City inspection confirms further damage to Fresno’s oldest theater. ‘It’s pretty bad’ | Opinion

The unmistakable smell of mold wafted along Van Ness Avenue in downtown Fresno on Friday morning.

That’s what happens these days when the doors to the city’s original movie house are opened.

Following my April 5 report about the further deterioration of Hardy’s Theater from winter storm damage, city officials requested a look inside the 106-year-old historically listed building from its owner, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God. Present were Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz, whose office oversees code enforcement, Councilmember Miguel Arias and several city inspectors.

I showed up hoping to be allowed in as well. That didn’t happen, though. Pastor Alex Guillen and another gentleman (whom I found out later was the project manager) said I needed permission from the church’s Los Angeles headquarters. I called the number they gave me, but the person who answered said the church official I needed to speak with wasn’t available. Nor was that person available when I called back 15 minutes later.

In the end, it didn’t matter much. What city officials discovered inside Hardy’s Theater pretty much confirmed what Tom Ethridge, owner of the pawn shop next door, described to me four weeks ago:

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The building’s interior (which was gutted in 2021 as city planners looked the other way) is almost completely trashed, the result of an unfinished roof left susceptible to the elements when renovations halted last fall following a financial dispute between Universal Church and its contractor, DWD Builders.

Need I remind anyone how much it rained over the winter.

“It’s far worse than I thought,” said Arias, whose district includes downtown. “There is severe water damage and a significant amount of mold. All the Sheetrock that they put up is all molded, so everything has to be completely torn down.”

Said Janz: “It’s heartbreaking to see the condition the building is in. It’s pretty bad.”

City inspection finds safety hazards

City officials found evidence that transients have broken in and occupied the building. (By pushing a garbage bin against the fence, climbing over and kicking in boarded-up back doors.) They also noted numerous safety hazards. Not only for people who venture inside, but those walking past on the sidewalk.

“That could fall on somebody on the street,” said Janz, pointing up to an exterior window dangling askew some 20 feet above Van Ness.

Officials also found two rows of plastic chairs arranged facing the stage, an indication the church may have been holding assemblies inside the theater during construction.

The City Attorney’s Office, according to Janz, will be sending a letter requesting the church address the building’s issues.

“There are several health and safety exposures that they have to take care of immediately that our inspector has identified for them,” Arias said.

Before clamming up and directing my questions to his superiors in L.A., Pastor Alex told me the church intended to hire another contractor to complete interior and exterior renovations. Also on hand Friday were representatives of a Southern California-based construction firm collecting information for a bid.

Opened in 1917 as Liberty Theater before acquiring the Hardy’s name in 1931, Fresno’s oldest theater has an ignominious recent history.

Shortly after purchasing the building in 2021, the church began interior renovations that included tearing out the entire balcony level (some 1,000 seats) along with plaster from the walls, original light fixtures and ornamental work. All that happened under the noses of city planners, who never bothered with an inspection and failed to inform the Historic Preservation Commission.

Renovations halted with roof unfinished

After that news came to light, a mini-brouhaha ensued, resulting in the church being required to restore certain historic elements that were removed. The entire project, including exterior work, was scheduled to be completed last October.

“It was supposed to be completed eight months ago, but that’s apparently when the dispute between the contractor and the owner occurred,” Arias said. “The work halted and according to the owner they did not know the roof had not been completed. So when the storms came in, they ruined everything.”

“Everything” seemingly includes the plaster ceiling near the stage that survived the 2021 renovations. In photos taken by Arias and a staff member, part of the ceiling appears to be destroyed, while the rest surely must have water damage.

Arias said he was told the church has already spent $4 million on the theater — money that has now “gone to waste” — and that it will take another $4 million (and 1½ to 2 more years) to finish the project.

“It’s completely disheartening how a conflict between an owner and contractor can result in such deterioration of a historical asset,” Arias said. “We’re back at square one. How do we salvage the historical assets of the building when we don’t own or control it? This is the difficult part.”

No more difficult than seeing another Fresno landmark with a plywood-covered front entrance, broken windows, graffiti and reeking of mold.