Adventure Church moves to block Fresno’s $6.5 million deal to purchase Tower Theatre
A Fresno judge plans to hear arguments next month in the ongoing fight over the sale of the Tower Theatre.
As expected, Adventure Church leaders will ask the court to block the City of Fresno’s $6.5 million purchase of the historic theater at Olive and Wishon Avenues in the heart of Fresno’s Tower District, according to Fresno County Superior Court records.
The theater has been a flashpoint of controversy for more than a year after Adventure Church’s plans to purchase the building became public.
Judge Kristi Culver Kapetan will hear arguments on June 16.
Documents requesting to halt the sale, filed earlier this week, come about a month after the Fresno City Council approved a complicated purchase agreement for the property that includes the theater, Sequoia Brewery, and Me-n-Ed’s. The city council narrowly approved the $6.5 million deal in a 4-3 vote in April.
Church leaders have pledged to fight the sale, describing it as “financially reckless” and “a multi-million dollar windfall” for the Tower Theatre owners.
Much of the debate over the city’s deal has focused on a few key details, including whether Fresno is overpaying for the theater by well over $1 million. Adventure Church officials have said they originally had a deal in place to buy the property for $4.8 million.
Questions also remain over the council majority’s decision to indemnify Sequoia Brewery and the Tower Theatre owner against legal action from the church, meaning the city would cover related legal expenses for both businesses.
Controversy around the theater first erupted in 2020 after Adventure Church entered into a contract to buy the building and was quickly met with community protests.
The sale was ultimately halted by a series of legal battles between the theater’s owner and Sequoia Brewery, a property tenant.
Lawyers for the theater’s owners, and the city of Fresno, contend that the original sales agreement expired at the end of March 2021.
However, the church’s attorneys have argued the contract remains current and valid and that $833,000 of church money has been held in escrow for more than a year. The church tried to force the sale by adding to the legal fray in February, claiming the owners broke their agreement to sell the property. That case will be argued later this year.
Arguments for blocking the city’s deal are expected to be filed by Tuesday, with opposition arguments coming by June 6, about 10 days ahead of the hearing in Fresno County Superior Court.
The Bee’s Joshua Tehee contributed to this report.
