The Pantages Theatre is a historic

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The original building was a

Beaux-Arts style Beaux-Arts architecture ( , ) was the academic architectural style taught at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, particularly from the 1830s to the end of the 19th century. It drew upon the principles of French neoclassicism, but also incorpor ...

twelve-story complex on

Hennepin Avenue Hennepin Avenue is a major street in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. It runs from Lakewood Cemetery (at West 36th Street), north through the Uptown District of Southwest Minneapolis, through the Virginia Triangle, the former "Bottleneck" a ...

, designed by Kees & Colburn and operated by Alexander Pantages, a Greek immigrant who opened 500 theatres. The building was reduced significantly, to two stories, with an Art Moderne facade and a Beaux Arts interior. The Pantages Theatre innovated the mezzanine, and was also the first

air conditioned Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...

theatre in Minnesota. In 1945, the Pantages Theatre was renovated after being purchased by Edmond R. Ruben. It was then sold to

Ted Mann Ted Mann (April 16, 1916 – January 15, 2001) was an American businessman involved in the film industry and head of Mann Theatres. In 1973, he purchased the National General Theatre chain and changed the name of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, wh ...

in 1961; he owned many of the theatres in downtown Minneapolis. The Pantages Theatre closed in 1984, and was renovated and reopened by the City of Minneapolis in 2002. In 2005, the city transferred ownership of its theaters to the Hennepin Theatre Trust. Since its reopening, the Pantages has been operated by the Historic Theatre Group. Historic Theatre Group's original partner in booking the Pantages was Clear Channel Entertainment (now Live Nation). Live Nation sold most of its theatrical properties, including its Minneapolis operations, to

Key Brand Entertainment The John Gore Organization (JGO), formerly known as Key Brand Entertainment (KBE), is a producer and distributor of live theater in North America, as well as an e-commerce company, focused on theater. KBE was founded in the UK in 2004 by 14-time ...

in 2008.Live Nation Finds a Buyer for Its Theater Business
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* Theatres in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Minneapolis Theatre in Minneapolis 1916 establishments in Minnesota Theatres completed in 1916 {{Minnesota-struct-stub

See also

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