Cascade Theatre
Why it's listed
Opened on August 9, 1935, the Cascade Theatre is a concrete Art Deco movie house on Market Street in downtown Redding. San Francisco architect J. Lloyd Conrich designed it for the T. & D. Jr. Enterprises chain, and Salih Brothers of San Francisco built it. Its facade features a neon pylon, a projecting marquee and a gilded cast-concrete frieze showing northern California industries such as logging and ranching. Inside, the lobby ceiling, a gold-mining mural, stair balusters, and a decorated proscenium with bas relief stags and floral patterns survive. A 1979 remodel divided the auditorium into four smaller theatres, and the building closed as a cinema in 1997. Restoration began after a public radio organization bought it in 1999, removing the partitions and relighting the neon sign. The building is regarded as Redding's best identified example of Art Deco design and has long been a visual landmark in the city's downtown core.
Significance in brief: The nomination presents the theatre as the best identified example of Art Deco architecture in Redding and a prominent local landmark for over sixty years. It is also the work of San Francisco architect J. Lloyd Conrich for the T. & D. Jr. Enterprises theatre chain, with surviving decorative interiors and an ongoing restoration.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 01001459, listed January 17, 2002. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 1731 Market St., Redding |
|---|---|
| County | Shasta County |
| Listed | January 17, 2002 |
| Reference number | 01001459 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1935 |
| Architect / builder | J. Lloyd Conrich, Architect (San Francisco); Salih Brothers Builders, San Francisco |
| Architectural style | Modern Movements: Art Deco |
| Criteria |
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| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Closed as a theatre in September 1997; under restoration at the time of nomination, with the auditorium partitions removed, seismic work completed in June 2001, and completion expected in fall-winter 2002. The northern storefront has housed a public radio studio since December 1999. |
| Acreage | 0.3 |
| Coordinates | 40.58191, -122.38930 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 01001459.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5048174
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.