Faust Theatre

626 University Avenue West,
St. Paul, MN 55103

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Finkelstein & Ruben, Publix Theaters Corporation

Architects: Jack J. Liebenberg

Firms: Liebenberg and Kaplan

Nearby Theaters

Faust

The Faust Theatre opened in 1912. By 1926 it was operated by the Finelstein & Ruben chain, who were taken over by Publix in 1929. From March 26, 1971 it operated as a porn theater and closed in July 1989. The Faust Theatre was purchased by the City of St. Paul in 1989. The building was demolished a short time later.

Contributed by Lost Memory

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on January 10, 2009 at 12:41 am

Here are excerpts from three items in local papers dated, respectively, 8/23/88, 3/7/89 and 5/11/95:

Robber Stabs Man at Faust Theater

The son of the Faust Theater’s owner was wounded by a knife-wielding robber who held up the sex-oriented theater in St. Paul Monday afternoon. Peter Hafiz, 27, of Woodbury, was taken to St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center after the 4:50 p.m. incident and was listed last night in serious condition. Hafiz’s father, Frank, owns the theater at University Av. and Dale St. The robber fled with an undetermined amount of cash, police Capt. Stephen Roscoe said.

Protest, Melee Mark Closing Day at Faust Theatre

The last day of business at St. Paul’s Faust Theatre was disrupted Monday when a pornography protest organized for TV coverage went awry and a TV photographer was injured in a fight with Faust employees after they had wrestled him out of the theater. Earlier, another photographer and several protesters had been doused with water by a Faust employee. When they went inside the building to complain, two other TV photographers followed to videotape the encounter.

ST. PAUL COUNCIL VOTES TO RAZE `NOTORIOUS' FAUST THEATRE IN COMMUNITY CLEANUP BID

For Martin O. Weddington, who has lived near the corner of Dale Street and University Avenue for decades, the Faust Theatre brings back both pleasant and disturbing memories. When he was a youngster, he enjoyed going to the movies there. Years later, Weddington joined the neighborhood residents who picketed the “notorious Faust”, a sex emporium featuring movies, live and video peep shows, exotic dancing, and sexually-oriented books and paraphernalia.

packer
packer on January 12, 2012 at 5:17 am

It was later operated by Ferris Alexander, the Twin Cities reputed porn king. Was a cool place, too bad it couldn’t have stayed family friendly

mnskyline
mnskyline on February 4, 2014 at 2:40 am

I worked for Ferris Alexander and I did work at the Faust a few times as a projectionist and Ferris never operated the Faust, it was operated by the Hafiz family.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on February 27, 2014 at 4:16 am

Dave Kenney’s Twin cities Picture Show says that in the early 1930s the Faust Theatre was given a modern makeover designed by Liebenberg & Kaplan.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 19, 2017 at 10:55 pm

Last day of performances as a adult cinema did not go well.

Found on Newspapers.com

and

Found on Newspapers.com

Adult theatre policy started on March 26th, 1971.

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