Warnors Theatre closed for maintenance. It’s latest hurdle for Fresno’s historic theaters

Of 16 original theaters created by vaudeville mogul Alexander Pantages in the early 1900s, few remain standing.

Ron Thomas puts the number at just six, with just one left operating in its original state.

That one is the 93-year-old Warnors Theatre in downtown Fresno.

“This is a jewel in the theater industry,” says Thomas, who serves as president of the board of directors for the Warnors Center for the Performing Arts, the 501c3 nonprofit created in 2006 to oversee the future of the venue.

The theater was built in 1928 and rescued from demolition by the Caglia family in the 1970s, then found a niche as a concert venue.

It was closed by the pandemic in March 2020 and has yet to reopen, even as other live music venues have returned to operation. According to its website, the Warnors is closed for maintenance, and Thomas says there are immediate issues that need to be resolved before the theater can meet the city’s fire safety codes and reopen.

The main issue is the smoke detection/ventilation system that sits on the top of the building. The one on the roof now is original to the building and needs to be updated to bring the theater into compliance.

There are other, smaller fixes that need to be made, too.

“If you walk through the building with me, I can start pointing things out to you,” Thomas says.

The cost of that work is estimated at $288,000, minimum, Thomas says. That’s not counting the nonessential updates, like putting in new carpet or more energy efficient windows.

The theater did take advantage of grants and other money made available during the pandemic. It received $436,000 from the Small Business Administration Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. That was used for maintenance and upkeep while the theater was closed, along with some repair work, Thomas says.

But the theater has had zero cash flow for more than a year.

To help make up some of the difference, the theater is hosting a fundraiser dinner Thursday.

Hosted by former Fresno Chamber president and “Legends and Legacies” voice-actor Al Smith, this is a gala event, the kind that typically involves black ties and runs $500 per person ($5,000 for a table). It includes a champagne reception and a seated dinner right on the theater’s main stage.

Guests will be joined for the night by Karen Sperling, the granddaughter of Harry Warner, of Warner Bros. fame. That’s the company that bought the theater in 1929 as its second West Coast motion picture theater. She will be sharing some stories and history of the Warner Bros. and its theaters at that time.

Retail helped it survive

While the pandemic hit live venues particularly hard, the Warnors was able to survive thanks to other tenants within the complex, Thomas says. The block is home to several hip retails spaces, including the Root, Scraps, Fulton Street Coffee and indie-bookstore 1418 Fulton.

It has become a hub of activity during downtown’s monthly ArtHop party.

The complex is also home to two other live venues: Frank’s Place and the Star Palace. Both have been cleared to reopen, Thomas says. Frank’s Place has already hosted several events, including something for November’s ArtHop. Star Palace should be open, with a new stage and some cosmetic upgrades, by the first of the year.

As for the theater proper, the board hopes to have that back open by spring, when it will start booking both community and national touring acts, similar to what it had been doing prior to the pandemic.

Long term, the board wants the theater in grand shape for its 100-year anniversary in 2028.

Controversy at Fresno’s other historic theaters

Fresno’s historic venues have been pulled front and center into the community conversation this year.

In the Tower District, people continue to protest the Tower Theatre for its connection (and possible sale) to Adventure Church, even as the venue filled its calendar with other events, including a comedy night Nov. 19 with Bob Zany. “Jackass” comedian Steve-O will do two nights off his Bucket List tour at the theater in December.

Back downtown, much of the original interior of the Hardy’s Theatre was gutted when its new owners, Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, took over earlier this year. That sparked outrage for historic preservationists and proposed changes to the city’s Historic Preservation Ordinance.

The Rainbow Ballroom, also downtown and Fresno’s oldest music venue, was listed for sale in January and appears to still be on the market, though it has returned to hosting concerts, post pandemic.

The Azteca Theatre in Fresno’s Chinatown has reopened and continues to host one-off concerts from the likes of rapper Too $hort, who performs Dec. 17.

The Crest Theatre, with its iconic marquee, had been leased to a church for several years but returned to a performance venue in the 2000s and hosted many concerts, including Rob Zombie in 2011. Pre-pandemic, the theater was known for showing classic and cult films.

The Wilson Theatre continues to be run by Cornerstone Church, which uses the space for weekly services and other events and has been good steward to the theater’s historic markings, including the lighted marquee.

As for the Warnors Theatre, it is in no danger of shuttering, Thomas says, but it does need to be cared for.

“All buildings are going to age. All buildings are going to deteriorate,” he says.

“It’s how you take care of them that is important.”

This story was originally published November 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.