Location Austin, Minnesota NRHP Reference # 86002906 Phone +1 507-434-0934 | Built 1929 Opened 1929 Added to NRHP 23 October 1986 | |
 | ||
Address 125 4th Ave NE, Austin, MN 55912, USA Architectural styles Colonial Revival architecture, Spanish Colonial Revival architecture Similar Hormel Historic Home, Austin ArtWorks Center, Mower County Historical, East Side Lake, St Augustine's Church | ||
The Paramount Theatre is located at 125 4th Avenue NE, Austin in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The theater was built as an atmospheric theatre in 1929 to great fanfare, being the first movie palace in Austin accommodating 914 seats. The ceiling was painted with figures of dogs, winged creatures, and Spanish designs. It served the town until it closed in 1975, the genre being quashed by television and mall cinemas. In 1987 the Austin Area Commission for the Arts was formed to restore the building to its historic grandeur. Volunteers and donors, with the assistance of the Minnesota Historical Society repaired plaster and masonry and replaced the seats. A stone spire that had been hit by lightning in the 1940s was also repaired.
This is one of only four such theaters in the state to be used as a theater; the building is currently used for performances by the Matchbox Children’s Theatre and concerts and events sponsored by the Austin Area Commission for the Arts. The theatre is also home to special annual events and concerts including Austin Public School's Paramount Jazz, Michael Veldman and Friends Christmas Show, and concerts by the Austin Symphony Orchestra.