The Rusitigian Building, at Fulton and Mono Streets in Fresno, California, was built in 1920 in Classical Revival style architecture.[1] Originally built as a bus depot, it was renovated and reopened 2019 for retail and restaurant tenants.[2][3] It is listed as a historic place by Fresno's Local Register of Historic Resources.[4]
The building is on the south end of the Fulton Mall, in downtown Fresno. The original address for the building was 715 J Street, however J Street was renamed to Fulton Street in honor of prominent local financier Fulton G. Berry after his death in 1910. The building now spans the addresses of 701-723 Fulton Street.
History
The Rustigian Building is a one-and-a-half story Classical Revival building with scored stucco siding, a flat roof with a parapet and simple cornice. An arcade is located at the center of the front façade with “J.M. Rustigian” inscribed above.[5] It was designed by the architecture firm of Schwartz & Rayland. Schwartz & Rayland were known for designing residential, commercial and school buildings throughout the Central Valley. They later expanded to the Bay Area and by the 1930s had established branch offices in Monterey and Salinas.
Rustigian Building in a 1922 Anchor Stage Lines advertisement
The original owner and namesake is James M. Rustigian. He was born in Harpoot, Armenia, in 1866 and was a Fresno-area rancher. The building was completed in 1920 and Anchor Stage Lines moved in as a tenant in October of that year.[6][7] The Fresno depot served as a hub for rides to the surrounding orchards, vineyards, mountains and beaches.[8]
James M. Rustigian died in 1922 and is buried at Ararat Cemetery in Fresno.[1] After his death, the rise of the private automobile and the pressure of competitors, notably Greyhound, made the depot unsustainable. Anchor Stage Lines ceased operations there at beginning of 1931. Upon losing that tenant, Rustigian's widow, Eimas, defaulted on the mortgage and the building was sold to satisfy the debt.[9]
Rustigian Building in 2008, before it was renovated
In the 1930s, 40s, and 50s, the building was occupied by a wide variety of tenants, at one point even housing an apartment on the second floor.[1] In 1960, Wilshire Paint opened as an anchor tenant in 701 Fulton, which it occupied until 1999.[1]
The building sat vacant or as storage for many years before new owner Nora Monaco renovated the building in 2019. The tenants were selected based on whether they fit the up-and-coming Fresno "brewery district" community, of which this building is now a part of.[2][3] A restaurant and two bars signed leases to operate in the renovated spaces. One bar included "Stage Depot" in their name, a nod to Anchor Stage's original use of the building.[10]
The building's front façade was added to Fresno's Local Register of Historic Resources as H.P. #161.[4]
↑Laughnan, Woody (September 6, 1979). "Say, Old Timer, Where's the Rustigian Building?". The Fresno Bee. p.22. Retrieved July 18, 2022– via Newspapers.com. where is the JM Rustigian Building you ask? Certainly you jest. The JM Rustigian Building has been there on the corner of Fulton Street for 58 years and the letters read out strong and clear. But you still can't place its location? Well it's at the corner of Mono Street and houses Wilshire Paint
↑"Anchor Stage Depot". San Joaquin Valley Library System Digital Collections. San Joaquin Valley Library System. Retrieved July 22, 2022. Anchor Stage Lines was created in December 1915, when several local auto stage (bus) lines consolidated under one roof and the common building was erected. The companies first operated out of a single small depot, but constructed a permanent 'union depot' home at Fulton and Mono and occupied it in October 1920...By the 1930s, the depot was eclipsed by the rise of the private automobile and the pressure of competitors, notably Greyhound.
↑"Anchor Stage Lines Plan Bigger Business". National Taxicab and Motorbus Journal. 2 (12): 28–29. December 1922. Retrieved July 22, 2022. in October 1920, the Anchor Stage Lines moved into their present depot at 715 J Street. The depot is one of the largest on the Pacific Coast as well as one of the best equipped
