Fresno seeks to rebuild air traffic control tower. Why it’s facing backlash

Fresno Yosemite International Airport’s air traffic control tower began operating in 1962. A Fresno Bee story from that year noted its “strict, simple” lines and “modern American” materials — hallmarks of international-style architecture under the vision of Fresno-based Chinese American architect Allen Lew.

Now the city aims to tear down the tower and build another one nearby.

Project leaders dismissed the existing tower as inefficient and not meeting current safety standards, and its preliminary environmental assessment ruled out the possibility of keeping the building intact. Yet the Fresno Historic Preservation Commission has challenged the demolition plans, heralding the tower as a historical artifact and asking the city to reconsider its plans.

The tower spans 80 feet from the ground to the cab floor, which houses the controllers — an “inadequate height,” according to the city’s report, since operators cannot see parts of the airfield and can sometimes lag in communicating with pilots. The city also cited the need for additional security around the building’s parking lot as well as increasing maintenance costs, including for a broken elevator and lead-based paint.

Because of these high repair costs, the city’s report ruled out alternatives that would have kept the tower in place. Project manager Karin Bouler reiterated in a July 28 meeting that the safety and security requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration preclude the possibility of having two air traffic control towers.

The new tower will be built about 250 feet from the existing one. Francisco Partida, assistant director of aviation at the airport, emphasized the role of the FAA’s requirements in determining the best location.

“The existing tower exists there for a reason: It was the best location back in the ’60s,” Partida said at the meeting. “The new tower will exist in the same area because it is the best location.”

City officials are set to release a more thorough environmental assessment and seek approvals for an agreement documenting historic preservation measures for the site. The final environmental assessment will be ready in mid- to late 2025, Partida confirmed in an email to The Bee.

Under the plans, information about Lew and the tower would be included in the airport terminal, the city’s website and an upcoming Fresno County Historical Society exhibit on local Chinese history.

But multiple commissioners have publicly opposed the planned demolition of the existing tower. The commission’s chair, James Sponsler, called the airport the “front door” for outsiders entering Fresno and defended the importance of the physical building.

“To not be able to incorporate that into how the design is or how something looks — it kind of just pushes everything aside,” he said at the July 28 meeting. “We have this brand-new modern airport, but we’re not recognizing everything of where we came from.”

Several commissioners asked planners to find more “creative” options centered on preserving the existing, historic tower.

While one commissioner suggested incorporating the original building into a new design on the same spot, Vice Chair Jason Hatwig noted the difficulty of coming up with “creative” workarounds amid strict rules and regulations.

At the same time, he lamented that the prioritization of projects like Highway 99 and the planned high-speed rail line has often come at the expense of local resources and historic sites.

“Sometimes the solutions could have been different had we looked at it from a different perspective,” he said.

This story was originally published September 2, 2025 at 5:30 AM.