Tower District’s Severance Building under new ownership: “The dream is alive and well” with Fresno Music Academy and Arts
By Heather Parish
If you are an arts aficionado in Fresno, chances are you’ve seen a performance at the Severance Building on Wishon Avenue in Fresno’s Tower District. Some may have even taken ballet or ballroom classes at the Severance Ballroom. The fate of the century-old Tower District building was in question for several months, but rest assured that its traditional arts-centered vision will continue, thanks to the Fresno Music Academy and Arts (FMAA).
The Severance Building is now under operation by FMAA’s owner Debi Ruud. The iconic Tower District building went up for sale in February and was purchased by community member David Brodie specifically for FMAA’s use. Ruud and her managing partner, John Alden, anticipate opening the space for music lessons later this fall and intend to use the upstairs ballroom for community-centered arts and events bookings such as theater, social dance events, and concerts, as well as possible private events like weddings and corporate meetings. This move continues to center the Tower District’s important buildings around arts and entertainment, resisting a potential shift toward religious use or redevelopment into office space.
At an open meeting for the arts community on Tuesday, July 7, Ruud and Alden shared the story of the building’s acquisition and discussed their vision for the space. “One of the concerns when this building hit the market was, what’s it going to be?” said Alden. “Is it going to be a church? Is it going to be a business building? Is it going to turn into apartments? What’s going to happen with it?”
The Severance building has had a 100-year history closely associated with the performing arts. First it was a dance studio operated by the Severance family. Then, after years of disrepair, it was refurbished by Chris Campbell for California Arts Academy. Campbell often rented the upstairs ballroom space for theatrical productions and other events. Alden said that focus will continue under their leadership. “The dream so many people have had for maintaining an arts community in this building is alive and well.”
Ruud sketched out a two-phase vision that includes converting a few of the first-floor dance studios into music lesson and practice rooms, leaving one room as a dance studio for private lessons, meetings, or receptions. She hopes that classes will begin in the space in early autumn. The second phase of the plan will be readying the ballroom for events by late autumn. “That’s an optimistic goal, and we know it’s optimistic,” said Brodie.
In the meantime, operations at FMAA’s Tower and northside locations will continue as usual. There are no plans at this time to close any of their current operations. Alden explained, “So, you know, this is like growing a garden. You know, you put the seed in the ground, and you wait for it to come up. You’re going to get blooms, and you’re going to get weeds, but you don’t know. It’s part of the process. And I think part of the joy is not knowing exactly what’s going to happen yet. So bear with us.”
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Brodie also shared his reasoning for partnering with FMAA on the building. As a long-time Tower District patron, Brodie joined Ruud’s Hearts on Fire Rock n’ Roll Choir and discovered the joy of performance late in his career. From that experience, he says it was a natural thing to both support the arts in the Tower District and support Ruud’s mission. “I’m not only honored, but I’m grateful that I was able to be in a position where I could help people that I love and who love the performing arts.”
After a few initial discussions with Ruud about the building being available, Brodie made some inquiries. “A month went by,” Ruud says. “[Brodie] calls me up one day right before choir. He says,
‘Hey, Debi, you want to go have a drink?’ And I said, ‘What’s wrong?’ So we went over to [Living]Stone’s, and we sat down and I’m like, ‘What?’ And he goes, ‘I bought the building.’ And I fell over. I said to the waitress, I need a scotch!’”
Ruud is also looking into including the Severance Building in her nonprofit organization, Peace Rocks Foundation, to make it a community benefit enterprise.
