This theater was located in the main business district of Minneapolis Jewish Community, and was quite busy until the 1950’s. That community later left for the suburbs, and most of the businesses closed. It was known for playing ethnic films.
I have lived two miles away for decades and always thought that this structure would make a good theater because the arch from the stage is visible from the rear of the structure, which is a McDonald’s parking lot. It is simply filled in with concrete blocks and painted. It looks like a cheap patch job. They must have demolished the stage house to make room for the parking lot. There are brick window patch jobs on the rear of the wall that must have been dressing rooms or offices at one point. The other three sides of the building had no windows above street level, until about five years ago when the restaurant renovated. It was a small private vocational school for above 40 years before that, and the entire building was painted olive green for the entire period.
It was operated by the Hopkins, MN based Engler Theaters chain. It opened up as a revival house, showing MGM and WB musicals and dramas from the 40’s and 50’s. They later changed the format to arthouse pictures with “The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob” and “The Best of Your Show of Shows”. When the cinema was closed and demolished, the red seats from the IDS Center theater were installed in the new St. Anthony Main 5-plex cinema, one mile away. I was there three weeks ago and the red seats from the theater as still in two of the auditoriums there.
This theater was located in the main business district of Minneapolis Jewish Community, and was quite busy until the 1950’s. That community later left for the suburbs, and most of the businesses closed. It was known for playing ethnic films.
I have lived two miles away for decades and always thought that this structure would make a good theater because the arch from the stage is visible from the rear of the structure, which is a McDonald’s parking lot. It is simply filled in with concrete blocks and painted. It looks like a cheap patch job. They must have demolished the stage house to make room for the parking lot. There are brick window patch jobs on the rear of the wall that must have been dressing rooms or offices at one point. The other three sides of the building had no windows above street level, until about five years ago when the restaurant renovated. It was a small private vocational school for above 40 years before that, and the entire building was painted olive green for the entire period.
It was operated by the Hopkins, MN based Engler Theaters chain. It opened up as a revival house, showing MGM and WB musicals and dramas from the 40’s and 50’s. They later changed the format to arthouse pictures with “The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob” and “The Best of Your Show of Shows”. When the cinema was closed and demolished, the red seats from the IDS Center theater were installed in the new St. Anthony Main 5-plex cinema, one mile away. I was there three weeks ago and the red seats from the theater as still in two of the auditoriums there.