HENNEPIN
THEATRE
DISTRICT

Today, Hennepin Arts owns and programs some of the finest historic theaters in the Midwest. And most of them barely survived the 20th century.

At one time, Hennepin Avenue was known as “Theatre Row.” As many as 30 show houses devoted to the performing arts lined the boulevard — among them, the State Theatre (1921), the Orpheum Theatre (1921) and the Pantages Theatre (1916).

Today, Hennepin Arts owns these three surviving venues from that era. Each extraordinary building has been painstakingly restored to reflect the style of its original construction and updated for modern audiences.

Hennepin Arts also owns the newly renamed Dudley Riggs Theatre, home of the Brave New Workshop, the country's longest-running sketch comedy and improvisation group.

Established in 2000 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Hennepin Arts was created to guarantee the future of the Orpheum, State and Pantages theatres in downtown Minneapolis. In 2005, the City of Minneapolis officially transferred ownership of these three theaters to the Trust.