YWCA Building (Fresno, California)
Y.W.C.A. Building | |
The front entrance in 2017 | |
Location | 1660 M Street, Fresno, California 93721 |
---|---|
Coordinates | 36°44′35″N 119°47′39″W / 36.74306°N 119.79417°W |
Built | 1922 |
Architect | Julia Morgan[1] |
Architectural style | Italian Renaissance Revival, Spanish Renaissance Revival, Italian Villa |
NRHP reference No. | 78000667 |
Added to NRHP | September 21, 1978 |
The YWCA Building is a historic 1922 building in Fresno, California which later became part of the Marjaree Mason Center. Julia Morgan, the first female architect licensed in California, designed the former Young Women's Christian Association building.
History
[edit]Local women founded the YWCA of Fresno in 1904[2] By 1920, the group had grown enough to build this residential building so they hired Morgan, the first female architect licensed in California, to design it.[3][1] In anticipation of the new facility, the group held afternoon teas to recruit new members.[4]

In addition to the residential building, the YWCA built a more public building downtown. Morgan also designed this YWCA Recreation Center on Toulumne Street which opened in 1923.[1][3] But, in 1933, that the center closed due to the financial hardship of the Great Depression. It later served as an early home of the Pacific Bible Institute and, after extensive remodeling in 1965, became the Garden Court office building.[5] In 1950 the organization purchased an adjacent house on M Street, turning it into the YWCA Activity Unit to serve a similar purpose as the earlier center.[6]
During the post-war period, the Fresno YWCA continued to offer affordable housing but also engaged in a wide variety of other activities. These included running the Mar-Y-Mac summer camp[7] and offering exercise classes.[8]
In 1979, after the kidnapping, rape, and murder of Marjoree Mason by a deputy sheriff, the group set up an emergency hotline. The YWCA increasingly focused on domestic violence and the safety of women in general, repurposing the buildings as the "Marjoree Mason Center". In 1998, the group disaffiliated from the national Y to become an independent agency. In addition to continuing to offer housing, the group provides court accompaniment, group counseling, and community education.[2] In 2025, the center moved to a newer and larger facility, the Isnardi Foundation Building.[9]
Architecture
[edit]The architecture of the building blends Italian Renaissance Revival with Spanish Renaissance Revival to create an Italian Villa style building. The "H" layout consists of two stories plus a usable attic. The design includes simple entablature trim and balconies. Inside, the first floor contains the common areas with the main lobby, library, reception room, and offices. The second floor contains bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchens, dining rooms, storage, and a sewing room. The attic originally included a screened-in sleeping area for the hot San Joaquin Valley but it was later closed in after the installation of air conditioning.[10]
Julia Morgan designed many other YWCA buildings in California and beyond.[11][12] but still took the time to come on site in Fresno to assess the progress of construction.[13] The National Register of Historic Places listed the building in 1978.[10]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Nobert, Matthew (March 8, 2023). "California's landmark structures and the woman that built them". KTXL-TV. Fresno, California: Nexstar Media Group. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ a b "Marjaree Mason Center Place of Refuge for the Defenseless". The Business Journal. Fresno, California: Pacific Publishing Group. October 23, 2000. p. 22. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via EBSCO.
- ^ a b Moore, Joe (March 6, 2018). "Pioneering Architect Julia Morgan Remembered for Fresno Work". KVPR-FM. Fresno, California: White Ash Broadcasting. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ "Hear Reports on Y.W. Work: Membership Drive Plans are Outlined". Fresno Morning Republican. January 12, 1921. p. 10. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Powell, John Edward (2001). "A Guide to Historic Architecture in Fresno, California: Julia Morgan (1872-1957)". Historic Fresno. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ Comegys, Valerie D. (August 31, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form: Einstein House". National Register of Historic Places. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via National Archives.
- ^ "Holiday Gifts Will be Sold at Holiday Bazaar". The Fresno Bee. McClatchy. December 1, 1949. p. 18-A. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Fresno 'Y' Will Begin Exercise Class March 3". Reedley Exponent. February 20, 1975. p. 6. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via California Digital Newspaper Collection.
- ^ Colón, Brisa (February 26, 2025). "Grand opening for Marjaree Mason Center's new facility". KFSN-TV. Fresno, California: ABC Owned TV Stations. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ a b Comegys, Valerie D. (February 9, 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form: Y.W.C.A. Building". National Register of Historic Places. Washington, D.C.: National Park Service. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via National Archives.
- ^ Longstreth, Richard W. (Spring 1982). "The Architecture of Julia Morgan". Helicon Nine: The Journal of Women's Arts and Letters. 6. Kansas City, Missouri: 20–31. ISSN 0197-3371. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via EBSCO.
- ^ Filler, Martin (September 22, 2022). "Xanadu's Architect". The New York Review of Books. Retrieved March 5, 2025.
- ^ "Woman Architect Y.W.C.A. Guest". The Fresno Bee. McClatchy. September 10, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved March 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
External links
[edit]- YWCA buildings
- Women's club buildings in California
- Buildings and structures in Fresno, California
- National Register of Historic Places in Fresno County, California
- Clubhouses on the National Register of Historic Places in California
- Residential buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in California
- Residential buildings completed in 1922
- 1922 establishments in California
- Italian Renaissance Revival architecture in the United States
- Renaissance Revival architecture in California
- Spanish Revival architecture in California
- Italianate architecture in California
- Julia Morgan buildings