The Physicians Building, located at 2607 Fresno St. will serve as the future home of Access Plus Capital, a Fresno-based nonprofit, small business lender. Photo by Ben Hensley

Access Plus Capital is relocating to one of Downtown Fresno’s historic buildings to make itself more convenient and accessible to clients.

Access Plus Capital, a mission-based small business lender, paid $1.4 million for the 6,106 square-foot Physicians Building at 2607 Fresno St. The seller was Milner/Klein Realty.

The 97-year-old building will serve as the nonprofit’s new headquarters and provide space for small businesses and community organizations. With a couple of upgrades to the building, Access Plus Capital could move in by early fall.

Cherella Nicholson, vice president of impact for Access Plus Capital, said the lender was looking for a new building and was committed to Downtown Fresno.

“It’s beautiful. It’s centrally located, and it has parking,” said Nicholson. “Where we’re at now, our clients have to pay for parking on the meter.”

The new location will also improve accessibility, Nicholson added.

The Access Plus Capital team is split up on two floors in its current office at 1025 Fulton St. Moving into the Physicians Building will put all staff on one floor and allow for some conversation space, Nicholson said.

With a larger space, new loan ceremonies and small business workshops can be held at the same site. Access Plus Capital currently must seek hosts for its ceremonies because there isn’t enough room.

“It’s a place that we own; as a non-profit, it’s a big thing to own a building. We’re excited about that,” said Nicholson. “We’re excited about how we’re going to use the space — for more entrepreneur workshops, small business workshops. It’s a great space.”

The location is also in the middle of its clients’ service points, including Fresno City Hall and Fresno County offices, where budding entrepreneurs would need to get a business license or fictitious business name statement.

The Physicians Building is also near the Amtrak station. Since Access Plus Capital serves 14 different counties from its Fresno headquarters, its clients can take the train to visit the office.

Built in 1926, the Physicians Building was unique from the start, the first building in the Central Valley conceived for the exclusive use of medical exam offices and lab facilities, according to the nomination for the National Register of Historic Places on historicfresno.org.

It was designed and built for six Fresno doctors and surgeons with a variety of specialities including general surgery, pediatrics, obstetrics and internal medicine. It had 28 rooms grouped into office units opening into an interior court with an octagonal foundation and fish pond eight feet across.

With its white stucco walls and red-tile roof, its Spanish style stands out across the street from Fresno City Hall. It suffered an “aesthetic injustice” when it was renovated during the late 1960s — repainted, French doors replaced with glass and interior court subdivided into additional office space, according to the historic register nomination. The Physicians Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.