History
1889
Masonic Temple Opera Block opens as a theater, Masonic lodge and office building. The six-story Richardsonian Romanesque Revival brownstone building is designed by Duluth architects Charles McMillen and Edward S. Stebbins and features a bulbous Moorish tower and turrets on the roof. Duluth’s first public library is housed on the second floor. The opera house, which faced Second Avenue East, replaces the Grand Opera House, which was lost to fire in 1889. Fire also destroyed the Temple Opera House in 1895, and for a time the building’s shell was used as a roller skating rink.
August 22, 1910
Orpheum Theatre opens. Built at the back of the original opera house, it is designed by Chicago architect J.E.O. Pridemore as a vaudeville venue. The feature is a musical playlet called “The Leading Lady” starring Mary Haney. Owner Guilford Hartley had the 1,600-seat theater built on the site of the Temple Opera House. At the same time he also had the Orpheum Garage built east of the Temple Opera Block on Superior Street.
The likes of Mary Pickford, Jack Benny, Charlie Chaplin, the Marx Brothers and W. C. Fields grace the Orpheum stage over the years.
1920
Three circus workers are falsely accused of rape and lynched in Duluth. They are dragged from the city jail by a mob, past the Orpheum Theatre and hung from a streetlight. Francis McHugh, a 19-year-old stagehand at the theater, is one of the chief witnesses.
July 11, 1941
NorShor Theatre opens as an Art Deco movie venue. Minneapolis-based architects Jacob J. Liebenberg and Seeman Kaplan design the remodel to include the old Orpheum in its construction, with a new entrance on Superior Street. They reverse the layout of the original theater and add a marquee that includes a 64-foot-high tower, completely sheathed in porcelain, incorporating 3,000 lights. It is said to be visible from 60 miles away. The theater’s Arrowhead Lounge milk bar features a mural of dairy and farm life by Gustaf Krollman of the Minneapolis Institute of Art. The opening movie is Caught in the Draft, starring Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour.
The top three floors of the Temple Opera Block are later removed.
1946
NorShor’s interior is remodeled. A photo mural of Split Rock Lighthouse is replaced with a hand-painted mural by Eugene Gilboe, who also painted a mural of Lake Superior in the mezzanine. The milk bar is replaced.
March 1967
NorShor tower is removed due to maintenance issues.
May 1974
Plitt Theaters of Chicago purchases the NorShor and 122 other movie theaters, including the Palace in Superior.
Mid 1970s
Actor Gregory Peck attends a screening of The Dove and gives a short speech.
1982
Cinema Entertainment Corp. sells the NorShor and Temple Opera Block to Duluth physician Eric Ringsred for $107,000. Cinema Entertainment Corp. continues to lease the theater briefly.
1983
Jerry Holisky briefly operates the theater, then turns management over to Charlie Sobczak.
1984
Northern Lights Co-op begins promoting movies and concerts at the NorShor. Later, George Munch and George Munch Jr. manage the theater, followed by Bunny Waterhouse.
Late 1980s
Hassan Khatib promotes punk rock shows at the NorShor.
May 1989
City building inspector closes the NorShor.
1990
Nonprofit Theatre in State, Inc., led by Harlin Quist, purchases the NorShor for $98,000. Ringsred is on the board of directors.
1992
The NorShor reopens after a $300,000 remodel turns the balcony of the main theater into a 234-seat movie and performance space.
1994
The NorShor closes when Quist moves to Minneapolis.
1995
Ringsred assumes control of the NorShor. Due to $102,000 in unpaid construction bills, Arno Kahn of Builder’s Commonwealth holds a lien on the building. The theater is sporadically used by groups like Renegade Comedy Theater.
Fall 1996
Don Schraufnagel beings promoting music events at the NorShor. The mezzanine bar, run by Marvin Pomeroy, is renamed the Stage Door Lounge.
Fall 1997
Crossroads Flux, a partnership of Rick Boo, Chris Mackey and Jay Koski, reopen the theater as an independent film venue.
1998
Minnesota’s Secretary of State sends a notice of involuntary dissolution to Theater in State for failure to submit required paperwork.
May 7–8, 1999
The first Homegrown Music Festival is held in the NorShor’s mezzanine. Performers include Amy Abts, Ballyhoo, the Black Labels, Crazy Betty, Father Hennepin, the First Ladies, Gild, Giljunko, Max Dakota and 2 Sleepy People.
May 13, 2000
Quist dies at age 69.
March 23, 2001
Duluth Economic Development Authority unanimously rejects a proposal to spend $1.155 million to acquire the Temple Opera Block and NorShor Theatre.
October 2003
Crossroads Flux ceases to operate and the NorShor closes.
April 2004
Tim Hartt and Pete Stuller reopen the NorShor.
July 2004
Craig Samborski and Chip Stewart take over operations as Norshor Entertainment LLC.
2005
J. P. Rennquist takes his turn managing the theater.
August 2005
Duluth Fire Marshal Erik Simonson orders the NorShor closed due to code violations.
November 2005
The A. H. Zeppa Family Foundation explores purchasing the NorShor. A feasibility study by Wagner Zaun Architecture and Scalzo Architects determines it would cost $2.2 million to catch up on basic deferred maintenance. Negotiations between Zeppa and Ringsred break down.
March 2006
Ownership of the NorShor is transferred to Temple Corp.
May 4, 2006
NorShor opens for one night during the Homegrown Music Festival. Low performs.
2006
Jim Gradishar opens the NorShor Experience strip club in the mezzanine.
May 8, 2010
Retribution Gospel Choir and Trampled by Turtles perform at the NorShor during the Homegrown Music Festival, filling the main theater to capacity.
June 15, 2010
The Duluth Economic Development Authority purchases the NorShor Theatre and Temple Opera Block for $2.6 million. The Duluth Playhouse becomes manager of the theater.
