Village Theatre, Faribault, MN
18 2nd St NW.
Closed and for sale.
www.southernminn.com/faribault_daily_news/news/village-fa...
Village Family Theater still on the market
By JOSH MCGOVERN josh.mcgovern@apgsomn.com
Oct 3, 2022 Updated Nov 9, 2023
Village Theater owner Steven McDonough is left with open options after an undisclosed Northfield buyer backed out of a potential deal to purchase the theater in downtown Faribault.
McDonough hopes to sell the theater due to personal reasons, but is open to suggestions should he decide to retain ownership and reopen.
The single father of eight purchased the theater in 2013 and reopened it as a family-focused venue in 2014 after renovating it himself. Ticket purchases were capped at $30 per group, allowing large families to attend without emptying their wallets.
“That’s what it was about,” McDonough said. “I wanted to create a place where families could come and enjoy a good, wholesome movie.”
Throughout McDonough’s almost 10 years of ownership, the Village Family Theater was host to more than just films. Play productions were performed on the stage behind the screen. Weddings and graduation parties were held in the spacious back rooms. Even the well-known band Owl City shot scenes for a music video in the theater’s brick halls.
The building itself is bigger than it appears from the outside. While its main feature is the theater, there are open rooms available for large gatherings. In the basement, the floor was originally cut at the cross beams to give the theater its slant.
When describing the theater and its many possibilities, McDonough summed it up in one word: “Potential.”
The historic theater on Second Street NW is no stranger to potential. It was opened in 1896 as an armory. After this it was a funeral home. The murdered victims of the famous Faribault family, the Goffriers, held their funeral in what is now the Village Theater.
The building was remodeled at some point into a theater. The theater closed in the 1970s and had a few other uses before McDonough bought it and returned it to a theater.
McDonough spent significant effort reshaping the theater to fit his vision of a comfortable venue. He refurbished the screening room, installed sound-absorbant curtains, and moved the screen closer to the seats to create room for a stage.
In the 2013 grand opening, McDonough brought back the theater’s original door man to attend a showing of “Mom’s Night Out.”
During events, he sold tickets, concessions and operated the projector all in the same night.
A week before Village Theater was set to have its biggest weekend in McDonough’s ownership, COVID lockdowns closed the theater. The repercussions were difficult to overcome, McDonough said, and has kept the theater closed to this day.
McDonough says despite recent obstacles, the Village Theater remains an important building for Faribault. He says it has imprinted itself in history and the lives of the people who attended events throughout the years.
Village Theatre, Faribault, MN
18 2nd St NW.
Closed and for sale.
www.southernminn.com/faribault_daily_news/news/village-fa...
Village Family Theater still on the market
By JOSH MCGOVERN josh.mcgovern@apgsomn.com
Oct 3, 2022 Updated Nov 9, 2023
Village Theater owner Steven McDonough is left with open options after an undisclosed Northfield buyer backed out of a potential deal to purchase the theater in downtown Faribault.
McDonough hopes to sell the theater due to personal reasons, but is open to suggestions should he decide to retain ownership and reopen.
The single father of eight purchased the theater in 2013 and reopened it as a family-focused venue in 2014 after renovating it himself. Ticket purchases were capped at $30 per group, allowing large families to attend without emptying their wallets.
“That’s what it was about,” McDonough said. “I wanted to create a place where families could come and enjoy a good, wholesome movie.”
Throughout McDonough’s almost 10 years of ownership, the Village Family Theater was host to more than just films. Play productions were performed on the stage behind the screen. Weddings and graduation parties were held in the spacious back rooms. Even the well-known band Owl City shot scenes for a music video in the theater’s brick halls.
The building itself is bigger than it appears from the outside. While its main feature is the theater, there are open rooms available for large gatherings. In the basement, the floor was originally cut at the cross beams to give the theater its slant.
When describing the theater and its many possibilities, McDonough summed it up in one word: “Potential.”
The historic theater on Second Street NW is no stranger to potential. It was opened in 1896 as an armory. After this it was a funeral home. The murdered victims of the famous Faribault family, the Goffriers, held their funeral in what is now the Village Theater.
The building was remodeled at some point into a theater. The theater closed in the 1970s and had a few other uses before McDonough bought it and returned it to a theater.
McDonough spent significant effort reshaping the theater to fit his vision of a comfortable venue. He refurbished the screening room, installed sound-absorbant curtains, and moved the screen closer to the seats to create room for a stage.
In the 2013 grand opening, McDonough brought back the theater’s original door man to attend a showing of “Mom’s Night Out.”
During events, he sold tickets, concessions and operated the projector all in the same night.
A week before Village Theater was set to have its biggest weekend in McDonough’s ownership, COVID lockdowns closed the theater. The repercussions were difficult to overcome, McDonough said, and has kept the theater closed to this day.
McDonough says despite recent obstacles, the Village Theater remains an important building for Faribault. He says it has imprinted itself in history and the lives of the people who attended events throughout the years.