Pantages Theatre

October 27, 1916: Greek immigrant Alexander Pantages opens the 26th of what would eventually be a total of 500 theatres. The Minneapolis Pantages, on Hennepin Avenue, was designed by Minneapolis architectural firm Kees & Colburn. It was originally conceived as a twelve-story complex in Beaux Arts style, but was scaled back to a two-story Art Moderne facade with a Beaux arts interior that accommodated 1600 people. Building costs were approximately $15,000. The Pantages boasted the first air-conditioning in a Minneapolis theatre, which involved cooling the air with ice. Alexander Pantages also innovated the mezzanine, a carpeted lobby on the balcony level with restrooms and telephones. The first show at the Minneapolis Pantages was a vaudeville lineup that included singers, comedians, and a banjo player.