History: 1927
SAN FRANCISCO GOES OROVILLE
Built between 1927 and 1928, the State Theater was designed by San Francisco architect Timothy Pflueger and opened its doors on April 7, 1928. It was one of several movie palaces owned and operated by the T&D chain throughout California, a number of which Pflueger designed for the company. The State Theater was Oroville’s first Spanish Colonial Revival style building, one of only two high examples of the style in the city.
Myers Street
1939-1953
Timothy Pflueger
Architect of the State Theater
This style of architecture is growing increasingly rare in California. It was originally popular in California and Florida, but with a massive population increase and the resulting implications for development, many of the original buildings in California were torn down to make way for new construction. Most of the remaining examples are tucked away in smaller communities where development has occurred at a slower rate and older buildings were left mostly intact. The Oroville State Theater is one such example, but it is also an example of how limited small-town resources make restoration and preservation difficult. It is vital that these communities make every effort to save, salvage, and protect these remaining structures.
​
Sadly, much of the original detail and interior finishing of Oroville’s State Theater was damaged or removed over the years, but “STAGE” is committed to restoring what can still be salvaged and recreating or replacing other aspects of the original Art Deco architecture and interior design.
The Roaring 20s
The late 1920s were a period of prosperity in Oroville, reflected in a number of major building commissions. Butte County agriculture was in a period of expansion, particularly in citrus farming (hence the use of oranges in some of the theater’s artwork). The Western Pacific Railroad, serving Oroville, was making improvements to better serve this expansion, and newspapers regularly reported the number of carloads of local oranges being shipped to Eastern markets.
Gold dredging was especially active in the area and would continue to support Oroville’s
economy during the early years of the Great Depression, allowing a continuation of building
activity into the early 1930s.
The twenty-year debate regarding the location of the proposed Feather River Highway, an all-weather route across the Sierra Nevada, was about to end with the State Highway Commission’s location decision. Construction of this road was anticipated to be a boon for the local economy.
Completion of the highway was expected to bring throngs of visitors and vacationers,
requiring new hotels and tourism investment.
It was a time of growth and development. It was a time of prosperity and the State Theater was at the heart of the city and the hub of commerce. It was a symbol of a bright future and a booming economy.
In Steps the Corporate Movie Theater Chain
In the late 1970’s, however, United Artists purchased the State Theater. They planned to operate the theater as a twin movie house and built a dividing wall running down the center of the auditorium. Though it has since been removed, a scar from this wall can still be seen in the space between seats in the auditorium today. United Artists also removed the vintage neon blade sign and marquee, modernized the entrance, and moved the box office. Tragically, they removed or painted over much of the historic detail of Pflugher’s interior, including removing the original Art Deco chandeliers.
No respect was afforded to its historic relevance in the architectural history of Oroville, the State of California, or the country for that matter. Yet after all of this, in less than a
decade, UA decided to divest themselves of the Theater
and put it on the market.
Birth of STAGE
STAGE was formed back in the 1970s to bring a performing arts center to the community of greater Oroville. Although the founding group wasn’t initially called STAGE, their intent was the same, to build a performing arts center. They had begun collecting donations from the community, scouting locations, and estimating costs when UA fortuitously announced it planned to sell the State Theater.
The group approached the City Council and suggested that the City buy the State Theater from UA with the purpose of turning it into a performing arts center for the community. To help finalize the deal, they contributed the funds they had already raised to the City to be combined with City funds for the acquisition. It worked, and in 1983, the State Theater was purchased by the City of Oroville. The dividing wall was immediately removed and the State Theater began its new tradition of hosting performing arts and film for the community to enjoy.
The group soon reorganized officially forming the State Theater Arts Guild, Inc. (STAGE), then stepped into the role of guardian of both the theater and the concept of it as the community’s performing arts center in Oroville.
​
Wurlitzer Theatrical
Pipe Organ
From the Days of Silent Film
When Timothy Pflueger designed the Theater in the late 1920’s he included a full-size Wurlitzer Theatrical Pipe Organ to be installed into two chambers, one on each side of the grand proscenium arch.
The Oroville State Theater is a “vaudeville” theater, designed to provide live performing art productions as well as film events for the community of Oroville. At the time, the film was silent, and theatrical pipe organs gave them their sound and sensitivity. Obviously, the organs played the musical score, but did you know they also “spoke” the actors’ dialogue with tone and inflection so that the audience could “hear” what they saw on the screen in the subtitle?
Then There was the Pie in the Face
But that’s not all. The organ made the horses gallop, the boats whistle, the dogs bark, and yes, the splat when the pie hit the face! Many sound effects are contained in a combined device called a “toy counter.” But some of the effects are clever manipulations of the pipes to make the dog bark
or the engine chug.
​
The organ was the voice of the silent film and became an integral part of the theaters where silent films were shown. Organists were musicians, of course, but they were also artists in their own right, providing their personal interpretation of the musical scores to delight the audiences! When you watch a silent film with a talented organist operating a theatrical pipe organ, you lose yourself in the film and forget that there is no soundtrack coupled with the images on the screen. You are transported into the story as effectively as “talkies” by the wonder of the pipes, the valves, and the artist at the console.
The organ was also used for live performances and to provide ambiance and welcome as guests arrived as well as when they departed. The pipe organ was an integral companion to the grand palaces of their era.
Oroville’s Organ
The Oroville State Theater has always been a symbol of prosperity and in stressful times such as WWII, a haven for the residents to find laughter, hope, distraction
from worry and despair.
This symbol of hope and prosperity is what STAGE seeks to restore to the community! The organ is the first full restoration project to do just that! STAGE’s commitment to this restoration is the reason the Mount Shasta Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society determined to donate this special organ to Oroville in 2011.
​
Wholly original Wurlitzer organs are rare, and as such this one has a storied history. Its core is the pipe organ from the private home theater belonging to the famed American film producer Cecil B. De Mille. The console came from the Lowe’s Theater in St. Louis, Mo, and additional ranks of pipes were added to complete the organ that was installed in the Historic Oroville State Theater. It consists of a three-register console and seventeen ranks of pipes plus percussion instruments and a toy counter. The installation began in the fall of 2017, in celebration of the Theater’s 90th anniversary celebration in April 2018!
​
​In order to make room for all the pipes, STAGE opened the second chamber with an access door cut into the backstage theater wall in January 2017. The original chamber was repaired from “repurposed” utilizations and prepared to receive components during the summer of 2017. The second chamber was prepared for components in early 2018. Final restoration work was completed in late 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A special thanks go out to the many individuals, families, and organizations that participated in our Adopt-a-Pipe fundraiser, helping us restore this marvel and create a legacy for many generations to enjoy! As you visit the Oroville State Theater, you can view each adopted pipe’s registration details mounted on a legacy monument in the lobby for all time!
The Amazing Volunteer Organ Team!
The Wurlitzer Theatrical Pipe Organ
A theatrical pipe organ is a marvel of valves, tubes, and air! Together, they make the sounds of an entire orchestra plus special sound effects!
In our theater’s organ, all of this is created by 1137 pipes in seventeen ranks of metal and wood pipes that emulate the sounds of orchestra instruments. Some pipes are small and others are very large. The smallest pipes are bound together in ranks or octaves. There are twelve actual percussion instruments played by air pressure, such as a piano, marimba, glockenspiel, and cymbal. And of course, the “toy counter” with 14 unique sound effects, including horse hooves, a train whistle, and an a-ooo-gah horn.
The beautiful console you may have seen in the lobby, or later in the main auditorium, is like the keyboard of the computer, while the pipes and instruments are the computer itself. The console gives artistry to the sounds. Together, the console, the pipes, and the instruments create the magic that is the Wurlitzer Theatrical Pipe Organ. Together they give the Theater its unique personality–its voice!
Our team
Cindy Daniluke
Executive Director
Cindy served on the STAGE Board as Director of Finance for seven years prior to taking the position of Executive Director. She is utilizing her background in Accounting and Production and Operations Management to develop the theater to the point of sustainability.
​
Her passion is to see the theater become the hub for a thriving Historic Downtown Oroville.
Tony
Technical Support
Natalie
Technical Support
ShaVeeta
Technical Support
Kristian
Technical Support
Kathy
Technical Support
Board of Directors
Jim Moll
President
Michael Phulps
Vice President/Treasurer
Warren Jensen
Secretary
Erik Johansen
Board Member
Joe Putyrae
Board Member
Stan Hall
Board Member
Louisa Louie
Board Member
Ron Hawkins
Board Member
Hardy Lahn
Board Member
Daniel Ballard
Board Member
