{"nrhp_refnum":"78000664","name":"Physicians Building","other_names":["Civic Center Professional Building"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2607 Fresno St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fresno","county":"Fresno County","state":"CA","lat":36.74062508000003,"lon":-119.78607361699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1978-11-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small medical office building at 2607 Fresno Street in Fresno, California, designed by architect Charles E. Butner and built in 1926 by R. Pedersen for six local physicians and surgeons.","why_significant":"It was the first building in this part of the Central San Joaquin Valley conceived solely to house medical examination offices and laboratories. The nomination also values its refined blend of California revival styles with Italianate and Palladian influences, its skylit central court, and its place among the surviving works of architect Charles Butner.","narrative":"Built in 1926 at 2607 Fresno Street, this small medical office building was commissioned by six Fresno physicians and surgeons and designed by architect Charles E. Butner. It was the first building in the central San Joaquin Valley planned only for medical offices and laboratories, at a cost of about $50,000. Its twenty-eight rooms opened onto a large central court lit by a coffered skylight, with an octagonal fountain and serpentine-green tile floor. Outside, white stucco walls and a red-tile roof gave it a Spanish look, though the nomination describes a more Italianate, Palladian-influenced design. Butner trained at the University of Pennsylvania and worked for McKim, Mead, and White before moving to Fresno. In the late 1960s the exterior was resurfaced in slump stone, the court was divided into offices, and the fountain was reportedly destroyed. The nomination argues that the building's early integrity remains beneath these changes and that historic photographs and interviews could guide restoration.","period_of_significance":"1900- (specific date 1926)","architect_builder":"Charles E. Butner, Architect; R. Pedersen, Builder","architectural_style":"Mediterranean revival hybrid with Italianate influence, originally described as \"Spanish style\"","criteria":[],"status_note":"Altered in the late 1960s with slump stone sheathing, replaced doors and a subdivided court; condition listed as good, with restoration planned by the new owner.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:55:31.809177-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/78000664.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000664/5899a15715-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/78000664/5899a15715-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-PhysiciansBuilding.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-PhysiciansBuilding.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858681","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physicians_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85793222"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/fresno-county/physicians-building-78000664/"}