The Century Theatre originally opened in 1908 as a 2,000 seat vaudeville house called the Miles. It was built by the Minneapolis firm of Kees and Colburn and designed in an Art Deco/French Renaissance style. It was one of four historic theatres on the block where City Center is now located–The Century and Strand Theatre faced Seventh Street and the Gopher and Aster Theatre faced Hennepin Avenue.
