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The cause of the fire remains a mystery but it started late at night in the theatre's attic. The blaze was incredible. It took firefighters most of the night to get it under control and the loss was almost complete. The theatre's equipment and furnishings were nothing more than ashes. Only the manager's office adjoining the theatre's lobby and the building's concrete walls remained. The neighboring Elks Club was completely destroyed, as was Senator Clair Engle's office, and the U.S. Employment office. With Senator Engle's assistance, T & D was permitted to set up temporary operations in the Veterans Memorial. Unfortunately, the U.S. had entered World War Two and all construction resources were committed to the war effort. According to a theatre trade publication written in 1945, only a few theatres were built during the war years. These theatres were built because they were "deemed necessary for maintenance of home front morale." (The Theatre Catalog, 1945) The State Theatre in Red Bluff was one of the few that received precious allocations of building materials.
Salih Brothers, the general contractor, broke ground on the new theatre on April 24, 1945. A year later, the building was unfinished, but ready to open. The war had presented the contractor with unique difficulties in purchasing and transporting construction materials. Just a few weeks before the theatre was scheduled to open, the seats had not arrived. Shipped from the manufacturer in Chicago they were sent through El Paso, Texas where they were off-loaded so that military requisitions could be moved. While in El Paso, the offloaded shipment was misplaced and then mistakenly shipped to Oakland, California.
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The history of Red Bluff's State Theatre begins long before it was built. The current State Theatre sits on a site long recognized as Red Bluff's entertainment center. In the earliest days of Red Bluff, an entertainment pavilion was located on the site. It was used for concerts, speeches, and other public events. After the pavilion was destroyed by a fire, the Orpheum Theatre, or the Opera House, was built. Opened in 1908, it was built and operated by a group of local businessmen who hoped to bring quality entertainment to the community. At the time that it was built, it held the largest stage in California north of Sacramento.
By 1928 the Opera House had fallen on hard times. The building was in disrepair and desperately needed to be modernized. The syndicate of local businessmen was unable to bring in the shows the public wanted to see. In 1928, the theatre was purchased by T & D, Jr. Enterprises, a theatre chain that owned and operated theatres throughout Northern California. T & D closed the theatre in September, 1928 and undertook a complete renovation of the existing theatre.
The remodeling of the old Opera House took six months and when it reopened, it had a new name: The State Theatre. The Daily News warned its readers: "the old Orpheum building will be a stranger to the people of this community..." further describing the new theatre as being "rebuilt in a riot of color and the most modern of present day show house accommodations." (Daily News 3/29/29) Red Bluff residents welcomed the State Theatre and its new owner. The remodeled theatre was considered very modern and T & D was able to provide Red Bluff with programming the earlier owners could never have provided. The State Theatre was able to show talking pictures as well as live stage acts. It quickly became Red Bluff's only theatre. The community was devastated when it burned in February, 1944.
T & D, Jr. Enterprises hired Alexander Cantin to design the new State Theatre. Cantin was perhaps the best of the local theatre architects working in the Bay Area. He designed a number of theatres throughout Northern California before and after World War Two. Cantin designed the new theatre in the Streamline Moderne style; a form of Art Deco that emphasized sleek curvilinear lines and futuristic shapes and materials (like neon and mirrors). And while this new theatre was designed primarily for movies, Cantin designed a stage large enough to allow for performances and presentations.
Diamond Lumber was able to provide most of the needed lumber for the project, but was only able to send "dimensional lumber" which then needed to be cut down to size. Certain electrical supplies were simply unavailable for civilian consumption and as a result, the theatre opened without some of its planned amenities. The façade, including the theatre's marquee and sign, was incomplete at the time of the opening.
On May 24, 1946, the new State Theatre opened to the public. Local dignitaries and T & D management were on hand to welcome a capacity crowd to the new theatre. The Red Bluff High School band played in front of the theatre while movie patrons bought their tickets to `Blue Dahlia' with Veronica Lake and Allan Ladd. Upon entering the lobby, they must have been dazzled by the neon, the murals, and the mirrored columns. The auditorium was equipped with the most modem lighting and mechanical systems, including air-conditioning.
The State Theatre opened in 1946 to the enthusiastic support of the Red Bluff community. Over the years, the theatre has been more than just a place to see movies. It has been the site of high school graduations and special events. Long-time residents may remember it as the scene of their first date. Some say the neon lettering that spells out STATE was one of their earliest memories. The State Theatre demonstrates the capacity of Red Bluff residents to propel their community forward. From early residents who recognized the need for quality entertainment in their thriving community, to those who are currently working to create a community arts center in the theatre anticipating the revitalization of the community's historic downtown, the State Theatre is a symbol of the citizens' commitment to their community.