Excelsior Dock Cinema
26 Water Street,
Excelsior,
MN
55331
26 Water Street,
Excelsior,
MN
55331
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Five Star Cinemas, Platinum Cinemas
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Tonka Theater, Dock 1 & 2, Dock 3
Nearby Theaters
Built near the shores of Lake Minnetonka, in downtown Excelsior, the Tonka Theater opened April 26, 1940 with Jean Hersholt in “Meet Dr. Christian”. It was a small 500-seat theatre but had an elegant Streamline-style whose auditorium was decorated with murals of steamboats on the nearby lake. Just three years later, however, the Tonka Theater was gutted by a fire. It took an appeal to the War Production Board, as this occurred during World War II, and there were strict regulations on building materials. As it was the town’s sole movie house, the owners of the Tonka Theater were allowed to rebuild, and during the summer of 1945, it was reopened.
On July 4, 1974, the Tonka Theater was twinned, and at the same time, received a new name, the Dock 1 & 2, with the main floor being Dock 1 and the former balcony, Dock 2. The theatre was triplexed on September 1, 1989.
The theater remained a popular destination, screening a mix of first-run, art and foreign features. Sadly, it was closed on March 15, 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It briefly reopened in 2022, but since then it remains unused.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 13 comments)
Operated by Five Star Cinemas. Website: http://www.five-star-cinemas.com/secondary-dock.html
This opened as Tonka on April 26th, 1940 and renamed Dock on July 4th, 1975. 1975 grand opening ad in the photo section.
Found on Newspapers.com
I had not been to the Dock in decades and my son and I attended the “Hostiles” movie yesterday afternoon and it was showing in the upstairs theater. What a treat it was as we were the only patrons and arrived early to look at the 70mm projector on display on the stage. Love the theater and the intimate setup — almost like a big living room with a big screen. Told the ticket/concession employee how much we enjoyed the theater and that we will definitely be back soon!
1950 postcard added via John Michael Wilkinson‎. Tonka can be seen on the marquee overhang when enlarged.
Excelsior Dock Cinema seems to have been a COVID casualty sadly. This local news report (https://tinyurl.com/ydvnu5x3) referenced the Dock Cinema as being “closed due to lack of staff”, and then this 2021 article (https://tinyurl.com/urcxcxxm) references “the former Excelsior Dock Theater”. All traces of the former operator, Platinum Cinemas, have disappeared online.
It was open when I photographed it in August of 2022.
Looked through some Facebook searches, it looks like it did open irregularly/for special events in 2022, although the previous owner Platinum Cinemas has folded and permanently closed their other location in Chanhassen earlier this year (redevelopment plans are underway). I may try to swing by and check it out this week when I’m in the area for Christmas.
It appears that it did briefly reopened in 2022, judging by Google Street View. As of 2025, some posters that hasn’t been touched since 2022 are still completely visible but faded.
Twinned in July 1974, tripled on September 1, 1989.
The original Tonka Theatre built in 1940 was destroyed by a fire in January, 1945. In April, the owners got permission to rebuild from the wartime government agency controlling construction, and the rebuilt theater reopened in July. In the 1960s the Tonka was remodeled and renamed Excelsior Theatre. New owners renamed it Dock Cinema in 1972, and in 1975 it became the Dock Cinema 1-2 when the balcony was converted to a second screen. In 1989, the balcony was split to create a third screen, and the house became the Dock Cinema 1-2-3.
On August 17, 2026, the Excelsior city council voted 4-1 to allow partial demolition of the Dock Cinema building as part of a mixed use project on an adjacent parcel. Slightly less than 30% of the building will be demolished. The developer says a theater will be included in the surviving part of the structure as part of the overall project, but final plans have yet to be submitted.