Uptown Theatre to reopen

In what some are taking as a sign of revival for the beleaguered Minneapolis neighborhood, the Uptown Theatre on Lake and Lagoon is reopening.

Alas, not as a movie palace, but as a “live entertainment venue.” The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports:

Intending to breathe new life into one of Minneapolis’ oldest movie houses and best-known entertainment districts, the redevelopers of the Uptown Theatre have booked some homegrown talent and one Rock & Roll Hall of Fame act to kick off their new era.

“Intending” is the key word in the above sentence.

The movie theater lost its lease on the building when it failed to pay rent during the COVID years. On a personal note, I saw the movie Fargo at the theater during the film’s first run back in the 1990s.

I visited the theater and the neighborhood last summer in this piece “Requiem for the Uptown Theater.” The area was most noticeable for the ubiquitous homeless encampments.

As the Star Tribune notes,

The area was hit hard with riot damage, crime and vacancies during and after the COVID-19 lockdown and following George Floyd’s murder in 2020.

The venue will still screen the occasional film. Here’s wishing them luck!