St. Paul, MN - Century-Old Former Movie Theater in St. Paul Finds New Life

posted by ThrHistoricalSociety on August 11, 2016 at 4:14 am

From KSTP.com: A century-old piece of St. Paul history is being saved from the wrecking ball.

Local actor Ryan North and his wife brought the former Garden Theater at 929 West 7th Street in St. Paul. The building was built in 1916 and closed as a theater in 1960.

North plans to turn the building into a 150-seat performance venue for theater, music, film and weddings. It will be called the North Garden Theater.

“It feels great to be able to honor that history and bring part of it back to life,” North said.

A few weeks ago, the city of St. Paul voted to to move the North Garden Theater forward and next month, North hopes to get a liquor license.

A few neighbors have brought up concerns over parking and noise at night, but North says most support the project. North plans to start construction in October and be open early next year.

Story link, with video: http://kstp.com/business/former-garden-theater-st-paul-renovation/4226001/

ABOUT THEATRE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA: Founded by Ben Hall in 1969, the Theatre Historical Society of America (THS) celebrates, documents and promotes the architectural, cultural and social relevance of America’s historic theatres. Through its preservation of the collections in the American Theatre Architecture Archive, its signature publication Marquee™ and Conclave Theatre Tour, THS increases awareness, appreciation and scholarly study of America’s theatres.

Learn more about historic theatres in the THS American Theatre Architecture Archives and on our website at historictheatres.org