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Building History

Seattle architect Benjamin "Benny" Marcus Priteca (1889-1971) was one of the West Coast's most distinguished architects of 1910s-1920s movie palaces. Designed for Priteca's patron, the Seattle movie exhibitor, Alexander Pantages (1867-1936), this eclectic Spanish/Italian Renaissance movie palace was an anchor of downtown Fresno's shopping district, occupying a prominent corner location at Fulton and Tuolumne Streets. Just after opening, Pantages sold the facility to the Warner Brothers in 1929, the second venue in what became a chain. The theatre became an early addition to the city's official historic inventory, and as an admired landmark, it became reused as the Warnor's Center for the Performing Arts. The facility became known as "Warnor's" in the 1960s to skirt a trademark infringement suit.

Building Notes

When built, the Pantages seated 2,000 customers, a common capacity for theatres in small-to-mid-sized cities of the time. Pantages directed Priteca to create numerous storefronts to generate rental income. The arched colonnades on the two side facades reflect Priteca's interest in the work of Alberti and other Italian Renaissance architects, and were used on other of his designs.