Fresno Metropolitan Museum

The Fresno Metropolitan Museum of Art and Science was one of the largest museums between San Francisco and Los Angeles, occupying the landmark 1922 Fresno Bee Building in downtown Fresno. Founded in 1984 and known locally as 'The Met,' it held accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums and was a Smithsonian Institution Affiliate, anchoring the cultural life of California's San Joaquin Valley with combined art and science programming. The museum has since closed, though the historic 1920s commercial building it called home remains a fixture of downtown Fresno's architectural fabric.