The Guarantee Savings G sign, originally a weather beacon, will be replaced with a replica by State Center Community College District. Photo by Estela Anahi Jaramillo

The iconic G sign atop the former Guarantee Savings building in Downtown Fresno will be coming down Saturday, Jan. 20.

The sign is being removed in preparation for its replacement with a replica sign, a plan announced by building owner State Center Community College District back in November.

The removal will start around 8 a.m. and should be complete by mid-morning. The building is located at 1171 Fulton St. in Fresno.

 The sign will be relocated to the Fresno Fairgrounds to join a collection of other iconic Fresno signs. A new G sign is being fabricated, with installation anticipated by summer 2025. 

The replacement sign will be constructed to honor the spirit of the past while complying with current structural design codes. The new replica sign will have upgraded LED lighting to follow the existing exterior building lighting schemes that change in recognition of commemorative events. 

In November, the SCCCD Board of Trustees approved a contract to remove the sign. The sign has no existing schematics. Removal will allow inspection and evaluation to reverse-engineer the sign. 

When the District inspected the G sign, there were hopes it needed only minor repairs — replacing some rusted panels and the existing lighting system — but the sign was unsalvageable. It is held in place with thick wires, and the electrical system for the rotation and lighting no longer works. 

The building at 1171 Fulton Street opened in 1921 as the Mattei building, named after its owner, Andrew Mattei. In 1961, Guarantee Savings and Loan purchased the building and installed the 15-foot weather beacon on its roof. 

The giant rotating G changed color according to the weather, and downtown workers and shoppers counted on the G for weather information as they strolled the Fulton Mall. Due to costs, the G went dark in 1994. Power was restored in 2003 but featured only white lights. 

SCCCD then purchased the former Guarantee Savings building in 2018, occupying the building until 2019 after some renovations.