Photo Set

Uptown Theater

The Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue landmark from COVID closure and the 2020 protests through its conversion to a concert venue

Uptown TheaterMinneapolis, MN

The Uptown Theater stands at the corner of Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue in Minneapolis, a Spanish Revival building opened in 1926 and rebuilt with an Art Deco facade in 1939. For decades it operated as a movie palace and later a cinema, its vertical sign and marquee defining the commercial heart of the Uptown neighborhood.

The theater's recent history tracks closely with the broader turbulence that moved through Uptown in the early 2020s. In March 2020 it closed with the rest of Minnesota's entertainment venues during the COVID-19 shutdown, its marquee posting notices above an emptied Hennepin Avenue. Within weeks of reopening, the building was boarded against unrest following the murder of George Floyd, and the plywood covering its facade became a surface for protest messages and public art, including a mural by Minneapolis artist Adam Turman. A mass shooting at the intersection in June 2020 shattered the theater's windows, and in the summer of 2021 the surrounding streets became the site of protests connected to the death of Winston Smith, a wanted man killed by federal marshals nearby.

During that period the building underwent renovation to convert it from a cinema into a concert venue, work that continued into the mid-2020s. By early 2024 the renovation was complete, and the theater was again hosting live events, its marquee advertising performances on the same corner that had been the repeated center of unrest just years before.

Rainy night traffic on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis with the Uptown Theater sign lit up. — *March 6, 2026* — A couple walk down Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis on March 6, 2026. The Uptown Theater being seen in the background.

Street vendor serves customers outside the illuminated Uptown Theater on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis at night. — *April 12, 2025* — A street vendor outside the Uptown Theater on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis.

Foggy intersection in Uptown Minneapolis with cars stopped at red lights and pedestrians crossing near the Uptown Theatre. — *December 30, 2024* — The intersection of Lagoon Avenue and Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis is seen on a foggy December night. The Uptown Theatre, a historic landmark built in 1926, is visible on the left with its marquee displaying "THANKS FOR A GREAT YEAR!".

Illuminated Uptown Theater vertical sign on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis against a twilight sky. — *September 21, 2024* — The illuminated Uptown Theater sign stands tall on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis at dusk.

Uptown Theater marquee displays illuminated signage advertising Sepultura concert on September 18. — *September 7, 2024* — The Uptown Theater marquee in Minneapolis with SEPULTURA on it.

Uptown Theater on Hennepin Ave in Minneapolis on a rainy night — *January 25, 2024* — The Uptown Theater on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis is illuminated on a rainy night in January 2024, following recent renovations. Originally opened in 1939, this historic cinema has long been a prominent cultural landmark in the neighborhood.

Uptown Theater marquee in Minneapolis at night. — *December 14, 2023* — The illuminated marquee of the Uptown Theater, located at the corner of Lagoon Avenue and Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis, displays the theater's name in large white letters against a dark background, bordered by rows of glowing orange bulbs.

Uptown Theater marquee in Minneapolis advertising Motion City Soundtrack and Happy Holidays — *December 14, 2023* — The illuminated marquee of the Uptown Theater in Uptown Minneapolis announces a Motion City Soundtrack performance on December 31, alongside a "Happy Holidays" message. Located at the corner of Lagoon and Hennepin Avenue, this historic cinema is a prominent architectural feature of the neighborhood.

Uptown theater with half the lights lit up in Minneapolis — *May 7, 2023* — The Uptown Theater on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis is undergoing renovation. Originally opened in 1929, the venue has been a significant cultural landmark in the Uptown neighborhood. Following its extensive refurbishment, it is slated to reopen as one of the city's largest music venues.

Uptown Theater at Hennepin Ave and Lagoon Ave in Minneapolis after snowfall at night — *January 6, 2022* — The Uptown Theater, located at Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue in Minneapolis, is seen here during a winter snowfall. The building was undergoing a significant renovation to transform it into a concert venue. Originally opened in 1929 as a movie palace, the Uptown Theater has been a prominent landmark in the city's Uptown neighborhood for decades. Its conversion reflects a shift in entertainment venues and the ongoing adaptation of historic structures to contemporary uses.

Graffiti on the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis reads, “Do you know who Winston Smith is??” — *November 8, 2021* — Graffiti reading "DO YOU KNOW WHO WINSTON SMITH IS??" is spray-painted on the glass doors of the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis. The Uptown Theatre, a historic movie palace opened in 1926, has been a prominent landmark on Hennepin Avenue.

Night view of the Uptown Theater in Minneapolis at Lagoon Avenue and Hennepin Avenue. — *July 8, 2021* — Nighttime view of the Uptown Minneapolis theater and surrounding streets. The marquee reads "UPTOWN" and "OUTMOVIES ONLY." This image taken a protest on July 8, 2021 where protesters and individuals identified by police as "hot rodders" blocked streets. The Minneapolis Police Department declared an unlawful assembly but dispersed without making arrests. The protest was related to the death of Winston Smith.

Broken windows at the Uptown Theater in Uptown Minneapolis on June 21, 2020. — *June 21, 2020* — The Uptown Theater at Hennepin Avenue and Lagoon Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis with shattered glass windows. The windows were broken during a mass shooting that wounded 11.

Adam Turman mural on plywood at Uptown Theatre in Minneapolis reading “The Right Thing” and “Love Mpls.” — *June 5, 2020* — Adam Turman’s 2020 mural on the boarded-up Uptown Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis fills the facade with the words “THE RIGHT THING” above a figure presenting “LOVE MPLS” in outstretched fists. Created in the days after the murder of George Floyd, the work uses bold lettering and a medallion in Pan-African colors to reference solidarity, Black liberation, and calls for justice. Painted on temporary plywood covering the theater, the mural reflects how storefront barriers across Minneapolis became surfaces for public art and messages during that period.

Boarded-up Uptown Theater in Minneapolis with red graffiti reading “Silence = Violence” and “Wake Up White People.” — *June 2, 2020* — The Uptown Theater in Uptown Minneapolis is shown boarded up on June 2, 2020, with protest messages painted across plywood covering its facade. Red spray-painted text on the boards reads “Silence = Violence” and “Wake Up White People,” while the marquee above says “ITS OVER” and “GO HOME.” The historic movie theater was among many Twin Cities buildings covered after protests that followed the murder of George Floyd.

Uptown Theatre on Hennepin Avenue in Minneapolis displays closure messages on its marquee during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown — *March 27, 2020* — The Uptown Theatre sits at Hennepin and Lagoon Avenues in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. It opened in 1916 and was rebuilt in 1939 with an Art Deco facade designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan, architects known for a string of Twin Cities movie houses. The marquee's message was a response to Minnesota's stay-at-home order, issued in late March 2020, which forced theaters and other entertainment venues statewide to close temporarily.

Hennepin Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis at night with Chino Latino restaurant and Uptown Theater sign visible during COVID-19 — *March 27, 2020* — Hennepin Avenue runs through the heart of Uptown Minneapolis, linking downtown to the Chain of Lakes. The Uptown Theatre opened in 1939, designed by the Minneapolis architectural firm Liebenberg & Kaplan, known for a string of Art Deco movie houses built across the city in the 1930s and '40s. It later operated as a second-run and independent cinema before closing in 2020. Chino Latino, a pan-Asian and Latin fusion restaurant from Parasole Restaurant Holdings, opened along this stretch in 1998 and became a fixture of Uptown's nightlife before shutting down for good that same year amid the pandemic's early closures.

Hennepin Avenue at West Lake Street in Uptown Minneapolis at night, with the Uptown Theatre's vertical sign visible on the left. — *March 27, 2020* — Hennepin Avenue and West Lake Street mark the commercial center of Uptown Minneapolis. The Uptown Theatre, opened in 1939 with its Art Deco vertical sign, anchors the block and remains one of the few single-screen movie houses still operating in the Twin Cities.

Uptown Theater

Minneapolis Photographer