Goodale Theatre

528 Hennepin Avenue,
Minneapolis, MN 55403

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Related Websites

Cowles Center (Official)

Additional Info

Previously operated by: Mann Theatres, MN, Shubert Brothers Theater Company

Architects: Jack J. Liebenberg, William Albert Swasey

Firms: Liebenberg and Kaplan

Functions: Performing Arts

Previous Names: Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Alvin Theatre, Academy Theatre

Phone Numbers: Box Office: 612.206.3600

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News About This Theater

Goodale Theatre

The Academy Theatre opened inside the old and remodelled Sam S. Shubert Theatre which was so completely refurbished it requires its own entry in the Cinema Treasures listings.

The S. S. Shubert Theatre originally opened on August 28, 1910 seating around 1,600 and in the mid-1930’s, it was renamed the Alvin Theatre and presented films, live theatre and finally strip shows.

It was remodeled by Ted Mann in 1957, to the plans of architectural firm Liebenberg & Kaplan, and reborn as the Academy Theatre – a popular 70mm roadshow house. It opened with “Around the World in 80 Days” in Todd-AO on July 12, 1957. At that time, it had about 800 seats and remained one of the main roadshow houses in the Twin Cities until that form of distribution/exhibition fell out of favor.

It closed in 1983 and remained vacant until 1999. The whole theatre, minus the stage house, was literally moved a block and half away from its 22 N. 7th Street location to make room for a major entertainment complex.

The Academy Theatre, now relocated at 528 Hennepin Avenue, awaited a restoration as a venue for dance and music presentations. The group heading its resurrection, Artspace raised money to restore the theatre. It reopened on September 9, 2011 as the Goodale Theatre, part of the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts.

Contributed by Kirk Besse, Mike Geater

Recent comments (view all 34 comments)

kjb2012
kjb2012 on September 10, 2011 at 5:30 pm

Open house tomorrow 11-5 pm.

kjb2012
kjb2012 on September 12, 2011 at 12:29 pm

Only a few days short of its 101st Birthday, the old Shubert has reopened. Renamed the Goodale theatre, part of the Cowles Center, the theatre is now a mix of the old and new. One might call it the “incredible shrinking theatre”. Built with 1,600 seats, in 1957 it was downsized to 800, and now has dropped to a mere 500. The second balcony, which was closed off in 1957, has been removed. Part of the back of the main floor has been converted into a coat room. The boxes, removed in 1957, were not replaced. Still it is an impressive venue. Although most of us may not be around in 2101, hopefully the Shubert, turned Alvin, turned Academy, turned Goodale will be.

Redwards1
Redwards1 on February 21, 2014 at 11:30 pm

The Academy was a gem. The audience-stage relationship is almost unique in U.S. commercial legit theatres, which tend to be larger, with problematic sightlines. The first balcony was only 7 rows deep & offered a perfect view of the stage. The second balcony had a portion of the front center section removed to accommodate the image thrown by the Todd-AO projector from the booth at the rear of the first balcony. This was one of the best Todd-AO installations I have seen, with a deep curved screen in perfect proportion to the auditorium.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on November 8, 2015 at 12:18 am

1958 photo added courtesy of The Last Remaining Seats Facebook page.

rivest266
rivest266 on January 14, 2017 at 10:44 pm

August 28th, 1910 and July 12th, 1957 grand opening ads in the photo section.

Coate
Coate on June 26, 2017 at 2:21 pm

New Showcase Presentations in Minneapolis article includes mention of the numerous 70mm (and roadshow) engagements here and other Twin Cities area cinemas.

DavidZornig
DavidZornig on November 4, 2018 at 6:16 pm

1999 photo added credit Phil Handy. Multiple videos online of the move that year if you search: ‘shubert theatre moved 1999 minneapolis"

MSC77
MSC77 on December 26, 2021 at 2:38 pm

Here’s a new 4-page 50th anniversary FIDDLER ON THE ROOF retrospective featuring a roadshow playdate chronology and historian Q&A. The Academy’s lengthy run is mentioned in the piece.

Norman Plant
Norman Plant on August 8, 2022 at 9:31 pm

Address is actually 528 Hennepin Ave.

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