St. Louis Park Theatre

4835 Minnetonka Boulevard,
St. Louis Park, MN 55416

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Mann Theatres, MN

Architects: Perry E. Crosier

Functions: Retail

Styles: Streamline Moderne

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News About This Theater

St. Louis Park Theatre

The St. Louis Park Theatre opened May 10, 1939, in the Minneapolis suburb for which the theater was named. Costing over $100,000 to construct, and designed by architect Perry E. Crosier in elegant Art Moderne style resembling more a sleek, sophisticated downtown nightclub of the era than a neighborhood movie house. It was one of the first theatres in the Twin Cities suburbs to allow smoking.

In 1957, the theatre was modernized, including the addition of 70mm projection equipment, only the second theatre in the state to do so, after the Academy Theatre downtown. In 1963, Mann Theatres took over the theatre, and on December 21, 1965, the St. Louis Park Theatre again was remodeled, this time for the addition of Cinerama, with “The Battle of the Bulge”.

During the rest of the 1960’s and well into the 1970’s, the St. Louis Park Theatre remained one of the main road-show format houses of the Twin Cities area. However, after a nearly 60-week run of “Star Wars”, the theatre closed in 1980. The auditorium was demolished, and the lobby space converted into retail space.

Contributed by Bryan

Recent comments (view all 16 comments)

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on January 27, 2007 at 1:47 pm

Here is a photo being advertised on eBay:
http://tinyurl.com/2tp7ju

William
William on March 20, 2009 at 10:36 am

That photo dates from 1943. The feature playing was “The Constant Nymph” with Charles Boyer, Joan Fontaine.

rvarani
rvarani on April 3, 2010 at 9:06 pm

Believe it or not ran “Gone With The Wind” here in 70mm during the 1960’s

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on January 27, 2011 at 2:24 am

The description says that the auditorium of this theater has been demolished. If that’s so, the status field should be changed to match.

The St Louis Park Theatre was featured in an article in Boxoffice of May 5, 1958. There are several photos of the house on this page and the two subsequent pages.

The theater had reopened on November 8, 1957, after a remodeling and redecoration, which had included some structural changes. The architect for the project was John Field, of the San Francisco firm Knorr, Elliot & Associates. Field was the son of the theater’s owner, Harold D. Field. The caption of one photo gives the seating capacity of the remodeled house as 960.

sbjork
sbjork on May 25, 2012 at 2:49 pm

I was there opening night for Star Wars on May 25, 1977. We came for the 7:00 show and they had already sold out that one and the 9:00 showing as well. We had to go back the next day — much earlier, needless to say. When we got there the line had filled the lobby and had just come out the front door. We jumped in and in less than five minutes the line behind us had looped the entire building.

I miss movies truly being “events” like that!

CharlesB
CharlesB on September 17, 2014 at 11:44 am

I grew up in St.Louis Park from 1950-1955. The theater had a sunken lounge and was well maintained. I was an Usher there in 1952 with my friend Bruce Patterson and his brother Bud, who was Assistant Manager. We wore uniforms of Maroon with gold trim. Polished shoes were a must to keep your job! Saw some of the greatest films there on that large screen. Fond memories of a time when life was much simpler and graceful. Young folks today do not know what they missed.

Chris1982
Chris1982 on September 17, 2014 at 9:24 pm

CharlesB, my best friends father worked at Loew’s State in St. Louis while in high school and his hourly wage was 72 and a half cents per hour. Do you recall what your were paid by the hour?

CharlesB
CharlesB on October 30, 2014 at 9:24 pm

Chris; it was $.75 per hour in 1952. I also was an Usher at the Westgate Theater in Morninside/Edina in 1951. It paid $.50 per hour if I recall correctly. CB

rivest266
rivest266 on January 17, 2017 at 12:56 am

This opened on May 10th, 1939 and the Cinerama reopening on December 21st, 1965. Both grand opening ads in the photo section.

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