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E-Center for Cinema
ecinema@umn.edu
ecinema@umn.edu
Landmarks
The extraordinary film houses of Minneapolis and Saint Paul have been documented in the classic book by Kirk J. Besse entitled Show Houses: Twin Cities Style. Another book The Marqueee of Main Street looks at the influence of a specific man, Jack Liebenberg, and his influence on film theatre designs in the first half of the 20th century.
Show Houses: Twin Cities Style, Kirk J. Besse, Victoria Publications Ltd., Minneapolis 1997.
Marquee on Main Street: Jack Liebenberg's Movie Theaters 1928-1941, March 22-April 25, 1982.
University Gallery, University of Minnesota, Library of Congress Catalog Card No. 82-70857
Below please read the histories of some historic venues which are still in operation today. The history is by no means comprehensive, but these examples give a taste of the rich past of theatre going in the Twin Cities. And please visit our THEATRES section of TWIN CITIES FILM TODAY to read shorter histories of these places as well as perhaps visit them - since all the venues listed below are still in operation.
Bell Auditorium
The Bell Auditorium is the nations first and only dedicated non-fiction film screen. Formerly home to the University Film Society, The Bell Auditorium has been a pioneer in film exhibition both locally and nationally for 43 years. Since its inception, the Bell Auditorium has hosted many directors and film scholars including Robert Altman, Jean-Luc Godard, Roberto Rosellini, Max von Sydow, Pauline Kael, Marcel Ophuls, Benoit Jacquot and countless others.
Heights Historic Theatre
The Heights Theatre is located in Columbia Heights, Minnesota, a Northeast Minneapolis suburb. The Heights was originally constructed in 1926 by Gluek Brewery heir Arthur Gluek as a prohibition real estate venture.
Oak Street Cinema
Oak Street Cinema was founded as a single screen movie theatre in 1995 by a core group of dedicated cinephiles who decided to revive the old Campus Theatre.
Riverview Theater
In the late 40s, Sidney and William Volk wanted to replace an aging Falls Theater which was located on Minnehaha Avenue. They contracted with the premier theater architects of that period, Liebenberg and Kaplan, to build one of the finest theaters of that day.
Walker Art Center
Widely recognized for presenting a full-range of moving-image art forms, the Walker Art Center's film and video programs feature both contemporary and historical works. In the 1940s, the Walker quickly identified moving images (mostly movies, but also experimental films) as integral to contemporary life. Artists of that time were experimenting with film's formal properties, such as light, motion, and sound, while also separating film art from conventional narrative cinema. The Walker recognized the importance of these developments and made a commitment to the presentation of both experimental and classic cinema as essential to its core mission-a philosophy that continues today.
Riverview Theater
photo courtesy of Dan Oldre
In the late 40s, Sidney and William Volk wanted to replace an aging Falls Theater which was located on Minnehaha Avenue. They contracted with the premier theater architects of that period, Liebenberg and Kaplan, to build one of the finest theaters of that day.
When it opened December 30, 1948, it was a notable event. It was featured in national publications. The first show presented was June Bride, starring Bette Davis and Robert Montgomery.
The screen at the Riverview has now been lit for 50 years. In that time, numerous theaters in Minneapolis have come and gone, with names such as the Cameden, Avalon, El Lago, Varsity, Cedar, Academy, Lyric, Century, Nile, and most recently the Boulevard and the Terrace. The Riverview has survived and looks much the same as it did in the 1950s, with the same furnishings, including imported Italian marble tables and an auditorium that features a backlit proscenium.
