The Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater is a theater located in Medford

Medford, Oregon

Medford is a city in Jackson County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the city had a total population of 74,907 and a metropolitan area population of 207,010, making the Medford MSA the 4th largest metro area in Oregon...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

, United States. It is named in honor of Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers

Ginger Rogers was an American actress, dancer, and singer who appeared in film, and on stage, radio, and television throughout much of the 20th century....

, an actress who performed there as early as 1926.

History

In 1923, the Page Theater burned down after ten years of performances. At the time there were no other theaters in Medford with a large capacity, so in 1924 business owner Jeremiah Henry Cooley and attorney Porter Joseph Neff collaborated to construct one. The building was designed by architect Frank Chamberlain Clark

Frank Chamberlain Clark

Frank Chamberlain Clark was an American architect active in Southern Oregon. Many of his works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places .-Works on the NRHP in Oregon:*Ashland Masonic Lodge Building, 25 N Main St, Ashland...

and would be leased to George A. Hunt.

The original name of the theater was decided by a 1925 contest held with a $25 prize. The winning entry, Hunt's Craterian Theater, was submitted by a Mrs. W. P. Brooks, a resident of Medford. The building was renamed Craterian Ginger Rogers Theater in 1997 after the building was restored.