Historic theater expects to reopen in Fresno next year. Here are latest changes at Warnors

Classic rock band Y&T is on the calendar to perform at Warnors Theatre next spring.

By that point, it will have been more than three years since a concert has been held at the 94-year-old downtown venue, which was closed by the pandemic in 2020 and has yet to fully reopen due to ongoing maintenance issues.

Judging by the activity around Warnors in recent weeks, work is being done.

The theater and two of the building’s other spaces, Frank’s Place and Star Palace, should be open and in full operation by early next year, says Ron Thomas, the president of the board of directors for the Warnors Center for the Performing Arts, the 501c3 nonprofit that oversees the theater.

Frank’s Place has actually been open for the past few months for ArtHop and other events, including a monthly comedy night.

It has seen some upgrades, Thomas says, including a total interior repaint and new track lighting around the seating and bar areas, which have been stripped and refinished.

The dance floor was also redone.

One major difference people should notice and appreciate, Thomas says: Drinks will now be served in actual glasses, instead of plastic Coors cups.

Upstairs at the Star Palace, the walls have all been painted and re-textured. Painters were finishing up that work this week. A small VIP section with table tops is being added across from the bar, which is now set up to operate during events.

The massive windows facing Fulton Street have all been re-tinted and the original Star Palace and Warnors theater logos are being replicated for the main entranceway.

The next upgrade will be a new, modular stage that can be moved around the venue and configured to accommodate a variety of events, from concerts to speaking engagement and fashion shows.

Star Palace will be open in time for the Hmong New Year, when it will host a community celebration, Thomas says.

’Constant’ repair for historic Fresno theater

There have also been upgrades inside the theater proper.

Some 450 light bulbs surrounding the theater’s ornate dome were switched out to energy-saving LEDs.

A new alarm system was installed.

The theater’s signature red carpet, which runs the walkways and through the second-floor mezzanine, was replaced at a cost of more than $30,000 — money secured through one of several federal and state grants the theater received during the pandemic.

A bulk of that money was used to remove and replace the building’s original smoke detection/ventilation system, which had to be operated manually from the stage and didn’t meet fire code requirements.

Installation of the new $300,00 system, which sits on the building’s roof, began in September.

That work should have been completed over the summer, but there were supply chain issues and then a traffic collision that destroyed the system as it was being transported.

A new one had to be expedited, Thomas says.

“It put us a couple of months behind schedule.”

Of course, the work of restoring, preserving and modernizing the theater is non-stop.

There is a noticeable crack in one of the large windows in the mezzanine overlooking Tuolumne Street. It’s a repair that needs to happen, but it could cost upwards of $11,000 for the single pane, Thomas says. And there are other more pressing concerns, like getting new sound and lighting systems for each of the complex’s three venues, or repairing an old and damaged roof.

“Where do I put that on the priority list?”

Scraps, other Warnors businesses closing

While the theater’s performance venues are getting updates, the center’s retail spaces are also seeing changes.

Several of the shops on the block have left or will be leaving by the end of the year. That includes bookstore/zine print shop 1418 Fulton and eclectic gift boutique Scraps.

Scraps opened on the Tuolumne Street side of the complex in 2016, selling dead-stock inventory from the old novelty store Penny Candy, along with vintage shirts, ball caps, posters and books.

It also has a massive collection of Fresno buttons with slogans such as “Fresno: Armpit of America” or “Fresno Sucks.”

Owner Tony Stamolis says it was just time for him to take a break from the retail world; he’ll be selling the store’s remaining inventory online.

The store will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Dec. 24.

The theater will be moving its administrative offices into the 1418 space, Thomas says, but there are no plans for the other open spaces.

“Our goal,” he says, “is to make Warnors corner a destination.

“What that looks like, I don’t know.”

He does know that the board of the Warnors Center wants it to be the community’s theater. That means bringing in national touring plays and concerts (agents are already inquiring about shows in 2023), while remaining available to local groups.

“So, if someone want to put on a mariachi festival,” Thomas says, “we’re going to figure out how to do it.”

This story was originally published December 15, 2022 at 5:30 AM.