The First Avenue Nightclub is located at 701 First Avenue North in Minneapolis. The fantastic sound system and sight lines make the club, fondly referenced as 'First Ave', the ideal spot to see live entertainment. First Ave is notorious for offering up and coming artists as well as those artists that already hold nationwide popularity.
First Avenue was officially opened in 1970, but the history of the distinctively curved black building on the corner of First Avenue and Seventh Street began much earlier. In 1937, the building was opened as the Greyhound Bus Depot. Called one of the most "modernistic" and beautiful travel centers in America, the depot décor included "huge chromium trimmed chandeliers" and a checkered terrazzo floor.
In 1968, Greyhound relocated the bus stop and the next year a 25-year old Minneapolis native named Allan Fingerhut decided to build a club. When First Ave opened, it was appropriately named The Depot.
First Avenue Nightclub performers in the '70s included national and local acts: Ike & Tina Turner, The Allman Brothers, B.B. King, Rod Stewart, The Small Faces, John Lee Hooker, Peter Jesperson, The Ramones and U2.
In 1980, a partnership that would carry the club into the next century was formed. Steve McClellan and Jack Meyers took the helm and began booking cutting edge national acts, establishing Minneapolis' first rock community. On New Year's Eve, 1981, the club became the First Avenue Nightclub. In the '80s First Avenue evolved in to a hot spot to see local artist Prince. He made the club his regular venue and both the set and the setting of his movie, Purple Rain.
As the longest continual entertainment and music venue in the Twin Cities, First Avenue's roots in the community are deep and far-reaching. Fond mentions in even national magazines like Rolling Stone and Time began to pile up. The historic club will continue to be a hot spot in downtown Minneapolis for years to come.
