes that.

The society will now have space for a permanent gallery, plus rotating exhibits and a spot for recording oral histories. More importantly, perhaps, the building’s large basement will allow the collection to expand in a climate-controlled space that is archival and seismically safe — something the society hasn’t had capacity for until now.

The society had been looking for a place to safely house its archives for the past four years, Laval said. It had even created an Archive Relocation Committee and a fund to pay for the eventual move. But that money really wasn’t large enough for even a down payment, Laval said, and five prominent donors (including the Smittcamp family and the Eaton family estate) made it possible to buy the property outright, without a mortgage.

A 1919 bound volume of the Fresno Republican newspaper is displayed during a news conference to announce the purchase of the Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club, by the Fresno County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.
A 1919 bound volume of the Fresno Republican newspaper is displayed during a news conference to announce the purchase of the Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club, by the Fresno County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.

Mayor pledges museum support

It’s always good when historic buildings are put to use, said Elliot Balch, the president and CEO of the Downtown Fresno Partnership.

But that’s not always done in a way that allows people to fully appreciate the historic nature of a place. This purchase is a rare example of a historic building being repurposed in a way that actually expands its usage.

“Not every use brings people through all the time,” in the way a museum will, Balch said.

Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer applauded the society’s work and said he and the city are committed to bringing in the funds needed to get the archive and museum up and running.

He tied news of the purchase to the city’s push to expand the number of people living downtown to 10,000 and its overall goal of creating a vibrant central core for the city.

“Great cities have great downtowns,” he said.

“And downtowns aren’t complete without a museum, or museums.”

The bar inside the the Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club, is expected to stay after the building was purchased by the Fresno County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.
The bar inside the the Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club, is expected to stay after the building was purchased by the Fresno County Historical Society on Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023.
The Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club on Kern Street near L was purchased by the Fresno County Historical Society to store the society’s archive.
The Fresno Republican Printery building, more recently known as the Downtown Club on Kern Street near L was purchased by the Fresno County Historical Society to store the society’s archive.