The history of the Shubert Theater is rich and varied, playing an important role in the shaping of the Twin Cities’ theater community. As Minneapolis’ longest standing theater, the Shubert was host to some of the city’s most important actors of the time and stood less than a block from the center of a thriving downtown entertainment district of more than 40 theaters. With the decline of Hennepin Avenue in the 1980’s though, redevelopment became an eminent threat to its survival.
Of all the theaters in the downtown entertainment district a half-century earlier, the Shubert was one of only four left and the prospect of losing the Shubert to the wrecking ball alarmed many preservationists. Enlisting the help of the State Historic Preservation Office and the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission, the battle to save the Shubert had begun.