Four of the buildings were constructed in as part of the W. Works Progress Adminstration Project and are contributors to the district. The fifth building, which houses the Fresno Airparts Company, was constructed in and is a non-contributor. However, its close proximity to the other buildings places it within the district boundaries. The Chandler Downtown Airport is located approximately two miles west of the heart of Fresno, along the north side of historic Kearney Boulevard.
The WPA-era buildings are clustered in a campus setting that includes landscaping, several Beaux Arts-style lampposts and surface parking. Chandler Field currently serves as the "Executive" airport for the city, with commercial service located at the Fresno-Yosemite International Airport east of the city. View Map of District. The district includes the four WPA-era buildings, the non-contributing building and landscaping.
The southern boundary of the district is the entrance into the property at Kearney Boulevard; the eastern boundary is the beginning of the surface parking lot; the northern boundary runs along the fence at the edge of the runway; the western boundary follows the gated entrance to the hangars. At least two hangars are shown in the WPA site plan of as revised in and are potentially eligible to be included within the district in the future. The historic integrity of these buildings is currently unknown but further research is appropriate as time and resources allow.
The district boundaries thus include the four WPA-era buildings that are indicated in the original project site plan and that are accessible to the public. Chandler Field was first dedicated for public use as an air field in November , on a one hundred-acre site donated by Senator and Mrs. Wilber F. Chandler was born 8 April in Illinois and settled with his family a farm north of Selma, California, in Over his long career he served five terms in the State Assembly and two terms in the Senate.
He was an early investor in the petroleum fields near Coalinga, operated a large vineyard on his Selma ranch, was a director of the First National Bank of Fresno, and was in business with fellow Progressive Dr.
