Contact us
(763) 789-4992

  • ABOUT

    The Heights Theater, established in 1926, has a rich history spanning nearly a century.
    Use the navigation arrows to explore the history of the Heights Theater.
  • Heights Theater with Turqouise Walls - Pre-Renovation





  • Heights Theater Seats - Pre-Renovation





  • Mock Wedding on Heights Theater Stage - 1920

history

The Heights Theater was constructed in 1926 by Gluek Brewery heir Arthur Gluek as a real estate venture when Prohibition was enacted. Designed in the Beaux Arts style of the last century, the Heights building was a simple neighborhood movie house showcasing local talent in stage plays and "High Class Amateur Vaudeville Acts."
Early 1930s stage show
Heights Theater after bombing - 1933
The Heights has survived at least three fires, one bombing, and "The Big Blow of 1949" when a Fridley tornado twisted the tower sign. Over the years, the original charm of the theater was covered over with drywall and turquoise paint and was a discount theater. Tom Letness bought the theater in November of 1998 and scoured the original blueprints, which were housed at the University of Minnesota. They revealed that the ornamental plaster of polychromed woodwork and the front windows had been walled-up during World War II. Letness worked over the next decade to bring the theater back to its initial glory.
A scarlet motorized Grande drape covers the proscenium stage and gilded grills conceal the organ's pipework and antique chandeliers are suspended from the ceiling restored with 2600 Egyptian lead crystals. Hand-painted reproduction Edison Mazda bulbs in four colors on separate circuits allow a multitude of effects from the 152 lights above the two hundred and forty seats, themselves installed in 2012. While working on the restoration, Letness discovered an orchestra pit under the floor where the mighty Wurlitzer Theater Organ now rises for Friday and Saturday night concerts and special events.
The Heights has a grand piano in the lobby and an upright piano in the auditorium connected to the organ. The 1926 Williams Brothers steam boiler was replaced with two new high-efficiency hot water boilers and new electrical service as well as plumbing upgrades has been completed over the years, and a new air conditioner was installed in 2022. A sparkling new tower sign was installed in 2002 and crowns the marquee. After many years, Letness has restored the Heights Theater and today it is recognized as one of the most beautiful theaters in the Midwest, the “jewel of the Twin Cities”.

Heights Newspaper CLippings

movies

The Heights Theater screens quality first-run films seven days a week (including holidays) and has a lineup of some of the finest classic cinema in the state, programming gorgeousdigital, 35mm and 70mm prints, many of which are rare and have never been screened in the state before.
The Heights’ CELEBRATION OF CINEMA is a year-long event that attracts thousands of people through the year, and includes American, foreign, and silent films. Season series include the ever-popular WHITE CHRISTMAS screenings in December, which always sell out, as well as the sci-fi series DOWN THE WORMHOLE and the holiday series COAL OR CANDY.
In addition, the Heights has special screenings on Valentines’ Day and Thanksgiving, and HOLIDAY INN plays to sold-out crowds every New Years’ Day. We also partner with the Tylon Cinema in Minneapolis to present THE FILM NOIR FESTIVAL in February and THE HITCHCOCK FILM FESTIVAL in April. Other series of classic films play regularly at the Heights Theater throughout the year.

projection

The Heights Theatre is one of the best-equipped venues for film and digital presentation in Minnesota. In 2012 we did a complete D cinema installation using a Dolby Digital cinema package combined with a brand-new BARCO 2K digital projector. Unlike most theaters though, we have kept our full 35mm-70mm Norelco AAII legacy film projectors in place and operational. All film prints are projected reel to reel and not from an automated platter system. Because of this, the Heights Theater can screen “archival prints” from the Library of Congress, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, The George Eastman house, and other repositories. The Heights also has one of the best cinema sound systems supporting full Dolby Digital surround sound, DTS Digital as well as excellent mono and stereo optical and magnetic systems.

screen sizes

(Aspect ratio followed by width X height). 70MM: 22 X 11, Cinemascope: 23 X 11, 1.85: 22 X 13, 1.66: 18 X 13, 1.37: 16 X 13, 1.37 35mm full frame silent. If you would like a private tour of our projection booth, please email us ahead of time to discuss.

THE HEIGHTS’ MIGHTY WURLITZER

Originally, the Heights Theater had a small Robert Morton pipe organ installed in 1927, but this organ was removed in 1936 when the theater was remodeled, and silent films had gone out of style. The original organ chamber is to the left of the screen and houses the main chamber of the current organ. The current organ began its life in 1929 as the WCCO studio organ, back in the days when WCCO had studios located in the old Nicollet hotel at Washington and Hennepin Ave in downtown Minneapolis. At the time it was a 3 manual instrument with 12 ranks of pipes. In the 1960s the Wurlitzer was sold to a private collector and eventually purchased by the Land O’ Lakes Theatre Organ Society in 1998. Soon after, a deal was struck to install the organ at the Heights Theater, thus making the Heights the first movie theater to have a functioning pipe organ since the Downtown Minneapolis Radio City Theater closed its doors in 1958. The organ currently has 16 sets of pipes (known as ranks) and boasts a glockenspiel, xylophone, chimes, piano, and marimba, as well as an assortment of rhythm percussions and original theater pipe organ sound effects such as train whistle, bell, birds, and so forth. The organ's voices include Tuba, Trumpet, Post horn (the loudest stop), strings clarinet, and a variety of other organ voices to fill out the ensemble. Organists play a short program Friday and Saturday nights before the 7:10 shows, and for special movie events and silent movies.
sign up for movie theater insights, deals, and more

Heights lights newsletter