Paradise Center for the Arts
A historic theater and multidisciplinary arts center in downtown Faribault, Minnesota.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Paradise Center for the Arts is a historic performing- and visual-arts venue in downtown Faribault, Minnesota. It occupies a theater building within the city's downtown historic preservation district and combines live performance, exhibitions, arts education, community theater, and retail activity. The center is located at 321 Central Avenue and operates from a building whose theatrical history reaches back to the nineteenth century. The site first housed the Faribault Opera House, which opened in 1894. That venue presented a broad program of Shakespeare, opera, lectures, and comic plays, reflecting the role that opera houses traditionally played as multipurpose cultural and civic spaces. In 1908, the building was converted into a moving-picture venue and renamed the Grand Theater. The Grand burned in January 1929. Its owner, Will Glaser, planned a replacement designed for the emerging sound-film era, including equipment capable of presenting talking pictures. The rebuilt theater was designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan, a Minneapolis architectural firm associated with several notable theaters. The resulting Paramount Theatre used an atmospheric design evoking a Moorish courtyard, with Turkish-inspired door caps, turrets, and theatrical faux-stone detailing. For more than six decades, the building served the surrounding region as a 915-seat atmospheric theater capable of presenting both newly released films and stage productions. The venue eventually closed in the late 1980s as modern multiplex cinemas put pressure on older single-screen theaters. Rather than being demolished or permanently abandoned, the building was renovated and adapted for broader arts use. Its auditorium was reduced from approximately 915 seats to about 300, while other areas were converted into an exhibition gallery, classrooms, and retail space. The lobby facades and the Bahl Family Auditorium were restored to preserve the character of the 1929 building while making the facility suitable for contemporary community programming. The present arts organization grew from several local cultural institutions. The Faribault Art Center, begun by a small group of artists in the 1950s and incorporated as a nonprofit in 1965, promoted visual arts through classes, exhibitions, and community projects. Faribault Area Community Theater, founded in 1988, developed accessible theatrical opportunities for local participants and audiences. The Merlin Players, a nonprofit theater organization serving southeastern Minnesota, also became an important resident or associated producing organization. Its work emphasizes professional and affordable theater, artistic development, stipends for production participants, and mentoring opportunities for students in backstage and technical roles. The Paradise Center for the Arts therefore functions both as a restored historic landmark and as a community arts institution. Its activities extend beyond film exhibition to include live theater, visual arts, instruction, exhibitions, and partnerships with local and regional arts groups. The venue's identity is built around preserving a distinctive 1929 theater interior and facade while maintaining an accessible program for Faribault and the wider southeastern Minnesota region.
History
The property now associated with Paradise Center for the Arts began as the Faribault Opera House, opened in 1894. The opera house served as a general-purpose cultural venue, staging Shakespeare, opera, lectures, and comic plays. In 1908, it was converted to a movie theater and renamed the Grand Theater, reflecting the growing importance of cinema in American entertainment. The Grand was destroyed by fire on a cold night in January 1929. Owner Will Glaser announced plans to rebuild with modern sound-picture technology so the new theater could show talking pictures. The replacement was designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan, a Minneapolis architectural firm that also worked on other regional theaters. The building's design used an atmospheric Moorish-courtyard concept, including Turkish-style caps above doors, turrets, and decorative faux-stone surfaces. It opened as the Paramount Theatre and later became known as the Paradise Theater. For more than sixty years, the theater served Faribault and nearby communities as a 915-seat venue for both first-run motion pictures and stage productions. Its fully functioning stage allowed it to operate as more than a cinema, while its atmospheric auditorium supplied the distinctive architectural experience associated with late-1920s movie palaces. The theater closed in the late 1980s after competition from newer multiplexes made operation of the older single-screen venue increasingly difficult. The property was subsequently renovated rather than lost. The auditorium was resized to approximately 300 seats, and portions of the building were adapted for exhibitions, instruction, and retail use. The renovation restored important facade and lobby elements, and the Bahl Family Auditorium was brought back with the visual character of its 1929 design. The institution's current role was shaped by the consolidation and cooperation of local arts organizations. The Faribault Art Center originated in the 1950s through the efforts of local artists and became a nonprofit in 1965. It supported visual artists and audiences with classes, exhibitions, and community projects. Faribault Area Community Theater, founded in 1988, contributed accessible community-based theatrical programming. The Merlin Players added a professional and developmental theater dimension, producing shows for southeastern Minnesota, compensating artists and technical personnel through stipends, and creating mentoring opportunities for students. The Paradise Center for the Arts emerged as a home for these broader cultural activities. Its programming model combines historic preservation with year-round community use, including live theater, visual-art exhibitions, educational classes, and other arts events. The venue's transformation from opera house to movie theater, and later from a large cinema into a multidisciplinary arts center, reflects changing patterns in local entertainment and the adaptive reuse of historic cultural buildings.
- 2008
The Merlin Players begin a regular Paradise schedule
[1]The Merlin Players begin their reported production schedule at the venue with Always, Patsy Cline in May.
- 2007
The Merlin Players present A Christmas Carol
[1]The Merlin Players give their first production at the Paradise, staging A Christmas Carol.
- 1988
Faribault Area Community Theater is founded
[1]Faribault Area Community Theater is established to make theatrical participation and performances accessible to the local community.
- 1965
Faribault Art Center becomes a nonprofit
[1]The Faribault Art Center, which began in the 1950s, becomes a nonprofit organization supporting local visual arts.
- 1929
Fire and reconstruction
[1]The Grand Theater burns in January. A new atmospheric theater is planned with sound-film equipment and designed by Liebenberg and Kaplan.
- 1908
Conversion to the Grand Theater
[1]The opera house is converted into a moving-picture venue and renamed the Grand Theater.
- 1894
Faribault Opera House opens
[1]The site opens as the Faribault Opera House, presenting theater, opera, lectures, and comic plays.
Adaptive reuse as an arts center
[1]After the theater closes in the late 1980s, the building is renovated, resized to approximately 300 auditorium seats, and expanded with gallery, classroom, and retail functions.
Products and positioning
A community-oriented historic arts center that preserves a landmark atmospheric theater while presenting live performance, visual arts, education, and accessible cultural programming.
Performance venue
Bahl Family Auditorium
The principal performance room of the center is a reduced-capacity version of the original 1929 atmospheric theater auditorium. It now seats approximately 300 people rather than the building's original 915-seat capacity. The space retains the restored visual character of the historic theater while supporting theatrical productions, concerts, film-related programming, and other live events.
Visual arts
Exhibition Gallery
The gallery extends the former theater's role into visual arts. It provides space for exhibitions and community presentation of artwork, continuing the educational and exhibition-oriented mission associated with the Faribault Art Center.
Arts education
Arts Classes
Classroom areas support arts instruction and community learning. The educational function continues the Faribault Art Center's long-standing emphasis on classes, local artists, and participation by art lovers.
Theater programming
Community Theater
Community theater is a central programming category at the venue. Faribault Area Community Theater and the Merlin Players have used the Paradise for productions intended to provide accessible performances, creative opportunities for local participants, and professional or developmental experience for performers and technical staff.
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