Holly Theatre
232 W. 6th Street,
Medford,
OR
97501
232 W. 6th Street,
Medford,
OR
97501
1 person
favorited this theater
The Medford Mail Tribune says that the 1,200 seat Holly Theatre opened on August 29, 1930 and was designed by Frank Clark. Clark, a prominent Medford architect, designed many other Oregon buildings including the Craterian Theatre in Medford and the Varsity Theatre in Ashland.
For many years, the Holly Theatre was a Robert L. Lippert Theatre. Lippert, in addition to his four houses in Medford, operated 162 theaters, mostly in California, and a movie production company. The theater closed in 1986 and has been overshadowed by the restored Craterian Ginger Rogers Theatre.
In December of 2002, a damaged roof truss was discovered which forced the businesses in the building to vacate. The truss was temporarily stabilized and the tenants moved back in. Art Alfinito, who purchased the building in 1996, had been exploring restoration possibilities but the city is looking for a more permanent solution to the roof before it can be opened to the public. In January 2009, the Holly Theatre was put up ‘For Sale’.
The Holly Theatre is part of the Medford Downtown Historic District.
Contributed by
Ron Pierce
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
1984 Photo
1986 Photo
Here is an undated photo:
http://tinyurl.com/qwucd5
Don’t you find any with dates?
I think Lady from Shanghai was 1947.
Right on the money. They should hire you to put dates on their photos. :)
An article focusing on the history of the Holly: View link
The Holly was built by Earl Fehl, a rather notorious local politician, newspaper publisher and building contractor. Jefferson Public Radio has recently announced plans to purchase the Holly and completely restore it for use as a performing arts center, similar to their Cascade Theatre, located in Redding, California.
Here is link to the Holly Theatre Restoration web page: http://www.hollytheatre.org/
The interior design of the Holly was by Carl F. Berg, a prolific designer who was working for the National Theatre Supply Company’s Seattle office in 1930. Reportedly Berg designed the interiors of more than 150 movie theaters before working on the Holly and he was active at least another decade after finishing it.
2011 photo of the Holly Theatre.
View link