Duluth’s Grand Opera House (1883-1889) served as Duluth’s cultural centerpiece and was home to the Chamber of Commerce, the Kitchi Gammi Club, and the Ladies Literary Library, the predecessor to the Duluth Public Library. The Grand Opera House’s auditorium seated over 1,000 people. Duluth’s population was 13,000 in 1883, so the theater could seat nearly 8% of the entire city. On opening night (September 20, 1883), the Emma Abbott Opera Company performed the popular opera Martha to a full house.

On January 28, 1889, a fire claimed the Opera House, leaving the building in ruins. The theater was not rebuilt. After the fire destroyed Duluth’s Grand Opera House, Duluth’s Masons ordered the construction of a new Masonic Temple at the site of their first temple, a two-story wooden structure built in 1869 at Superior Street and 2nd Avenue East. The new facility would include an adjacent opera house on 2nd Avenue East to take the place of the Grand Opera House.

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The Masons occupied the top two floors of the Temple Opera Block and one floor of the Opera House. They first organized in Duluth in 1869, and JB Culver, Duluth’s first mayor, was also the first Master of Duluth’s “Palestine Lodge #79”.

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Theater architect Oscar Cobb consulted on the Opera’s House design, including its extravagant 2nd Avenue entrance. On opening night, the Duluth Daily News described the building as: “Grand, imposing, beautiful! The Temple is indeed the ideal of the artist’s dream and the actor’s cherished hope. Beautiful in design, nothing of the practical has been sacrificed for effect, but rather has been made to lend to the beauty of the whole.”

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The Temple Opera House auditorium included 18 private boxes in three tiers on each side. They were described as “marvels of beauty and comfort.”

On October 12, 1895, another fire claimed the Temple Opera House, destroying the Masons Scottish Rite facility. Newspaper reports say the entire building was lost within 30 minutes. A firewall prevented the fire from damaging the Temple Opera Block. After the fire, the Opera House site was left vacant for 10 years. The Temple Opera House site was left vacant until 1905, when the Temple Rink — a roller skating facility designed by JJ Wangestein — was built, boasting a skating surface 140 feet long and 70 feet wide.

In 1909, Duluth businessman Guilford Hartley purchased the Temple Opera Block at the site of the Temple Opera House along with the block of property east of the Temple Opera Block, from 207 to 213 E. Superior Street. Hartley announced that he would construct a world-class vaudeville house to stand over the footprint of the Temple Opera House. Hartley’s Orpheum Theatre was designed by renowned theatre architect John E.O. Pridemore and was adorned with richly ornate Neoclassical elements.

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On the Orpheum’s opening night (August 22, 1910), Mayor Marcus Cullum addressed the audience, told them they were “looking swell,” and then gave a short speech. The theater’s manager also claimed Duluth’s audience to be “more metropolitan than any I have seen outside of New York, Philadelphia, and Boston.”

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In 1912, an art gallery opened within the theatre, located in the theatre’s upper corridor and lounging rooms. An estimated of over 1,000 patrons toured the gallery on opening day.

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The Orpheum was, until about 1925, Duluth’s premier vaudeville stage, competing only with the Lyceum Theatre for quality acts. As a member of the nationwide Orpheum Theatre circuit, Duluth’s Orpheum was all but guaranteed to book the nation’s finest talent. Famous vaudeville acts included WC Fields and his juggling act, Mary Pickford, The Marx Brothers, Jack Benny, and Charlie Chaplain.

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When Guilford Hartley died in 1922, the Harley Company took possession of the block, and in 1926, the company built the Orpheum Garage, a parking and service garage at 307-313 E. Superior Street. The Orpheum Garage was adjoined to the theatre and operated as a parking garage, which included offices for the theatre. It has also been referred to as the Temple Annex. In 1929, the Orpheum’s main entry was moved to 207 E. Superior Street, the first bay of the Orpheum Garage. The 2nd Avenue awning was also relocated to Superior Street at that time, and a large vertical sign for the Orpheum was attached to the Temple Opera Block.

From 1934 to 1939, the theater was closed except for a few sporadic attempts to make it work as a venue for live theatre and movies.

In 1940, the Minnesota Amusement Company leased the Orpheum Theatre and the Orpheum Garage, hiring architects Jacob Liebenberg & Seeman Kaplan to convert the vaudeville theater into a modern, art deco movie house.

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After a major renovation, in which the Orpheum’s layout was completely reversed, the 2nd Avenue and 207 E. Superior Street Orpheum entrances were abandoned, and a new entrance at 211 Superior Street was installed for the brand-new NorShor Theatre. A Duluth News Tribune story about the theater stated that “The Northwest’s most spectacular theater…features an entirely new style of theater architecture, a style so radical from accepted standards that the NorShor has already earned the distinction of being more sensational than New York’s Radio City.”

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The NorShor opened with Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour in Caught in the Draft, in which Hope reluctantly joins the US Army.

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The NorShor boasted the largest screen in the northwest. The main auditorium held 1,100 seats, and the balcony held 300. The lobby housed an inclined walkway known as the “Hall of Mirrors,” and the building’s amenities included “an ultra modern powder puff room, modern rest rooms, and personalized service.” A snack bar was added to the Hall of Mirrors sometime after opening night, and it was placed along the east wall across from the south stairway near the auditorium entrance. The NorShor also boasted the first “Milk Bar,” which served only dairy products.

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Most notably, the NorShor’s tower marquee stood 65 feet above the theater, weighed over 300 tons, and was completely sheathed in porcelain. It used 3,000 lights and was said to be visible from 60 miles away. In 1942, the Harley Company had the Temple Opera Block’s top three floors and Moorish Dome removed. It is theorized that the building was shortened at the request of NorShor’s management so the Temple Block’s Moorish Dome wouldn’t compete for attention with the NorShor’s brightly lit tower. Claiming maintenance costs, the Hartley Family Trust had the NorShor’s tower removed on March 8, 1967.

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In 1974, Minnesota Amusement Co. gave up its lease to the NorShor. It was then operated by Pitt Theaters, and after that, the Cinema Entertainment Corporation ran the theater until sometime before 1982. In 1976, the Hotel Duluth Corp. purchased the NorShor/Orpheum/Garage buildings and the Temple Opera Block and then sold the buildings to Daniel H. Neviaser in 1977. The NorShor was then purchased in 1982 by physician Dr. Erik Ringsred and his wife Deborah through 2010, and a number of operators took the reins of the NorShor.

On June 15, 2010, the Duluth Economic Development Authority (DEDA) purchased the NorShor Theatre and Temple Opera Block, and Duluth Playhouse assumed the theater’s management. The intent was to return the NorShor to life as a vibrant cultural center that serves the needs of the arts, dance, theatre, and musical organizations from across the region.

In 2012, DEDA selected developer Sherman Associates and Duluth Playhouse as a part of an RFP asking them to join forces to oversee the transformation of the NorShor and future management of the facility. Each brought expertise in their respective fields, and this powerful partnership crafted a compelling vision and plan for the project. Together, they directed the rehabilitation of the NorShor Theatre, the Temple Opera House, and the Annex Buildings, creating a nearly 60,000 SF, state-of-the-art, community-based regional arts center with full performing arts education and production facilities. The restored NorShor Theatre houses a 605-seat theatre with all the amenities in the heart of Duluth.

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In 2014, the project received $7.1 million from the Minnesota Legislature bonding bill for the NorShor restoration. Although this was only part of the $30.5 million needed for the completerestoration, it was a critical first step. Sherman Associates secured additional financing, including Federal Historic and New Market Tax Credits. Duluth Playhouse led a historic $4.5 million capital campaign to raise funds for the NorShor Theatre Community Arts Center renovation and facility enhancements to ensure the theatre was fully equipped for world-class performances.

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PROJECT FEATURES:

-A beautifully refurbished 605-seat theatre with two reception lounges and bars.

-An orchestra pit, dressing rooms, and three rehearsal studios.

-Skywalk access directly into the NorShor Theatre from the Greysolon and adjacent parking ramp.

-A street-front box office and community arts kiosk.

-A fully restored Grand Marquee that brightens Superior Street in Downtown Duluth

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PROJECT BENEFITS:

-A fully restored NorShor Theatre will offer a compelling reason for tourists to consider Duluth as a destination.

-Families can experience the joy and wonder of live theatre in a historic yet modern setting, complete with contemporary amenities for a memorable, one-of-a-kind experience.

-The thriving cultural community created by the NorShor will enrich the lives of residents and contribute to the overall vitality of Duluth and the surrounding region.

-A vibrant cultural community creates an enhanced quality of life for its residents while strengthening the city and our surrounding regions.

-With its state-of-the-art facilities, the NorShor Theatre will provide a much-needed mid-sized venue for national, regional, and local performers, enhancing the city’s arts and entertainment scene.

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NorShor Capital Campaign Case Statement

NorShor Restoration Campaign Donors

In 2016, the City of Duluth officially designated “Old Downtown” as a historic arts and theater district (HART). The NorShor Theatre is recognized as the cornerstone for future restoration and economic development, bringing increased foot traffic, commerce, stability, and vibrancy to the center of our city.

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Sherman Associates developed the properties and served as managing member and building owner during the seven-year New Market Tax Credit (NMTC) compliance period, with the goal of transitioning its ownership to Duluth Playhouse at the end of the compliance period. As Operations Manager of the NorShor Theatre, Duluth Playhouse supported the work of regional and local arts groups while fostering collaborations that promote the arts and culture in the region.

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In February of 2018, after years of strategic planning and hard work, the NorShor Theatre officially reopened. Duluth Playhouse moved its Main Stage productions to the NorShor with the regional premiere of the Broadway blockbuster Mamma Mia!

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The Restoration in the Press

The NorShor Theatre welcomed Duluth Playhouse Youth Theatre to its stage in 2022 and the Playhouse Underground to a re-envisioned black-box space in 2023. The strategic decision to consolidate all performances and programs to the NorShor Theatre allowed the Playhouse to focus exclusively on maintaining and enhancing the restored NorShor Theatre, making it the official home of Duluth Playhouse.

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In September 2023, ownership of the NorShor Theatre officially transferred from Sherman Associates to Duluth Playhouse, which had been the managing theatre since the start of the restoration project.

With over 50,000 visits each year, the NorShor Theatre has become a cornerstone of cultural life in Duluth, attracting audiences from across the region. Its stage has hosted a diverse array of performances, from local productions to regional favorites and nationally acclaimed shows. The NorShor has revitalized the downtown, including new employment opportunities and tourism, filling once-vacant retail spaces with theatrical arts and educational programming while enhancing public safety and catalyzing other community and economic development opportunities.

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Thanks to our theatre restoration donors for helping give the NorShor new life.

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Press coverage throughout the historical theatre restoration

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