Goodale Theatre
528 Hennepin Avenue,
Minneapolis,
MN
55403
528 Hennepin Avenue,
Minneapolis,
MN
55403
8 people
favorited this theater
Related Websites
Cowles Center (Official)
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Mann Theatres, MN, Shubert Brothers Theater Company
Architects: Jack J. Liebenberg, William Albert Swasey
Firms: Liebenberg and Kaplan
Functions: Performing Arts
Previous Names: Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Alvin Theatre, Academy Theatre
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
612.206.3600
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Mar 18, 2013 — “South Pacific” 55th Anniversary – The Roadshow Engagements
- Dec 9, 2012 — Happy 50th, “Lawrence of Arabia”
- Nov 18, 2009 — Happy 50th, "Ben-Hur"
- Oct 30, 2009 — Happy 50th, "Sleeping Beauty"
The Academy Theatre opened inside the old and remodelled Sam S. Shubert Theatre which was so completely refurbished it requires its own entry in the Cinema Treasures listings.
The S. S. Shubert Theatre originally opened on August 28, 1910 seating around 1,600 and in the mid-1930’s, it was renamed the Alvin Theatre and presented films, live theatre and finally strip shows.
It was remodeled by Ted Mann in 1957, to the plans of architectural firm Liebenberg & Kaplan, and reborn as the Academy Theatre – a popular 70mm roadshow house. It opened with “Around the World in 80 Days” in Todd-AO on July 12, 1957. At that time, it had about 800 seats and remained one of the main roadshow houses in the Twin Cities until that form of distribution/exhibition fell out of favor.
It closed in 1983 and remained vacant until 1999. The whole theatre, minus the stage house, was literally moved a block and half away from its 22 N. 7th Street location to make room for a major entertainment complex.
The Academy Theatre, now relocated at 528 Hennepin Avenue, awaited a restoration as a venue for dance and music presentations. The group heading its resurrection, Artspace raised money to restore the theatre. It reopened on September 9, 2011 as the Goodale Theatre, part of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts.
Contributed by
Kirk Besse, Mike Geater
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Recent comments (view all 34 comments)
Open house tomorrow 11-5 pm.
Only a few days short of its 101st Birthday, the old Shubert has reopened. Renamed the Goodale theatre, part of the Cowles Center, the theatre is now a mix of the old and new. One might call it the “incredible shrinking theatre”. Built with 1,600 seats, in 1957 it was downsized to 800, and now has dropped to a mere 500. The second balcony, which was closed off in 1957, has been removed. Part of the back of the main floor has been converted into a coat room. The boxes, removed in 1957, were not replaced. Still it is an impressive venue. Although most of us may not be around in 2101, hopefully the Shubert, turned Alvin, turned Academy, turned Goodale will be.
The Academy was a gem. The audience-stage relationship is almost unique in U.S. commercial legit theatres, which tend to be larger, with problematic sightlines. The first balcony was only 7 rows deep & offered a perfect view of the stage. The second balcony had a portion of the front center section removed to accommodate the image thrown by the Todd-AO projector from the booth at the rear of the first balcony. This was one of the best Todd-AO installations I have seen, with a deep curved screen in perfect proportion to the auditorium.
2 photos added.
1958 photo added courtesy of The Last Remaining Seats Facebook page.
August 28th, 1910 and July 12th, 1957 grand opening ads in the photo section.
New Showcase Presentations in Minneapolis article includes mention of the numerous 70mm (and roadshow) engagements here and other Twin Cities area cinemas.
1999 photo added credit Phil Handy. Multiple videos online of the move that year if you search: ‘shubert theatre moved 1999 minneapolis"
Here’s a new 4-page 50th anniversary FIDDLER ON THE ROOF retrospective featuring a roadshow playdate chronology and historian Q&A. The Academy’s lengthy run is mentioned in the piece.
Address is actually 528 Hennepin Ave.