From time to time, we hope to peer into the lives of local residents who often appear in the pages of The Bee, for a series called "Newsmakers." This week, we spoke with Reza Assemi, an in-fill developer whose work has often been featured in the newspaper, most recently in Sanford Nax's June 12 story in the Real Estate section. Below the fold, you'll find an edited transcript of our phone interview, an archive of newspaper articles in which Assemi has appeared, and a link to a gallery of photos featuring Assemi and his work. Read on for a glimpse at Fresno through the lens of one dynamic person.

Bee articles featuring Assemi

• Downtown building is transformed into Pearl Studio plus living space
• Reframing Downtown
• Vacant motel on road to history
• Fresno revival plan still seeks OK
• Mural transforms block wall
• A first step in reviving downtown
• Downtown lofts give revitalization boost
• Creative Fresno

Photo gallery

Click to view gallery

Related

• Fresno Famous Q&A with Assemi
• RezaAssemi.com

Tell me about how you came to be where you are. Where did you go to school, what did you study?

I studied at Fresno State. I graduated with a degree in philosophy over there. That would be my background studies, I guess. Then started what I've been doing for about five years.

Describe that for me.

I started with my first project, which has become the Pearl Building, downtown on Fulton there just south of Divisadero. The initial concept was to create a space where artists could live, work, and also show public.

Where did you go before Fresno State, by the way?

Before Fresno State, after high school, I went to Santa Clara for about a year. And then took some time off. I'm really into backpacking, so I took a year off from school, came back to Fresno, worked, saved up some money, and then zig-zagged the state, hiking most of the national parks. And then after I came back, wasn't sure if I wanted to go back to school, so I moved around a bit, spent some time in San Diego and in L.A., and then ended up transferring to Fresno State. Did about a year at Fresno State and then dropped out again and went to San Francisco to pursue art. That's when I really started getting into painting. So I moved there and painted a lot and worked odd jobs there. Then spent a little bit of time up in Vancouver in Canada, also painting, and then ended up coming back to Fresno State again, until finishing up in philosophy. Moved to L.A. for a while after I graduated from Fresno State. Same thing, just working on my painting. And then, when I ended up coming back to Fresno, I ended up getting pretty sparked. I had always been interested in the downtown since high school just shooting photographs down there and just always liked the urban setting. So when I came back to Fresno, I got my substitute teaching credential, started substitute teaching and waiting tables and saving up money to do that first project, which became the Pearl Building.

What high school did you attend here?

Graduated from Bullard.

Did you grow up in Fresno, were you born here?

I was born in Oklahoma City, and then my family moved to Tehran for about a year. I don't remember, I was one year old. And then ended up moving to Fresno when I was two. Which would have been 1977 or '78 when we moved to Fresno.

And how old are you now?

29.

And your family lived in Tehran for a year, in Iran.

That's right, yeah, my mom is from Vienna and my dad is from Tehran. So after I was born, we moved back to Tehran for a little while, and then ended up moving back to the States.

Wow. And when you came back to Fresno, you said, well, on one of your return trips to Fresno, you waited tables?

Yeah, that's right.

Where did you work and where did you teach?

I substitute-taught for Century Unified. ... Last place, that was about four years ago, so I guess that would be Butterfield [Brewing Co.]

What does your art focus on most often?

My artwork really focuses on sort of a cycle of things. Capturing moments within people's experiences and just capturing the life cycle. ... The last series that I just finished was called "Empty Spaces." And it focused on objects or things that once held life or held importance and capturing that space, within that.

Was that oil, acrylic, photography?

No, those were oils.

How do you approach doing a building project?

Usually it starts with the conception of an idea. For example, the art studios that I'm working on right now started with seeing that there's a need for finding affordable work spaces. As an artist myself, I always found it hard to find a space just to work, just to find a raw space to work in. So it started with that concept, and then seeing a need for it, and then finding the right location, the right building, the right circumstance to make it happen.

Who have been some of your biggest helpers in the city in getting some of these projects done?

I think the city overall has been -- from my point of view -- it's been pretty helpful in making these projects happen. I think the city more than ever now, it seems that they're pretty forward-thinking and wanting to see things happen downtown. It's just a matter of people bringing things to the table, and then following them through, all the way through, you know, from conception to construction and then opening.

What strengths do you bring to the table in designing buildings? Had you had any experience in architecture, interior design?

Not experience so much as just a love for it. I've always had a love for design, for architecture. As a kid, it was the first thing that I wanted to be, was an architect. So I think I always just had an interest in it. And I always kept a good eye on what I liked that I saw that was design. And then from there it's always just learning things with each project. Things that you like the way they come out. Things that you could improve on. Always just looking to better the idea.

Lately, I've been trying to just sort of get more innovative, so on the last project I really tried not to look at any pictures of art spaces or anything, and just sort of look at the floor plan of the building, just the shape, and then think about how people were going to interact and maneuver through that space on working studios. And then try to build within the spaces a community or collaborative atmosphere, a collective.

What was that last project, by the way?

That's the one I'm working on right now, it's at 1416 Broadway, it's at Broadway and Tuolomne and it's 25 artist-affordable work spaces. And then in the front of the building there are some commercial spaces.

OK. Walk me through, if you will, just a timeline of development projects that you've worked on in Fresno.

It started with [1] the Pearl Building, about five years ago, which was, like I said, the artists' live, work and show space. That idea came from -- it's always difficult to find a space that you can live and work in at the same time, that was conducive to both. And then also a space that you could show in, that led itself -- where it was a comfortable atmosphere, where you could actually open your space to the public to come through, so an artist could maintain full control of your living space, your working space and your showing space -- all those three elements under one roof. So from that project, the next project was the [2] Vagabond project. After that it's been -- it went into the [3] H St. project, which is next door to the Vagabond, which is going to end up being an adaptive reuse project, saving the shell, and then adaptively reusing the inside and building it out into artist [spaces] and also just lofts. And then there's also a project I've been working on about a block from there on bare land, which would be [4] a mixed-use project. Essentially it's for-sale housing, and they're set up as real houses, typically like what you might see in San Francisco, elevated lofts, two to three stories high, detached garages accessible from the alley with courtyards between the house and the garage, as well as within that project there's lofts and apartments and also small-scale commercial. And also buffered within that project is a pocket park, sort of a green park with an amphitheater for events. So that project is another one that I'm currently working on which brings all those elements together -- for sale housing, small-scale commercial, lofts and green space.

Where's that one again?

That's directly across from the African-American Museum. And that's still in its preliminary stages right now. And then after that the latest project has been [5] the building on Broadway and Tuolomne, which is the one that's affordable work spaces for artists and small-scale commercial in the front of the building to complement that.

What other pies do you have your fingers in at this time? I know you're part of Creative Fresno ...

Creative Fresno, always looking to do projects in the Tower District, done some in-fill projects in there, working with little lofts or older buildings, you know, restoring them. So those are some projects. Other than that, my painting and working on that. I do a little bit of photography, mostly just as an interest, I don't really have any background in it, it's just something that I really enjoy capturing. Similar to paintings -- a moment within things. With Creative Fresno, I've been involved with a mural project. We're trying to do what we're calling a mural alley, which would span between Tuolomne St. and Sacramento St. And basically we're trying to secure as many walls from the local businesses in the area, and bring artists in to do their artwork and murals in the area, to beautify that district there.

In the development projects that you do ... when you're working on a building, what part of the work do you do?

It depends on the project. I'll do anything from starting with the demo work, you know, working with sledgehammers and crowbars.

And what sorts of folks do you get to help you out with the projects?

That again really depends on the project. Like the affordable spaces for artists has been a real grassroots effort. Friends of mine have helped out quite a bit, have done a lot of the hand work. We've really -- it's been sort of a collaborative effort to make this project happen, in order to keep the costs down on the studio spaces, to keep them where they're affordable.

What are your favorite places in the city?

It'd be downtown.

Any specific spots downtown?

You know, it's -- I've always really enjoyed the area between, you know, Tuolomne and Divisadero, between L St. and H St. That area just has always had a lot of appeal to me. It's got a lot of history, a lot of the old automotive warehouses in the area have always been really appealing to me. A lot of the buildings are a little bit lower in height, which really lends itslef to having a nice appeal for a residential district. And it's an area that I think lends itself to a lot of in-fill. There isn't a lot happening other than the museums and the non-profits that are already in the area who have helped it to survive. And some of the businesses that are also in the area that have been there for the long haul. But there isn't really a whole lot of living spaces in the area or offices really in the area. That's why I think it's an ideal area to create into an urban neighborhood.

Where in town do you live?

Right now, I'm living in the Tower District.

Is this a unit that you've developed?

No, I rent. ... I was living in the Pearl Building for about two years, and then really, I just wanted a little bit -- just kind of -- I'm down here a lot, so I found a really nice space in the Tower District that kind of sits right off an alley. It's very quiet, and it's a nice place to live, to just get work done, and be a little bit separated from the work I do every day.

When your friends come to visit from out of town, where do you take them?

Downtown. Downtown and Tower District. Those are the two places where I'm really -- downtown is what has kept me in Fresno. So that's where you usually will find me.

What do you hope to see in downtown in five years?

You know, I've always enjoyed downtown for what it is. So I think if it keeps growing the way it's growing, just as individuals coming in and opening new spaces and things, letting it grow by the community, I think that's a really healthy way to let it go. I wouldn't really say I really hope for anything. I think things are moving in a really positive direction, and I've always liked them each step of the way the way they are. I loved downtown five years ago when I moved down here and lived down here. I liked it then, and it's different today than it [was] then, and I like it today also. But I've never hoped for it to change in any way. I've just tried to do what I can, and the community is doing a lot down here, and I think it's growing in a healthy way, but I've always liked it the way it is.

Is there anything you fear in Fresno's future?

Not so much, I guess. I think downtown seems to be growing in a good way. I think if we continue on the road we're on, it looks like things will probably be all right. I just think it's really important to keep true to what the community wants and to keep true to our history down here. So the biggest thing I would fear is to lose more buildings that are structurally sound. We have lost a lot of buildings in the history of Fresno here, and I think it's really important to keep the structure of downtown how it is, and healthy the way it is.

In creating or designing a building project, name for me if you can one specific part or feature or section of one of the buildings that you've helped develop that you really appreciate in retrospect, or struck you at the time as being excellent.

Are you asking my favorite part of one of the projects? As far as design goes, or ...

I'll leave it up to your interpretation.

Probably my favorite thing right now is the feel and the aesthetic of the way the studio spaces and the work spaces have laid out at 1416 Broadway. Seeing the walls go up and the sheetrock go up has -- I don't know how to put it -- that design element and the layout and the way you can maneuver through the spaces I'm really happy with.

Who would you most like to read about in a segment like this in the future?

I'd like to read more about the artists that are down here, I think, more than anything else. I'd like to read more about the profiles of the artists that are pioneering to make these things happen. None of these projects that I'm working on would be working if it wasn't for the individuals coming in and making these things happen, moving down here, working down here, putting all this energy into the murals that are going up. I'd like to read more about them.