Former patio furniture store started out as church

Question: Was the former Sun and Shade business at Abby Street and Grant Avenue in Fresno once a church? It looks like it.
– Lisa Goodell, Fresno

Answer: The Sun and Shade patio furniture company once occupied the former Westminster Presbyterian Church at 1728 Grant Ave.

A congregation was formed in 1874 as Cumberland Presbyterian Church and met for five years. The congregation disbanded but formed again in 1888.

In 1904, the congregation built a church at Tulare and N streets. In 1906, the church was renamed Calvary Presbyterian Church.

In 1916, Calvary Presbyterian merged with Belmont Presbyterian Church to become Westminster. The next year, the congregation built the church on Grant Avenue.

In 1959, the congregation built a new church at Santa Ana and Thorne avenues, where it still meets today. Westminster Presbyterian marked its 100th anniversary in 1974.

The former Westminster building was sold about 1959. The patio furniture business that once occupied the church is closed. The church’s domed bell tower and stained-glass windows are still visible.

Q: On Kids Day, my preschool students asked me, “Why is Kids Day today? Who picked this day? Is it always on the same day, like Christmas?”
– Jennifer Moore, Fresno

A: Kids Day — the fundraiser when special editions of The Bee are sold on street corners to benefit Children’s Hospital Central California — usually is scheduled in March for several reasons.

The date is selected to fall prior to school testing and spring break so schools can participate. Kids Day is held before the daylight saving time change so it’s lighter in the morning and during March so there’s a chance of better weather.

Kids Day usually falls on a Tuesday, but the actual date varies depending on the March calendar. Representatives from the three sponsors — The Bee, KFSN (Channel 30) and Children’s Hospital — work together to select the date of Kids Day each year.

Q: I work in the Fresno County Plaza Building, built as the Del Webb Towne House. What is the history of the hotel and what were some of its features?
– David Huls, Clovis

A: The Del Webb Towne House hotel and office building opened on Tulare Street between L and M streets on March 6, 1964. The dedication ceremonies included a parade through downtown, complete with marching bands from Roosevelt, Bullard and Edison high schools.

The $8.5 million, 22-story complex was owned by Elizabeth Farrar, Milo Rowell and Paul Bartlett, all of Fresno, and Fresno native Del Webb of Los Angeles and New York. At the time, Webb also owned the New York Yankees.

The 10 stories above the lobby floors were available for office space. About 200 hotel rooms with private balconies filled the top eight floors, with penthouse suites and a roof garden above.

A spiral staircase connected the lower and main lobbies. The hotel had a Champagne ballroom and meeting rooms named for varietal wines.

Other features included a coffee shop, the Wine Press dining room and cocktail lounge, a garden patio, swimming pool and shops. The Glen-Del Barber Shop was owned by Glen Thornton, and the Robert Coiffures beauty salon with Victorian decor was owned by Robert Verfurth and his wife.

The hotel closed in 1973, becoming Rodeway Inns in 1974. The complex changed hands three more times by 1978.