It looks like I’ll soon have to drive to the suburbs or walk to St. Anthony Main if I want to catch a movie. The theater located a few blocks from my home will likely be closing as the owners of the Block E development pursue their dream to turn the whole place into a casino. It’s a shame that downtown Minneapolis can’t seem to sustain businesses that aren’t restaurants or nightclubs. On my last few visits to the theater, it was difficult to ignore how deserted the rest of the building has become. Most of the other businesses have left and the few that remain–with the exception of Kieran’s Pub–are barely hanging on.
Block E was probably doomed to fail. A suburban-style mall in the heart of a city simply doesn’t make sense. Still, I’m going to miss taking the skyway to catch a matinee on a cold winter afternoon. Perhaps some other developer will find a way to bring the movies downtown again.
I hadn’t heard this before reading your blog. I cringe when I think how close these cinemas are to my office (across the street!) and how few times I’ve attended. Folks using the audio described or captioned movies have told me repeatedly that staff gives them the wrong info, so they stop. I never see their ads, but the marquee alone should bring us in. They — and Block E — have generated no buzz. Ever. Huge absence of management smarts, it seems.