October 11, 1991 The Crystal Chandeliers at the STATE theater are going up now, nearing completion of the 8 million dollar restoration project. The Chandeliers have sat in storage for nearly 10 yrs. waiting for their proper mounting place, they are worth nearly 75 thousand dollars each and display gold gilded cherubs, crystal grape clusters and multiple sized crystal danglies. the Fresco paintings and raised areas on the ceilings all add to the glitter and the old glamor of the STATE. Workers are at fever pitch trying to get things finished for the Public open house on Oct. 27th. October 12, 1991 Stormi Greener, Minneapolis Star Tribune ORG XMIT: MERcc6e4ca4a42c4b54da7533bce9b8b (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Photo originally published Oct. 12, 1991

Workers hung antique chandeliers in the lobby of the State Theatre in downtown Minneapolis as they scrambled to put the finishing touches on a two-year, $8 million renovation. There was a public open house in two weeks, and the grand opening, a Minnesota Opera production of "Carousel," was less than a month away.

The goal of the project was ambitious: restoring the 1921 theater to its former glory. When it opened, the theater was ahead of its time. It boasted the city's first air-conditioning system, and the original stage floor was made of glass, allowing light to be directed from below. A Wurlitzer organ soon followed, and you could catch a daily performance for just a quarter. The theater spent its pre-renovation life as a movie house, with occasional concerts, vaudeville acts and ballets sprinkled in.

In 1978, a church bought the theater to use as a worship space, covering up many of the architectural details. Its spiritual life was short-lived, and in 1989, the Minneapolis Community Development Agency bought the entire block and the renovation of the theater began, including the restoration of the original murals and chandeliers.

But the chandeliers these workers were installing weren't the originals. They came from a Cleveland theater thanks to a donation by theater preservationist Ray Shepardson, who directed the State's renovation.

Nicole Hvidsten