Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science, Fresno, Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science is a landmark building at 1545 Van Ness Avenue in Fresno, California. It was built in 1922 as the home of The Fresno Bee newspaper and later served as the city's art and science museum, which closed in 2010. Today it is best known as the old Fresno Bee Building, a quiet reminder of how the San Joaquin Valley once got its news.

The story behind it

Architect Leonard F. Starks designed the five-storey building at Van Ness and Calaveras to hold the offices and printing presses of The Fresno Bee. For more than fifty years the paper was written, set and printed here. A four-storey addition in 1936 gave the paper a bigger engraving department and studios for the radio station KMJ, and a new entrance wing and pressroom followed in 1951. The newspaper moved out in 1975, and the building stood empty for years.

Civic leaders then gave it a second life. The community raised millions of dollars, and the Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science opened inside on 8 April 1984. Known locally as the Met, it became a Smithsonian affiliate and hosted major touring shows, including one built around the dinosaur skeleton Sue. A large renovation began in 2005 and the museum reopened in November 2008. It closed on 5 January 2010, unable to pay off debts from the renovation and its running costs, and the City of Fresno took over the building.

What to look for

• Look at the five-storey masonry facade on Van Ness Avenue and picture the presses that once ran behind it.
• Notice where the newer sections meet the 1922 core, since the 1936 and 1951 additions grew the building along with the paper.
• Stand at the corner of Van Ness and Calaveras for the best view of the whole building and its upper windows.
• Watch for signs of the building's historic status, as it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Tips for your visit

• Plan about 10 to 15 minutes for the building itself. It is a stop on a walk, not a full-day visit.
• It is no longer a museum, so expect to see it from the street and check current access before assuming you can go inside.
• Late afternoon light is flattering on the facade, and the street is calmer outside working hours.
• Downtown Fresno is compact and flat, so you can easily walk on to other nearby sights afterwards.

See it on a quest

Looking at the building from the pavement tells you little without the backstory. Ghost Hunt in Fresno brings you here on foot as one stop on a longer route through downtown, with the app telling you about each place as you arrive and a puzzle to solve on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Fresno is a good choice if you like your history with a mystery attached. You reach this street as part of a self-guided walk, hear about the places along the way and solve puzzles in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

Fresno Detective Mystery: Infiltrate a Secret Society. suits anyone who wants a detective theme. You walk to the old Fresno Bee Building as one stop of a longer route, learn about it in the app and work out a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.