Forum Cafeteria (now Fhima's Restaurant)
An Art Deco interior that has been threatened and saved twice
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Forum Cafeteria
36 S 7th St, Minneapolis
1930
On National Register of Historic Places
The Forum Cafeteria was part of a national chain of cafeteria restaurants. Its classic Zig Zag Moderne interior, featuring sleek glass, tile, and stone surfaces, was inserted in 1930 into a building originally constructed in 1914 as the Saxe Theatre. The interior also featured images of pine cones and waterfalls to give it a North Woods feel. In the 1970s, the Forum chain lost its battle against fast food restaurants and went bankrupt. The space was then converted to a disco called Scotties on 7th. Then, in the 1980s, the interior again was threatened with demolition to make way for the City Center building. However, preservationists put the Forum on the National Register of Historic Places and won a lawsuit that required the developers to disassemble and store the entire 3,500-piece interior. The interior was reassembled in a space a few feet up 7th street and became part of City Center. Several restaurants have occupied this timeless space since it’s re opening.
