Bank of Italy
Also known as: Bank of America on Fulton Mall
Why it's listed
Rising eight stories at the corner of Fulton Mall and Tulare Street in downtown Fresno, this brick and terra cotta office tower was built in 1917-18 for the Bank of Italy, with a two-story wing added at the rear in 1928. Its design draws on Italian Renaissance models, with a rusticated terra cotta base, arched openings, ornamental spandrel panels, Florentine arches at the top and a heavy bracketed cornice. The lobby keeps its decorative plaster ceiling, marble floor and staircase, etched brass elevator doors and mahogany stair rails. The building was designed by Richard F. Felchlin and Company, a local firm responsible for many of Fresno's major office buildings. It went up as Fresno was becoming the center of the San Joaquin Valley's agricultural economy, and the bank's opening drew its president, A. P. Giannini, to the city. The bank later became the Bank of America. The nomination describes it as the city's finest Renaissance Revival building.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it an excellent architectural example of its type and period and the city's finest example of Renaissance Revival styling, with exquisite terra cotta detailing. It was built during a local building boom and housed the Bank of Italy, later Bank of America, one of Fresno's most important financial institutions. It was designed by the noted local firm Richard F. Felchlin and Company.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82000963, listed October 29, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1015 Fulton Mall, Fresno |
|---|---|
| County | Fresno County |
| Listed | October 29, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82000963 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1900- (specific dates 1918 and 1928) |
| Architect / builder | R. F. Felchlin Company (Richard F. Felchlin and Company) |
| Architectural style | Renaissance Revival (Italian Renaissance design sources) |
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as unoccupied and vacant at the time of nomination; condition rated good and unaltered, with a rehabilitation project planned. The interior lobby retains its original features. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 36.73394, -119.79053 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
Noted as vacant in the nomination. Nomination documents can be decades old; current status may differ. If you are considering buying an empty listed property, read the due-diligence checklist.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82000963.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4856132
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.