Empty storefronts turning to apartments as historic Fresno mall evolves on Blackstone

Revitalization plans have started to turn one of Fresno’s oldest and most recognizable shopping malls into a residential hub along Blackstone Avenue.

The three-phased project will convert the bulk of the usable space inside the old Manchester Mall into 600 apartment units, with all the “modern expectations for urban living,” says Roland Molimard, the director and general manager of what will be known as One Fresno at Manchester Center (a name borrowed from Mayor Jerry Dyer’s vision for the city).

“The existing mall as we know it today,” Molimard says, “will be a resident courtyard.”

The build-out will add amenities like fitness/workout space, quiet rooms and an outdoor area with pool and shaded areas.

At the same time, the center will be “tenaciously, aggressively, diligently” pursing leases for more than 100,000-square-feet of retail space that will remain at the center.

The project is working its way through the city and is close to getting building permits. The timeline runs from there, Molimard says.

Phase one could take 18 to 20 months.

It is one of several projects that are part of the city’s Southern Blackstone Avenue Smart Mobility Strategy.

Councilmember Nelson Esparza, whose District 7 includes Manchester Center, says the idea is to take the stretch of Blackstone between Highway 180 and Dakota Avenue and make it more walkable and friendlier to those riding bicycles or taking the bus.

“I’ve been a huge advocate of mixed-use development — particularly on the Blackstone corridor.”

Manchester Center is important in that it is an anchor in the area and will serve as an activity center, paving the way for economic development not only along Blackstone, but also east and west along Shields Avenue.

“You put 600 market-rate units on the second floor of that building, that’s a built-in customer base,” Esparza says.

“What they do, it’s going to impact the entire corridor.”

Remembering Manchester Mall

For a generation of Fresnans, Manchester Center is the city’s original mall.

Opened in 1955 on a parcel of land that had been fig orchards, the center served as a sprawling example of the “future” of retail, with thousands of parking spots and big-named retailers like Sears and Grodin’s, Gallenkamp Shoes and F.W. Woolworth and Longs Drugs.

It became a true “mall” (like in the 1980s, teeny-bopper sense of the word) in 1978, when it was enclosed and a second floor was added.

Gottschalks became a major tenant.

For another generation, Manchester represents the struggle of a retail developments left behind as the city moved north.

The mall continued to expand throughout the 1980s, adding stores such as Kay-Bee Toy, Footlocker and Coach House Gifts, along with a Red Robin Restaurant. But by 1995, it found itself in financial struggles with more than $1 million of debt.

The center sold in 1996.

A mixed-use center

Since then, it has operated as an example of a mixed-used facility; its retail space and signature movie theater supplemented with office space.

Tenants have included CalTrans, Fresno County’s Workforce Connection and the State Center Community College District. The Fresno Police Department opened its Central Policing District headquarters there in 2016.

There have been several redevelopment plans over the years that mostly fell flat.

A 1997 plan was set at $50 million and included the movie theater, but also a combination ice and roller rink.

In 2016, the center’s owners, Omninet Capital, broke ground on a transformation effort that included a new mall entrance, redesigned facade and signage and a two-story food court marketplace for chefs, food trucks and restaurants.

An outdoor events plaza was also planned. It would have brought back the mall’s signature carousel. While that effort did bring in new tenant chains like Chipotle and The Habit, other promised tenants and improvements failed to materialize.