Crest Theatre

1160 Broadway Plaza,
Fresno, CA 93721

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Fox West Coast Theatres, National General Theatres

Architects: Carl G. Moeller

Functions: Live Performances

Styles: Streamline Moderne

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News About This Theater

Crest Theatre exterior

Located on the outskirts of downtown Fresno, the exterior of the former Crest Theatre is a stark Moderne style box with an exceptional marquee. It opened on July 7, 1949 and was operated by Fox West Coast Theatres. The original seating capacity was 1,284.

“The interior is very well maintained courtesy of a friendly porter, who let me inside. Although he wouldn’t turn on the lights, my flashing camera lights revealed beautifully ornate gold leaf details. Facing the stage and curtained screen you feel like sitting in a sea shell”.

The theatre later became a church, the Iglesias Universales, but as of January 2005, the church had vacated the building, and the former theatre was rented out for concerts, movies and special events. It has a reduced seating capacity of 557. It was closed in 2020. It had reopened by June 2023 as a live performance venue.

Contributed by CinemAFuchs

Recent comments (view all 40 comments)

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on November 29, 2018 at 8:17 pm

now has 557 stadium seats please update. ps. i don’t like this news but someone has to write about it. i might go to a show there in december. finger crossed i do.

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on December 2, 2018 at 11:49 pm

the stadium seating rumor is falls. i know because i saw home alone there yesterday for free!. they show movies every Friday. they had shown the nightmare before Christmas at 4:00 so that was a paid to see film and this was a free film. also 95% of the marquee did not light up. also original seating capacity is 1,284 please update on the film times and the original screen count

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on November 20, 2019 at 7:49 pm

most of the neon was stolen

authorchristopherstone
authorchristopherstone on February 19, 2020 at 10:49 pm

How very many Twentieth Century-Fox releases I saw at this theatre, circa 1955-1969: Everything from “Three Coins in the Fountain,” and “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing,” to “Can-Can,” and “There’s No Business Like Show Business.” In its day, a real movie palace!

RogerC
RogerC on August 18, 2020 at 1:07 am

Fresno’s Broadway St at the time the Crest opened was a part of State Route 99 before Freeway 99 was built. All motorists driving through the Central Valley on the 99 as they went through Fresno would pass by the stunning Crest marquee. It was the most welcoming sight on the route.

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on December 15, 2022 at 7:58 pm

You can now rent out the crest for special events per their Facebook page.

Trolleyguy
Trolleyguy on December 18, 2022 at 6:41 pm

No current shows on their Facebook page. Last entry was over 2 years ago.

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on July 5, 2023 at 6:06 am

Facebook has been updated with modern showtimes this has been reopened probably by the old owners please update as opened

dansdriveintheater
dansdriveintheater on August 5, 2023 at 8:35 am

They just updated that their ac is broken however they will still be open please update!

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