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Oct 16, 1921: Originally known as the Hennepin, the Orpheum Theatre opens to present live vaudeville acts. The theatre was designed by the Milwaukee firm of Kirchoff & Rose and cost $1 million to build. Among the performers on the first playbill were the Marx Brothers; over 70,000 guests attended the opening week run. The Orpheum becomes a major outlet for such vaudeville entertainers as Jack Benny, Burns & Allen and Fanny Brice. The best seats in the house sold for 47 cents, and children's tickets were 9 cents. The Orpheum featured a playroom and day-care services for small children on the first floor mezzanine lobby. |
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Feb 5, 1921: State Theatre opens on the former site of the Walker family homestead. It cost approximately $1 million and was designed by Chicago architect J.E.O. Pridmore. At the time, it was considered the most technologically advanced and elaborate theatre in the US. The original floor was glass, which allowed direct lighting from underneath. The State boasted the first well driven air-conditioning system in Minneapolis- pumps, pipes & vents which delivered cool air using artesian well water 840 feet underground, keeping the temperature at 72 degrees. The opening night program included a silent film, newsreel and travelogue. |
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 | | October 27, 1916: Greek immigrant Alexander Pantages opens the 26th of what would eventually be a total of 500 theatres. The Minneapolis Pantages, on Hennepin Avenue, was designed by Minneapolis architectural firm Kees & Colburn. It was originally conceived as a twelve-story complex in Beaux Arts style, but was scaled back to a two-story Art Moderne facade with a Beaux arts interior that accommodated 1600 people. Building costs were approximately $15,000. The Pantages boasted the first air-conditioning in a Minneapolis theatre, which involved cooling the air with ice. Alexander Pantages also innovated the mezzanine, a carpeted lobby on the balcony level with restrooms and telephones. The first show at the Minneapolis Pantages was a vaudeville lineup that included singers, comedians, and a banjo player. |
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