Tower Theatre

Built in 1939 (Streamline Moderne). Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. 14 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1921.

From the record

“The Tower Theatre for the Performing Arts is a historic Streamline Moderne mixed-use theater in Fresno, California. Built in 1939, it opened to the public on December 15, 1939, under the management of Fox West Coast Theater Corporation.”
Wikipedia article Tower Theatre (Fresno, California), CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 44 National Register listings published here for Fresno County · listed in 1992 · category: Building · built in 1939, Streamline Moderne, by S. Charles Lee.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service · the Wikipedia article

The listing

What is counted as historic. The nomination lists 1 building as contributing to the listing.
Address. 1201 N. Wishon Ave., Fresno, 93728
When was it listed? September 1992
Category. building
Census division. Fresno
When was it built? 1939
Architectural style. Streamline Moderne
Architect. S. Charles Lee
National Register reference number. 92001276 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

1,109 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1,109 fires within 5 miles of Tower Theatre between 1992 and 2020, burning about 805 acres in total. 2 started naturally. 131 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	784
Arson/incendiarism	131
Equipment and vehicle use	70
Misuse of fire by a minor	52
Debris and open burning	43
Smoking	27
Natural	2

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
9 September 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fresno-Kings Unit	not named
9 September 2019	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Fresno-Kings Unit	not named
9 September 2017	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection	not named
9 September 2011	Arson/incendiarism	1.0 acres	Fresno-Kings Unit	MARTIN L KING JR BL FRES
9 September 2009	Equipment and vehicle use	1.0 acres	California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection	not named
9 September 2007	Misuse of fire by a minor	1.0 acres	California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection	not named
9 September 2007	Smoking	1.0 acres	California Department of Forestry & Fire Protection	not named
8 September 2011	Misuse of fire by a minor	under an acre	Fresno-Kings Unit	WILLOW

Every fire recorded in Fresno County

Mines and quarries near this property

8 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 8 workings within 5 miles of Tower Theatre: 5 producers, 2 unknowns, 1 past producer. 5 still produce. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Gold, Silver. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status
Fred Santoni Lonestar Mill	Gold, Silver	Unknown
Raymond Quarry Plant No. 2	Granite	Producer
Builders Concrete Inc	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer
Clay Pit	Clay	Unknown
Craycroft Brick Co.	Clay	Producer
De Paree Pit and Mill	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Past Producer
Hans Sumpe Pit and Mill	Clay	Producer
Pacific Cement and Aggregates	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Producer

Every working recorded in Fresno County

Storms near this property

55 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Fresno, the town this property stands in, in 55 storm reports between 1994 and 2019: 15 heavy rain, 13 hail, 8 flood, 6 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
August 1997	Wildfire	Fresno	$1,900,000	Named the "Choke Fire" it burned more than 3900 acres in the high country of the Southern Sierra Nevada in the Sequoia National Forest. It was a lightning caused fire from thunderstorms associated with monsoonal moisture.
February 1998	Heavy Rain	Fresno	$1,600,000	no account filed
May 1997	Lightning	Fresno	$1,500,000	no account filed
May 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Fresno	$500,000	A National Weather Service survey team along with eyewitness accounts describe the damage path of high wind and hail from a severe thunderstorm through an area three miles wide and 19 miles long starting 15 miles east of Fresno. Numerous large, old oak trees were felled taking down power lines and in two instances falling on houses. Hail in excess of one inch also occurred and combined with the high wind caused major agricultural damage to this section of rural Fresno County. Toward the easternmost portion of the damage path the width had expanded to a little over five miles. This cell is likely the same one that supported 1745 PDT tornado activity at Fresno. Crop damage was extensive with nearly $17 million damage caused by hail/wind stripping trees of leaves and early fruit set of both deciduous and late citrus. Five head of livestock were also killed. Radar reflectivity reached 71 dBZ with this cell.
March 1994	Hail	Fresno	$500,000	no account filed
April 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Fresno	$350,000	Storm analysis and survey concluded that two straight line wind events occurred within a few minutes of each other in and around the California State University Campus in North Fresno. An initial gust from the southwest was followed closely by another from the west-northwest. Large trees and roof damage was noted in clearly distinct damage areas. Some evidence existed for rotation by debris but the likely culprit was some gustnado action on the leading edge of the outflows. Convection was noted on radar immediately to the south and west at the time of the event but note overhead. The largest damage track was close to 0.75 miles and up to 1/8 mile wide.
May 1996	Thunderstorm Wind	Fresno	$150,000	no account filed
November 1999	Heavy Rain	Fresno	$50,000	The first substantial autumn rain (and first since 4/12/99) led to transmission line transformer shorts and power loss to 14,000 local utility customers in the Central and Southern San Joaquin Valley. The problems were repaired by the afternoon of the 8th. Rainfall amounts on the San Joaquin Valley floor varied from 0.20 to 0.66 of an inch of rain ... and 1.0 to 1.5 inches in the adjacent foothills.
May 1995	Tornado (F0)	Fresno	$50,000	A National Weather Service (NWS) survey team along with eyewitness accounts concluded a weak F0 tornado briefly occurred in the vicinity of the Fresno Fairgrounds. Light roof damage, a damaged car, and an uprooted tree were observed. The tornado was observed heading east but no other damage was reported in this vicinity. Roof damage estimated at $50 thousand. A "meso" was reported by Doppler Radar about the time of the event.
May 1995	Tornado (F0)	Fresno	$50,000	Spotter reports and county sheriff indicated a tornado at 1415 PDT 14 WSW of Fresno Air Terminal moving west-to-east for approximately one mile. Occurrence in a rural area of the county with crop damage unassessed and other damage limited to broken tree limbs, small objects moved such as a camper shell, some structural damage to roofs, and windows broken. The tornado was visible from 14 miles away by the observer at the Fresno Air Terminal with an United States Aviation Observation taken. This event was also captured on video. Dime to nickel-size hail also occurred with the event; a month late spotter report also indicated that three-quarters inch hail occurred with the event (A Severe Thunderstorm Warning was being issued as the tornado was observed; Tornado Warning issuance instead).
October 2007	Heavy Rain	Fresno	$50,000	no account filed
April 1996	Flood	Fresno	$30,000	no account filed
April 2012	Flood	Fresno	$25,000	Trained spotters and local media reported flooding near CSU Fresno, road 80 near Dinuba, downtown Fresno at the Second Street ramp.
November 1997	Tornado (F0)	Fresno	$10,000	Very small F0 tornado with damage to small rural structures and fencing. Path width by witness at 10-15 yards. Tornado accompanying convective band sweeping southwest to northeast through east-Central San Joaquin Valley.
February 1998	Thunderstorm Wind	Fresno	$1,000	Thunderstorm wind downed a tree at Van Ness and Garland in Fresno.
November 1997	Tornado (F0)	Fresno	$1,000	Apparently very small tornado (F0) or gustnado accompanied a line of convection through the east-Central San Joaquin Valley. Tornado/gustnado path was from SSE to NNW. Damage confined to minor roof damage and uprooting small trees in a north Clovis suburb.
April 2003	Heavy Rain	Fresno	$1,000	no account filed
May 2019	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	Broadcast media reported that over 60 percent of the cherry crop in Fresno County was destroyed by the persistent rains that took place during the two storms that impacted the area between May 15 and May 19. There was also substantial damage to strawberries and carrots.
July 2004	Wildfire	Fresno	-	The Peterson Fire burned only 73 acres near Shaver Lake but it cost $856K to fight. There were no injuries nor were any structures reported as lost.
May 2002	Lightning	Fresno	-	Lightning strikes (2) in close proximity to overhead aircraft approaching Fresno Air Terminal.
January 1998	Flood	Fresno	-	Small hail and heavy rain led to numerous intersections and streets being flooded within North-Central Fresno. The small hail piled up 2-3 inches deep thereby plugging drains and contributing to the overall urban flooding problems.
June 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Fresno	-	Spotter reports of three-quarters hail in north-central Fresno associated with the passage of a line of thunderstorms from southwest through northeast through the central San Joaquin Valley. No reports of damage were received.
January 2005	Lightning	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 2005	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 2005	Funnel Cloud	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 2005	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
December 2003	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 2003	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
May 2002	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
November 2002	Flood	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 2001	Flood	Fresno	-	no account filed
February 2001	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 2001	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
November 2001	Flood	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 2000	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
June 2000	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
February 2000	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
October 2000	Flood	Fresno	-	no account filed
October 2000	Lightning	Fresno	-	no account filed
May 1998	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 1996	Tornado (F0)	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
April 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
December 1996	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed
November 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
October 1996	Tornado (F0)	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 1996	Flood	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
March 1996	Funnel Cloud	Fresno	-	no account filed
October 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
October 1996	Hail	Fresno	-	no account filed
October 1996	Heavy Rain	Fresno	-	no account filed

Every storm recorded in Fresno County

Maps showing this location

14 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the coordinate the National Park Service records for this property, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

1921 USGS Bullard quadrangle1:31680
1923 USGS Bullard quadrangle1:31680
1946 USGS Fresno North quadrangle1:24000
1947 USGS Fresno North quadrangle1:24000
1948 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
1955 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
1956 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
1958 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
1960 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings
1962 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000 - 3 printings
1965 USGS Fresno North quadrangle1:24000 - 3 printings
1965 USGS Herndon quadrangle1:62500
1966 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:250000
1982 USGS Fresno quadrangle1:100000 - 2 printings

Listed places nearby

6 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Property	Distance	Listed
Paul Kindler House	0.5 miles	1982
Old Administration Building, Fresno City College	0.7 miles	1974
Twining Laboratories	0.8 miles	1991
Y.W.C.A. Building	1.1 miles	1978
Einstein House	1.1 miles	1978
Frank Romain House	1.1 miles	1982

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 92001276 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Fresno County	All 44 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.