The Uptown Theater is perhaps the most visible, iconic landmark in that neighborhood of Minneapolis, and after over 100 years of keeping watch over the intersection of Hennepin and Lagoon, the theater is taking on new life.
The Uptown is ready to open again and welcome fans back as the theater enters a new chapter in its history as music venue. The famous venue has been redeveloped as a multi-purpose live event venue by Swervo Development. That is the same company that redeveloped the Armory in downtown Minneapolis as a music venue.
Mike Finkelstein is part of the team behind the project and he talked to News Talk 830 WCCO Morning News host Vineeta Sawkar about their vision.
“People are going to see a pretty significant renovation more adapted to the times. It has an expanded footprint into the building next door. People who have been there before will see a much larger space. It’s still iconic but updated, modern, and able to accommodate a much larger group of visitors.”
The space can accommodate up to 2,500 people and Finkelstein says they’ll do much more than just music. But there are no more movies at the theater.
“Not just music, it could be comedy, corporate events, could be a wedding,” says Finkelstein. “It’s all those things. But not movies. There’s no movie screen. People will find the seating has been removed and reorganized to make it a better production for different acts that will be there playing.”
The Uptown Theatre is one of the oldest surviving theaters in the Twin Cities area. It was in active use from 1916 to 2020 before closing during the pandemic.
Star Tribune music critic Chris Reimenschnieder telling WCCO's Vineeta Sawkar on the Morning News it joins a number of similar-sized venues across town.
"I think people will like the Uptown, and I know a lot of people like the Palace, so it's going to be neck and neck in those two venues," explained Reimenschneider. "And of course the Fillmore is pretty close in size too. The Fillmore holds 1,800. And then all of the older theaters. The Orpheum and State, they're all around that size and the Northrup Auditorium. There's a lot in that range."
After a long run of showing feature films, the Uptown Theater was purchased by Landmark in 1978 where it was reimagined and showcased classic double features. They then began to show more art films and foreign language films by the mid-1980s along with becoming famous for their midnight movies on Saturday that featured cult films, horror movies, plus an almost 20-year run showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
There is also the famous 60-foot tower that once featured a revolving beam of light marking the Uptown area of Minneapolis and could be seen for miles around. It was the first three-sided vertical tower sign in the country and had to be approved by civil aviation authorities.
The repurposed Uptown Theater will feature new, state-of-the-art lighting and sound which they promise will offer a great experience for both artists and fans. The theater features a general admission floor with reserved mezzanine seating. There are also premium boxes on the second level with in-seat service. As part its redevelopment, the theater adds 150 new jobs to the city.
The public will get their first chance to see the renovation of the Uptown Theater on Saturday at the Uptown Theater Kickoff party featuring Yam Haus. There are a number of other acts booked as well, which you can see here.
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