Fulton Mall (Fresno)

Fulton Mall

Fulton Mall between Kern and Tulare Streets in 2011, before reintroduction of traffic
Type	Pedestrian Mall
Location	Fresno, California
Coordinates	36°44′05″N 119°47′28″W / 36.7348°N 119.7912°W / 36.7348; -119.7912
Construction
Construction start	March 31, 1964
Completion	September 1, 1964
Demolished	March 3, 2016
Other
Designer	Garrett Eckbo as part of EDAW
Known for	Modernist landscape design

The Fulton Mall was a six-block corridor in downtown Fresno, California which was closed to traffic in 1964 and made into a pedestrians only mall. Despite opening to much fanfare, the downtown mall suffered from the city's suburban expansion, especially the opening of the Fashion Fair Mall six miles to the north. By the 1980s, most storefronts on the mall were empty and plans to renovate the mall were discussed. In 2017, car traffic was reintroduced to the street after most of the public art and amenities had been relocated to sidewalk areas.^[1]

The mall was an early example of the design intent and masterplan-oriented thought process of shopping mall pioneer Victor Gruen, whose ideas were emulated, albeit in a modified form, across the United States. The mall is also an example of noted landscape architect Garrett Eckbo's modernist landscape design ethos.