Pioneer Place on Fifth downtown St. Cloud

Pioneer Place on 5th downtown Saint Cloud

In 1913, after 15 years of renting space, the St. Cloud fraternal lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks hired architect Rolland Buckley to design a building. The two story classical revival has four Tuscan columns facing the street and was finished in 1914. The building at 22 Fifth Avenue South in Downtown St. Cloud was faced with brown brick and trimmed with Sauk Rapids granite to complete Buckley's vision for the Elks Lodge.

Incorporated into the design of the Pioneer Place building are 2 clocks, carved into the facad, always reading 11:00. This is the time the Elks hold a moment of silence to honor their fallen brothers. The number 11 for remembering our fallen heros has reached well beyond the order of the Elks. In 1918 on the 11th hour the 11th day of the 11th month an Armistice was declared, a temporary hold on hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany during WWI. In 1938 November 11 was proclaimed Armistice Day a federal holiday and today we celebrate our fallen heros on this same day known as Veteran's day.

There have been a few other owners of the building since the Elks and it is now home of Pioneer Place on Fifth. Their mission is "to bring to St. Cloud high quality, professional entertainment to art enthusiasts who would normally have to venture to the Twin Cities to enjoy." The owners, Mark and Dan Barth, are doing just that, featuring productions from major companies, even including a few off-Broadway tours.

The 2010 - 2011 upcoming theatre season performances at the Pioneer Place on Fifth include: Jesus Christ Superstar, A Streetcar Named Desire, Laughing All The Way Holiday Show, The Boys Next Door, The Seagull, The Foreigner, and The Fantasticks. For more information about these upcoming productions and ticket information check out the Pioneer Place on Fifth's website. The Professional Season runs from September through May each year, there are many other shows and performances.

In 2005 Pioneer Place introduced a concert season and added a state of the art sound system. The theatre is an intimate setting allowing all to fully enjoy the many wonderful performances The phrase "there isn't a bad seat in the house" has been used to describe Pioneer Place on Fifth. We are very glad to have this wonderful theatre full of interesting history as part of our local community.