Fresno Sanitary Landfill
Why it's listed
Fresno Sanitary Landfill is a rectangular mound of compacted refuse and earth about 140 acres in size, roughly 4,200 feet long and 1,250 feet wide, southwest of Fresno, California. Refuse reaches 45 to 60 feet above the surrounding grade. From 1937 to 1987 it received the city's municipal solid waste. City engineer Jean L. Vincenz designed it around a trench method: waste was placed in a trench, leveled and compacted, then covered with soil dug from the next trench. Vincenz considered compaction and a real earth cover essential if a fill was to be truly sanitary. The nomination describes it as the oldest true sanitary landfill in the United States and the oldest compartmentalized municipal landfill in the western United States. Its significance rests on engineering, community planning and public health, with a period of significance of 1937 to 1950. The site had no liners or leachate systems, and later investigations found groundwater contamination and methane migration, leading to its Superfund listing in 1989.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the oldest "true" sanitary landfill in the United States and the oldest compartmentalized municipal landfill in the western United States. It is tied to Vincenz's trench-and-cover method, which stressed systematic refuse cells, a deeper earth cover and compaction of both soil and waste. It is recognized for its role in engineering, community planning and public health, and in the later spread of the sanitary landfill as a disposal method.
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 01001050, listed August 7, 2001. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | West and Jensen Aves., Fresno |
|---|---|
| County | Fresno County |
| Listed | August 7, 2001 |
| Reference number | 01001050 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1937-1950 |
| Architect / builder | Jean L. Vincenz (Engineer) |
| Architectural style | Other: Sanitary Landfill |
| Criteria |
|
| National Historic Landmark | Yes, designated August 7, 2001 |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed June 30, 1987, and later a Superfund site; plans called for a new cap on the landfill mound and sports fields on adjacent city land. |
| Coordinates | 36.69985, -119.82919 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
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 01001050.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14681993
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.