Portfolio
Wilson Theater: Cornerstone Church
Fresno, CA
Vision
- Restore 1920s historical theater once used as a speak-easy to create new life as a functional modern day church.
- Preserve original beauty and architectural heritage.
- New Stadium seating, stage and production design.
- Media Center for live TV broadcasting during services and conventions.
Challenge
- Church members out of space, meeting in smaller building, needing to use the theater for services as soon as possible.
- Theater odorous, dilapidated.
- Artwork ruined.
- Extremely expensive to fully restore.
Solution
- CharestCorp worked with the City's Historical Preservation Board to reduce the scope of work required, which cut the project cost in half.
- Through close coordination with the architect and the City's Historical Preservation officer, archival photos were studied to ascertain the original character of the building and its contents to protect the integrity and originality of the structure.
- A qualified artist, skilled in the restoration of mural paintings, was commissioned to restore priceless mural paintings on the walls and ceilings.
- Church experts in sound and audio came in to create a worshipful space in a beautiful new sanctuary, also to be used as the new media center.
- CharestCorp partnered with the church to use gifts in kind in order to reduce the price of the restoration.
Quick Facts
Year remodeled: 2002
Construction time: 6 months
Approx. size: 65,000 sf
Seating capacity: 1,800
Educational space: 14,200 sf
Nursery space: 5,600 sf
