Miguel Arias walks the once-grand staircase leading to the second floor of the old Berkeley’s Department Store.
The Fresno city council member is showing off what he hopes will be a catalyst for the revitalization of this corner of Fulton Street, just off Chukchansi Park’s outfield entrance. He’s also making a point about the cost of abandoned buildings downtown.
In its heyday, this one was an anchor on a corner of a newly minted Fulton Mall that also included Gottschalks department store and Luftenburg’s (before the dress shop added bridal to its name). But the northward migration of Fresno’s commerce after the 1960s left the building vacant and neglected for the better part of four decades…