History hides in plain sight behind bar at classic Fresno restaurant. Here’s the story

Editor’s note

In writing about the nine panels of stained-glass that can be seen behind the bar at Cosmopolitan Tavern, The Fresno Bee failed to report on the artist who actually did the work.

Susan Newton is a Fresno artist and decorative painter who specializing in faux finishes. She also does work in stained glass, though it’s a rarity these days.

“It’s a lot of work,” she told The Bee in a phone interview.

In the summer of 2016, Newton was commissioned by Anderson Woodworking to create new glass panels for the Cosmopolitan’s original back bar, which was in the process of being retooled and restored.

It would eventually be installed in the restaurant’s newly-built location on O street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard. It made news when the 700-pound bar was manually wheeled the several blocks from Anderson’s shop to the restaurant because it was too cumbersome and fragile to load on a truck.

“It was a very exciting project,” Newton said.

“We were thrilled about the way in came out.”

Newton said the concept and art were original works of her own creation, based on the Art Deco motif she knew would run throughout the restaurant. They were not recreations or based on any older designs. According to both Newton and Anderson, the panels were done as a surprise for the Lanfranco family, which has run the restaurant since its inception in the early 1900s.

Current chef and owner Joseph Lanfranco disputes that, and said it was discussed in the scope of the work that the interior of the back bar would need to be gutted and new glass panels would be installed. “They did have artist license,” he said, but “it wasn’t a surprise and certainly there was direction.”

Original story

The amount of history hidden inside Cosmopolitan Tavern and Italian Grill seems appropriate for a place that claims to have a liquor license that was issued before Prohibition.

Finding all the gems could make for a fun scavenger hunt, if one were so inclined.

There is the obvious stuff.

The original till sits behind the bar, its metal showing a century’s worth of patina. It’s still operational, though no longer in use.

There’s an old Regulator wall clock from the 1930s and a sea foam green drink mixer that looks like it could have come out of a ’50s diner. Both were brought over when Cosmo’s moved in next to Fresno’s Selland Arena in 2016.

Both can be clearly seen in a black-and-white photo of the restaurant’s original location on Fresno and G streets (for those who need proof of authenticity).

Among other artifacts you can find:

A copy of an official federal document from Ellis Island, which mentions Cosmopolitan Tavern by name and location.

The front window from the first restaurant, which served as its signage to customers. The decades-old hand lettering still reads “Italian Dinners.”

Also, a single red brick, salvaged from the debris of that building, which was torn down to make way for California’s High-Speed Rail.

Stained glass art

Some of the history is hidden in plain sight.

Behind the bar are several architectural landmarks, rendered across nine panels of stained glass.

These are replicas of pieces that were installed on the coolers of the wooden bar back when it was commissioned for the restaurant in 1933, says Cosmo’s chef owner Joseph Lanfranco. The metal frames on those pieces had rusted out over the years and needed to be replaced.

So, when the wall-length bar back was dissembled to be moved, the restaurant had new pieces of insulated stained glass created and installed.

“They’re not identical,” Lanfranco says.

But they are inspired by the original pieces, which were themselves inspired by the Art Deco movement and the architecture of the time.

An astute eye will recognize Manhattan’s Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building, both of which were built in the early 1930s.

San Francisco’s Coite Tower (built at the top of Telegraph Hill in 1933) is maybe less well known, and harder to recognize.

There are also panels depicting historic Fresno spots: the Water Tower and the Crest Theater marquee.

The final panel is a complete ode to Cosmo’s history, its present and future. It depicts the restaurant’s current location on O street and Cesar Chavez Boulevard.

It doesn’t look out of place, given the building’s design borrowed its aesthetic from place like the Crest Theater, Lanfranco says.

Of everything in the restaurant, these pieces tends to get the most attention, he says, second maybe to the stainless steal work on the patio outside. That depicts the Fresno skyline and can be seen driving by on O Street.

And while the pieces do hold a certain decorative function and make for a great bit of storytelling, “they’re all functional,” Lanfranco says.

“We use them every day.”

This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 5:30 AM.