Minnesota's oldest continuously operating theater — opened in 1910 as the Shubert, renamed in 1994 for St. Paul native F. Scott Fitzgerald — is said to share its stage with two named resident ghosts
10 E Exchange St, Saint Paul, MN 55101
Research updated June 2026
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All Ages
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Ticket prices vary by event. Box office open Tuesday–Friday 12:00 PM–5:00 PM; Will Call available 3 hours before show time.
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Wheelchair OK
Historic theater with accessible seating; contact venue for specific accommodation needs
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Est. 1910 · Minnesota's Oldest Continuously Operating Theater · National Register of Historic Places · A Prairie Home Companion Broadcast Home · Named for F. Scott Fitzgerald, St. Paul Native
The Sam S. Shubert Theater opened at 10 E Exchange Street in St. Paul on October 3, 1910. The Chicago architectural firm Marshall and Fox designed the building for the Shubert Theatre Corporation, which operated a national chain of performance venues. The theater's original program included vaudeville and touring theatrical productions; a Wurlitzer theatre organ was installed for accompaniment to early films.
The venue's name changed to the World Theater in 1933 as the building transitioned to film exhibition. It operated as a movie house through mid-century and into the 1970s. When the building was acquired by Minnesota Public Radio in 1980, its interior had deteriorated significantly.
MPR undertook a restoration that was completed in stages, with the performance stage reinstated by 1986. The restored theater became the primary venue for the radio program A Prairie Home Companion. A 1985 renovation that removed a false ceiling revealed a previously unknown second balcony — a structural discovery that figures directly in the theater's paranormal lore.
In 1994 the theater was renamed the Fitzgerald Theater in honor of F. Scott Fitzgerald, who was born in St. Paul in 1896 and grew up in the Summit Avenue neighborhood. The theater is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. First Avenue, which operates First Avenue and other Twin Cities venues, purchased the Fitzgerald from MPR in March 2019. It has a capacity of 1,058 and continues to host a broad range of live performances.
Sources
The Fitzgerald's paranormal reputation rests on two named figures, both of whose stories connect to the building's documented history.
The first is Ben, a former stagehand who worked at the theater for decades before retiring and later dying. During the 1985 renovation that revealed the previously unknown second balcony behind a false ceiling, workers found an old note addressed to Ben. The note's contents were not publicly disclosed and the document was removed from the site. After the renovation, theater staff began reporting that a man was occasionally seen in the second balcony when the building was supposed to be empty. Audience members on several occasions described receiving assistance from a helpful older man upstairs, without knowing the figure had not been seen by staff. Theater workers have also reported tools being moved or going missing during maintenance projects.
The second figure is Veronica, described as a vaudeville-era entertainer. Staff members have reported hearing a woman singing in the auditorium when the theater is unoccupied. The singing stops when anyone enters to investigate.
CBS Minnesota published a news feature based on interviews with theater staff, including theater engineer Dan Zimmermann, who confirmed having heard unexplained things in the building, and theater representative Ashley Ryan, who said the accounts were well-known among staff. The theater does not officially market itself as haunted, but management has acknowledged the staff reports.
The Fitzgerald is included on the US Ghost Adventures St. Paul ghost tour, which covers the Ben and Veronica accounts from outside the building.
Notable Entities
Media Appearances
The Fitzgerald Theater presents concerts, comedy, storytelling, and live radio broadcasts from the stage where staff have documented reports of unexplained sounds, tool movement, and apparitions in the second balcony and auditorium. Performances run year-round; check the First Avenue booking site for the current calendar.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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