Terrace Theatre

3 screens on December 23rd, 1988. Grand opening ad in photo section.

Found on Newspapers.com

Thanks, David. Anyone interested should also see the article “Terrace Theatre (Minnesota)” on Wikipedia and the Wiki article on “Liebenberg & Kaplan” (the architects of the Terrace)!

I managed to get up to the site before the entire building was razed. Another great movie palace starinf at the wrecking ball. As I walked the perimeter of the site, a person walked up to me and said “it’s a shame.” I agreed. I went on to explain that this was at least the fourth one of these I’ve been connected with that ended up like this. I recalled the Cooper closing and its demolition in the early 90’s. That closing and demolition was similar. In that cade, as with the Terrace, the land was and is a valuable asset for its next use and that value is independent and without regsrd to its past use. Thus the Terrace met its fate.

I upload a photo of the north side of the building showing the start of the demolition. The projection booth can be seen in the area beyond the removed wall.

MJV

This one opened on May 23, 1951.

Yes, the fight is over. The Terrace never got its day in court. The Robbinsdale City Council approved demolition in July 2016 at the request of a developer to make way for a Hy-Vee grocery store, a convenience store, a coffee shop, and gas pumps. On September 22, 2016, a citizens group, Friends of the Terrace, filed a lawsuit under the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act, a 1971 law that protects the state’s natural and historic resources. A hearing was scheduled for October 10, 2016. The group asked for a temporary restraining order (TOR) on demolition until the case could be heard, but a judge denied that request on September 20.

The developer obtained a demolition permit from the city late in the day on Friday, September 23, and on Saturday morning, September 24, brought in heavy equipment and assaulted the theater, smashing through the large slanted front glass panels (which had been boarded over) and ripping a hole in the bricks on the upper level. Members of the public and the media were on site. Many witnessed the developer removing the “sputnik” light fixtures, one of the last remaining treasures inside, and whisking them off to an unknown location. Demolition was temporarily halted by a judge who rushed to the scene, but the demolition crew then proceeded to rip up the parking lot and fill in the theater’s lobby with dirt and debris.

When the temporary stay expired on Monday, September 26, the judge who had originally denied the TOR extended the stay until September 30, but required Friends of the Terrace to post bonds of $6.3 million to indemnify the City of Robbinsdale and the out-of-state property owner in order for the suit to proceed, giving them just days to raise enough to post $6.3 million in bond money. This excessive amount was forty times more than ever required in a case like this, setting a precedent for future preservation cases.

Friends of the Terrace was unable to come up with the funds for the bonds by the deadline, and a crew began assembling a demolition crane that afternoon. B y noon on Saturday, October 1, demolition was in full swing, and as of this writing the theater is nothing but rubble.

There is outrage, anger, hurt—and resolve—among the stalwart Terrace Theatre supporters who worked diligently for more than two years to save and preserve the theater. The mayor and two city council members are up for reelection in November 2016 and it is expected they will lose their seats over the way they handled the Terrace. Sadly, it is now gone.

Hey people, don’t give up! A lawsuit was filed to halt the demolition. The judge is expected to rule soon. Official historic designation by the National Park Service is expected soon as well. Check out “Terrace Theatre (Minnesota)” on Wikipedia for current information. It may be a David and Goliath fight but we all know who won that one!

Unfortunately, as of July 21, 2016 it looks like the Terrace Theatre will be demolished in favor of a big-box grocery store! The Robbinsdale City Council is supposed to meet on the proposal August 1, 2016. Check out the SAVE THE HISTORIC TERRACE THEATRE page on Facebook for more details.

2012 photo added courtesy of The Last Seats Remaining Facebook page. Below link to the Save The Historic Terrace Theatre Facebook page was also on their page.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/214158575346575/?hc_location=ufi

When the 1300 seat Terrace Theater opened in 1951, the spectacular venue was the most luxurious, comfortable and up-to-date theater in America. Local movie theater owners, Bill and Sydney Volk, spared no expense when they built their flagship overlooking the marshes on the west side of Crystal Lake. The architectural firm of Liebenberg and Kaplan designed the theater. In 1952, the Robbinsdale Post reported construction costs in excess of $750,000. The Terrace was equipped with a sunken den and fireplace, a television lounge, well furnished nursery rooms, deep and soft cushion seats, and background music throughout the theater. Considered a masterpiece of International-Style, The Terrace was one of the first ultramodern theaters in America. The Volk brothers planned the theater to serve all of the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities. A guest register from 1952 contained signatures from 25,000 people in every state of the union, Canada and many foreign countries. Over the years necessary improvements were made. In the 1970’s, The Terrace was retrofitted with 70mm equipment and the theater created a niche for action packed movies. In 1987 the theater purchased by the Midcontinental Theater Company.

The auditorium was divided in half, and two small balconies were separated and turned into 300 seat screening rooms. The last movie played in 1999 and the windows boarded up. The Terrace has remained unoccupied ever since. The building is currently owned by an out of state property management company with no interest in the neighborhood, or the historic significance of the building. The Terrace Theater has been pulling at the heart strings of Robbinsdale and the surrounding area for almost 15 years. Nobody really understands why this community treasure has been allowed to haunt the hillside for so long.

A couple years ago local rocker, Adam Fesenmaier started a facebook group called, “Save the Terrace”. The group grew and currently has the support of at least 1500 local theater enthusiasts. In the summer of 2014, Alison Nguyen attracted attention to the cause Robbinsdale’s annual Whiz Bang Days. Her Terrace 2.0 Float brought in local media and reminded Whiz Bang crowds that it was time to do something with this amazing historic building. In January 2015, “Save the Terrace” took a few steps off the little screen and into the real world. Our efforts are currently being organized as part of the Robbinsdale Historical Society. You can watch this page for more information and updates. If you want to get involved please consider joining the Robbinsdale Historical Society.

Community support to save this great theater is increasing. Check out the Save The Terrace Theater, Robbinsdale MN group on Facebook for updates on the efforts to save this landmark!

Does anyone know if the theater is for sale?