Redwood Falls, Minnesota – September 1, 2015 – Coming Attractions! The old Redwood Theatre on Mill Street has been given a new lease on life. After years of serving as a local fitness venue in downtown Redwood Falls, The Redwood Theatre Group, LLC has just closed on the property with plans to refurbish the historic structure into a modern day movie theater with the original grandeur of the old mov
ie house. Originally built in 1931 by D.W. Buckley, it was the first “talkie” in Redwood Falls and was one of the earliest venues in Minnesota with sound. The Redwood was built at a time when style was in and this theater was no exception; it was the jewel of the city. “The great thing about this building is that when they converted it to a racquetball club in the 70’s they just covered everything up. According to Scott Larson they didn’t remove any of the period features,” said Craig LaBrie. “We are excited to see what original details can be included in the new design.” Now that the building is secured, there is still a lot to work to do in order to get the theater operational. Getting the theater registered as a historic building, meeting their fundraising goals, and completing the final design and construction will not be a small undertaking. The group’s target is to have it up and running by Memorial Day weekend 2017. Paul Warshauer admits “That’s an aggressive schedule but if we get enough community support behind us we think we have the team assembled who can pull it off.” The Redwood Theater Group LLC was organized by Craig and Cindy LaBrie and Paul Warshauer who are officers of the corporation. Current building owners Shon and Tina Giernet are joining the LLC. This is a group of individuals who have a great deal of interest in movies and historic properties and see the Redwood Theatre as a centerpiece of the redevelopment of downtown Redwood Falls. They will be holding an open house on Thursday September 24th from 5:30 to 8:00 in the theater lobby where you can meet the group and hear more about their plans. They are also looking for individuals who love the movies, historic properties, and are excited about revitalizing downtown and would like to serve on a not-for-profit board to help operate the theater and become more involved in helping bring the old lady back.
