St. Louis Park and the Guthrie Theater have one thing in common – their debt of gratitude to T.B. Walker for getting them off the ground.
The Guthrie Theater opened May 7, 1963. Its first production was “Hamlet,” directed by Sir Tyrone Guthrie. Guthrie and friends Oliver Rea and Peter Zeisler had been disenchanted with Broadway, and wanted to create a theater with a repertory company that would present the classics. The repertory company included George Grizzard, Hume Cronin and Jessica Tandy. The group advertised in the New York Times, soliciting cities that would be interested in sponsoring such a theater. Of the seven cities that responded, the founders were impressed with the demographics but mostly the enthusiasm of the Twin Cities for the project.
The T.B. Walker Foundation donated the land behind the Walker Arts Center, and a $400,000 contribution for construction was matched by over $2.2 million raised by the community. The building was designed by architect Ralph Rapson and the stage was designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch.