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Which Fresno homes, businesses aged gracefully the past 50 years? See photos from 1960s

By Bryant-Jon Anteola
The Security Bank building is perhaps the most distinguishable building to the downtown Fresno skyline. Here’s a look at how the building was then in the 1960s compared to 2021. The Fresno County Public Library’s Heritage Center offers a service that provides photos of what homes and businesses and buildings looked like in the 1960s.
The Security Bank building is perhaps the most distinguishable building to the downtown Fresno skyline. Here’s a look at how the building was then in the 1960s compared to 2021. The Fresno County Public Library’s Heritage Center offers a service that provides photos of what homes and businesses and buildings looked like in the 1960s. Courtesy photo (left), John Walker (right) Fresno County Public Library, The Fresno Bee

Long before Dog House Grill was built and became arguably the most popular restaurant in Fresno, its location used to be a gas station.

That was 50-plus years ago when Fresno’s population was only a quarter of the number of people who live in the city these days.

What else has changed about Fresno since the 1960s? And what’s stood the test of time?

The Fresno County Public Library’s Heritage Center has started offering a new service this month that allows people to see what Fresno and specific addresses of the city looked like during “The Swinging Sixties” with its newly updated photo archive.

Photos were taken by the Fresno County Assessor’s office during the 1960s for appraisal purposes.

The Fresno County Public Library’s Heritage Center offers a service that provides photos of what homes and businesses and buildings looked like in the 1960s. Among the photos in its database is the Security Bank building located in downtown Fresno.
The Fresno County Public Library’s Heritage Center offers a service that provides photos of what homes and businesses and buildings looked like in the 1960s. Among the photos in its database is the Security Bank building located in downtown Fresno. Courtesy photo Fresno County Public Library's Heritage Center

“The program has picked up a lot of interest lately since we let the public know about it,” said librarian Bill Secrest, who’s worked at the Fresno County Public Library for 23 years. “Some people are curious to know what their homes looked like back then. Some people have just been interested in Fresno history and wanted to see how things have changed.“

The service to see a photo of a specific address of Fresno from the 1960s and even get a digital copy of the picture is available to the public and free.

But it’s not yet accessible to the public remotely outside of the Heritage Center of Fresno County Public Library.

Those interested in taking a look back in time are asked to visit the downtown Fresno library (at 2420 Mariposa St.) in person, send requests via e-mail to HeritageCenter@fresnolibrary.org or call the Fresno County Public Library’s Heritage Center at 559-600-6230.

A total of 21,036 sheets of photos — approximately 100,000 individual photos — were scanned and linked to more than 112,000 addresses as part of the updating the Fresno County Assessor photo database.

What structure or location in Fresno would you like to see its past condition?

Thanks to a photo archive established at the Heritage Center of the Fresno County Library, people can look at old pictures of how houses, businesses and buildings used to look during the 1960s. Like this property at 2789 E. Shaw Ave., which once was a gas station 50-plus years ago but is the location of arguably Fresno’s most popular restaurant Dog House Grill.
Thanks to a photo archive established at the Heritage Center of the Fresno County Library, people can look at old pictures of how houses, businesses and buildings used to look during the 1960s. Like this property at 2789 E. Shaw Ave., which once was a gas station 50-plus years ago but is the location of arguably Fresno’s most popular restaurant Dog House Grill. Courtesy photo (left), Silvia Flores (right) Fresno County Public Library, The Fresno Bee
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