Jan 01, 2009
2906 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN, USA
2906 Hennepin Ave Home History Liebenberg and Kaplan, 1939/ remodeled, 1968/Art: murals, Gustave Krollman, 1939 The city's last single-screen movie house, and a fine example of the Moderne style from the prolific drafting board of Jack Liebenberg, the Twin Cities' greatest theater architect. The Uptown, which has survived by showing art films and the like, features upper walls of Mankato-Kasota stone punctuated by an exclamation point in the form of a 50- foot-high vertical sign. Originally fitted out with a searchlight, the sign is a dramatic presence along Hennepin. Also accenting the theater's otherwise plain facades are two exquisite bas-relief sculptures framed within circles. Inside, the lobby has been compromised by a 1960s remodeling, but the 900-seat auditorium retains two wonderfully corny murals by Gustave Krollman, the best of which depicts bare-breasted maidens pouring water from one city lake into another until it all empties into the Mississippi. Compare this artistic delight to what passes for decoration in movie houses today, and you'll understand why people love old theaters. LOST 4 The first movie house here was the Lagoon Theater, a Classical Revival-style building that opened in 1913 and included a second-floor dance hall. The theater was remodeled and renamed the Uptown in 1929 but was demolished ten years later after a fire. Citation: Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to the Minneapolis Lake District. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2009.
2906 Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis, MN, USA
2906 Hennepin Ave Home History Liebenberg and Kaplan, 1939/ remodeled, 1968/Art: murals, Gustave Krollman, 1939 The city's last single-screen movie house, and a fine example of the Moderne style from the prolific drafting board of Jack Liebenberg, the Twin Cities' greatest theater architect. The Uptown, which has survived by showing art films and the like, features upper walls of Mankato-Kasota stone punctuated by an exclamation point in the form of a 50- foot-high vertical sign. Originally fitted out with a searchlight, the sign is a dramatic presence along Hennepin. Also accenting the theater's otherwise plain facades are two exquisite bas-relief sculptures framed within circles. Inside, the lobby has been compromised by a 1960s remodeling, but the 900-seat auditorium retains two wonderfully corny murals by Gustave Krollman, the best of which depicts bare-breasted maidens pouring water from one city lake into another until it all empties into the Mississippi. Compare this artistic delight to what passes for decoration in movie houses today, and you'll understand why people love old theaters. LOST 4 The first movie house here was the Lagoon Theater, a Classical Revival-style building that opened in 1913 and included a second-floor dance hall. The theater was remodeled and renamed the Uptown in 1929 but was demolished ten years later after a fire. Citation: Millett, Larry. AIA Guide to the Minneapolis Lake District. Minnesota Historical Society Press, 2009.
Jan 01, 2009
Posted Date
Sep 27, 2023
Historical Record Date
Jan 01, 2009
Source Name
AIA Guide to the Minneapolis Lake District
