Old Theaters, Best as Old Theaters

I went past one of the great old theaters in Minneapolis today. For years, it has been home to some kind of off-brand church, and I suppose that is a better use than tearing it down.

Meanwhile, a historic church in Saint Paul has been bought by a person who wants to use it as a performance space, but some neighbors are fighting that because.... I'm not sure why, maybe because they think it will mean parking problems? Another historic Saint Paul church will likely be torn down because no one who wanted to use it in its original form bought it, while the charter school that bought it and its adjacent former Catholic school wants to use the space for accessible, purpose-built classroom spaces. It will be sad to see the church go, but there wasn't exactly a line of people wanting to own it and preserve it in its current form.

These examples made me think about how churches and theaters are relatively similar spaces, and — as building uses go — they are somewhat interchangeable, or can at least reuse each others' buildings somewhat easily.

But it's best when theaters can remain theaters (whether live or film), and for that I feel like sharing some photos of the Heights Theater, which is located in the inner-ring suburb of Columbia Heights, just outside of Northeast Minneapolis:


The exterior by day.


The marquee by night.


I love the vintage sign over the refreshments counter.


The inside of the theater is beautiful, too.


And the last best thing: the pipe organ that rises out of the pit, just in front of the stage.


It's played for the public before the 7:00 p.m. showings on Friday and Saturday nights.