Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts

The Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts was a performing arts center in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, focused particularly on dance presentation, artist development, and arts education. Developed as an incubation project by Artspace Projects, Inc., the center brought together a renovated historic theater, arts organization facilities, education resources, and a shared public atrium. Its principal performance venue was the 500-plus-seat Goodale Theater, formerly the Samuel S. Shubert Theater, while the adjoining Hennepin Center for the Arts provided space for numerous dance and performing arts organizations. The institution occupied buildings with substantial architectural and cultural histories. The original Samuel S. Shubert Theater opened in Minneapolis in 1910 as a venue for touring theatrical productions. It was designed by William Albert Swasey in a Classical Revival style and initially held approximately 1,500 people. The theater also hosted a resident acting company, the Bainbridge Players, under manager Alexander G. Bainbridge. As motion pictures became more dominant, the venue gradually shifted toward film exhibition and other formats. It operated at different times as the Alvin, a mixed movie and live-performance venue; a burlesque theater; the Minneapolis Evangelistic Auditorium; and, after Ted Mann's 1957 acquisition, the Academy movie theater. The building closed in 1983 as downtown and suburban entertainment patterns changed. Its future became uncertain during redevelopment planning for Block E, where it stood. Preservation advocates opposed demolition, and the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Artspace proposed relocating the structure rather than demolishing it. In February 1999, the approximately 5.8-million-pound building was moved several blocks on rubber tires over a twelve-day operation, a feat recognized as a Guinness World Record at the time. Following relocation and renovation, the theater became part of the Cowles Center complex. The center's inaugural season ran from fall 2011 through spring 2012 and presented a broad range of Minnesota dance companies, alongside selected music and guest performances. The Goodale Theater was redesigned as an intimate venue with roughly 500 seats, close sightlines, adaptable backstage facilities, an orchestra pit, and extensive theatrical rigging. The complex also included the Hennepin Center for the Arts, a public atrium, and the Target Education Studio, which was purpose-built for dance instruction. Education was a central part of the center's mission. Its distance-learning program began in 2002 and used interactive videoconferencing to connect artists with classrooms in Minnesota and, more broadly, with students nationally and internationally. The Target Education Studio included a sprung maple floor, studio lighting, and mirrors, and supported real-time two-way teaching. Funding also enabled free sessions for Minnesota schools. The Cowles Center closed the Goodale Theater in March 2024 and ceased all operations in May 2024 because of financial challenges. The closure ended its operating season earlier than planned and resulted in the cancellation of scheduled performances. The organization's shutdown marked the end of the Cowles Center as an operating performance venue, although the historic buildings and their preservation history remain significant to Minneapolis's cultural landscape.

The Cowles Center developed from efforts to preserve and reactivate the historic Samuel S. Shubert Theater in downtown Minneapolis while creating a permanent institutional base for dance. The Shubert Theater was opened in 1910 by the Shubert theatrical organization, whose founders named several theaters after Samuel Shubert following his death in a train accident. Designed by William Albert Swasey, the Minneapolis theater was a mid-sized house with a Classical Revival exterior, glazed terra-cotta ornament, two balconies, and approximately 1,500 seats. Its first production was The White Sister, starring Viola Allen. Alexander G. Bainbridge managed the theater from its opening and established the Bainbridge Players to provide year-round programming when touring Broadway productions left Minneapolis during the summer. The resident company became a local attraction, and several performers later pursued film careers. The venue also adapted to changes in the entertainment market. It began showing motion pictures in 1915, with a large orchestra accompanying screenings, and underwent changes after Minneapolis theaters were closed during the 1918 influenza epidemic. By the 1920s, films increasingly displaced live theater. The Shubert continued until 1933, when Bainbridge disbanded his resident company. In 1935, new owner William Alvin Steffes renamed the building the Alvin and introduced an Art Deco marquee. The venue alternated between movies and touring theatrical productions before becoming a burlesque house in 1941. A fire that year led to a substantial renovation, but burlesque performances continued until 1953. The building subsequently became the Minneapolis Evangelistic Auditorium, although that use lasted only several years. Ted Mann acquired the property in 1957 and converted it into the Academy movie theater. The theater hosted the Minneapolis premiere of Around the World in Eighty Days, attended by Minnesota-born producer Michael Todd and Elizabeth Taylor. The Academy eventually struggled against suburban multiplexes and closed in 1983. The abandoned building faced demolition during redevelopment proposals for Block E. Preservationists organized through the Save Our Shubert campaign, while the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Commission worked to protect the structure. The theater survived the demolition of most of Block E in 1988 and 1989, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. Rather than remove it, Artspace proposed moving the building to a new site on Hennepin Avenue. Engineers determined that the roughly 5.8-million-pound structure could be transported across parking lots on rubber tires. The move took twelve days in February 1999 and became internationally noted as a record-setting building relocation. Renovation and redevelopment transformed the relocated theater and neighboring historic properties into the Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Arts. The former Minneapolis Masonic Temple became the Hennepin Center for the Arts, and the restored theater was renamed the Goodale Theater. The complex included facilities for approximately 20 dance and performing arts organizations, an atrium, a box office, concessions, donor and public spaces, and the Target Education Studio. The center's inaugural season in 2011–12 assembled a wide range of Minnesota dance organizations in one downtown venue. Its program included contemporary, ballet, flamenco, Native, ballroom, breaking, and other dance traditions, along with guest music performances. The Goodale Theater was designed to provide close views from every seat, with a flexible orchestra pit, backstage and dressing-room facilities, and a stage capable of supporting substantial productions. Education extended beyond the theater complex. The distance-learning initiative, operating since 2002, used IP videoconferencing to place artists in classrooms in real time. The approach enabled interactive instruction rather than one-way broadcast and reached students in Minnesota as well as participants elsewhere in the United States and internationally. The Cowles Center's operations ended in 2024. Financial challenges led to the closure of the Goodale Theater in March and the cessation of all center operations in May. The shutdown forced the cancellation of performances scheduled for the remainder of the season and ended the institution's role as an active dance-presenting and education organization.

• 2024

  Operations cease

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  Financial challenges led to the March closure of Goodale Theater and the cessation of all center operations in May.

• 2011

  Cowles Center opens its inaugural season

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  The new dance-focused complex began its first season, which continued through spring 2012.

• 2002

  Distance-learning program begins

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  The center began using interactive videoconferencing to connect artists with classrooms.

• 1999

  Historic theater moved to Hennepin Avenue

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  The approximately 5.8-million-pound building was relocated over twelve days on rubber tires, a move recognized by Guinness World Records.

• 1996

  Shubert Theater listed on the National Register

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  Historic designation strengthened efforts to preserve the threatened theater during Block E redevelopment.

• 1957

  The building becomes The Academy

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  Ted Mann converted the venue into a movie theater known as The Academy.

• 1935

  Theater renamed the Alvin

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  New owner William Alvin Steffes renamed the building and added an Art Deco marquee.

• 1933

  Bainbridge Players disband

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  The resident acting company ended as live theater faced growing competition from motion pictures.

• 1915

  Motion pictures added to the program

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  The theater began showing films accompanied by a large pit orchestra as entertainment habits changed.

• 1910

  Samuel S. Shubert Theater opens

  [1]Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org

  The Minneapolis theater opened as a venue for touring theatrical productions and was designed by William Albert Swasey.

A Minneapolis-based dance and performing arts hub combining presentation, education, historic preservation, and support for resident and visiting arts organizations.

• Performance venue · 2011

  Goodale Theater

  The restored former Shubert Theater served as the Cowles Center's principal performance venue. It provided approximately 500 seats, close sightlines, a flexible orchestra pit, extensive backstage and dressing-room facilities, and a full stage house with substantial rigging. The theater was configured to support dance, theater, music, and productions requiring adaptable technical infrastructure.

• Arts organization and studio facility · 2011

  Hennepin Center for the Arts

  The Hennepin Center for the Arts occupied the former Minneapolis Masonic Temple and provided space for numerous dance and performing arts organizations. Together with the Goodale Theater and atrium, it formed the Cowles Center's institutional and production hub.

• Dance education facility · 2011

  Target Education Studio

  A studio designed specifically for dance education, with a sprung maple floor, studio lighting, mirrors, and equipment for interactive instruction. It housed the center's distance-learning work and supported educational sessions for schools and students.

• Arts education program · 2002

  Distance-learning program

  The program used IP videoconferencing to create two-way, real-time teaching sessions between artists and classrooms. It served schools across Minnesota and also enabled connections with participants elsewhere in the United States and internationally.

• 1990Save Our Shubert

  Minneapolis

  Preservation advocates organized letters, public appeals, and candlelight vigils to oppose demolition of the historic Shubert Theater during redevelopment planning for Block E.

  Outcome. The building survived demolition, was later listed on the National Register, and was ultimately moved and incorporated into the Cowles Center complex.

  Source

• 2024

  Close the theater and end operationsStrategy

  Background

  The organization faced financial challenges during its 2024 operating season.

  Action taken

  Goodale Theater closed in March, followed by the cessation of all Cowles Center operations in May.

  Aftermath

  The season ended two months early and scheduled performances were canceled.

  Source

• 2011

  Launch a dance-centered performing arts complexStrategy

  Background

  The renovated theater and neighboring arts facilities were developed as a shared base for dance presentation, arts organizations, and education.

  Action taken

  The Cowles Center opened an inaugural season featuring a broad group of Minnesota dance companies and related performing arts presenters.

  Aftermath

  The center became a downtown Minneapolis hub for dance performances, artist organizations, and educational programming until operations ended in 2024.

  Source

• 1999

  Relocate rather than demolish the historic theaterStrategy

  Background

  Block E redevelopment threatened the former Shubert Theater, while preservationists sought to retain the building.

  Action taken

  Artspace pursued a plan to move the approximately 5.8-million-pound structure several blocks to a new Hennepin Avenue site.

  Aftermath

  The twelve-day relocation preserved the building and enabled its later renovation as the Goodale Theater within the Cowles Center.

  Source

1. 1Cowles Center for Dance and the Performing Artsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2The Cowles Center official websitethecowlescenter.org