Varsity Theater
1308 4th Street SE,
Minneapolis,
MN
55414
1308 4th Street SE,
Minneapolis,
MN
55414
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Varsity Theater (Official)
Additional Info
Architects: Jack J. Liebenberg
Firms: Liebenberg and Kaplan
Functions: Concerts
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: University Theater
Phone Numbers:
Box Office:
612.604.0222
Nearby Theaters
News About This Theater
- Feb 11, 2004 — Dinkytown Landmark For Sale
The theater is located in Dinkytown, the neighborhood commercial district surrounding the University of Minnesota’s Minneapolis campus. It opened in 1915 as the University Theater. In 1939, it was remodeled by Liebenberg & Kaplan in Art Moderne style and renamed the Varsity Theater when it reopened on April 21, 1939. It operated until sometime in the 1980’s.
After it closed, a fierce battle raged over whether to turn it into a club or music venue. Those plans didn’t go through and the Varsity Theater housed a photo studio for some time. The auditorium was gutted to make way for lighting, backdrops, props, etc. The lobby and exterior elements such as the marquee and vertical were completely restored.
The theater reopened in January 2005 as a concert hall.
Contributed by
Sean Ryan
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Recent comments (view all 19 comments)
I’m putting together a history of the Varsity and would love to talk to all of you, but don’t seem to be able to email you by clicking on your names. If you’d like, email me at
The Varsity is Alive again!
http://www.varsitytheater.org/index.html
Thank You Mr. Mclean-
Marvelous Job!
The Varsity Theater is managed by the staff of the neighboring Loring Pasta Bar.
This is a January 2005 article about the re-opening of the Varsity:
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2005/01/21/62864
Next summer the Theatre Historical Society may be visiting this theatre.
I was manager of the Varsity and the Campus theatres during the 1970’s, a great time to work in that area. I still have the original blueprints from 1915 and the remodeling prints from 1939. In the early 1970’s, General Cinema remodeled it to their company style
1976 photo added courtesy of the Old Minneapolis Facebook page.
April 21st, 1939 grand opening ad in the photo section.
Sadly, Jason McClean spent the last decade ruining the art moderne interior with his awful brand of 1980s bohemian chic, and has now fled the country because of child molestation charges. The theater is under new ownership. Great old photos here showing before and afters of the 1930s remodeling: https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/naa:397?pn=false#/image/0
Varsity vertical sign on the far right in 1974, in below link.
https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2019/11/26/minneapolis-1974/?refer=news&utm_source=edaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2019-11-27