The oldest building in Fresno is being restored — and it just got tagged

Fresno’s oldest building — a largely unknown downtown landmark that only recently had its original brickwork uncovered after being hidden behind stucco since the 1960s — was vandalized this week.

A large piece of graffiti was painted across the front of the Expositor Building, situated on Fulton Street just south of the clock tower. A smaller tag was left on the side of the building.

Both were visible from Fulton Street when driving by on Thursday.

It is not clear when the building was hit, but a picture of graffiti was first shared on For the Love of Downtown Fresno’s Facebook group page on Wednesday. A single word can be seen spelled out in large black and white script across the length of the building’s brickwork just below the second-story windows.

The tag can be seen through a set of scaffolding, which had been set up as part of an ongoing restoration process. It is unclear if someone used the scaffolding to gain access to the building’s facade, though it appears likely.

The Expositor Building was built as a single story on Fulton in 1881 and was home to the city’s original newspaper, the Fresno Daily Expositor. A second floor was added in 1888. A saloon and lodge hall moved into the building after the paper closed.

For much of the last 60 years, the building went mostly unnoticed blending into the aesthetic of the Fulton Mall; its original brick facade hidden behind layers of stucco, fiberboard paneling and tile. In 2015, the building’s owner began the process of restoring the building, both inside and outside.

Since 2019, work has been done to expose the original facade, including the second-story windows, which had been covered. When completed, the Expositor will join the Los Panchos and Kress buildings as the few on Fulton to have their facades restored.