The Holly theatre is a historic theatre located in Medford, Oregon. Starting 1930, this theater opened it's doors to the public for the first time. Having it's design created by famous architect Frank C. Clark, the building followed a "Spanish Colonial Revival Style" like design. The Holly Theatre was built shortly after the 1929 stock market crash. It opened on August 29, 1930, with a showing of the comedy Hold Everything, starring Joe E. Brown. With 1,200 seats available, the Holly theater was known for its great sound and clear views. It mainly showed movies but was also used for live performances like vaudeville, theater, and concerts. Some highlights include a concert by famous singer Marian Anderson in 1940 and the Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s first non-Shakespeare play in 1938. Although Medford had four other theaters in 1930, the Holly is the only one still standing today, just as it was originally built.
In 1986, the theater was forced to shut down for awhile. To completely prevent the theater from being destroyed, the Art Alfinito family bought the building in the 1990s. While it was not torn down, the theater remained vacant and had the test of time put upon it, causing it to wither and fall apart. Many people did not want to let this theater go, though, and a rebuild got set into a funding phase. In 2011, the JPR Foundation purchased the building. With the support of over 3,300 donators, the restoration committee was able to raise over 13 million dollars. The restoration idea was to keep the original look, while adding some modern features, as well. The final completion of the theater restoration finished its completion in 2025, with a new seating amount of 1,008.
The Holly theatre would offer promotions working with other companies to give out deals or even free tickets, along with their purchase of something from that other company.
