Fresno’s oldest theater was just gutted. Church cited for renovations on historic building

Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias was riding his bike down Van Ness Avenue when he noticed a chain link fence and what looked like construction happening at Hardy’s Theatre.

It was odd because the 104-year-old downtown theater is within the council district he represents and he hadn’t seen or heard about any planned renovations.

Neither had anyone else at the city.

When the District 3 councilmember was finally able to tour the building on Wednesday, it was with staff from city code enforcement and members of the planning and historical preservation committees. They discovered that large parts of the interior had been gutted.

The entire second level was removed — some 1,000 theater seats — to make space for living quarters, along with plaster from the walls and much of the original ornamental work. All that is left is the original stage.

“It’s personally devastating to me, how someone took a hammer to such a historic jewel,” Arias says.

The city cited the building’s owner, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, for several code violations, including construction without a permit. The city is meeting this week to determine next steps, which could involve a work stoppage and additional fines.

There is also the possibility the city could require the church to rebuild parts that were destroyed, Arias says.

“We’re in uncharted territory. It’s unprecedented the amount of demolition that has been done.”

Hardy’s is the oldest existing theater in Fresno. It opened in 1917 on Van Ness near Tulare Avenue and is listed on the Local Register of Historic Resources as the Liberty Theater. It was renamed the Hardy’s Theatre in 1931.

That’s the name its best known by and the one that is still seen on the 1950s marquee out front.

Because the theater is on the local registry, it does have some protections, says Chris Rocha, who runs Vintage Fresno and sits on the city’s Historic Preservation Commission. That includes changes made to the exterior of the building. The commission is reviewing whether or not that includes the Hardy’s marquee, which the church wants to pull down and replace with its own signage.

There are fewer protections for the interior of the building, he says, but “had they pulled permits, there would have been some oversight.”

What is Universal Church?

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God was established in the late ’70s and serves mostly Spanish-speaking evangelicals. Over the years, it grew into an international mega church with headquarters in São Paulo, Brazil. The church is run by Edir Macedo, a man whose net worth was $1.1 billion in 2015, according to Forbes.

There are already two Universal Church locations in Fresno, both on Belmont Avenue. There are also church sites in Bakersfield, Madera, Merced, Stockton and Visalia, according to its website.

The theater was sold to the church last year.

When reached by email on Thursday, a spokesperson from Universal Church headquarters didn’t give comment but said they would contact the church’s team in California as soon as possible to get a clear status on the property.

Historic buildings, even those that have been unused for years, can be preserved, Arias says. The Expositor Building, the city’s Water Tower and the Hotel Fresno are great examples. Hotel Fresno, which is six months from completion has an expert on site to make sure the building’s historic features are kept intact.

“That’s what you do when you’re renovating a historical asset,” Arias says.

Another theater in jeopardy?

This isn’t the city’s only dealing with a theater owner over historic designations.

In May, the city filed for a court order to be allowed to enter Tower Theatre and appraise it as a historical landmark. That theater was granted national historical status in 1992 by the National Parks Service and came under scrutiny following its sale to Adventure Church. That sale didn’t go through.

City leaders argue the historical status of the theater gives the city the power to review the building to “preserve, promote and improve the historic resources and districts of the city of Fresno for educational, cultural, economic and general welfare of the public.”

So far the city has not been allowed to enter the theater and the case is still in court.

What happened at Hardy’s is proof that the city is not overreacting, Arias says.

“This is affirmation that the threat to historical preservation is real ... In a 48-hour period, you can lose a historic building.”

This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 1:12 PM.