Studio 97 Theater
9711 Lyndale Avenue S.,
Minneapolis,
MN
55420
9711 Lyndale Avenue S.,
Minneapolis,
MN
55420
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Oxboro Theater
Nearby Theaters
The Oxboro Theater was opened in September 1950 by Mary & Otto Kob. It was a single screen run by the Engler Theater chain. It was on 97th Street and Lyndale Avenue S. In August 1967 it was renamed Studio 97 Theater. It was closed on July 20, 1986 and was demolished later in 1986.
Contributed by
Jesse Hoheisel
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Recent comments (view all 17 comments)
I miss that whole block with Pontillo’s next door to Studio 97(now Davanni’s and located where Bridgeman’s was). First movie I remember seeing at Studio 97 was “Young Frankenstein”.
Oxboro Theatre was originally built by Mary and Otto Cob. They ran the theatre for many years, but eventually sold to the Paul Mans. Mans son Richard ran the theatre. I think the Mans sold the theatre to the Englers who changed the name to Studio 97. Otto and Mary Cob went on to build and run the Flying Cloud Drive In Theatre. Dick
TJO – “ceiling was quite high” – are your memories perhaps those of a child? The auditorium part of the building was a barrel roof on about an 8 foot wall. The roof had the appearance of a large quonset hut on top of concrete block walls. The lobby area on the front of the building added to the illusion of a much larger structure with its two story mansard-like facade. You are correct, there was no balcony and it was a very basic decor. — The whole area was redeveloped by the city when the new “Community State Bank” was built and the Strip mall to the south. We lost the theater, Jimmy’s Lemon Tree, and a few other neighborhood mainstays…in the name of
progress.
Various issues of Boxoffice place the Studio 97 Theatre in Bloomington, Oxboro, and Anoka. The January 28, 1974, issue has an item saying that the Engler Brothers circuit had gotten approval from the Anoka City Council to show “mild” X-rated movies at the Studio 97 Theatre. To add more confusion, a Boxoffice item of November 28, 1953, gives the location of the Oxboro Theatre as Richfield. Somebody at Boxoffice was geographically challenged.
A brief item in Boxoffice of October 21, 1950, announcing the recent opening of the Oxboro Theatre gave the address as 9711 Lyndale Avenue. Boxoffice spells the original owner’s name as Otto Kobs. A September 23, 1950, Boxoffice item gave the Oxboro’s seating capacity as 424.
Pretty simple looking theatre thanks for the picture,northstar 16.
I worked at Studio 97 many, many years ago and remember going to see movies when it was Oxboro. We made the best popcorn bar none and people stopped in just for the popcorn. Start the Revolution With Me with Gene Wilder & Donald Sutherland played there for years…I knew every word in the script. It had a seperate little room in the back of the theatre for woman with crying kids… you could go in there and still see & hear the movie but other people couldn’t hear you or your kids. Had a blast working there – great first job for a kid – Mr Kirschbaum was the manager before the Englers took over. Another movie that ran there forever was Night of the Living Dead…oh the memories lol.
By the way…it was in the late 60’s early 70’s that I worked there, it was across the street from Freeway Ford and the restaurant next door at the time was called Jimmy’s Lemon Tree.
I went to that theater many many times as a kid. When I was very little, I lived in a house near the railroad tracks north of the theater, across from, believe it or not, the feed and grain store. I have great memories of the place. I remember seeing some kind of Sinbad the sailor movie and being frightened when they encountered a cyclops (hey I was a kid). I think the last movie I saw there, when it was Studio 97 was a Russ Meyer film called “beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens”. I also remember Jimmy’s Lemon Tree and the delicious “Lemon Picker” burger. And yeah, the popcorn at Oxboro was the best movie theater popcorn I ever had.
I remember the theater. As kid’s we would get a ride to the theater, from Richfield. Small place, but we watched Saturday matinees mainly about monsters. Believe it or not,the ticket price for admission was 9 cents.
Kobs, and Bloomington are correct for first owner and location. According to building permit records, some work was done in 1959 and it said Paul Mans was the owner at that time. More work done in 1966-67 and the name change to Studio 97 occurred in Aug. 1967. Opened in Sept. 1950 and closed July 20, 1986. Demolished a few months later. Engler tried running repertory double bills around 1984-86; mostly a second run theatre in later years.