Mann Highland 1 and 2
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
This theater opened in 1937 as a single screen. As with many theaters of the era, the owners decided to turn the balcony into it's very own auditorium in the crazy year of 1974.
Closeup of the front. If we go inside, we'll no longer be outside. So let's go in!
A tacky 1940's era lobby with spectacular galactic-pattern carpet, wall mirror tiles with red-light trim, and rounded white walls with gold, sponge-painted accents.
Another angle of the lobby.
Looking through the lobby mirror.
The lobby exit. People are sometimes seen exiting through the exit, strange as it may seem.
The main floor auditorium with 550 seats... we count them everyday to make sure they are all there.
The main floor auditorium from the back. The main floor booth is positioned on the right hand wall so the screen is tilted inwards to the right to be parallel with the booth.
The projection booth for the main auditorium.
The platter. Speco LP270 in it's original and un-upgraded condition. Mmmmmmmm.
The sound rack. Ya gots your booth monitor. Gots your Dolby CP65 (no SR, A-Type only). Gots your DTS 6D. And ya gots your CD changer. No amps. None. OK there are amps but they are not in this picture. The sticker on the CP65 says "Master Volume". This comes in handy when we get confused, which happens once every two or three weeks.
The projector is a slightly dirty Century. At least it's way better than a Simplex!
Behind the concession stand. Much of the theater's profit is seemingly acquired here.
If you get shafted and have to see a movie in the "small" auditorium that used to be the balconey, you must climb these stairs and face your destiny.
Here it is, the upstairs balconey auditorium. At only a measly 475 seats it's intimate, but cramped.
Another angle of the upstairs auditorium. Seats here are not counted every day, but only on the 3rd Sunday after the celestial new year.
The upstairs projection booth.
We have another Speco up here. Could be worse. Could be an ORC platter. But it's not.
Another Century (also with reverse scan red LED for the sound). Employees who do not frame on '9' are fired immediately.
The automation is the same for both booths; a Xetron Maxi-8. These things never fail, except when they do.
The men's bathroom. Sometimes people do not flush. It's really gross and we do not appreciate it when that happens.
Special thanks to Nate Lehrke for the pics.