Council names Azteca Theater an Historic Property

The Fresno City Council passed a  resolution Thursday, December 3, 2015 designating the Azteca Theater a Heritage Property to be placed on the Local Register of Historic Resources. 

First stop on the Biking Through History event, October, 2015

This culminates several months of process that started with the Historic Preservation Commission for the Azteca Theater, as well as six other Fresno properties designated by the council.

Other properties designated were the Dudley and Elsie Bates Home 718 E. Carmen Ave, the Judy Tobacco Building 155 Van Ness Ave., the Squirt Bottling Company Building 152 M Street, the Alice and John Williams Home 1525 N. Wishon Ave., United Grocers Inc. Wholesale Grocery Building 414 P Street, and the White Truck Company/Electric Motor Shop at 253 Fulton Street.

These properties will be added to the existing Fresno Register of Historic Resources http://historicfresno.org/lrhr/index.htm

The report to the Historic Preservation Commission:

Cesar Chavez, the Delano-to-Sacramento marchers at the Azteca Theater

A major rallying point for the Delano-to-Sacramento march was Fresno and the Azteca Theater. With Eight days and 100 miles behind them, the marchers from Delano made it to Fresno.

Delano-to-Sacramento marchers. Photo Jon Lewis, March 1966

For six months they had discussed the Plan of Delano and fought to gain collective bargaining rights.
Cesar Chavez spoke to over 1,000 people at the Azteca Theater March 24, 1966.
A small ad in the The Fresno Bee March 23, 1966  invited people to come to see Chavez speak.

Fresno Bee, March 23, 1966

Over 1,000 people showed up to listen and show support, at the rally with Cesar Chavez at the Azteca Theater, many spilling out on to F Street. The headline in the Bee highlights a meeting of Mayor Hyde with marchers. 

Fresno Bee, March 25, 1966

Fresno Bee, March 14, 1966

A photo taken March 24 on F street shows the crowd at the Azteca Theater.

Photo from "The Movement" taken outside the Azteca Theater March 24, 1966