{"nrhp_refnum":"74000510","name":"Old Administration Building, Fresno City College","other_names":["Fresno State Normal School"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"1101 University Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fresno","county":"Fresno County","state":"CA","lat":36.767732539000065,"lon":-119.79836854799998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1974-05-01","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Education","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"The Old Administration Building is a brick and tile-roofed complex with covered courtyards at 1101 University Avenue, Fresno, California, on the present Fresno City College campus. Construction began in spring 1915 and was completed in 1916 for the Fresno State Normal School.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the only surviving complex from the Fresno State Normal School, the first teacher-training institution in the San Joaquin Valley. It also notes the school's early agricultural training for teachers and its distinctive training school. Architecturally, it is described as one of the few remaining California college campus buildings in the Spanish Renaissance style.","narrative":"Built between 1915 and 1916, this brick complex at 1101 University Avenue in Fresno was the first permanent building of the Fresno State Normal School, which trained teachers for the San Joaquin Valley after legislation in 1911. It is the only surviving complex from that school, and it is still used for education as part of Fresno City College. State Architect George McDougall designed it with warm brick and stone, mission clay tile roofs, covered arcades, courtyards, stone balconies and Moorish-style brick patterns on the auditorium walls. The nomination describes it as a rare California example of Spanish Renaissance college architecture. It also points to the school's early courses in agriculture for teachers and a training school that used regular city classrooms and teachers. Interiors have been adapted for classrooms and offices, while the exterior remains close to its original condition.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"George McDougall, State Architect","architectural_style":"Spanish Renaissance","criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition, occupied and in educational use. The original appearance is largely maintained, though some interior rooms have been adapted for other educational or administrative functions.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.550363-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/74000510.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000510/9b4053397a-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/74000510/9b4053397a-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-FresnoCC-OAB_(cropped).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Bobak Ha'Eri</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-FresnoCC-OAB_(cropped).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858673","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q133260632"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/fresno-county/old-administration-building-fresno-city-college-74000510/"}