Residents of Hackensack, Minn., a town of fewer than 300 people in the north central part of the state, had to travel a minimum of 45 miles in any direction to see a movie. Business owner Kevin Larson and his wife Sue decided that their tiny town needed a business that would allow residents and nearby townspeople to enjoy a movie in town, while at the same time building the economy of Hackensack.
Their partners at the time decided to name the facility the Bear Pause Theater to reflect the northern location and to serve as an invitation for townspeople to take time out of their busy schedules and see a movie.
Kuepers Inc. Architects & Builders, Baxter, Minn., was hired as the architect and general contractor to bring the theater to reality. The 13,268-square-foot pre-engineered steel building from Columbus, Miss.-based Ceco Building Systems was completed in seven months and now serves as a beautiful cinema not only for movies but as a gathering place for private parties, business meetings, children’s parties and other events.
According to Executive Vice President Steven Kuepers, the Bear Pause Theater transcends all other movie-going experiences in the region, blending innovative technology with a rustic “up north” ambiance. “The theater’s four movie bays feature stadium seating and have a total seating capacity of 482,” Kuepers says. “We had to get inventive and creative to address the challenges relating to the use of pre-engineered steel for this type of facility.” Kuepers adds that using pre-engineered steel eliminated the load-bearing walls commonly associated with theater designs; thereby reducing the amount of functional obsolescence should the building be converted for another use in the future.
The building features concrete masonry separation walls between the common areas and theaters. The front façade is comprised of St. Croix simulated stone wainscot, stone/log columns, log truss accents and half-log trim boards. Ceco also supplied its CXP roof panels and MSP wall panels.
The bulk of the project was completed during the winter, which did affect the construction schedule, Kuepers says, but the completion date was only one month later than scheduled.
Ceco Building Systems, www.cecobuildings.com, Circle #57
