Protest held outside of Tower Theatre amid pending sale of theatre

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A peaceful protest was held outside of the Tower Theatre on Sunday.

The City of Fresno has confirmed the pending sale of the iconic Tower Theatre -- the namesake of Fresno's Tower District.

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Adventure Church has been hosting Sunday services at the theatre and has recently taken action to purchase the historic property on Wishon and Olive.

Councilmember Esmeralda Soria noted that due to zoning laws, the congregation will have to go through more legal action to operate as a full-time church in the Tower District.

One tower resident is expressing her concerns about losing the Tower Theater as an event venue if the church takes over.

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"It's kind of a protest," says Laura Splotch. "Some people are protesting this but I just want to use the right verbiage, that we are demonstrating our love for the tower and we are unhappy with their decision to try and buy it, and we are going to try and stop it."

While the City of Fresno cannot prohibit the sale of the Tower Theater, Councilmember Soria says the congregation will still need the city's approval before re-purposing the historic venue into a church.