All Stories: 64
Stories
Prince’s residence and studio
This location served as Prince's primary artistic headquarters for a critical period in the 1980s. In 1981, he purchased the house and the adjacent lot for privacy, repainted the two-story ranch home purple, and transformed the building into…
Prince’s residence and studio
Located on the shores of Lake Minnetonka, a location famously referred to in his debut movie Purple Rain (1984), Prince rented this property between 1979 and early 1981. The house in this bucolic suburb birthed what one critic called Prince's…
Capri Theater
Built in 1927 as the Paradise Movie Theater, this longstanding institution on Minneapolis’s North side became the Capri Theater after renovations in 1967.
Prince chose this location as the venue for his debut as a national recording artist. He…
Del’s Tire Mart
This now-demolished building—an actual tire store—proved crucial in the development of Prince’s music. In the summer and fall of 1978, he rented a room in the back of the building to serve as an audition and rehearsal space. Then he placed an ad in…
Sound 80
Built in 1970, Sound 80 Studio attracted artists as varied as Bob Dylan, Lipps, Inc., the Suicide Commandos, and Cat Stevens to record in their state-of-the-art studio. During the early months of 1977, the relatively-unknown Prince took a turn at…
American Artists Management Studio
This location served as the office and studio owned by Owen Husney, a local musician and producer. In 1976, Chris Moon introduced Prince to Husney, who was blown away by Prince’s talent, and became the musician's manager and mentor. Prince,…
Moon Sound Studio
In early 1976, Prince cut demo tapes here with his friends and bandmates André Cymone and Morris Day. Studio owner and part-time music producer Chris Moon recognized Prince’s talent. He helped the young musician better understand record producing,…
Cookhouse Studio
Local musician Pepe Willie hired Prince to play guitar and synthesizer in 94 East for a recording session at Cookhouse Studio. This was the young musician’s first-ever professional recording. Previous iterations of the studio saw the recording of…
Central High School
Central High School was the heart of the Southside African-American community for most of the twentieth century. Despite protests, the Minneapolis Public Schools decided to close the building in 1982. It was demolished soon thereafter (except for…
Charles “Chazz” Smith’s house
This was the home of Charles “Chazz” Smith, Prince’s cousin and musical collaborator. Grand Central—Prince's earliest band—had its roots here. Prince and Charles would jam in the den above the garage, and neighborhood kids would come and listen…