Heights Theater turns 100, bringing classic charm to the streaming era
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The Heights Theater has survived Prohibition, the Great Depression, World War II and COVID-19. Now, as it turns 100, the Columbia Heights movie house is celebrating with a week of events, and film offerings from every decade it’s been in operation.
On Central Avenue, the theater stands out with a towering vertical marquee spelling “Heights” in lights. It bills itself as the Twin Cities’ longest-operating movie house.
Since the silent-movie era, the Heights has been through at least six owners, multiple renovations, a firebombing by a rival projectionist and a stint as a discount theater charging just 99 cents a ticket.
Classic movies inspired generations of fans
Along the way, it has left a lasting impression on moviegoers. Medtronic co-founder Earl Bakken, who went on to develop an external pacemaker, credited a 1932 screening of “Frankenstein” at the Heights with inspiring him.
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When Beatlemania swept the country, screaming fans filled its single auditorium for “A Hard Day’s Night.”
For Naomi Osborn, the Heights offered a chance to see classic movies she couldn’t find at mainstream theaters, including the 1944 film noir “Double Indemnity.”
“What made it special for me was I brought a friend who had never been to the Heights, nor had they seen Double Indemnity, and they thought black and white movies were boring. And that's the movie I used to convert them,” she said.
Osborn now runs Strange Hours, a late-night series that is part of the theater’s push to offer programming movie lovers can’t find elsewhere.
When previous owner Tom Letness retired in January, Ryan Oestreich came on board after helping revitalize the Music Box, an historic theater in Chicago.
Oestreich has already updated the Heights with a 4K laser projector and surround speakers. Plans also include showing new releases such as Christopher Nolan’s “The Odyssey” on 70 mm film, and more late-night showings, all with the goal of getting more people off the couch and into the theater.
But some of the Heights’ appeal comes from traditions that predate streaming by decades.
Elise Foster, the theater’s manager, saw the 2025 drama “Hamnet” with accompaniment from the Heights’ house organist. She said the experience was unforgettable.
“Watching the organ being played and seeing you know the red curtain’s part when the show started, and just thinking, like, wow, this is truly a show. It's a performance. It is larger than just you know hitting play on a movie,” Foster said.
As it welcomes new generations of fans, the theater hopes to keep its traditional charm, along with fresh popcorn made daily.
Heights Theater centennial screenings
Saturday, Oct. 3: “Pinocchio” at 11 a.m., with live organ music; “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” at 4:30 p.m.; and “The Matrix” at 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., in 35 mm. The later “Matrix” screening includes an introduction by Natalie Marlin.
Sunday, Oct. 4: “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” at 1 p.m., with organ music before the film; “It Happened One Night” at 4:45 p.m.; and “Safety Last!” at 7:15 p.m., with a live organ score by Ed Copeland.
Monday, Oct. 5: “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” at 4:30 p.m. and “Chicago” at 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Oct. 6: “Chicago” at 4:15 p.m. and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly” at 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 7: “Parasite” at 7 p.m.
Thursday, Oct. 8: “Babylon” at 7 p.m., in 70 mm, closing the festival on the theater’s 100th birthday.
