Picture Palaces

the Riverview Theater, Minneapolis.
Opened December 30, 1948. Designed by Liebenberg & Kaplan.

The Avalon Theater, Minneapolis.
Opened in 1937, designed by architect Perry Crosier. The home of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater since 1988.

The Fitzgerald Theater, in Saint Paul.
Built in 1910, now “Saint Paul’s oldest surviving theater space.” Formerly known as the Shubert Theater, and also the World Theater. Current home of the Prairie Home Companion radio show, it’s also a wonderful music venue. Minnesota Public Radio is the current owner, and they have a nice page on the history of the theater.

The Franklin Theater, on Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.
Opened originally in 1916. Recently restored and remade into an arts palace. You can find a little article that talks a bit about the renovation here.

The Lybba Theater, First Avenue, Hibbing.
According to Cinema Treasures, named after Bob Dylan’s Grandmother, Lybba Edelstein. (The theater was owned by the Edelstein family.) Built in 1947. Now the home of Sunrise Deli. The State Theater in Hibbing was larger and nicer, but has been torn down.

The El Lago Theater, on Lake Street in Minneapolis.
Possibly built in 1927, now the home of Victory Christian Center. Had a nice marquee into the 1990s, but that has since been taken down.

The Palace Theater, on 7th Place in Saint Paul.
Also known as the Orpheum. Opened in 1916, closed in 1984.

The State Theater, Ely.
Opened in 1937. It’s been closed for awhile.

The Grandview Theater, Saint Paul.
According to the Cinema Treasures web site, the Grandview Theater opened in 1933, and was designed by Myrtus A. Wright, who also later designed the Highland Theater.

The Suburban World, on Hennepin Avenue, in Uptown, Minneapolis.
Formerly known as the Granada Theater, when it opened in 1928. Renamed the Suburban World in 1954.
I saw a few movies here in the 80s, when it was still a single screen theater. Very beautiful on the inside too, but the thing I remember most was the little lights scattered across the ceiling, like stars, and they would project pale white clouds up on the ceiling too, and the  clouds would move slowly across the sky. Very nice.

The Trylon Microcinema, 3258 Minnehaha, in Minneapolis.

The Elite Theater, on Lyndale, near Lake Street, in Minneapolis. Opened in 1912, closed in the late ’60s, perhaps. Nice looking little theater; perfect for someone looking for a small old classic theater to renovate for classic films.

The Chief Theater, Cloquet Minnesota.

The Uptown Theater, Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis. According to Millet’s AIA Guide to the Twin Cities, built in 1939 after a previous theater on this site, the Lagoon, burned and was demolished.