Downtown Minneapolis - News & General Topics

[Didier]

The Commons.

[Silophant]

I'd like to see it at Water Power Park (Hennepin Island). They set up one of the stages there for the Stone Arch festival last summer and it seemed to work pretty well.

[twincitizen]

I'd like to see it at Water Power Park (Hennepin Island). They set up one of the stages there for the Stone Arch festival last summer and it seemed to work pretty well.

I really enjoyed the set-up for Stone Arch Festival there as well, but I don't think it's big enough for what MNdible is envisioning. I think a semi-permanent set-up would be nice there to hold more small/medium-size events. Long-term though, if we want a premier regional outdoor venue that isn't Harriet Island in St. Paul, it probably would have to be at Boom Island

[Minneapolitan]

Yessssssssss. That is a great idea. I love it.

[Minneapolitan]

Tbh. Trash gold medal park and put something like this up.

[grant1simons2]

No.

[Minneapolitan]

Tbh. Trash gold medal park and put something like this up.

I guess it could get too annoying for those residents... ugh... i just hate wood medal park.

[grant1simons2]

Why? It's one of the most active parks downtown. It has programming with yoga and other events. The views from atop that little hill are great. I love the park and so do many residents.

[Wedgeguy]

If you are doing an amphitheater, you best have it out of or above the 100 year flood plain. Most the places you are talking tend to flood and that would cause great damage to the structure and the systems inside it.

[jw138]

Re: Downtown Theater...

I was very disappointed to see the Block E theater go. The Uptown and Lagoon theaters are great for "real" movies, but occasionally when I'd want to see a big Hollywood blockbuster taking a bus downtown to Block E was cake. It was far easier and more convenient than driving to the suburbs. (I live in south Minneapolis)

Block E was a poorly executed blunder in layout that came into being about 5 years before it should have.

Downtown residential has certainly grown leaps and bounds since then, but is it really enough at this point to make a new development successful? If put off for another five years a significant number of new residential will have been built, several new hotels, a new LRT, a few BRTs, and maybe even a streetcar. The new residential and massive additions of transit to more easily bring people in from outside downtown would give it an even better chance at success.

Had they been built with the amenities that are now in many of the movie houses, (Alcohol and hot food), it might have made a trip downtown worth it.

Yeah, I agree. Add to that other entertainment options in the same complex like restaurants, bowling, and a video arcade... *sigh* Maybe throw in a real darts and pool hall as well.

Due to the unique space requirements of a theater, it couldn't be shoehorned into any existing structure, could it? The only space that could currently accommodate it is well, Block E (won't happen), The Skyway (too small), the Armory (won't happen), ... ? For inclusion in new development, location's probably pretty critical. The parking lot at 1st Ave & 5th St seems close to optimal. Have there been rumblings of any distant development on this plot?

Personally, I think adding a theater is critical for continuing to add residential downtown. Urban dwellers want amenities like this close to home.

[Wedgeguy]

There are only 3 location that I can think of to put in new theaters. Only one is on the main drag, the rest would be more out of the way locations. All would need to be part of a mixed use complex.

I could see the parking lot next to the Cowles Dance Theater and the LRT station where the old West Hotel was as being a great place for some mixed use and get that property back up to its potential . It would be nice if they could fill that 3/4 of a block and put an 8 plex as part of the mixed use complex. here you could potentially have your pool hall, darts, along with restaurants and bars that would be integrated into the Entertainment District.You could put plenty of underground parking it to support the theaters and the rest of 1st Ave.
One of the empty half blocks in DTE, Having it next to a parking structure to cover it up would be a great thing. With a half block I think you would be best going with a 6 plex over an 8 plex, but it would all depend on how they are laid out and the amenities and size of the auditoriums.
There is some large 1/2 block plus lots in the North Loop near the Whole Foods that would make for some easy walking from the LRT and from the residential area up along the river. Here again you would be looking at a mixed use complex.

The Hennepin/1st Ave location would be my first choice, after that the NL location and then DTE due to the concentration of residential in the NL compared to the present DTE. We don't need to compete with the suburbs with the number of theaters, but we need to make the experience of going to the theater worth the trip DT or out for the night.

[Sacrelicio]

The problem with the Block E theater was the same problem with the rest of the tenants: trying to recreate the suburbs in the city.

I think it'd be cool if they went with more of a small, urban neighborhood theater approach, like they used to do. So instead of having to have some 18-plex downtown to compete with the suburbs (which usually doesn't work very well), put money into the already existing small theaters or build some new ones.

[VacantLuxuries]

Yeah, I don't think anyone is clamoring for a multiplex downtown (especially with one in the Mall of America easily accessible at the end of the Blue Line if you really need to see a star war). But if something like the Riverview or the Landmark in Uptown was located near Hennepin and focused on bringing in independents and roadshows of older films, I could see that doing well.

[Sacrelicio]

Yeah, I don't think anyone is clamoring for a multiplex downtown (especially with one in the Mall of America easily accessible at the end of the Blue Line if you really need to see a star war). But if something like the Riverview or the Landmark in Uptown was located near Hennepin and focused on bringing in independents and roadshows of older films, I could see that doing well.

Oh sure, they're not, but how big was the block E theater? Pretty normal sized from what I remember. Not a megaplex but still an attempt at a suburban style mall cineplex.

[VacantLuxuries]

It was a fifteen screen theater, so not enormous by today's standards.

http://www.startribune.com/downtown-s-o ... 169626346/

[Sacrelicio]

It was a fifteen screen theater, so not enormous by today's standards.

http://www.startribune.com/downtown-s-o ... 169626346/

What is your point? I didn't say it was enormous, but it's definitely comparable in size to any suburban theater. My argument for a downtown theater (or any urban theater) is to be smaller and not try to compete with the suburbs.

[VacantLuxuries]

I don't think we're in disagreement here. A one or two screen theater would be successful.

[Didier]

I'm skeptical that a smaller, arty theater would work downtown because we already have several of those in places more easily accessible than downtown. But I would be curious to see if a top-of-the-line theater could work somewhere downtown. There are certain movies that St. Anthony Main, Lagoon, Riverview, Grandview etc. can't do justice.

I'm also curious what the business model is like for a movie theater. Are St. Anthony Main-style theaters even still viable to build from scratch? Are new, upscale theaters viable with only two screens? My guess is yes to the latter and no to the former. Any insights?

[Wedgeguy]

With the price of land and development I find it hard to imagine that a theater complex of less than 3 screens could make a ROI acceptable for what you could get doing something else. You kind of need a few screens now days to help off set the labor cost of your concessions, whether it is the popcorn/candy counter, or a hot food option, and alcohol is that is going to be service. Those would require a number of employees to make and or service it up. If they wanted to have one big screen with a like 4-7 additional mid sized screen, that would be ideal so that they can spread cost around to more than one screen. Something more on the scale of the Lagoon would be just about right with the Uptown's bar service for the upper levels would work great. No need for a West End like complex, as that would be too big for the number of people in the DT market. One large screen for that opening week blockbuster with the mid to smaller theaters to fill out the rest of the space and get more diversity of movies.

From a cost of land stand point, it will have to be part of a multi-use. From the stand point of the cost of operation, it will have to be some sort of multiplex. Just what ratio of of theater sizes and seat numbers would have to be carefully looked at so that they remain profitable. Have a 400-500 seat theater for that one blockbuster, with the rest ranging from 200-350 would work great. Having a lot of large screens would drain their profits fast due to the extra building, heating/cooling, and maintenance costs for the wasted space. That is my for what it is worth.

I can't see with the new digital projector/sound systems costs that the small (St. Anthony Main) type would not have enough seat turn over to help pay off those large capital expenses plus the cost of building the building to house the theaters, salaries, and heating/cooling/lights to pay the bills. Plus the Landmark Co already has the market cornered on the independent films with having exclusive contracts with most of those independent movie distributors, so the smaller market really is not an option.

[Nick]

You know it's funny, I talk about a downtown movie theater alllll the time, and I've never really even considered the MOA movie theater. I guess it is just a train ride away.