{"nrhp_refnum":"94000427","name":"Fresno Memorial Auditorium","other_names":["Veterans Memorial Auditorium"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2425 Fresno St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Fresno","county":"Fresno County","state":"CA","lat":36.73984701200004,"lon":-119.78850890199999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-05-10","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A reinforced-concrete municipal auditorium at 2425 Fresno Street in Fresno, California, built in 1935-36 and dedicated December 31, 1936. It occupies a full city block near the Civic Center.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it was Fresno's most significant cultural facility from 1936 to 1966, serving a region within an eighty-mile radius. It hosted a wide range of political figures, performers and community events. It is also a Moderne and Art Deco design, and its history involved notable architects, a contractor, and a muralist.","narrative":"Fresno Memorial Auditorium, also called Veterans Memorial Auditorium, sits on a full city block at 2425 Fresno Street, beside the city's civic center. Built in 1935-36 with a city bond issue and a Public Works Administration grant, it was dedicated on December 31, 1936. The reinforced-concrete building is designed in Moderne and Art Deco styles, with large plain surfaces, shallow bas-relief bands on agricultural themes, fluted columns and bronze light fixtures. The original hall held 2,000 on portable seats plus 1,500 in the balcony, and the foyer was decorated with murals by Anthony Heinsbergen. From 1936 to 1966 it was Fresno's leading cultural venue, hosting Broadway plays, opera, orchestras, conventions, circuses, sports and political rallies, including the 1956 California Democratic Convention. Later changes include a 500-seat theater built inside the main hall, converted offices, and a veterans' museum. Trees planted in 1936 remain on the grounds. Allied Architects of Fresno designed it, and Trewhitt & Shields built it.","period_of_significance":"1936-44","architect_builder":"Allied Architects of Fresno / Trewhitt & Shields Company","architectural_style":"Moderne, Art Deco","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"In use as a theater, rehearsal space, offices and a veterans' museum; the structure and site are described as basically unchanged from the original, apart from minor alterations.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:28.21952-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_CA/94000427.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000427/f6b2cccf04-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000427/f6b2cccf04-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Bobak Ha'Eri","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2009-0725-CA-FresnoMemorialAud.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-FresnoMemorialAud.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/123858652","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fresno_Memorial_Auditorium","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q85762137"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/california/fresno-county/fresno-memorial-auditorium-94000427/"}