The Faust Theater at 625 W. University, on the SW corner of University and Dale, was closed on March 6, 1989 after a prolonged struggle by neighbors. It was opened in 1911 and for a long part of its existence it ran quiet family-friendly movies. It was considered one of St. Paul’s beautiful assets. The Faust held kid's matinees and first-run movies until the 1960s, but when the area changed, and with dwindling revenue, the theater closed the doors and put the 950-seat building on the market. For a few months it housed an evangelical congregation who left the large Faust Sign there but changed its marquee to read “Prepare to Meet Thy God.”
On March 26, 1971 the structure opened as an X-rated theater offering access to “peep shows” and a pornographic bookstore. Residents felt that the neighborhood was becoming a hotbed for drug trafficking, prostitution, and other illegal activities. Despite legal challenges referencing the city's obscenity ordinance, the theater remained open. In order to make the Faust close its doors and completely leave Saint Paul, the city had to pay owner Ferris Alexander far more than the building's actual value. The Rondo Community Outreach Library now stands in the spot once occupied by the Faust.
Thank you to Steve Trimble.
MNDOT photo from 1949 looking west on University Ave., with the Faust Theater marquee on the left. From the RCHS Collection.
Original source can be found here.
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