Historic Victoria Theater

Preview

Victoria Theater Arts Center is a historic 1915 movie theater designed by Franklin Ellerbe. They are currently fundraising to renovate this historic building to create a new arts hub for the community. The building is located on University Ave in Saint Paul, Minnesota. During the Minneapolis uprising, this stretch along University Avenue, known to locals as the “Midway”, saw extensive property damage. Many chain stores and commercial businesses were burned and tagged. Some independent, bipoc businesses were burned and targeted by white supremacists. In the aftermath of the uprising, Victoria Theater Arts Center became a resource and healing space for a grieving community. They collaborated with community members and artists to create authorized anti-racist works. They also preserved authorized and unauthorized protest works and street art that were created after George Floyd’s murder and during the uprising. The building is not open to the public, so this 3D model is a chance to peek inside and see a pre-renovation theater and St. Paul landmark. The kind folks of Victoria Theater Arts Center have given us permission to use the digital Historic Victoria Theater as a gallery space for plywood murals and protest works. (coming soon) But for now, enjoy pre-renovation Victoria Theater: what remains of a silent movie theater and prohibition era nightclub.