State Center District Board Room
State Center District Board Room
State Center Community College District
This remodel and renovation project is ongoing and includes historic preservation and modernization of all 12 floors of the guarantee bank building in downtown Fresno California. This building was originally constructed in the 1920s and it was the designer’s goal to preserve and celebrate the existing art-deco style. The first floor of the building received the most extensive work and consists of the board room, conference meeting room, and main foyer. Unique circular lighting fixtures brighten the entry space and carry through into the board room adding a modern touch. The board room itself is a large space with several sizable pillars which could not be removed. This meant that the designers had to get creative with furniture selection and even designed custom desks and podium for the board members and presenting guests. All the furniture is mobile and can be rearranged to suit the needs of the District including board meetings with over 100 attendees, bid opening, luncheons, and staff training sessions. It was important to the client to keep as many of the historic elements as possible. This included the terrazzo flooring and original elevators. The bank of 3 elevators are all original and were included in the remodel scope. For the elevators in particular the renovation could add no more than 5% to the weight of the cab so designers were creative with installation of modern high gloss laminate and backlit stylized laser-cut panels. This striking art deco patterned laser-cut panels is also installed prominently along the exterior facing wall of the board room space and provides a warm and sleek tone to the room. The design pays homage to the history of the building while providing modern accommodation for one of the State’s largest community college districts.