‘It’s messing with our culture.’ Fresno’s Tower Theatre a terrible place for a church
For 80 years, the Tower Theatre has stood as the neon-lit beacon of Fresno’s arts and entertainment hub.
Originally built as a movie house and converted into a 761-seat theater, the Tower Theatre has hosted concerts, stage productions, lectures, film screenings, comedy shows and poetry readings. It serves as both namesake and anchor of an eclectic district of restaurants, cafes, bars, theaters, galleries, delis, cigar shops and tattoo parlors.
More than a string of businesses along a few blocks of Olive and Wishon avenues, the Tower District is a vibe. It’s home to film festivals (Fresno Filmworks and Reel Pride), parades (Rainbow Pride and Mardi Gras) and events like the Rogue Festival that escape easy description. Where all are welcomed, none are judged and merriment is widespread.
Which is why the Tower Theatre is a terrible place for a church.
Frankly, I can’t think of a less suitable building anywhere in town.
This being America, the Abbate family that owns the Tower Theatre can sell to whomever it wants. But Tower District supporters and concerned business owners get to have their say, and they come bearing logical objections and rolls of bureaucratic red tape.
Because that’s America, too.
“We don’t want it here, and we’re going to fight it every step of the way,” Cisco Mendez said of the impending sale, currently in escrow, of the Tower District landmark to Adventure Community Church.
“It doesn’t belong here. It’s like opening a bar next to a church. You don’t do it. So I don’t understand why it’s allowed the other way around.”
Mendez is co-owner of FAB Fresno, an LGTBQ nightclub located a half block up and across Olive Avenue from the Tower Theatre. Since COVID-19 hit nearly 10 months ago, the doors have been closed except for two tepid weeks in November.
So when Mendez sees Adventure Church holding large indoor services every Sunday at the Tower Theatre and hardly anyone seems to be wearing masks, it galls him.
“If I were to open my business right now, the city would shut me down in less than a day,” Mendez said. “But the church holds indoor services without masks for months, and they get a letter.”
City: stop indoor services
Two orders were issued, technically. Tuesday, the city of Fresno ordered the current owners of the Tower Theatre to stop Adventure Church from holding indoor services. That letter followed a Dec. 31 missive the church evidently ignored.
The letter signed by Assistant Chief City Attorney Erica Camera said the theater “must cease indoor operations immediately. Continued violations may subject you to summary closure, criminal prosecution, revocation of your business license, and/or conditional use permit, fines, and other legal actions.”
Will Adventure Church comply, or do its leaders believe they only cede to a higher authority?
In a separate memo dated Wednesday, Fresno City Manager Thomas Esqueda informed church leaders they would need a zoning change as well as a conditional use permit to continue holding services at the Tower Theatre in the future.
Both will require a vigorous public vetting. As detailed on Facebook by Councilmember Esmeralda Soria, the zoning change and permit must be approved by the Tower District Design Review Committee, District 1 Committee and Planning Commission before the matter even gets to the City Council.
And if it does get that far, which is doubtful, I can’t see this council granting the four required votes.
Again, the Abbate family has the right to sell the 1.83-acre property (which includes the theater, three restaurant spaces and a parking lot) to anyone they choose. Just as the public has a right to loudly and strenuously object.
‘Messing with our culture’
There are questions that need answering: If the theater does become a church, what happens to other nearby businesses? Would they still be allowed to sell alcohol, or transfer their alcohol licenses? What happens to marijuana dispensaries that want to locate there?
According to the city’s own zoning regulations, neither is allowed within 1,000 feet (alcohol) or 800 feet (cannabis) of a church.
“It’s messing with our culture, and our neighborhood has a culture,” Mendez said.
Another Tower District business owner, who asked that I don’t use his name, described churchgoers standing outside his entrance holding “Alcohol is Poison” signs and passing out church leaflets to customers.
“It was pretty freaking ridiculous if you ask me,” he said. “You can believe in God and still have a couple of beers.”
In July, Laurence Abbate stated flat-out the Tower Theatre could turn into “a church, a warehouse” after the pandemic curtailed live entertainment venues such as his.
But if the theater were in such dire financial straits, why wouldn’t Abbate ask for help? As far as I can tell, the Tower Theatre didn’t apply for a PPP loan or any of the federally funded grants available for arts and culture venues. And if he had spread the word, surely there would’ve been a groundswell of support from many of the same people who are steadfastly opposed to what is taking place.
The sale of the Tower Theatre to Adventure Church is expected to close at the end of this month. Meaning it’s not too late for the Abbate family to have a change of heart, or for the church to back out on its own accord.
Let’s hope common sense prevails. Or else that neon-lit beacon in Fresno’s most accepting, bohemian neighborhood will lose much of its glow.
This story was originally published January 7, 2021 at 12:34 PM.
