13 years and $13M later, historic Medford movie palace re-opens its refurbished doors

By Dennis Powers

Slated for demolition in the 1990s with its doors closed in 1986, the Holly Theatre in Medford reopened last Thursday, March 13^, with opening ceremonies and a live performance by the Piano Guys to a full house. The revitalization of downtown Medford through the Holly, helped by all the volunteers, donors and people of Ashland’s Jefferson Public Radio, took more than 13 years and $13 million. 

At 5 p.m. the doors opened and folks poured into the upstairs for a full buffet of appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. People were also dressed in 1930 vintages as uniformed volunteers circled thru the 250-plus attendance with plates of “nibbles.”

Holly Restoration Committee Co-chairs John Snider, Ron McUne and Karen Doolen were on hand, with John Snider leading the champagne toast to the theater’s reopening. The co-chairs received standing ovations, including a floral presentation to the General Manager Tiffany Maude. Jim Belushi is also quite associated with the Holly, including fundraising concerts by his Sacred Hearts Band, which then performed the following night.  

The ensuing performance of the Piano Guys was extraordinary. With all 1,008 seats filled, Jon Schmidt (piano) and Steven Nelson (cellist) exhibited what earned their fame — six No. 1 debuts on Billboard’s Top Classical Albums chart, 2 billion-plus global streams, and over 2 billion views of their YouTube videos.

As Tiffany Maude explained, “This show was technically complex with its quick phasing in and out of different lighting scenes, sounds and variations, the large video screen, and different album music, but the Holly and the performers stood out.” And that they did with excellent acoustics, sounds, and performances throughout.

This was all brought about by Ashland’s Jefferson Public Radio Foundation (JPRF), its directors, community leaders, more than 100 dedicated volunteers, and more than 3,300 donors. JPRF is the nonprofit organization that raises money to support Jefferson Public Radio.

Owned by Southern Oregon University, Jefferson Public Radio is headquartered on the SOU campus in Ashland. The regional public radio broadcaster serves more a million potential listeners in Southern Oregon and the Shasta Cascade region of Northern California.

In 2011, JPRF, under Ron Kramer, purchased the Holly Theatre to expand live stage performances in this region. It had previously and successfully renovated the Cascade Theatre in Redding, having purchased, renovated, and opened it in 2004. The economic impact that the Cascade had in that region was very positive and the motivation was to accomplish the same in ours. Jefferson Live! manages the Holly for JPRF as it does for the Cascade Theatre.

JPRF began raising the money for the Holly, securing the tax credits, and engaging the city’s support to bring the theater back to its 1930s condition with total costs at first estimated to be $4 million-plus. The cost in 1930 was $150,000 (including furnishings, $2.8 million in 2025 dollars). As the 33-foot neon blade sign had been removed in the 1970s, the sign and marquee were rebuilt and relit in an April 2012 ceremony attended by more than 1,000 residents.

But let’s go back to the Holly’s inception and the long road taken.

Movie theatres in the 1900s were more like palaces then. For Southern Oregon, residents in 1930 had their first opportunity to experience a movie palace created solely for sound motion pictures.

Workers began to construct the foundation and walls of reinforced concrete in late 1929 at the corner of Sixth and Holly streets, one of Medford’s prime thoroughfares. Frank C. Clark, the pre-imminent Valley architect — and the most influential then — designed the plans to his specifications.

The theater opened on Aug. 29, 1930, as the Great Depression was underway. It had been built in just six months.

The initial 33-foot blade “Holly Theatre” neon sign hung prominently outside, the largest one between Portland and Sacramento. The comedy/musical “Hold Everything,” starring Joe E. Brown, was presented, all in stark contrast to the multi-sound and visual production 95-years later of the Piano Guys.

With an original capacity of 1,200 (which at the time was one-tenth of Medford’s population), the theater was known for its quality acoustics and clear sightlines.

Inside, brilliantly-colored carpets spread out with two stairways from the inner foyer leading to an upper lounge. This large room extended the building’s full width and also gave entry to the spacious auditorium. But for the bannisters to the twin stairways, all wood was faux painted to show a wood grain.

The Venetian-themed interior had offices located on the second and third floors (now re-designed) with a fireproofed projection room supported by its own concrete and steel pillars. Interior dressing rooms allowed live performances, including theatrical and operatic troupes stopping here on their way to and from San Francisco, Portland and Seattle.

The Holly operated successfully, but the depression caused attendance at theaters across the United States to suffer, and it was no exception. In 1934, the Holly Theatre shut down for eight years. World War II, however, and Camp White caused it to reopen. Admission in 1942 was 30 cents for a matinee, 40 cents for the evening, and soldiers paid a quarter (now worth $5.08).

Over the next 45 years, the theater was part of people’s lives: growing up, first dates (when a bag of popcorn was 10 cents), first kisses, birthday celebrations and even anniversaries. Residents remembered seeing “oldie but goodie” films such as “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi,” “Dr. Zhivago,” “Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom,” “Easy Rider” and “The Ten Commandants.”

The Holly completely shut down in 1986 due to changes in the film industry and the advent of multiplex theatres. There were several owners’ efforts at reopening it; one of those owners, intending to turn the building into office space, removed the seating and allowed much of the original interior to be stripped away and sold.

With JPRF in the picture, George Kramer (the noted historical preservationist) and other individuals began working to retrieve different Holly artifacts lost over time — along with raising funds for renovation.

Over time, owing to inflation, supply chain issues, Covid and cost increases due to modern-day regulations, renovation costs ballooned to $13 million.

Nearly all of the interior is new work that recreates the look and feel of the 1930s design. The number of seats was reduced to accommodate a sound and lighting booth, an expanded main stage, and accessible seating options.

Attendees at the opening celebration all felt a “shout out” due to the commitment of the Restoration Committee, the fund raisers, and large and small donors with more than 8,000 such tours — which finally brought around the grand opening on March 13, 2025.

Of the many conversations that evening, one concluded: “I see many people I know — but, better yet, I see so many that I don’t.”

The Holly is the largest indoor theater between Eugene and Redding with an estimated annual operating budget of $1 million. See its website (hollytheatre.org) for the list of top entertainment that is following. And to the many Southern Oregonians, take a bow, as well!

Retired Southern Oregon University business law professor Dennis Powers, a historian and author of 25 books, has lived in Ashland for some 30 years. Email him at [email protected].

Sources: See generally, “The Holly Theatre” at hollytheatre.org/; Emails from George Kramer, John Snider, and others; interviews and discussions with those connected over the years with the Holly restoration; “Holly Theatre Gala Celebration: March 13, 2025” booklet, Ron McUne editor, received at grand opening. Inflation-adjusted dollar figures calculated by the U.S. Bureau of Statistics CPI Inflation Calculator.