Fresno’s Tower District is among its oldest neighborhoods. It is the location of the stunning historic landmark, the Tower Theatre. With its magnificent vintage look, it stands as the neighborhood’s hub and was restored to match its 1930s aesthetic. There is a great and vibrant nightlife in the Tower District, complete with local musicians, eateries with outdoor seating, and bookstores. This lively, diverse neighborhood offers a wide range of styles, yet it still retains the same overall appearance and atmosphere from many years ago.
The Tower District, a marvelous area in Fresno, is centered on the NRHP-listed historic Tower Theatre. However, this neighborhood is a fantastic area to live, work, and play in Fresno, it’s not only a historical landmark. In my opinion everybody should visit this historical place once in there life, so go through this page and start Exploring the Vibrant History of Tower District with me.
Exploring the Vibrant History of Tower District
- In Fresno, California, there is an older central city area called the Tower District. What is now the Tower District was a long way from downtown Fresno in the 1880s nearly 45 minutes by decent horse and carriage and an hour on foot. The neighborhood first appeared as a streetcar suburb of a quickly expanding Fresno in the early 1900s. The district had developed into a bustling, diversified, and congested neighborhood by the 1940s, when the Tower Theatre, which bore its name, was constructed.
- It never fell into the total abandonment and degradation as many other older neighborhoods did during the same period, despite its occasional struggles in the years following World War II. A little revival of the Tower District started in the late eighties, mostly due to the involvement of the community, the attraction of unique, pedestrian-friendly districts, and the vibrant, pedestrian-focused environment of the neighborhood’s commercial center along Olive Avenue. The Tower District Specific Plan, which was approved by city legislation in 1991, was the result of this resurgence.
- This diversity is appreciated in a society where racial and socioeconomic differences are prevalent. If not for the neighborhood’s facilities, residents with options may have moved to the periphery of the suburbs. The area is accessible to families from various socioeconomic backgrounds and phases of life due to the wide variety of housing options, which include apartments, townhouses, granny flats, tiny bungalows, and mansions.
- The Tower District community was rather involved in securing the neighborhood’s future in the late 1980s. The construction of the Tower District Specific Plan, which was established in 1991, started with resistance to an undesirable building that was proposed for the region.
- Even now, locals are still quite active here, America saw an urban rebirth in the 1990s. Within the city planning profession, there was a movement advocating for a return to traditional town planning. For the first time since the 1940s, downtown populations in many cities increased. People also started to embrace classic architecture and walkable community design again. The Tower District was one of those run-down, old districts that made a comeback.
- With the rise of modern subdivisions and strip malls, people started wishing for something more intriguing, and the Tower District was well situated to deliver it. In addition to residences and apartment buildings getting renovations, the neighborhood’s stores and eateries started to prosper. As the region started to hold unique events for the entire city, it developed into the hub of the metropolitan area’s culture.
Tower District in today’s time
The luminous Tower District, constructed in the 1930s as a suburb reachable by Fresno’s streetcars, is the city’s top nighttime attraction. The neon-lit Tower Theatre, designed by S. Charles Lee in 1939 and designated as a national historic site, is what gave rise to the neighborhood’s name. Lee is the guy responsible for many of Hollywood’s most famous theatrical conceptions. It is now the Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts, seating 761 people, and has a full schedule of national and local rock, jazz, and comedy events in addition to movie screenings.
Allow extra time while visiting for the exhibition to appreciate the architectural beauty here. To see more live theater, reserve a seat at the adjacent Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater, which is home to the Good Company Players, a group that also presents shows in the 2nd Space Theatre one block away. Fans of music should check the calendar of Strummer’s, a restaurant, club, and performance space named after the late front man of The Clash, Joe Strummer.
The reason you should visit Tower District
Located a few miles north of the city center, the Tower District was initially developed as one of Fresno’s suburbs in 1930s. Today, it’s well-known for the unique collections of antique stores, pubs, and music venues that along Olive Avenue. One of the most neighborhoods areas in Fresno is the Tower District. Dozens of ethnic groups, young people, seniors, singles, white-collar and blue-collar workers, families with children, students, artists, and a wider range of family incomes than any other area in Fresno make up this special blend. The main arts and entertainment sector of Fresno is now the Tower sector’s business hub.
Aside from being unique for its art deco architecture and pedestrian-focused design, it also has a wide range of specialty retail stores selling used books, designer clothes, gourmet foods, and other items, as well as cafes, nightclubs, theaters, performing arts centers, bakeries, and delis. These establishments set the neighborhood’s character. A compact collection of single-family houses, apartments, and workplaces is located right next to the business district.
Jaxon Elias is a writer, poet, and finance expert. He graduated from the Craig School of Business in 2014 and later completed the “Leading with Finance” course from Harvard University Online. Additionally, he has worked as a freelancer for various media houses