Uptown Theater
Encyclopedia
Opened as the Lagoon Theater in 1913, the Uptown is one of the oldest surviving theaters in the Twin Cities area. It operated as the Lagoon until 1929 when it was remodeled and renamed. A fire in 1939 destroyed the theater and it was completely rebuilt by the firm of Liebenberg & Kaplan.
The structure has a 50-foot tower that once featured a revolving beam of light marking the Uptown
area of Minneapolis and could be seen for miles around. It still offers the biggest screen in the city and has the only occupied balcony still in use in the Twin Cities.
The theater stands at one of the busiest intersections in the Uptown area (Hennepin
-Lagoon) and has been a landmark in the area for decades.
The Uptown screens mostly foreign and art film
s and runs cult film
s at midnight screening
s. Like other theaters it ran the Rocky Horror Picture Show for more than 10 years as a midnight offering (and will resume showing the movie on a monthly basis starting in October 2009). It has kept all of its retro style and has restored the murals that are displayed on its walls.
The structure has a 50-foot tower that once featured a revolving beam of light marking the Uptown
Uptown, Minneapolis
Uptown is a popular commercial district in southwestern Minneapolis, Minnesota, centered at the Uptown Theater at the intersection of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue. It has traditionally spanned the corners of four neighborhoods, Lowry Hill East, ECCO, CARAG and East Isles neighborhoods, within...
area of Minneapolis and could be seen for miles around. It still offers the biggest screen in the city and has the only occupied balcony still in use in the Twin Cities.
The theater stands at one of the busiest intersections in the Uptown area (Hennepin
Hennepin Avenue
Hennepin Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It runs from Lakewood Cemetery , north through the Uptown District of Southwest Minneapolis, through the former "Bottleneck" area west of Loring Park, through the North Loop in the city center, to Northeast Minneapolis and...
-Lagoon) and has been a landmark in the area for decades.
The Uptown screens mostly foreign and art film
Art film
An art film is the result of filmmaking which is typically a serious, independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience...
s and runs cult film
Cult film
A cult film, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a highly devoted but specific group of fans. Often, cult movies have failed to achieve fame outside the small fanbases; however, there have been exceptions that have managed to gain fame among mainstream audiences...
s at midnight screening
Midnight movies
The term midnight movie is rooted in the practice that emerged in the 1950s of local television stations around the United States airing low-budget genre films as late-night programming, often with a host delivering ironic asides...
s. Like other theaters it ran the Rocky Horror Picture Show for more than 10 years as a midnight offering (and will resume showing the movie on a monthly basis starting in October 2009). It has kept all of its retro style and has restored the murals that are displayed on its walls.