The Holly Theatre facade and interior was restored to what it looked like when it opened in 1930.
Courtesy of Holly Theatre
The historic Holly Theatre in downtown Medford, Oregon, plans to reopen its doors Thursday after a $13 million fundraising campaign.
The theater originally opened in 1930 to provide entertainment during the height of the Great Depression. The large theater showed movies as well as live performances, and its 1,200 seats could hold around one-tenth of the population of Medford at the time.
General Manager Tiffany Maude said the theater was forced to close in 1986 because of competition.
“Having one theater that was dedicated to just one screen was not something that was sustainable in our market,” she said. “There was just too much competition with multiplex theaters.”
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The theater fell into disrepair and was condemned despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The building was bought in 2011 by the JPR Foundation, which financially supports Jefferson Public Radio.
This is the second theater the foundation has restored, the first being the Cascade Theatre in downtown Redding, California, which reopened in 2004.
More than 12 years of restoration and $13 million in fundraising have returned the venue to what it looked like in 1930.
“It really should take you back to that time and make you feel like you are in an Italian plaza in Venice on a gondola,” said Maude.
Local artisans recreated woodwork and hand-painted elements of the theater. It was originally designed by local architect Frank C. Clark, who worked on a large number of historic buildings in the Rogue Valley.
Related: After nearly 20 years, a theater restoration project in Northeast Oregon gets closer to completion
The Holly will now be focused on live performances. The Piano Guys will be performing on Thursday, Mar. 13, followed by Jim Belushi and The Sacred Hearts on Friday, Mar. 14. Maude said they plan to have lots of future performances, including live music, lectures and films.
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