PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Porterville staple for over 70 years has seen its final day.

"It's sad because this is a Porterville landmark. It's been here ever since I can remember. I remember going there and seeing Star Wars back in the day, I remember seeing Jaws here," says local Erick Torres.

Porter Theater was "the spot" for locals like Erick Torres, back in the 80s.

Erick, "And it was a big cruise back in the day. You start on Main Street, go down Olive, and end right here at the Porter Theater."

"Those are some of the best times of my life right there," continues Erick.

Like Erick, local Randy Jackson says the memories of the movies and the smell of the popcorn remain in their hearts.

"The towns are changing, and the older I get, the more we lose. It's sad," expresses Randy.

In this case, Mayor Greg Meister said change was necessary.

"We had a fire that was started by the homeless population that was living in the Porter theater. It spread enough to damage the infrastructure, delaminating the beams, which compromised the infrastructure of the building, causing the roof to collapse in," says Mayor Meister.

Vice Mayor Ed McKervey was also raised in Porterville and has fond memories of this place.

For now, the city is focusing its efforts on keeping this from happening to another building.

"We wanna push people towards the shelter that we have, we have 100 beds at the navigation center, we have showers, we have places for people to go. So, we are trying to help people to get their lives together while we protect the city and restore the spirit of our city," says McKervey.

The fire didn't damage everything.

A sign and some memorabilia were kept and will serve as a memento at the local history museum.

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